About the program:
ITMO's international Master's program "Lighting Design" was developed by leading specialists of the University's Creative Lighting Department (CLD ITMO University). In just two years after its foundation in 2015, CLD ITMO University entered the top-5 shortlist of the Award for Education category of the prominent Professional Lighting Design Convention 2017. The program is aimed at creative thinkers searching for new forms and tools of working with space both in theory and practice. It is equally beneficial for both new graduates and practicing specialists interested in professional transformation in the field of lighting design and design of interactive and lighting technologies and architectural spaces.
Focus on the quality of design solutions
Our program is intended to stimulate the generation of new ideas, the development of creative responsibility and leadership skills. The students learn to harness the power of visual thinking, master the problem-oriented approach to design and explore modern methods and tools of analytics and design forecasting. We teach our aspiring designers to comprehensively interact with real-life environments and give objective substantiation of their creative choices. In addition to the main curriculum, our students participate in lectures, conferences, and workshops by leading Russian and international scientists, researchers and practitioners in lighting design and the adjacent professional fields of architecture, design, lighting and computer technologies. That allows them to expand their knowledge horizons and engage in networking, which is a crucial tool in the toolset of a modern lighting designer, ensuring successful work both in Russia and abroad, in freelance and as part of a company's staff.
Work placements and internships
High-achieving students have the opportunity to take part in international summer schools and internships, as well as obtain valuable international experience as part of exchange programs at our partner universities, which are Aalborg University (Denmark), Tallinn University (Estonia), and University of Wolverhampton (the UK). Even as early as during their studies, the students can join the Creative Lighting Department's many industrial and art projects on the recommendation of the program's lecturers. All of the students enjoy open access to the Department's state-of-the-art project and student laboratories. It is there that the aspiring specialists design and create their lighting solutions. Best works are referred for participation in national and international competitions.
Employment prospects
Taken as a whole, this comprehensive educational experience gives students the opportunity to make their professional breakthrough and accumulate a high-quality portfolio to seek employment at the top architecture and design bureaus, lighting companies and interactive media studios. The Master's program allows its students to obtain extensive knowledge and skills that can be applied in their future career, be it as lighting designers, creative producers or heads of solutions departments charged with the development of smart solutions for the improvement of quality of lighting for urban spaces. To help the students explore different options for their professional development, the program offers two specializations: urban design and interactive environment design. The first specialization focuses on the design of urban spaces such as buildings, parks and streets. The second targets the design of exhibition, museum and scenic spaces.
