Competence-based arts education is characterised by an integrated approach to knowledge, skills and attitude. A competence is the ability to function adequately in professional practice. Arts education prepares students to become creative makers who work visually in various roles and practices. The focus on the personal (talent) development of students results in flexible education with a wide variety of study pathways.
In the professional and educational profile for Visual Arts and Design, art academies have jointly defined since 2002 which competences and qualities entry-level professionals must possess. The most recent version of this profile dates from 2014*.
Revised professional and educational profile for Visual Arts and Design (2025)
For arts education, regular revision of the educational and professional profile is of great importance. On the one hand, to promote transparency and relevance in education and thereby ensure quality, and on the other hand, to rearticulate the position of arts education in society and within the system of higher education.
The seven competences from the 2014 profile have been reduced to four competences that guide art education within the visual arts and design sector and are briefly described below by program level:
Bachelor Artist/Designer
The student is able to initiate a visual work process and produce work in which making based research plays a role. Through the work and a working method, the student creates meaning.
Master Artist/Designer
The student is able to initiate a visual work process from their own artistic vision and thereby create meaning. Practice-based research is characteristic of the work and working method.
Bachelor Artist/Designer
The student is able to critically consider their own work and working method, as well as those of others, from multiple perspectives. In doing so, the student is able to deepen, add layers to, and position their own design or artistic practice.
Master Artist/Designer
The student critically researches and considers their own practice and that of others within a broad context, with the aim of articulating, further developing and positioning their own practice.
Bachelor Artist/Designer
The student positions themselves as an artist/designer both in terms of content and relationships within the (international) contexts in which they work.
Master Artist/Designer
The student positions themselves from an articulated vision as an artist/designer in society and contributes to the development of the (international) professional field.
Bachelor Artist/Designer
The student is able to establish conditions for their own professional practice, appropriate to their positioning. The student is able to organise and communicate with others to achieve this.
Master Artist/Designer
The student is able to realise conditions for their own professional practice in a way that suits their ambitions, intended roles and positioning. The student is able to organise and communicate with others to achieve this.
See for more elaborate descriptions the Educational and Professional Profile Visual Arts & Design (OBK 2025).
*Professional and educational profile for Visual Arts and Design (OBK 2014)
The following competencies have been addressed in the programmes:
- Creative ability
- Capacity for critical reflection
- Capacity for growth and innovation
- Organisational ability
- Communicative ability
- External awareness
- Capacity for collaboration
Creative ability, capacity for critical reflection and capacity for growth and innovation are the key competencies in art education. External awareness is equally relevant, as it stresses the importance of current developments in professional practice. These competencies can be considered the core competencies for artists and designers. The capacity for critical reflection and external awareness are strongly interrelated, differing primarily in perspective (i.e., internal and external).
The remaining competencies, as indicated above, are organisational and communicative ability and capacity for collaboration. The competencies concern rather general abilities. These abilities are developed more specifically in every department and in each year. We refer to this development in terms of ‘learning objectives’: these specify what the student should know and be able to do at the end of each year. Learning objectives are formulated even more specifically at the level of the individual courses and projects.