KTH Royal Institute of Technology
MSc Architectural Lighting Design
Stockholm, Sweden
MSc
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
SEK 180,000 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for non-EU/EEA/Swiss | no tuition fee for citizens of EU/EEA country or Switzerland
Key Summary
Light is essential for human well-being and fundamental to interior spaces, buildings and urban areas. Students learn how lighting quality, both natural and artificial light, affects human behaviour, comfort and health. Factors of sustainable development: environmental, social and economic aspects are in focus. Graduates have unique competence in lighting planning and work in lighting design, architectural studios or as consultants.
Architectural Lighting Design at KTH
The master's programme in Architectural Lighting design offers a unique approach to light and lighting planning: a combination of visual, physical, and biological-based experience and knowledge applied to design, technology, and health.
The programme is developed by the Lighting Design Division, one of five divisions of the Department of Architecture at the School of Architecture and the Built Environment at KTH. The Lighting Design Division, along with education, conducts several research projects that involve students collaborating with companies and other institutions. The division also organises events to connect academia with businesses and research institutions on specific topics, such as the annual Light Week, a collaboration with the Swedish Energy Agency. Since 2010, the division has organised the Light Symposium, a two-day international event focused on light and health, partnering with the universities of Wismar, Aalborg and South-Eastern Norway. The event was hosted at KTH in 2010, 2015, 2018 and 2023.
This is a full-time one-year programme (60 ECTS credits) taught in English. It consists of four courses and a master's degree project that you will conduct at the end of the second semester. The courses and the degree project are scheduled in a continuous sequence, and there are no elective courses. Each course requires 100 % study pace, which corresponds to 40 hours per week. Graduates are awarded the degree of Master of Science. The programme is primarily delivered at KTH Campus by the School of Architecture and Built Environment, and includes a series of study visits and workshops in and around Stockholm.
Light and Humans
The programme begins with the course in Light and Humans (9 ECTS credits). You will explore the relationship between light and humans, which is mediated by physical space. Knowledge related to light qualities, sources, materials, and cultural and human aspects is combined with the experience of the design process. After this course, you will be able to develop a comprehensive site-specific solution for a lighting design proposal, following a design method that considers social and human aspects.
Light and Space – outdoor
The following course is Light and Space – outdoor (12 ECTS credits). This course focuses on the relationship between light and outdoor environments, especially urban settings and their physical and cultural characteristics. It will enhance your understanding of the methodology, tools, concepts, and vocabulary associated with outdoor lighting processes. The design tasks conclude with full-scale hands-on lighting installations, preparing you to deal with challenges such as ecological impact, social interactions and integration within a specific urban identity.
Light and Science
At the final course for the first semester, Light and Science (9 ECTS credits), you will further develop your theoretical knowledge about light. You will focus on its relationship to space and humans through discussions between fellow students and researchers in the field, lectures, experimental sessions and study visits. You will gain the ability to analyse lighting conditions methodologically by understanding the visual and physical concepts of light. You will conduct a practical case study using a photometric and ethnographically informed approach that you will present as an academic paper.
Light and Space – indoor
In the course Light and Space – indoor (15 ECTS credits), you will learn the importance of dealing with daylight and its implications for indoor spaces. Additionally, the artificial lighting is taught as a complementary element for daylight, and it develops through activities related to sources of light and technology, responsiveness, spatial theory and visual ergonomics, performance and sustainability. In the course, you will also enhance your skills in design, planning, calculations and presentation techniques through different projects based on real case scenarios.
Degree Project
The programme concludes with a degree project designed to answer a specific research question, whether theoretically or practically. The focus is chosen from a wide variety of topics within the field of architectural lighting design, promoting sustainable development within the built environment. Theoretical papers with a strong focus on social and ecological sustainability about light and health, light and time, urban lighting, perception and information, as well as practical projects with a theoretical frame in rural lighting and interactive lighting design, are a few examples of previous degree projects. Throughout the years, the graduates from the master's programme in Architectural Lighting Design have consistently been granted national and international research funding and scholarships for developing their degree projects. These were submitted and awarded at international conferences.
The courses in the programme cover topics such as lighting design, architecture, well-being, sustainability, perception, psychophysical studies, quantitative and qualitative approaches, lighting laboratory and user-oriented approach.
Mandatory Courses
- Degree Project in Architectural Lighting Design, Second Cycle (AF270X) 15.0 credits
- Light and Humans (HS2007) 9.0 credits
- Light and Space-Outdoor (HS2008) 12.0 credits
- Light and Space-Indoor (HS2009) 15.0 credits
- Light and Science (HS2010) 9.0 credits
It provides an in-depth understanding of the field through scientific expertise and practical experience in artificial light and daylight. Graduates from the programme can apply advanced knowledge in lighting design in both practical and academic contexts.
KTH Scholarships
KTH offers four different scholarship opportunities for master's studies. The KTH Scholarship covers the tuition fee of a one or two-year master’s programme. The KTH One-Year Scholarship is aimed at current KTH master's programme students and covers the tuition fee of the second year of studies. The KTH Joint Programme Scholarship is aimed at students in certain joint programmes and covers the tuition fee for the study period spent at KTH. The KTH India Scholarship is aimed specifically at students from India.
- KTH Scholarship
- KTH One-Year Scholarship
- KTH Joint Programme Scholarship
- KTH India Scholarship
Swedish Institute
SI Scholarship for Global Professionals
The SI Scholarship for Global Professionals covers the tuition fee for a master's programme and also includes living costs. It is open to students from 33 countries with previous work and leadership experience. You apply directly to SI after completing your application to KTH.
SI Scholarship Pioneering Women in STEM
The SI Scholarship Pioneering Women in STEM covers the tuition fee of a selection of master's programmes at KTH and also includes living costs. It is open to female students from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Thailand or Vietnam. You apply directly to SI after completing your application to KTH.
KTH associated scholarship organisations
KTH cooperates with the following organisations, providing scholarship opportunities for prospective KTH students.
- COLFUTURO (Programa Crédito Beca) for students from Colombia
- LPDP (Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education) for students from Indonesia
- FUNED for students from Mexico
- MESCYT for students from the Dominican Republic
- ANII for students from Uruguay
Scholarship portals
- IEFA database: The IEFA database offers a comprehensive scholarship search, grant listing, and international student loan programmes.
- Studyportals: The Studyportals scholarship database lists over 1,000 scholarships and grants for students worldwide applying for studies in the EU.
- Scholars4dev: Scholarships for Development is a database of scholarships open to students from developing countries.
- WeMakeScholars: WeMakeScholars helps students from India secure education loans from banks and NBFCs. They also list more than 26,000 international scholarships from different trusts, foundations, and the government. Bodies.
Deferment of student loans in the United States
KTH is an accredited institution at the US Department of Education and holds a Title IV 'Deferment Only' status (OPE ID 03274300). US students may defer payments on existing federal student loan accounts while enrolled in a master’s programme at KTH. The 'Deferment Only' status does not allow students to take out federal student loans for enrollment at KTH. However, the accreditation facilitates grant and loan opportunities for US students, as many private student loan institutions in the US use this designation as a requirement to grant new loans. Students who wish to defer payments must contact their lending institution in the US.
Lighting is a rapidly evolving field of knowledge. In recent years, there has been a growing demand for lighting design expertise as lighting designers understand the role of light and lighting in architecture, interior spaces and urban environments. From this role, you may add substantial value to a project by enhancing visual performance, energy efficiency, sustainability, safety, well-being and health. There are plentiful job opportunities on an international level for architects, designers and engineers with lighting design competence.
As a graduate, you primarily work in lighting design or architectural studios or as self-employed consultants. Employers might also be construction companies, lighting manufacturers and public, including policy makers, or private operators. After your master's studies in Architectural Lighting Design, you may also pursue doctoral studies (PhD studies) at KTH or other national or international universities.
The programme uses innovative teaching and learning methods such as structured lectures and peer review practices. Interactive sessions foster a constructive learning environment where students and teachers develop their understanding of the subject through presentations, open discussions, tutoring and workshops.
The education mixes theory and practice, and your progress is assessed through a combination of individual and group assignments. You will also perform full-scale studies via prototypes and mock-ups to gain first-hand experience of light within architecture.
Additionally, you will gain an in-depth understanding of physical and visual phenomena through laboratory sessions. We also host a series of motivational lectures throughout the programme, where acclaimed international and national lighting designers, architects and researchers share their knowledge and expertise.