The Spatial Design MA at The Vilnius Academy of Arts encourages students to explore spatial design through theoretical research, while also considering ethical and ecological factors.

The Vilnius Academy of Arts (Lithuania) has recently launched an international Master's programme in Spatial Design. The programme responds to ecological, technological and socio-political urgencies by positioning design as both inquiry and transformation.

The programme approaches spatial design as an expanded field, intersecting theory, activism and site-specific practices, while engaging with environmental forces, material processes and cultural narratives.

Through experiments across scales, situated observation and critical reflection, students are encouraged to challenge spatial norms and propose new ways of inhabiting the world. Outcomes range from installations and spatial prototypes to films, mappings and narrative environments.

Based in Vilnius, a city shaped by layered histories and rapid transformation, the programme uses its context as a testing ground for spatial experimentation and as a point of departure for students' graduation projects.

Spanning two years, the full-time programme unfolds through research platforms and studio-based practices, including methods such as sensory mapping, speculative design and collaborative fieldwork.

The programme is developed by architects and researchers Laura Malcaitė, Eglė Bazaraitė, Rokas Kilčiauskas and Andreia Garcia, and taught by a diverse team of international practitioners working across architecture, art, technology and social innovation. It is intended for those who seek to reimagine spatial design as an ethical, ecological and transformative practice.

School: Vilnius Academy of Arts
Course: Spatial Design MA
Type: Postgraduate
Location: Vilnius, Lithuania
Course dates: September 2026 to June 2028
Application deadline: 30 June 2026

Find out more about the course and apply ›

What will I learn during this course?

– Explorative design
– Speculative interventions
– Visual storytelling
– Critical design
– Spatial politics
– Individual and collective work
– Artistic and scientific research methods and skills

What are the requirements?

– University-level bachelor's degree in design or a related field (architecture or scenography)
– Submission of a master's thesis proposal in ecology, strategies or technology
– Submission of a portfolio

What facilities and resources are available?

– Experimental platforms, media labs and studios for prototyping, visual communication and spatial narrative development
– Visiting lecturers and thematic seminars

What career prospects can I expect upon graduating?

Graduates of the Spatial Design MA programme are prepared for diverse careers in spatial design, exhibition design and scenography, as well as in design research and interdisciplinary creative practice.

The programme also equips students to take on administrative or curatorial roles, apply strategic thinking in spatial policy or planning, invent new forms of spatial practice and initiate their own research-based or community-oriented projects.

Additionally, it offers a strong foundation for those wishing to pursue further academic paths, such as a PhD or third-cycle artistic research (doctor of arts) studies.

Who teaches this course?

– Andreia Garcia, professor
– Rokas Kilčiauskas, professor
– Liene Jākobsone, associate professor
– Eglė Bazaraitė, associate professor
– Laura Malcaitė, associate professor
– Gintarė Kapočiūtė, associate professor
– Fernando P Ferreira, associate professor
– Daniel Duarte Pereira, lecturer
– Karolina Rybačiauskaitė, associate professor
– Julijonas Urbonas, associate professor
– Povilas Marozas, lecturer
– Liene Jākobsone, lecturer
– Mantas Lesauskas, associate professor
– Julija Rėklaitė, lecturer

Imagery is by Giedrius Stonkus and Eglė Bazaraitė

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