Over two periods, you will work with a multidisciplinary team on challenges from Finnish ministries and authorities.
Registration
Registration for DfG 2026 will open on 12th January 2026
For Aalto University students
In the Design for Government course, the right mix of students and individual motivations are crucial. Addressing complex challenges benefits from a variety of backgrounds, skills and disciplines while critical thinking and creativity are important for developing new frontiers of design in the governmental sector. We, therefore, do not admit students on a first-come-first-serve basis but through the application process described below. Applications are reviewed and selected by the teaching team (final responsibility lies with the course leader).
Step 1. Register to Design for Government course on SISU
Step 2. Fill out the application form
The application form is mandatory to complete the registration to the course. Link to the application form
Complete the information in the form, including a personal reflection (max. 400 words) on one of the student project’s from last year Care or Open Gov. Choose your favourite project brief and select one of the student proposals that you will find on the right of the project page. Watch their video presentation and write a reflection about it (400 words max.): propose three points for further improvement or investigation and describe how your competencies could contribute.
Workload
12ECTS over two periods means approximately 3.5 full working days per week. Avoid taking another big course at the same time! This is an advanced studio course, you would need to work more if you are unfamiliar with human-centered design or systems approaches.
2026 Key dates & Course schedule
- 12.01 Registration opens
- 06.02 Deadline for applications (end of day, 23:59 EET)
- 23.02 Course starts on Monday
- 26.05 Final Show is an open event that culminates the end of the course with the students’ final presentations to the wider public. This edition will be hosted at the Helsinki City Hall
- Contact teaching is every Tuesday on Periods IV and V at the Aalto Otaniemi Campus, 9.15 – 16h; and two Mondays, 23.02, and 13.04, 9.15 – 12h.
FAQ
DfG is an advanced studio course which responds to projects suggested by the ministries based on their current issues and needs. It is part of the pedagogical approach that students experience a course that is “client” driven. Each year there are 1-3 new projects from the ministries or governmental agencies/departments that we address in the course. Please have look on the DfG website at projects from previous years to get a general idea of the types of projects ministries have previously suggested.
DfG is part of the Creative Sustainability master’s level programme, so it follows the CS guidelines on this matter. The guideline says that if a bachelor student applies, he/she should have completed at least 180 ECTS in the studies or will complete that amount by the time the study starts. In case you have these credits, you are welcome to apply! If not, then our recommendation is that you postpone applying for now, but consider taking the course in the coming year(s).
Each year in December or January, the application process for the course starts. Normal registration is possible for Aalto students through SISU system. The course description in SISU system describes the priority order for selecting students for places in the course if there are more students who have applied than places in the course.
All eligible students (from inside and outside of Aalto) must fill out an application. Students who have registered through SISU will be notified about this, or keep your eyes open for our invitation to apply on this website and on DfG’s Facebook page!
Unfortunately, the course can only be taken by students with a valid study right. We very much appreciate your motivation to apply for the course and hope you will follow DfG news through the Facebook page and the website. There are likely open and public events during the course and other times of the year. We will take note of this issue as we develop the course further in the future.
In theory, yes, it is possible to take Aalto University courses that are offered through the Aalto University Open University scheme. In practice, however, Design for Government is not currently part of this scheme. This is because there are basic required competencies for students in the DfG course, and there is an application process to ensure these in advance. For Open University places, we cannot require the same application that other students fill. This, unfortunately, means that we couldn’t secure student equality with intake both through normal and through Open University channels.
The course is open to master’s level students from any Finnish university. Please contact your home university for possibility to apply for this course.
Still more questions? In that case, please contact Núria Solsona (Design for Government co-responsible teacher).