Students at Design and Business are a mix of students who are either new to Denmark, new to campus Herning or very familiar with the campus. Students who have completed their AP degree elsewhere in Denmark or abroad are invited for an introduction just before the study start.
Expect to meet international students from all over the world as well as Danish students in your classes.
Theory as well as practical classroom teaching
At the first semester of the Design and Business study programme, you will work cross-professionally, and project oriented with students from the other specialties. This means that you will get insight into other specialties than your own and learn how important it is to get a common understanding of each other’s skills. At the end of the 2nd semester, you are going on a 10-week internship at a business or organisation in the fashion- or lifestyle industries. We recommend that our international students take the internship in Denmark to grow your network, learn about Danish workplace culture and increase your chances of landing a job after graduation.
A large part of the teaching is based on collaborations with the lifestyle industry and/or cases founded in the business. This means that you get very close to the industry you will be working in in the future already during your studies.
Theory and practice are combined in teaching, as is classroom teaching and project-based. Assignments and projects are carried out individually as well as in study groups. You/your group will get guidance and feedback continuously. Often a project will be concluded with a presentation of your results.
In addition, our workshops and labs will be included in the practical teaching.
Collaboration with the industry
A large part of the teaching is based on collaborations with the lifestyle industry and/or cases founded in the business. This means that you get very close to the industry you will be working in in the future already during your studies.
The environment around Campus Herning is unique in the sense that a large part of the fashion industry in Denmark is centred in central Jutland, so you will find the headquarters of major players in the Danish fashion industry close to campus. In addition, the industry organisation Dansk Mode og Tekstil (Danish Fashion and Textile) is located right next to campus and has a long-standing collaboration with VIA and students are free to use their trend library for research.
Full time studies with preparation
As a student at Design and Business, you should be aware that you are expected to put in an independent study effort and cooperate with your fellow students. The programme is full time and requires an average of 40 hours of studying per week.
Expect to have teaching on campus 2-3 days per week, days varying from week to week. The remaining days are self-study days for reading, working with your study group and on projects.
Study environment
The study environment in Herning is buzzing with creativity.
When it comes to social activities on campus, we have a cozy Friday bar run by students. In addition, events relevant to your studies as well as social events take place on campus throughout the year, e.g. lectures, career days, yoga, and Christmas events. Find events here:
You have access to campus from 7 am to 10 pm with your student card. This includes workshops and labs, i.e. material laboratory, flat screen, and digital print, knitting workshop, embroidery workshop and sewing machines, which can be used for your projects and assignments.
The on-campus incubator also known as The Garage offers guidance to students interested in starting their own business, and hosts industry relevant courses and workshops for and by students throughout the year. This could be photography course, trend forecasting, From Design to Reality, Creative Idea Festival and much more.
Campus Herning consists of five beautiful buildings in Birk Centerpark. The surrounding areas are full of atmosphere, art and architecture and the closest neighbours are the HEART, Carl-Henning Pedersen, and Else Alfelts Museums which students have free access to. In addition, the campus has an international student environment with students from all over the world.
Read more about Campus Herning.
Study start
The first day of the semester is a study start/introduction day. After that, students work on their “Design and Business projects” for two weeks before they are introduced to their classes.
We start in the middle of August. The final programme and dates will be announced at MyVIA, VIA’s portal for students. You will get access to the site once you are enrolled at one our programmes.