Master in Creative Design Management
Zagreb, Croatia
Master degree
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
15 Jul 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
21 Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 5,490 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning, Blended
* only students who do not require a visa may be considered after the official deadline
Key Summary
Design and communications management is a complex process that requires interdisciplinary knowledge and various skills that you can fully master, understand and develop in this study program. We live in a time inspired by technology which faces us with new challenges and requires new ways of dealing with increasingly complex problems. Of course, these challenges need to be understood and adopted on a daily basis. A specialist professional master study program in Design & Communications Management prepares you exactly for this kind of situation. The knowledge you will acquire will help you to become a part of a digitally transformed world, where only constant commitment to innovation ensures success.
Managing teams composed of a wide variety of experts and managing your own business are just some of the skills you will learn and adopt in this study program. Today, technology is a requirement for business success, but technology is nothing without the people who understand and develop it. We want to show you the importance of technology in today’s business environment, but also teach you how to manage people who use this technology. In addition, how to understand and communicate with those who need to become fond of the products and services managed by yourself in order to buy them and remain faithful to them.
Online studies at Algebra Bernays University are designed to provide students with quality, structured and flexible distance education, while maintaining a high level of interaction with teachers and colleagues. Our online master study programmes are thought in English language and students can choose between one of the two offered models:
Full online model: 100% online, study from anywhere
Hybrid online model: combination of online and occasional classroom teaching
Why study at Algebra Bernays University?
We prepare you for digital professions on the global labour market
The highest-quality professional study programmes in Croatia
According to the results of the overall institution quality system evaluation conducted by the Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE), through the re-accreditation process we have been declared the highest-quality professional study programme in Croatia.
Numerous benefits
During your studies, you will have the opportunity to learn and obtain internationally recognised certificates, along with receiving a Dreamspark Premium subscription to over 160 Microsoft products.
96% employment success rate
96% of our graduates get employed in their respective professions 3 months after completing their studies.
International exchange with more than 140 universities
We organise international activities for our students, lecturers and employees, as well as for foreign students and experts who share our values and beliefs. We support the exchange of students and lecturers and encourage the implementation of practical coursework abroad.
In-demand professions
Data engineers, digital marketing and strategy specialists, artificial intelligence and machine learning specialists, programmers are just some of the professions of the future for which Algebra University offers educational opportunities at both bachelor and master level.
Your career
Our partner employers are constantly looking for talented students. We are here to connect you and help jumpstart your career while you’re still studying. Our Career Centre has answers to all your questions.
Croatia, as well as other European countries, has the highest demand for digital talents in STEM and STEAM. This includes engineers, mathematicians, physicists, data analysts, cybersecurity experts, but also all those who are skilled in applying creative knowledge in the digital sphere of multimedia production or game development, for which Algebra has recently launched new study programmes.
Algebra Bernays University values diversity and actively seeks students from different backgrounds and nationalities to enrich the campus culture and broaden their horizons. Applicants from all around the world would be expected to meet the standards of academic excellence that include skills such as critical thinking, creativity, adaptability, teamwork, leadership and others relevant in today’s world. Study in Croatia, excel at Algebra Bernays.
General learning outcomes
- Analyze and solve problems of applying, finishing, and new implementing existing visual content in a wider business context and supporting appropriate solutions using creative and critical thinking techniques.
- Perform a more demanding market project by following a set of requirements and standards and applying modern technologies, tools, and methodologies.
- Adapt the way of thinking and elaborate visual content by form, functionality, usage, and platform of utilization.
- Recognize the need, and then prepare a blueprint for intellectual property protection and develop activities to strengthen the brand identity as well as the complete idea behind the visual content.
- Approach the new trends and development of technologies and materials in a structured manner that ensures independence, a logical approach to problem-solving, and creating visual solutions that go beyond the known and customary ways.
- Carry out a product or a motif through stylistic and psychological postulates and ensure further visual development of the idea to support its goal and improve market perception.
Specific learning outcomes
- Introduce solutions through the use of three-dimensional visualization and animation to ensure an optimized and faster process of making visual content in relation to twodimensional vector or raster techniques.
- Analytically synthesize data, recognizing trends and messages in order to use examples of market communications to communicate the applicable marketing solutions.
- Evaluate the entrepreneurial idea and propose adequate business and organizational conditions for its realization in the field of creative and cultural industries.
- Shape and create complex audio-video content, that includes special effects and animations, using digital tools and following the script, storyboard, and framing.
- Optimize your idea or a message according to the needs of the user, brand, and expected communication effect by respecting the specifics of digital communication channels and platforms.
- Conceptualize and create your own portfolio, with optimized protected works and a placement strategy that can dynamically communicate your own work towards achieving the social perception of creators according to their goal or targeted social group.
First year
Semester 1
- Presentation design elements
- Innovative project 1 - Product or services ideation and planning
- Integrated marketing communications
- Idea management
- Creative processes management
- Leadership
- Multiculturalism and identity
Semester 2
- Branding 1 - Corporate and personal identity
- Digital consumer behavior
- Innovative project 2 - Product or services development
- Creative economy
- Creative methods and techniques
- Visual storytelling
- Ideation in photography
- Business ethics
Second year
Semester 3
- Branding 2 - Product Identity
- Aesthetics and design theory
- Innovative Project 3 - Go to market strategies
- Design research and methodology
- Psychology of user experience design
- Visual interactive media
- Ideation in film and video
- Interpretation and management of cultural heritage
Semester 4
- Final thesis
- Sustainable development design
- Project management in creative industries
Examples of jobs we are preparing you for:
- Creative Director
The creative director's position is indispensable in advertising, media, publishing, and every other industry that requires the visual design of creative concepts. A creative director is a key person in creating integrated marketing campaigns, equally skilled in dealing with textual and visual content. - Marketing Director
This an exceptionally responsible position in which you need to know how to develop a marketing strategy, including various economic indicators; from competitive analysis to detailed budget development and planning. Your decisions will have far-reaching consequences for products and services managed by yourself and beyond them – you are creating consumer trends and affecting the purchasing habits of a large number of people. - Client Service Director
Client relationships are often a crucial element for the success of a company, as well as for the success of any project, service, idea, or product. The person who oversees and manages relationships with clients must possess both negotiating and marketing, but also highly developed organizational abilities. An analytical mind and understanding of human interactions are essential for success in this business. - Strategic Planner
The wider picture is what drives you. Your contribution to the organization consists in the understanding of trends, in a profound analysis of all aspects of business, and ultimately in a courageous, original vision of development which you will be able to discuss and recommend to decision-makers. For your high-quality preparation will often be decisive when making very important business decisions.
Algebra Bernays University is ranked 1st in Croatia with respect to the overall quality of the programmes and HEI according to the National Agency for Science and Higher Education and is the best education organization in the world among 3200 organizations as evaluated by Microsoft in 2014. Algebra is a co-founder of the Leading Learning Partners Association (LLPA) recognized as the winner of 2020 Microsoft Learning Partner of the Year.
The only institution in Croatia that has met the quality requirements of the NVAO.
Tuition fees are affordable when comparing to other European study destinations. At this time, we do not offer scholarships to new students, however, all students have access to scholarships for senior years of study depending on their academic merit and achievements.