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    1. Studying at ZHdK
    2. Art Education
    3. MA Art Education, Critical Social Practice in Art Education
    More: MA Art Education, Critical Social Practice in Art Education

    Registration and admissions process

    MA Art Education, Critical Social Practice in Art Education

    Thank you for your interest in the Master's programme in Art Education, Critical Social Practice in Art Education at Zurich University of the Arts.

    If interested in a Master’s degree applicants apply for admission to their chosen Major. Afterwards they separately choose their Minor. Both programmes Major and Minor will start in the first semester.

    → Detailed information on the Major-Minor programme structure at ZHdK
    → Detailed information on Minor Selection

    Admissions requirements

    For admissions and matriculation requirements, please refer to the Regulatory Framework for Bachelor’s and Master’s Programmes at Zurich University of the Arts (RO § 19–24).

    For additional requirements, including the language skills required for admission to the chosen major, please refer to the Programme Regulations of the Master of Art Education at Zurich University of the Arts (StO MA Art Education § 4 ff.).

    In exceptional cases, ZHdK may admit individuals without a bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification from a recognized and accredited university. → Further information (PDF).

    • Application documents

      1. Covering letter
        The letter outlines the applicant’s vision of their future teaching and artistic-educational work against the backdrop of their experience to date and taking into account their own education biography (scope: maximum of two A4 pages).
         
      2. Portfolio/work samples/project idea
        Portfolio in the form of digital documentation of project work and creative-artistic work.
        Documentation of three to four larger, thematically and medially different creative-artistic and/or self-initiated artistic-educative or collaborative projects from the last three years.
        Depending on the type of work, the documentation may include research, sketches, images and text material. The portfolio must be submitted digitally as a PDF. Film and audio material can be embedded in the PDF as an external link.
        We welcome your own project idea with reference to social, educational and creative approaches that could be developed in the course of your studies.
         
      3. References
        Please provide references from two to three people (employer, university). Only their name/address/e-mail are required, no reference letters.
         
      4. Transcripts
        For ZHdK staff and student applicants: evidence of Bachelor of Arts achievements (certificates/learning biography)
        For non-ZHdK applicants: proof of academic achievements (learning biography/transcript of records) as well as any confirmation of internships.
         
      5. Matriculation number
        The field «matriculation number» only concerns applicants who have already studied at a university or applied university in Switzerland. Applicants who have studied abroad (not in Switzerland) are not required to fill in the field «matriculation number». 
        All students receive a matriculation number when they register for the first time at a university or an applied university in Switzerland or at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH in the shape of a yellow sticker, which is affixed to the reverse of their qualifying diploma (e.g. baccalaureate certificate, Swiss Federal Certificate of Competence). Please provide this number when registering and submit your university entrance qualification certificate as a PDF file.
         
      6. Ex-matriculation certificate
        Confirmation of ex-matriculation is issued at Swiss universities upon graduation or upon termination of studies. If issue is pending, confirmation must be submitted later.
         
      7. Social security number
        If you live or work in Switzerland, you will find your Swiss social security number (756...) on your AHV card or on your Swiss health insurance card. Applicants who wish to come to Switzerland to study do not yet have a Swiss social security number and therefore do not need to provide one.
         
      8. Photograph JPG
        Please upload a recent passport quality photo – no copies/screenshots of the passport page or identity card. The photo must be a frontal shot of the face that is 2/3 of the frame and at least 320 x 400 pixels.
         
      9. Identity card or passport
        A copy of the identity card (both sides) or passport must be uploaded. If a residence permit for Switzerland is available, please also submit a copy of it.
         
      10. Resume / Curriculum Vitae
        Please submit in tabular form, no prose texts.
         
      11. Language skills
        The language skills required are listed for each degree programme in the programme regulations. Language skills can be demonstrated as follows:
        –   Native speaker (does not have to be proven)
        –    Required language as a subject in the educational certificate, passed or at least grade 4 (submit the upper secondary education transcript as a PDF)
        –    Recognized certificate (according to the list «Recognized Certificates for Language Requirements»)
        –    University degree (Bachelor’s/Master’s) in a degree programme where the language of instruction corresponds to the language skills required by the study regulations (submit diploma supplement or official confirmation from the university as a PDF)

        Note: The language certificates should usually be no more than five years old. The decision on whether the admission requirements regarding language skills have been met is made during the formal review of the documents.

      12. Further documents
        Please submit the corresponding transcripts, diplomas and certificates to provide evidence of your:
        • Educational qualifications
        • Professional activities (relevant to your degree programme/chosen specialization)
        • Internships (relevant to your degree programme/chosen specialization)

      Documents must be uploaded in PDF format. If you wish to upload several individual PDF files, you may do so one after the other.

      The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is permitted and must be stated when submitting the registration.

    • Aptitude interview

      Responsible lecturers of the corresponding Major will assess each applicant’s competency in the key fields for the programme and clarify any unanswered questions on the basis of the dossier in a 30-minute interview. The interview will also serve as an opportunity to clarify the applicants’ expectations of the programme, the connection with their own professional experience, and the professional prospects that the qualification offers.

      Admission decision

      An assessment will be undertaken on the basis of the interview and the supporting documentation. The applicants will be accepted unconditionally if they are deemed suitable for the programme and study places are available. The following criteria are relevant during the process:

      1. Creative and artistic, artistic and cultural, linguistic or media studies and educational skills related to their own questions in the study programme of choice
      2. Outstanding specialist and methodological skills in the original discipline
      3. Nuanced aesthetic perceptual skills, linguistic expressiveness and conceptual strength 
      4. A keen interest in current developments, discourses and positions in the fields of art, education and society, and education
      5. Outstanding motivation and capacity for self-reflection
      6. Suitability and potential for development for the professional field as well as motivation to study at Master’s level

      In the case of outstanding Bachelor of Arts degrees, admission will be granted on a conditional basis. Applicants will be informed about the decision in writing.

      No further information will be provided about the process. Applicants who are not accepted into the programme are not entitled to an explanation; however, relevant explanations may be provided over the phone (please contact Claudia Hummel by e-mail in this regard).

    • Dates

      Information days – majors

      19 November 2025

      Online application opens for major admissions process

      17 November 2025

      Application deadline (incl. portfolio) for major admissions process

      2 March 2026

      Registration confirmation – major

      By 5 March 2026

      Rejection or summons to pay examination fee / major aptitude test

      12 March 2026

      Invitation to major aptitude test
      (subject to settlement of examination fee)

      24 March 2026

      Aptitude tests – major

      7-8 April 2026

      Admissions decisions – major

      14 April 2026

      Minor selection

      7–18 May 2026

      Assessment of entry-level competencies for minor
      (only if the minor requires specific entry-level competencies)

      26–30 May 2026

      Allocation of places – minor

      4 June 2026

      Module registration – major and minor

      17–22 June 2026

      Course commencement – major and minor

      14 September 2026

    • Registration and examination fee

      The registration fee for the admissions process is CHF 100 Registrations are valid once the registration fee has been paid. Payment should be effected online by credit card, TWINT or PostFinance Card. Applicants who are invited to the second part of the aptitude test (interview or examination) pay an additional examination fee of CHF 200 for participation in the second part of the aptitude test. The payment request is sent by e-mail. Once the payment has been transferred, the invitation with the examination dates will be made available in the online registration.
      Fees are based on the Directive on Tuition Fees of Zurich University of Applied Sciences and the corresponding fact sheet on Tuition Fees at ZHdK.

    • Entry into Switzerland

      Different rules apply for entry to Switzerland. In principle, a distinction is made between nationals of EU/EFTA countries and third-country nationals. An overview of ID and visa provisions according to nationality can be found on the webpage of the State Secretariat for Migration SEM.
      Third-country nationals who require a visa to study in Switzerland must apply in person for a student visa at the relevant Swiss consulate abroad (embassy or consulate-general). Visa applications should be made about 3 months before the envisaged entry to Switzerland. International students from countries that do not require a visa to study (stays of more than 90 days) may apply for their residence permit directly at their place of residence in Switzerland after entering the country.

      You can find the checklists to prepare your entry into Switzerland at: www.zhdk.ch/migration

    • Information regarding online application

      • Login with ZHdK or SWITCH edu-ID
        • If you do not have a ZHdK login, you will need a SWITCH edu-ID to register online. This ID has to be created once.
          → How to create and use a SWITCH edu-ID

        • If you have a ZHdK login, you may apply with your ZHdK login, provided that it is still valid until the end of the admission procedure. The ZHdK login must be valid until the end of the admission procedure. The ZHdK login remains valid until the end of the studies.

      • You may interrupt your application at any time and continue at a later stage. Any information entered will be stored.
         
      • Compulsory fields are marked with an asterisk (*).
      • Once all the data has been entered, the registration must be completed by clicking on ‘Complete entry’ and the registration fee must be paid. The registration cannot be changed afterwards. The registration is only considered to be submitted and checked once the registration fee has been paid.

      • If the registration has not been completed, including payment of the registration fee, the data will be deleted after the registration deadline.

    Registration

    → Register now, MA Art Education, Critical Social Practice in Art Education