Studies
Design change that matters. Master the art of Behavioural Design in one year — in Finland.
Behavioural Design is a forward-thinking, international master’s degree that gives you the tools to understand how people behave — and how to design for better decisions, actions, and systems. In this one-year (60 ECTS) programme, you will explore how psychology, behavioural science, systems thinking and data analytics can be applied to design challenges that matter.
Whether you’re improving everyday experiences, nudging sustainable behaviour, or solving complex societal problems, this degree will elevate your skills as a designer and innovation consultant.
What You Will Learn
You’ll gain a powerful and future-relevant skillset that combines creative design thinking with analytical insight:
- Behavioural science and psychology in the context of design
- Quantitative methods and data literacy for evidence-based decisions
- Systems thinking to tackle complexity and interconnected challenges
- Societal change and ethics to design responsibly and with impact
Through coursework and collaborative projects, you will explore these key areas in depth. Your studies culminate in a project-based Master’s thesis, where you’ll put your skills into practice by tackling a real-world behavioural challenge of your choice.
The autumn semester consists of courses in Orientation, Behavioural Science and Design, Behavioural Design Methods and Tools, Quantitative Research in Design, Measurement and Analytics, Systems Thinking and Design, and Societal Change. The spring semester includes the Master’s Thesis and Elective Studies.
Practical and Project-Based
Although the programme is theoretical at its core, the approach is hands-on. Your thesis centers around a practical design project, supported by critical reflection. By engaging with a real-world challenge, you’ll create a meaningful portfolio piece to support your professional growth.
Why Study in Finland?
Finland consistently ranks among the world’s leading countries for education, safety, happiness and innovation. Studying at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, based in Helsinki, places you in a multicultural learning environment in the heart of a design-driven Nordic capital.
- English-taught programme
- Supportive, inclusive and student-centered study culture
- Strong connections to local and international networks
- Opportunities to explore work and life in the EU after graduation
Career Opportunities
As a graduate, you’ll be well-prepared to take on roles where design meets human behaviour and complex systems. Possible career paths include:
- Behavioural Designer
- UX / Service Designer
- Design Strategist
- Innovation Consultant
- Public Sector or NGO Design Professional
Your ability to combine behavioural insight, strategic thinking, and ethical design makes you a valuable asset in fields like healthcare, sustainability, education, government, and digital services — both in Finland and globally.
Who Is This For?
This programme is tailored for experienced professionals looking to broaden their impact as designers, innovators, or strategic thinkers. It’s especially suitable for those working at the intersection of design, product development, strategy, or user experience.
To apply, you’ll need:
- A bachelor's degree in design, media, business or engineering
- A basic understanding of design processes and methods
- At least two years of relevant work experience in design, product development, or another related field
Whether your background is in UX, service design, product management, marketing, product development or engineering — this programme will help you strengthen your behavioural insight, strategic thinking, and data-driven design practice.
Shape behaviour. Create change. Design with purpose.
Bring Your Own Laptop
The Behavioural Design master’s degree follows a Bring Your Own Laptop (BYOL) principle. Students are expected to use their own laptops throughout the studies, enabling flexible, hands-on learning and seamless collaboration across different learning environments.
Scholarships and tuition fees
Annual tuition fee for non-EU/EEA applicants 12 500 €.
This fee applies only to non-EU/EEA degree students.
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Applying
- Application period-Start of studiesautumn 2027
- Culture
Instructions for applying
In the spring 2027 Joint Application 1 to higher education, you can apply to degree programmes that start in the autumn of 2027. The application period starts on the 7 January 2027 at 8 am and ends on the 21 January 2027 at 3 pm (local time in Finland).
All the information needed to apply can be found on the national Studyinfo.fi portal. At Studyinfo.fi you can find descriptions of degree programmes, application criteria, application instructions, application forms and much more.
Application fee
Applicants who are not citizens of the EU, EEA or Switzerland are required to pay an application fee in order to apply to higher education studies. The application fee of 100 euros is collected for applicants from countries outside EU/EEA seeking education leading to a degree in higher education. The Finnish National Agency of Education will collect the application fee in connection with filling in the Studyinfo application form. There is no application fee for Finnish or EU citizens.
The application fee does not guarantee that you will be offered admission to studies. The application fee is not refunded if you cancel your application or are not offered admission.
More about application fee in Studyinfo.fi.
Questions about application fees? Contact applicationfee [at] oph.fi (applicationfee[at]oph[dot]fi)The One Study Right Rule
The One Study Right Rule refers to legislative amendments entered into force on 1 August 2026. Under these amendments, a student’s study rights at the same or lower level will be terminated if they accept a new study right leading to a degree. The rule applies only to study rights at Finnish higher education institutions.
The assignment consists of two parts and the final submission must not exceed two A4 pages.
PART 1 – OBSERVE & INTERPRET
Choose a real-life everyday situation where people make choices, interact with a service, environment or system, or behave in a way that you find interesting, surprising or inefficient. Observe the same situation on two different occasions, for example at different times of the day or on different days. Document your observations by including:- 2 photographs of the observed situation
- 1 hand-drawn sketch or observation map
- date, approximate time and location of both observations
- 3–5 short observations of what you noticed
Then choose one behavioural pattern from your observations that you find particularly interesting. Briefly reflect on the following questions:
- What did you initially think was happening?
- Did your interpretation change during or between the two observations? If so, how and why?
- What are two possible explanations for the behaviour?
- What in your observations supports these explanations?
- What remains uncertain?
Scope of the assignment: 1xA4
PART 2 – DESIGN RESPONSE
Based on your observations and interpretation, propose one small design intervention that could influence the behaviour you observed. Include a simple visualisation of your proposal.Briefly explain:
- What would you change?
- What behaviour are you trying to influence – and why?
- How does your proposal respond to what you actually observed?
- What could be an unintended or ethically problematic consequence of your intervention?
Return: Maximum 1 A4 page including visualization
Final submission
Submit the assignment as one PDF file, maximum 2 A4 pages as an attachment Studyinfo application.
File name: lastname_firstname_BDMa2027.pdf
Please note: Submissions exceeding two A4 pages will not be assessed.Assessment criteria
First-hand observation, Interpretation of behaviour, Critical and analytical thinking, Reflection and reasoning, Connection between observations and design response, Ethical consideration, Clarity and readability, Following the assignment instructions.
Use of AI
AI tools may be used to support your work, for example for language checking or organising your ideas. However, the observations, interpretations, reflection and design reasoning must be your own. If you use AI tools, briefly state at the end of your submission:
- which AI tool(s) you used
- how you used them
In order to be considered for the student selection, you must fill in the joint application form at Studyinfo.fi during the application period 7 January - 21 January 2027. The pre-assignment must be submitted as an attachment to the electronic joint application form during the application period, by 21 January 2027 3:00 p.m. the latest (local time in Finland).
Pre-assignments for spring 2027 Joint Application 1 will be published by the beginning of the application period.In order to be considered for student selection, you must pass the degree programme's own entrance examination as described in Studyinfo.fi. Entrance exam invitations are sent approximately one week before the entrance exam by email to the email address provided by the applicant on the application form.
Useful links
More information on the application process
Tel. +358 9 7424 5902, Mon-Wed 10 am – 12 pm
Starting studies
First, read guidelines common to all Metropolia degree students and then degree specific instruction below.
Starting Behavioural Design studies
Starting studies in Behavioural Design Master’s degree programme
Orientation
Studies begin with an orientation on August 20th at 1pm. We will meet at Arabia Campus, Hämeentie 135D, 4th floor classroom Project space Tunne /in Zoom: https://metropolia.zoom.us/j/65385303358 ). Face-to-face meetings will take place at the Arabia Campus in Helsinki. On the first orientation day, please bring a valid photo ID with you. Student identities may be checked during registration. (linkki tekstinä varmuudeksi https://www.metropolia.fi/en/about-us/campuses/arabia-campus )
Teaching according to the study timetable will begin in Week 35 on Tuesday, 25 August at 9:00 at the Arabia Campus. Teaching sessions will take place every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the autumn semester until Week 51, with the final teaching week being Week 50. Thesis preparation meetings will be held on Monday afternoons on September 28th, November 2nd and December 7th.
Please note that there will be no teaching during Week 42.
Staff members will support you during the orientation and guide you through the first steps of your studies. Participation in orientation is an essential part of starting your studies.
If you are not yet in Finland at the beginning of your studies, please let us know that you wish to attend the orientation remotely. At Metropolia Welcome Hub you can find information and guidance on settling in the Helsinki metropolitan area, housing, managing everyday life, and integrating into the local community. Find information on integration services on the Metropolia Welcome Hub website. (linkki tekstinä varmuudeksi https://opiskelijan.metropolia.fi/en/guidance-and-support/welcome-hub))
Orientation content
During the orientation, we will go through for example:
- The curriculum and structure of the programme
- Progression of studies and practical study arrangements
- Blended learning practices and online collaboration tools
- Programme-specific practices and communication
- Study planning and guidance (personal study plan, PSP)
- Recognition of prior learning (RPL)
- Wellbeing and student support services
Introduction to the learning community and networking with peers
You will also have an opportunity to meet the staff and fellow students and to familiarize yourself with Metropolia’s learning environment.
Study guidance and planning
Studying at Master’s level requires goal-oriented planning from the very beginning. You will be supported in planning your studies by the programme staff. A key role in study guidance is held by the teacher tutor.
If you have previously completed higher education studies or acquired relevant professional competence, recognition of prior learning will be discussed during the first weeks of studies. More detailed instructions on RPL, schedules and practical study arrangements will be provided during the orientation.
Explore the Behavioural Design curriculum in the Study Guide.
Timetable for autumn semester 2026
25.8. – 15.10 (Weeks 35–41)
| Week | Tuesday 9:00–12:00 |
Tuesday 13:00–16:00
| Thursday 9:00–12:00 | Thursday 13:00–16:00 |
| 35–39 | Behavioural design | Systems thinking & design | BD Methods & Tools | Societal change |
| 40–41 | Behavioural design | — | BD Methods & Tools | — |
20.10. – 10.12 (Weeks 43–50)
| Week | Tuesday 9:00–12:00 | Tuesday 13:00–16:00 | Thursday 9:00–12:00 | Thursday 13:00–16:00 |
| 43 | Behavioural design | Systems thinking & design | BD Methods & Tools | Societal change |
| 44–48 | Quantitative research | — | Measurement & Analytics | — |
| 49–50 | Quantitative research | Quantitative research | Measurement & Analytics | Measurement & Analytics |
Studying in a programme
The programme is designed to be completed within one academic year (30 ECTS during Autumn 2026 and 30 ECTS during Spring 2027). Teaching takes place during daytime on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00–12:00 and 13:00–16:00, primarily on campus. When necessary, remote participation can be arranged. Studies consist of lectures, group work, and independent study.
Active participation is important, as many learning activities are based on discussion, collaboration, and applied development tasks connected to working life.
Summer assignment
As part of the MA degree, each student will complete a Master’s thesis. To help make the process smooth and manageable without unnecessary stress, we will begin working on the thesis process already at the start of the studies.
During the summer, we invite you to start thinking about a topic that could be meaningful and inspiring for your own thesis work. Consider how you might build on your previous experience, professional background, or personal interests.
Please prepare a one-page (A4) idea paper outlining a possible topic for your thesis. In your idea paper, please reflect on the following:
- A short introduction to the topic and how it connects to your previous experience or expertise
- Existing research or discussion related to the topic
- Possible ways of approaching the topic
- How the topic could be studied or explored
Please pay special attention to the scope of the topic. A well-focused and clearly defined topic is often the best starting point for a successful thesis process.
Be prepared to submit your idea paper at the beginning of the studies in August.
We also encourage you to familiarise yourself with the basic principles of data protection and research ethics in thesis work. This will help you better understand what kinds of data collection methods and research materials are possible and appropriate in academic work.
Contact information
Senior Lecturer Katri Myllylä
Teacher tutor for your group
katri.myllyla [at] metropolia.fi (katri[dot]myllyla[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
Head of Degree Mari Silver
mari.silver [at] metropolia.fi (mari[dot]silver[at]metropolia[dot]fi )
Metropolia’s Student and Applicant Services will also assist with questions related to the application process and accepting a study place during the summer period:
hakijapalvelut [at] metropolia.fi (hakijapalvelut[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
Tel. +358 9 7424 5902
Telephone service hours: Mon–Wed 10:00–12:00 (Finnish time)