Overview
The MSc in Strategic Product Design Programme is being offered by the School of Science & Technology of the University Center of International Programmes of Studies of the International Hellenic University. The programme aims to provide innovative education at postgraduate level with an interdisciplinary approach as regards the design, development, management and production of products of every scale in the context of modern production and distribution technologies as well as modern forms of administration. The Programme is targeted towards graduates including professionals who wish to broaden their knowledge in the following fields:
- Product and Services Management,
- Product Creativity and Design and
- Industrial Design and Innovation.
- Understanding of the current status and future trends in product design
- Hands-on experience on advanced software and state-of-the-art equipment
- Collaborations and consultation with design and engineering companies
- Marketing and branding of new products
- Interdisciplinary approach to design thinking
- Management of operations knowledge for real world projects
- Innovation driven design and entrepreneurship
- An insight into production techniques and modern applications
- Design and management leadership
Key facts

Start date: October 2020
Application deadline: 12 October 2020 extended until 22 October 2020 or until places are filled
Campus: Thermi, Thessaloniki
Duration/Mode:
14 months (full-time) or 26 months (part-time)/ weekdays evenings
Taught language:
English
Entry requirements:
An undergraduate degree from an accredited University
Language requirements:
IELTS (academic 6.5 and above), TOEFL (IBT, 90 and above) or TOEIC (850 and above) score, or a recognised by the Greek State certificate of proficiency in English
Fees:
4,000€ (total)
How to apply:
Programme announcement (en+gr)


Who can apply
To be considered for the programme, candidates are required to have:Course content
During the first term, students are required to follow five core courses. During the second term, students are required to follow four core courses tailoring their programme further by two elective courses or a consulting project. Finally, in the third semester (and fourth semester in the case of pursuing a research-based dissertation), work is dedicated exclusively to the Master’s dissertation. The dissertation provides an opportunity to apply theory and concepts gained during the year to a real-world problem.The core courses
1st Term Core Courses- Introduction to Strategic Product Design
- New Product Development
- Marketing Analysis and Brand Research Strategy
2nd Term Core Courses
Core Courses – Stream Product and Services Management Core Courses – Stream Product Creativity and Design- Creative Digital Media
- Ergonomics – Human Factors
- Design Morphology and Aesthetics
- Advanced Modeling and Fabrication
- Materials Technology
- Ergonomics – Human Factors
- Design Morphology and Aesthetics
- Advanced Manufacturing Systems
2nd Term Elective Courses
Elective Courses – Stream Product and Services Management- Consulting Project in Product Management
- Operations Management
- Strategic Innovation and Entrepreneurship
- Design for Supply Chain and Logistics
- Technology Management and Business Engineering
- Cost Management and Financial Analysis
- Open Topics in Strategic Product Design (TBA)
- Consulting Project in Product Creativity Product and Design
- Advanced Materials and Processes
- Human Computer Interaction, Design and User Experience
- Design for the Environment
- Communication Design
- Product Photography
- Open Topics in Strategic Product Design (TBA)
- Consulting Project in Industrial Design and Innovation
- Computational Mechanics
- Reverse Engineering and 3D Printing
- Advanced Surface Modelling
- Biomimicry in Design
- Automation and Robotics
- Open Topics in Strategic Product Design (TBA)
The Dissertation
During the third semester, students work on their Master’s Dissertation project, the thematic area of which is relevant to their programme of studies and their interests. The dissertation is the opportunity to apply theory and concepts learned in different courses to a real-world problem or research question. Students are supervised throughout their projects by a member of the academic faculty and the academic associates of the School. After submission of the dissertation, students present their projects to classmates and faculty. Students have the option to pursue a research-based dissertation of two semesters which leads to MSc in Research in Strategic Product Design and they are awarded with 120 ECTS.Duration of studies
- Duration of the programme:1 year (3 semesters) full-time (FT) or 2 years (6 semester) part-time (PT), with dissertation included (1 semester) awarded with 90 ECTS
- Option to pursue a research-based dissertationof 2 semesters and be awarded 120 ECTS
- Teaching generally takes place once (PT) or twice (FT)a month except for August and September
- The programme operates on the following schedule:
- Examinations take place on Friday afternoons generally before the teaching weekends
The Academic Faculty
Faculty Members
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Dr Eleni Heracleous Associate Professor Dean |
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Professor Panayiotis Bozanis +30 2310 807501 pbozanis@ihu.gr |
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Professor Periklis Chatzimisios +30 2310 807501 pchatzimisios@ihu.gr |
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Dr Maria Drakaki Associate Professor +30 2310 807524 mdrakaki@ihu.gr |
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Dr Christos Tjortjis Associate Professor +30 2310 807576 c.tjortjis@ihu.edu.gr |
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Dr Vassilios Peristeras Assistant Professor +30 2310 807539 v.peristeras@ihu.edu.gr |
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Dr Dimitrios Tzetzis Assistant Professor +30 2310 807548 d.tzetzis@ihu.edu.gr |
Other Research and Teaching Personnel
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Dr Christos Berberidis Research and Teaching Staff +30 2310 807534 c.berberidis@ihu.edu.gr |
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Dr Dimitrios Baltatzis Research and Teaching Staff d.baltatzis@ihu.edu.gr |
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Dr Stavros Stavrinides Research and Teaching Staff s.stavrinides@ihu.edu.gr |
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Dr Georgios Martinopoulos Academic Associate +30 2310 807533 g.martinopoulos@ihu.edu.gr |
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Dr Leonidas Akritidis Academic Associate |
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Dr Dimitrios Karapiperis Academic Associate |
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Dr Katerina Tzafilkou Academic Associate |
Visiting Faculty
Athanasios Babalis |
Product designer |
Dr. Nikolaos Bilalis |
Professor in CAD/CAM, Director of CAD Laboratory
Department of Production Engineering and Management
Technical University of Crete |
Dr. Agelos Delis |
Lecturer in Economics
Department of Economics, Finance and Entrepreneurship
Aston Business School, Birmingham |
Dr. Fotis Filippopoulos |
Corporate Innovation Specialist |
Sergios Fotiadis |
Industrial Designer |
Alexis Georgakopoulos |
Director, Industrial Designer
ECAL Lausanne University of Art and Design |
Dr. Manto Gotsi |
Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor), Marketing at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University |
Dr. Kostis Indounas |
Associate Professor of Marketing
Athens University of Economics and Business |
Dr. Apostolos Kalfopoulos |
Lecturer, School of Architecture
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki |
Dr. Veronika Kapsali |
Associate Professor in Material Technology and Design
London College of Fashion, UK |
Dr. Dimitris Karalekas |
Professor in Product Development and Design Engineering
Department of Industrial Management and Technology, University of Piraeus |
Orestis Kourakis |
Computational Photographer |
Dr. Flora Kokkinaki |
Associate Professor
Department of Marketing and Communication
Athens University of Economics and Business |
Dr. Panagiotis Kyratsis |
Associate Professor, Head of the Centre of Product and Packaging Design
Department of Industrial Design Engineering, Technological Educational Institution of West Macedonia |
Dr. Georgios Liamadis |
Associate Professor, Head of the lab of Industrial Design in the School of Visual and Applied Arts
Faculty of Fine Arts, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki |
Dr. Paul Maropoulos |
Professor of Manufacturing Engineering, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise)
Aston University, UK |
Thomas Meiren |
Deputy Director, Business Unit “Service Management“
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering |
Dr. Nikolaos Michailidis |
Associate Professor of Production Engineering and Materials Technology
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki |
Dr. Dimitris Nathanael |
Lecturer
School of Mechanical Engineering (NTUA) |
Dr. Kostas Selviaridis |
Assistant Professor
Lancaster University Management School |
Ioanna Symeonidou |
Designer, researcher and educator |
Gary Telaak |
Head designer @ AUDI |
Athansios Tsampoukas |
Creative Director, Designer, Founder of Dolphins Communication Design
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki |
Dr. Nikos Tsinikas |
Professor of Architectural Design & Architectural Technology |
Dr. Dimitrios Tsivrikos |
Teaching Fellow
University College London (UCL) |
Grigoris Zarotiadis |
Associate Professor, Faculty of Economic and Political Sciences
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki(UCL) |
Digital Manufacturing and Materials Characterization Laboratory (DMMC Lab)
Please click here for further informationActivities
Videos and interviews
Fees & Financing
Fees
The programme fees for the MSc in Strategic Product Design is 4000€. The amount is payable in two instalments for the full time mode or in four instalments for the part time mode at the beginning of each semester. The fees are also eligible for financing through LAEK 0,45% – OAED programme.Deposits
If you have been accepted to a postgraduate programme, you will need to make a payment of the deposit of 500 Euros to secure your place. This amount will count towards the first instalment of your tuition fees. The deposit is non-refundable once you have commenced your studies at the IHU. Prior to that, a refund can be made but a 20% administrative fee will be retained. The deposit can be paid by bank transfer or bank draft. Credit card payments can be made through electronic banking (contact your Bank as handling fees may apply).Scholarships
The School of Science & Technology offers a number of scholarships for the programmes it offers, covering a significant proportion of the fees. These scholarships are competitive. Award criteria include the quality of the first degree, the undergraduate grades of the candidate, his/her command of the English language and overall profile. Candidates for scholarships should include a separate letter with their application documents in which they request to be considered for a scholarship, stating the reasons why they think they qualify.Programme announcement – Admissions
Next MSc in Strategic Product Design class starts in October 2020. Interested parties are invited to submit their application byIdeal Career path
Given the dynamic role of the manufacturing and innovation sector in industrial and technological enterprises and the need for the provision of specialized scientific knowledge it is quite evident that there is a need for a postgraduate programme in “Strategic Product Design” which will provide the necessary interdisciplinary technical knowledge and cover the corresponding market needs and which will be aimed at a number of professionals (engineers, fine arts graduates, economists, computer programmers, business management graduates, science graduates etc.). Graduates of the MSc in Strategic Product Design can indicatively follow the career paths listed below:- Positions in companies requiring design and management leadership
- Positions in design studios – engaging in various stages of the product development process, from concept to detail design and analysis
- Positions in companies producing industrial products such as electrical and electronic devices, clothing, food (packaging design), mechanical components, plastics etc.
- Positions in consulting companies dealing with product design, product development, entrepreneurship and innovation
- Research positions – conducting research and pursuing Doctoral studies in the field of design
- Teaching positions in Higher Educational Institutions, secondary education, technical and vocational training, public and private education at a theoretical, technical and applied level
- Positions in innovative knowledge-intensive start-up companies (or creation of their own start-up companies) where skilled knowledge is needed in order to understand the opportunities and challenges provided by new digital design and manufacturing technologies (e.g. 3D printing) as well as the management of disruptive technologies in terms of financial figures, costing and management