Fall 2025 updates coming soon

A Transatlantic Laboratory

This course is a unique collaboration linking two specialized Master’s cohorts. By merging the strategic foresight of Mannheim with the interactive innovation of the Bay Area, we create a studio environment that is both critical and constructive.

Launching a new future-oriented curriculum in 2026, the MA in Communication Design at Mannheim moves beyond traditional aesthetics to focus on "Design as a Tool for Transformation." Students in this cohort are trained as Design Futurists and System Innovators, specializing in speculative scenarios, critical reflection, and strategic foresight. They bring the methodological rigor needed to map complex future systems and the ethical frameworks to question them.
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Technische Hochschule Mannheim MA Kommunikationsdesign (Master of Arts)

California State University, East Bay MA Interaction Design & Interactive Art (IxDIA)

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the IxDIA program is a designated STEM curriculum integrating art, computer science, and human-centered design. Students in this cohort focus on Creative Technologies and Social Justice, learning to build the interactive applications and immersive experiences that define modern user experience. They bring the technical and prototyping skills necessary to turn abstract future concepts into tangible, explorable realities.
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Ian Pollock

Ian Pollock is a multidisciplinary educator, artist, and researcher working at the intersection of new media art, interaction design, and social justice. He is an Associate Professor of Art and Director of the Graduate Program in Interaction Design and Interactive Art at California State University, East Bay. With over two decades of experience in academia and professional practice, Pollock holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in New Media Art Practice from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in New Genres from the San Francisco Art Institute.

List of Publications on Google Scholar

Professor of Interaction Design and Interactive Art

Kai Beiderwellen

Kai Beiderwellen is Professor of Communication Design and Interactive Media at Hochschule Mannheim. As Dean of Studies, he specializes in Speculative Design and Strategic Foresight. He leads the transatlantic "Critical Utopias" initiative, guiding students to use design as a systemic tool to address global challenges such as migration and climate resilience.