The Faculty of Design of Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design (KNUTD) regularly holds meetings with stakeholders aimed at discussing and improving educational and professional programmes within Speciality B2 “Design”, with the goal of enhancing the quality of training of competitive future professionals.
On January 22, 2026, a round table was held at the Faculty of Design of KNUTD with the participation of representatives of the academic community, employers, higher education students, and graduates. The event was dedicated to the public discussion of the educational programmes in Speciality B2 “Design”, Specialisation B2.01 “Graphic Design”, at the first (Bachelor’s) and second (Master’s) levels of higher education.
Representing the University at the event were the Dean of the Faculty of Design, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Kalyna PASHKEVYCH, members of the working groups responsible for developing the educational and professional programmes, academic and teaching staff of the Faculty of Design, and KNUTD graduates.
The round table was moderated by the Dean of the Faculty of Design, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Kalyna PASHKEVYCH, who in her opening remarks emphasised the importance of active stakeholder engagement in the processes of developing and updating educational and professional programmes. Such engagement, she noted, ensures the relevance of learning outcomes in line with current labour market trends and best regional and international practices.
In her address, the moderator outlined the key features of the Master’s-level educational programme “Design (by Types)”, which is oriented toward current areas of design practice and provides opportunities for graduates’ further professional and academic development. Participants were also informed about changes resulting from amendments to the list of fields of knowledge and specialities for which higher and professional pre-higher education applicants are trained (Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of February 21, 2025, No. 188). In particular, the focus of the educational programme and its specialisation B2.01 “Graphic Design” was clarified. Competences related to the creation of audiovisual works were removed from the list of programme learning outcomes, as under the updated classification these competences correspond to Speciality B1 “Audiovisual Art and Media Production”.
Olha Yezhova, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Programme Guarantor of the Educational Programme “Design (by Types)”, presented the purpose of the programme and characterised its content. It was emphasised that the programme is aimed at training specialists capable of solving complex professional tasks and practical problems in the field of design, involving scientific and project-based research and/or innovative activities under conditions of uncertainty. It was noted that the structure and set of components of the educational and professional programme ensure the formation of the necessary competences and programme learning outcomes, as reflected in the corresponding matrices.
The discussion involved stakeholders representing employers, graduates, and the academic community, who provided proposals for improving the Master’s-level educational and professional programme, including:
Nataliia Skliarenko, Doctor of Arts, Professor of the Department of Architecture And Design, Lutsk National Technical University,
Kateryna Krichlow, designer, inviting lecturer at Birmingham City University (United Kingdom);
Oleh Malomuzh, artist, animator, director, and producer;
Sofiia Rozumenko, designer, Director of the “Chervonyi Sobaka” studio;
Raisa Chernukha, designer, Founder of the “WannabeDe” design school;
Olena Holubieva, Head of the Ukrainian Animation Association (UAnimA), Director of the “Chervonyi Sobaka” studio;
Roman Shedlovskyi, web designer, Master of Design;
Anna Shtonda, Director of “Shtonda Design” studio;
Serhii Lavrusenko, photo designer, Director of the “IMAGE studio” photo studio;
Mykhailo Hryhoriev, Head of the design team and product designer at “NDA company”;
Daryna Yakymenko, merchandising department designer at the furniture fittings company “VIVAR” and others.
Participants expressed generally positive impressions of the updated educational programme and offered a number of recommendations aimed at deepening the study of specific topics to enhance the quality of student training. The proposed changes will be considered at a department meeting, followed by the adoption of relevant decisions.
Raisa Chernukha emphasised the importance of developing students’ awareness of copyright issues.
Olena Holubieva highlighted the relevance of fostering students’ ability to use artificial intelligence tools in professional practice while adhering to the principles of academic integrity.
Kateryna Krichlow stressed the growing demand for specialists with interdisciplinary knowledge and proposed further clarification of the programme focus, particularly in the area of graphic design.
Oleh Malomuzh drew attention to the advisability of strengthening the programme’s orientation toward the creation of commercial design projects, noting the positive balance between the formation of general competences and opportunities for students to focus on a more specialised design direction when developing their own projects.
Programme graduate Daryna Yakymenko emphasised that multidisciplinarity is one of the key advantages of the educational programme and proposed expanding the involvement of practicing designers in teaching, as well as organising guest lectures and professional meetings during internships.
Members of the working group of the Educational Programme “Design (by Fields)” who participated in the round table included: Nataliia Chuprina, Doctor of Arts, Professor; Olena Vasylieva, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor.
The discussion also involved academic and teaching staff of the Faculty of Design of KNUTD: Olena Gerasymenko, PhD, Associate Professor; Danylo Kosenko, Candidate of Art Studies, Associate Professor; Liliia Zhuravel-Zmieieva, PhD; Ruslana Khynevych, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor; Alina Shaura, PhD in Pedagogy, Associate Professor; Oksana Maznichenko, Associate Professor; Liubov Ilnytska, Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, Associate Professor; Anatoly Shapoval, Associate Professor; Anastasiia Noha, Assistant Lecturer.
Based on the outcomes of the meeting, the moderator of the round table, Kalyna Pashkevych, summarised the proposals and recommendations for further improvement of the educational and professional programme, thanked the participants for their constructive work, and expressed hope for continued fruitful cooperation.
30.01.2026
