Today, it seems more urgent than ever to focus more attention in design on the common good. This is because we are faced with the consequences of a design methodology that is geared towards the good of individuals wherever we look. The concept of public value seems ideal as a way of focusing design education more strongly on the common good: Public value is what the public values. It provides an alternative to one-sided orientations such as the shareholder value paradigm.

The iF Design Foundation 2022 has carried out the present study in order to determine the public value of design study programs at German universities. This study provides a basis for encouraging and realising a form of design education in Germany geared towards the common good. This publication also contains a list of all design courses of study at German universities.