Avans University of Applied Sciences
Master of Arts in Health by Design
's Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
MA
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 May 2026*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 9,680 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* EEA applicants | 01/05/2026 non-EEA applicants
** non-EEA nationality | EEA or Dutch nationality: EUR 2,530
Key Summary
Health by Design is a graduation track of the Master of Arts in Fine Art & Design at Avans. During the two-year programme, you co-design with students from various disciplines in practice-led design research. And in art thinking projects in health and wellbeing.
As a health designer, you'll develop intellectual and practical skills to achieve a transdisciplinary and co-design approach. Adding value to complex health and wellbeing challenges, and propelling your career in a rapidly evolving field.
As a society, we encounter increasing challenges in delivering accessible and honest 'holistic health for all' services. A global paradigm shift is underway, recognizing individuals beyond their illnesses. And emphasizing the crucial role of art and design in collaboratively shaping ethical innovations. During the graduation track, you learn how to respond to the current challenges and opportunities and shape this new reality.
Engaging with people from art and design, technology, ethics, research, and healthcare backgrounds in an interdisciplinary environment enriches your practice. And allows you to build a unique support network of peers and professionals. Learn from cross-disciplinary experts, lead co-design processes, and immerse yourself in a practice-based design approach to conduct design research. Individually and in multidisciplinary teams.
Programme Features
- Cross-over health and visual cultures
- Transdisciplinary co-design
- Situated design research
- Art thinking and prototyping
You are welcome with various backgrounds such as:
- Artists and designers: product and service designers, visual storytellers, and digital artists interested in design research and health and wellbeing
- Health- and wellbeing professionals: nurses, social workers, and therapists interested in artistic practices, technology and design research
- Engineers: urbanists, engineers and data scientists interested in artistic practices, design research and health and wellbeing.
We deliver artists and designers who are able to expand their careers based on value-driven motivations to become part of creating a better world. You are able to step into complex societal questions related to health and well-being. And take part in co-design with cross-sectoral professionals and stakeholders of different disciplines to become part of future solutions.
After the graduation track Health by Design, you will be equipped with the skills and qualities essential for a range of work environments. Such as 3D labs and studios in hospitals, health technology start-ups, design research firms and creative technology labs at health organizations. Examples of career opportunities are product designer, design researcher/strategist, UX designer, curator, and design consultant in the field of health and wellbeing. You are also invited to define your own future profession, expanding to new roles such as inclusive design artist, health-centred designer, health data designer or health system hacker.
This graduation track can also be a stepping stone to a research-oriented career towards a Professional Doctorate (PD) or a PhD research at a university (PhD).
Potential Careers After the Programme
- Product designer
- Design researcher/strategist
- UX designer
- Design consultant
Health by Design is a unique transdisciplinary program of activities taking place within the domain of health and well-being. It is designed to promote practice-based research from the broader spectrum of art and design practice, with a bridge to science and technology. The graduation track combines practice and theory. This allows you to generate knowledge related to current, urgent social and societal issues by employing critical design as a key to social change.
Year 1
During the graduation track, you will mainly work in multidisciplinary teams. In the first year, you will get acquainted with the broad context and complexity of the healthcare system. And learn about themes such as Context and Policy, Art Thinking and Prototyping, and Co-design and Design Research. Coaching will assist you in choosing modules to (re)define your role as a designer and develop it.
Subjects/Projects
- Elective Design & Research Practice
- Health System
- Design Thinking
- Design & Technology
- Co-design for Health and Wellbeing projects
Year 2
In the second year, you can specialize in either Experience-Centered Design or Social Situated Design. While simultaneously working on your graduation project. Here, you learn to design with a focus on ergonomics, and physical and digital interaction with products and services. Or you concentrate on the relationship of the user with the system and the context. Additionally, you work on building your design and research portfolio.
Subjects/Projects
- Elective Design Research Focus: Experience-Centered Design and Social Situated Design
- Design & Research Portfolio and Thesis
- Graduation Project