Application Process

If you want to apply for the M.A. programme at KISD, an academic degree in design or a design-related field (B.A. or higher) covering at least 180 ECTS.

The course language is English and applicants are required to provide proof of English proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS, or other). For TOEFL, a minimum score of 72 (Internet-based version) is required.

Your application documents must be submitted online and in English. Your portfolio, letter of Intent and letter of recommendation just need to be uploaded in CAMS – the application portal of TH Köln – and not in uni-assist. Each of the submitted documents must be 4MB or less.

Portfolio

Choose projects and experiences that provide a good overview both of your fields of interest and your design/design-related experience and qualifications. Works can be academic, professional, or free projects. The uploaded PDF file cannot exceed 4MB. Feel free to add links to the portfolio pointing to other websites to showcase your audiovisual projects.

Letter of Intent 

The letter of intent is your reflection of the chosen Thematic Cluster. It should consist of 600-900 words, a maximum of five images and it should outline the direction you see for yourself and your studies. Relate to one of our Thematic Clusters and position yourself and your research interest among the range of perspectives, explaining your previous studies, work, projects and engagements. Tell us what motivates you to apply or what led you to develop your specific interest.

Curriculum Vitae

Concisely list your educational and professional background. Include everything that qualifies you for an »Integrated Design Research« M.A. programme.

Letter of Recommendation

Please send us at least one letter of recommendation from an academic or professional institution or organization.

A letter of recommendation is less a list of observed activities and more a personal assessment of the person to be recommended. It asks for a well-founded, realistic evaluation of the applicants’ qualifications, in particular of the scientific and creative competences and research skills and interests of the applicant. The focus should be on competencies and potential as well as the personal suitability of the candidate from the author’s point of view. It is therefore important that both have gotten to know each other in advance.

Since the applicants will upload the letter of recommendation to the TH Köln portal themselves, it cannot be confidential.

In general, the letter of recommendation should contain the following elements:

• Letterhead of the issuer (name, position, organization, contact information)
• Subject line (containing applicant’s name)
• Writing style in first-person
• Short self-introduction
• Description of how you know the candidate
• Professional recommendation
• Achievements
• Subjective recommendation
• Location, date and signature

Furthermore, it should not exceed 2 pages.

Students who have graduated with a bachelor’s degree in »Integrated Design« at KISD, please submit a letter of recommendation signed by two KISD professors. Usually, they would be the supervisors of your B.A. thesis.

Proof of Language Sufficiency

We recognize all B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and do not have a specific deadline for the amount of time that they need to be valid.

List of major recognized tests and their corresponding B2 scores (https://www.efset.org/cefr/b2/):

• CEFR: B2 level
• EF SET: B2 level – 51 to 60 Points
• IELTS: B2 level – 5.5 to 6.0 Points
• TOEFL: B2 level – 72 to 94 Points (internet-based version, UniAssist code: 2727)
• Cambridge: B2 level – 160 to 179 Points
• Global Scale of English (Pearson): B2 level – 59 to 75 Points

Please note that all M.A. students should write a substantial research-based Final Thesis in English to complete the program. If you studied your Bachelor degree in English, you simply need to submit your transcript to prove that the courses were in English and write us a letter stating that your studies were in English and submit it along with your other application documents. If you are a native speaker just write us a letter or any other proof of native English proficiency and submit that along with your other application documents.

Copies of Authenticated Certificates of Previous Study Course(s)

Include scans all of your degrees and certificates.

Please note the following

All documents should be adequately designed. We do not define a style sheet for the presentation of your application, so this is your opportunity to give us an idea of your skills and competence in presenting specific interests regarding our programme.

If you do not have German citizenship and/or do not hold a German undergraduate degree that is related to the Master degree Integrated Design Research, you additionally must apply to uni-assist. Please note that the uni-assist portal for KISD has already closed for this year’s applications. It will open again from mid-February until March 31, 2026.

You can find more information about uni-assist here or on the uni-assist website.

uni-assist e.V, Application Services for International Students, provides processing and evaluation for international student applications for many German universities. They check if your application is complete and if you meet all admission requirements for your desired study programme.
uni-assist informs us in April about your national degree qualifications. Only if you receive a positive statement by uni-assist as well as KISD you can enroll at TH Köln as a KISD student.

Please note that TH Köln/KISD decides about your admission to a study program and not uni-assist.

Important notes about uni-assist:

• You don’t need to upload your portfolio, letter of intent and letter of recommendation to uni-assist – just at the portal of TH Köln (CaMS).
• Make sure you apply to CaMS even if you haven’t heard back from uni-assist, sometimes the verification process takes longer than intended.

The aptitude test consists of two steps: In the first step, you are asked to upload your documents to the CaMS portal of TH Köln. A key element of your application is the elaborated letter of intent (see requirements above). Your application will be reviewed by the Aptitude Assessment Committee with regard to your study-related qualifications and matching between your proposed research interest and our Thematic Clusters. If your application is shortlisted, you will receive the invitation to an interview mid May. The interview is the second step of the aptitude assessment and will take place via Zoom at the beginning of June 2025. You will receive a final statement from KISD shortly after the interview.

Important note for international students: Before the two steps described above, you need to apply to uni-assist with the required documents.

Application Deadline uni-assist: March 31, 2025 (please note that this year’s application period via uni-assist has already ended). Applying via uni-assist will be possible again as of mid-February 2026.

Application Period KISD: April 26 – May 02, 2025.

Interviews: beginning of June, 2025.

Start of Study: only in the Winter term of each year (mid September).