School of Design
Degree Programme of:
Fashion Design
Laurea (Equivalent To Bachelor Of Science)
Milano Campus
1. General Information
School School of Design Code Reference Law 1089 Name Fashion Design Reference Law Ordinamento 270/04 Class of degree L-4 - Industrial Design Degree level Laurea (Equivalent To Bachelor Of Science) First year of activation 2008/2009 Official length of the programme 3 Years of the programme already activated 1,2,3 Official language(s) Italian Campus Milano Dean of the School Francesco Zurlo Coordinator of the Study programme Valeria Maria Iannilli Website of the School http://www.design.polimi.it Website of the Study programme
http://www.fashiondesign.polimi.it
Central Student Office - Milano Bovisa
Address VIA LAMBRUSCHINI, 15 (MI)
2. General presentation of the study programme
The Degree Course allows the acquisition of the necessary theoretical-scientific-design skills within a strongly multidisciplinary framework and with a vision that focuses its interest on fashion design and, therefore, on that system of products, communication and services capable of conveying the values and constraints of new social, productive, technical and scientific contexts.
The Fashion System, understood broadly as a system of companies, professional communities, institutions and public and private bodies, commercial and relational/ communication networks, assumes a central role thanks to the ability of design to promote the fundamental processes of transfer, contamination and hybridization of knowledge and practices to support innovation processes.
Fashion design plays a leading role in the Italian economy both at national level and at the level of new global territories.Italian fashion shows a specific operating approach in which a close connection with the national production system is evident.
This characteristic path began its development in the late 19th Century, in consideration of role of the fashion designer, and has headed toward the definition of a very specific governance system, which still characterizes the fashion industry: a dual leadership of management and design, embodied by CEO and Creative Director duo. This is, in fact, the unique formula of the fashion business which, for a long time, has been looked at as an eccentric attribute of a sector in-between industry and cultural production, but today is a real opportunity for its future.
In this context, characterized by continuous innovation processes, the first level of the higher education for fashion design is rooted in the following fundamentals:
1. Research skills as the main source for inspiration and innovation to support creativity and talent. In fact, this program is founded on the belief that creativity is born from deep knowledge and continuous research, from the hybridization of cultures and languages.
2. Knowledge of the technical aspects of the products, that is not limited to learning the typical techniques of tailoring (draping, pattern making and sewing). In fact, it includes deep understanding of fashion products materials, fabrics architecture and the relationship between product and project, its visualization and development through the realization and the consequent engeneering and production phases.
3. Knowledge of the design process; a complex activity that needs to be well managed and structured. Thus, it is necessary to acquire metadesign; able to “design the design process”, to develop and represent mid-way work phases, such as trend books , or, again, it is necessary to plan subsequent activities, such as the construction tools of the collection’s architecture (merchandise plan).
4. The systemic comprehension of the product, the knowledge of the communication and distribution aspects of the project to express its embedded qualities and values.
The Politecnico program has also the priority to offer students the possibility to acknowledge the economical and social contexts which characterise the various scenarios of the international scene. To this end, many initiatives oriented towards internationalization of studies have recently been launched, amongst which the cooperation with the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York (FIT) is of great significance. The exchange project involves approx. 60 students enrolled in the third or fourth year at the FIT in New York. Italian students participating in the activities foreseen at the Politecnico are approx. 50, belonging to the 2nd and 3rd years of the Bachelor of Science and to the first year of the Master of Science in Fashion Design. Five Italian students, enrolled in the first year of the Master of Science program spend six months studying in New York. American students, on the other hand, spend an entire academic year in Italy.
Amongst the courses offered in English at Politecnico there is Sportswear Design, Underwear design, Accessory design, Computer pattern design, CAD for textiles and garments, Advanced Tailoring techniques and Leather Design, Visual Merchandising, in addition to courses of a critique/historical nature such as History of design and fashion and Aesthetics. Italian students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science may also attend these courses. In addition, a collection design course is carried out through an entire semester for students both from the Bachelor degree and the FIT. Other common activities are also planned each year in collaboration with qualified Italian companies, such as one-week design workshops and professional internships.
For further information consult the Programme website. http://www.moda.polimi.it
For more information see the website of the degree course
http://www.moda.polimi.it
3. Learning objectives
Please note that the name of the Laurea in Fashion Design corresponds to one of the education profiles contained in the Class 4 declaration and that the education program, as indicated by its title, is aimed at preparing a professional design figure operating in the fashion sector. This figure does not overlap with the professional figure formed within Class 3 degrees, which has the role of analysis and critical understanding of the fashion sector nor of those which must also intervene from a design perspective in its transformation.
Fundamental objectives in training a graduate in Fashion Design are the acquisitions of cultural, scientific, methodological and technical/instrumental elements which form the basis of the design of fashion products, which refer to the textile, garment, and fashion accessories.
The ability to understand social behaviour, cultural and relational contexts which characterise modern society is fundamental, as well as the capability to analyse, interpret and codify dynamics of choice and use of fashion products by individuals and social groups. Finally, the course seeks the ability to translate elements of analysis into new products, focusing on aesthetical and formal qualities, on performance (comfort, safety, resistance to wear, etc.) and on communicative and symbolic values associated with the product and transferred within the distribution and consumer services system.
It is a fundamental goal to make the student able to visualise and communicate the design idea in the various phases of the process: from research and definition of trends and design guidelines (scenarios, colours, materials, etc.) to elaboration of the product/collection to the final technical drawings for production.
Therefore, focus is on skills related to artistic, visual and representational languages which permit effective communication, via adequate tools, of the design idea.
The Laurea, compared to the subsequent Master of Science, focuses on the technical project development aspects, as the development of a design figure operating between those defining the strategic and creative guidelines of the fashion company and those managing the production processes.
Such figure is able to adopt and interpret the creative guidelines defined by those coordinating the design process and effectively manage the fashion product/collection development phase, through the ability to control the process and the choice of technological, material and production alternatives, also evaluating aspects concerning social, economic and environmental sustainability.
The main subject areas of the Laurea are the following:
• project culture area
This subject matter constitutes the backbone of the course studies, and provides the student with methodological and operational tools suitable to deal with design activities of medium complexity through design case studies and paradigmatic experiences.
Through laboratory courses and practical experiences students acquire the skills to analyse design and product system development issues.
In the analysis and creative research phase, which is developed up to the definition of the product concept, the objective is to provide students with the ability to define the design context in terms of opportunities, constraints, possibilities, priorities and their hierarchy; analyse the context of use and interpret the user’s choice dynamics; analyse fashion product systems in terms of their formal, structural, functional, typological, morphological, relational and ergonomic characteristics; summarise analysis elements into design guidelines, effectively expressed using suitable languages.
In the design summary phase which is developed up to final product definition, the objective is to provide students with the ability to translate design guidelines into product requirements; to develop product/collection architecture through the definition of materials, the relation between the various components and the assembly technologies; evaluate the industrial feasibility of the product.
• humanistic disciplines area
This subject area provides the designer skillful knowledge to analyse social and cultural contexts in which the fashion products are introduced, and to interpret their symbolic values as artifacts which live in an intermediate dimension between “consume products” and “cultural products”.
The objective of this subject matter is therefore to provide know-how and tools derived from psycho-social disciplines, in order to develop the ability to interpret material culture and integrate careful evaluation of the interaction between products and social/cultural contexts in the student’s work.
• historical-criticism disciplines area
This subject matter deals with the historical evolution of design culture, relating the history of fashion products with the artistic, architectural and design languages.
The objective of this subject matter is to develop the ability to understand a project in relation with its historical and environmental context and to incorporate cultural values in products, observing and reinterpreting also elements deriving from the tradition of a specific context.
• visual cultures, representational and technical drawing area
This subject matter represents a set of skills concerning the use of visual languages to communicate and represent the project in all its phases.
The objective of this subject matter is to provide the student with the ability to translate project elements of analysis and synthesis onto the visual plane.
The aim is therefore to develop the following ability of analysis and interpretation of visual languages understanding the perceptive mechanisms, chromatic systems, etc.; knowledge of traditional and digital image production techniques; the morphological, material and functional representation of the product (from manual drawing to digital representation and modeling, from photography to production of study models and prototypes).
• materials and production technology culture area
This subject matter concerns fashion product materials, their chemical and physical characteristics, their performance, structural and functional characteristics, industrial production and finishing technologies.
The objective of this subject matter is to provide knowledge and skills concerning the selection of materials according to their perceptive, communicative and aesthetical qualities, according to required features of different contexts of use, and evaluation of choices related to production constraints.
• economic culture area
This subject matter concerns the economic systems, business and market contexts related to fashion products.
The objective of this area is to provide the student the ability to evaluate the economic and organizational implications of design choices as well as to understand the corporate identity elements which influence design strategies.
Corporate organisation models and processes, economic feasibility study and industrial marketing techniques are therefore analysed in depth.
The Fashion Design graduate has the skills to carry out a number of technical activities supporting the design project as it develops from the initial idea to the design, development and engineering phases, and finally to large-scale production, distribution and diffusion on the market.
Within this educational program we foresee analysis of specific issues concerning areas of upcoming development frontiers for design professions, or strategic sectors of national economy development.
4. Organization of the study programme and further studies
4.1 Structure of the study programme and Qualifications
Design Studies courses provide theoretical, academic and professional training for designers, i.e. professionals with know-how and skills relating to industrial product design, production and promotion. At the School of Design the term industrial product does not simply mean a concrete product such as a car, furniture item, object, garment or accessory but rather all communication and 'meaning' building elements relating to products such as graphics and brand design rather than websites or fashion cat walks.
This study sphere responds to training demands from the consumer product industry, local government, communication, interior and installation design companies and studios as well as the retail and distribution sectors for these products.
The courses of study offered are structured into two different laurea, the so-called 3+2 formula, the level I laurea and the Laurea Magistrale.
The Laurea trains design technicians, i.e. graduates capable of playing a supporting role in all technical and design activities from the creation stage right through to production and distribution on the market with different characteristics for each Laurea course.
The Laurea (equivalent to Bachelor of Science) Programme is divided into 6 semesters and offers 180 credits (CFU).
At the moment of the matriculation, the students are assigned to a Section, to which they will belong until the end of the Programme.
The curriculum allows the students to opt for some Laboratories and Courses, in order to personalize their own study path.
All the Laurea Programmes offered by the School of Design share 60 credits, between the first year and the 1st semester of the 2nd year.
These courses aim to offer the student the basis of the theorical, practical and instrumental culture, which is necessary to approach the Design Project.
The other courses relate to each Laurea’s specific Programme and they are focused on the Programme’s learning outcomes.
During the 3rd year Final Synthesis Laboratory, the student applies the competencies he/she has acquired to prepare the final project to be presented at the Degree examination.
The Programmes terminate with an internship-like activity and a degree examination, where the final project is discussed.
4.2 Further Studies
The qualification grants access to "Laurea Magistrale" (2nd degree), "Corso di Specializzazione di primo livello" (1st level Specialization Course) and "Master Universitario di primo livello" (1st level University Master)
The qualification enables students to access Laurea Magistrale, Level I Specialisation Courses and Level I University Master's courses.
The Laurea Magistrale continuing the three-year Laurea in Fashion Design is Design for the Fashion System with which it constitutes one single Programme Board (Consiglio di Corso di Studi, or CCS).
The Laurea Magistrale in Product Service System Design, Digital and Interaction Design can also be considered of continuity.
5. Professional opportunities and work market
5.1 Professional status of the degree
Graduates carry out activities as design technicians in professional practices and companies within fashion and related areas (textiles, accessories, knitwear, sportswear, etc.).
Graduates carry out activities as design technicians in professional practices and companies within fashion and related areas (textiles, accessories, knitwear, sportswear, etc.).
5.2 Careers options and profiles
The Program satisfies the professional figures demand of the fashion industry, its supply chain, of firms designing fashion products and events, of the distribution/sales system and specific territorial districts.
The Graduate in Fashion Design enters the professional world with operational skills. He/she is able to work in team, and to interpret and execute operational project indications, translating them into the economic, ergonomic, productive, material, representational and modeling features required to go into production. He/she also has the necessary skills to assist in the research and concept development phase, and is able to understand user requirements, social and consumer dynamics, formal language and corporate philosophy which represent a fundamental matrix from which to develop the design project.
R&D trends forecaster, stylist, materials researcher, technologies researcher, textile researcher, image researcher;
STYLE Womenswear designer, Menswear designer, Accessory designer, Jewelry designer, Knitwear designer, Sportswear designer, Underwear designer, Beachwear designer;
PRODUCTION Pattern making, Pattern development, CAD designer;
MANAGEMENT Brand manager, Store manager, Contents manager, Web manager;
DISTRIBUTION Retail designer, Visual merchandiser;
COMMUNICATION & WEB Fashion communication, Exhibit Designer, Photography assistant, Fashion journalist, Fashion editor, Fashion blogger, press office.
CULTURE Fashion historian, Fashion curator.5.3 Qualification profile
Fashion designer
profile in a work context:
Professional profile of designer working in the fashion industry. It is a role of executive design, placed between those who define the strategic and creative lines of the fashion company and those who manage the production processes of end products.
Such professionals are capable of taking responsibility for and interpreting the creative direction chosen by the design process co-ordinator and managing the product/collection development process effectively, choosing between various technological, material and manufacturing alternatives and evaluating its social, economic and environmental sustainability. It supports the design activity in the field of fashion products, as to say all those products that are part of the textile, clothing and fashion accessory sectors.
The Fashion Design graduate student is part of the professional system in different fields:
- Production: Fabric printing design technician; Assistant model development technician; Clothing and fashion technician; Product man
- Creation: Style office assistant operative; Cool hunter; CAD project designer; Textile researcher; Materials researcher; Style office technician, Textile design;
- Marketing/Distribution: Visual merchandiser; Assistant Store Manager; Assistant Fashion coordinator;
- Communication: Trade fair installation technician; Photography assistant; Fashion graphics technician; Event design assistant.
skills of this function:
Specific skills:
- understanding the social behaviours and cultural, relational and symbolic contexts of contemporary societies;
- to analyse, interpret and codify choice dynamics and the use of fashion products by individuals and diverse social groups for design purposes;
- translating analysis design elements into new products paying attention to aesthetic and formal qualities, product performance (comfort, safety, durability, etc.) and the communication and symbolic values associated to product and transferred to the distributional system and consumer services;
- transfer analysis and design synthesis elements in the visual plan;
- translate design guidelines into product requirements;
- choose the materials according to their perceptive, communicative, aesthetic qualities and the performances required with respect to the different contexts of use of the products;
- communicate effectively, through appropriate languages, the project idea;
- evaluate the economic and organizational implications of the design choices made;
- evaluate the industrial feasibility of the product produced.Job opportunities:
The programme responds to educational demand coming from the fashion sector and its branches, fashion product and related events professional design studios, distribution and commercialisation system and specific local districts.
Industrial Fashion Design graduate students will work as project technicians in professional studios, within fashion and related sector companies (textiles, accessories, etc.).
6. Enrolment
6.1 Access requirements
Italian secondary school leaving qualification or other comparable foreign qualification (level 4 EQF)
A secondary level educational qualification is required.
Before the start of lectures recovery activities, with compulsory attendance, are organised for students with gaps to fill.6.2 Requested knowledge
In order to optimise the use of the resources available at the various sites, the total number of places for enrolment in the first year of each degree course at the University is set by the Academic Senate when defining the educational programme, on the basis of the specifications provided by the school concerned.
Enrolment in the first year of the degree courses at the School of Design of the Politecnico di Milano is subject to a test aimed at verifying possession of the knowledge required for admission and aptitude for studies. The knowledge required for admission is checked by means of a test common to all the Design courses offered by the University (TOLD).
The TOLD is structured in multiple-choice questions and takes place online on a PC at the premises of the Politecnico.
TOLD provides for two different slots:
- early slot from March to June: for high school students or students who have already graduated;
- standard slot in August/September: open to students who have already graduated.
When registering for the test (one test per slot), students must indicate in order of interest one or more of the four Design courses for which they wish to be considered.
The test, written in Italian, consists of 90 multiple choice questions; applicants must choose the correct answer from the five available options.
The total test duration is 1 hour and 25 minutes (85 minutes).
The themed areas and questions included in the test will be:
general culture (24 questions to be answered in 20 minutes)
geometry and representation (12 questions to be answered in 20 minutes)
history of design, history of art (12 questions to be answered in 10 minutes)
logic (6 questions to be answered in 10 minutes)
verbal comprehension (6 questions to be answered in 10 minutes)
knowledge of the English language (30 questions to be answered in 15 minutes)
The score is calculated by assigning:
- 1 point for each correct answer
- 0 points for each answer not given
- - 0.25 points for each wrong answer
At the end of each test slot, a ranking is drawn up and those who have reached the minimum threshold are admitted.
Each candidate is considered only for the courses they have indicated as their preference when registering for the test. Those who are successful in the ranking list can proceed with enrolment.
The ranking list, indicating only one course for which enrolment is possible, is published online on the University's official notice board.
Details of marks, results and rankings can be found at the following link:
There are 3 enrolment periods for Design courses:
- Early enrolment: for those who have taken a test in the early session and obtained a favourable position in the ranking list, they can enrol subject to obtaining their school-leaving qualification.
- Standard enrolment: for those who took the test in the standard session in August/September and obtained a favourable position in the ranking list.
- Repechage enrolment (following a request for inclusion in the ranking list): if, at the end of the standard enrolment period, there are still places available, if, following a request for inclusion in the ranking list, the student is successfully placed in the ranking list.
English language proficiency test and OFA in English
The Politecnico di Milano requires students to have a knowledge of the English language. During the admission test, the student must take the English language test. The English TENG test must be taken even if the student already has an external certification of English language proficiency..
A number of correct answers in the English section of less than 24 attributes OFA Additional Educational Obligations known as ENGLISH OFA.
Fulfilment of the OFA in English takes place through:
- presentation of one of the English language certificates recognised by the Politecnico di Milano, by handing in the certificate to the Registrar’s Office
- participation in dedicated English language proficiency testing sessions
How to access it
http://www.poliorientami.polimi.it/cosa-si-studia/corsi-di-laurea/6.3 Deadlines for admission and number of places available
There are 150 places (of which 5 are reserved for non EU students including 4 Chinese students on the “Marco Polo” project).
Section of the university site focusing on student guidance and entrance tests containing test deadline information.
6.4 Tutoring and students support
Orientation and ongoing tutoring include all activities aimed at providing assistance to students before and during their university career, so that it can take place within the timeframe envisaged by the teaching regulations and in a way that is profitable from the point of view of the development of professional and human skills. Tutoring activities are therefore distinct from institutional teaching activities, even though they may serve or complement them. Tutoring activities can be carried out by Masters Degree students, PhD students, lecturers and external staff.
Tutoring activities are planned and managed by the School in close coordination with the Course of Study.
At University level, the Financial Aid and International Mobility Service interacts with the Schools on the administrative aspects of tutoring Master's degree students.
The School appoints the President of the Joint Committee as the School Tutoring Representative in order to carry out a statistical analysis of the data (learning analytics), initiate discussions with the student representatives on the Joint Committee, discuss with the CCS Tutoring Representatives and plan tutoring activities of maximum effectiveness.
Tutoring activities are divided into the following services:
- educational guidance for first-year and postgraduate students (including Peer-to-Peer Tutoring where more experienced third-year student tutors provide help on the core subjects of the first two years of all three-year degree programmes);
- guidance and support for 3rd year students wishing to undertake curricular internships in place of the internship activity (internship/interdisciplinary workshop) provided for in the study plan;
- educational support meetings held by professors (to facilitate the choices of including optional courses for the purposes of personalising the study plan);
- assistance/reception activities for first-year students on three-year degree courses, both at the desk and through the new communication channels set up by the School;
- support for internationally mobile students;
- assistance for revision and catch-up seminars;
- assistance in computerised classrooms, libraries and laboratories;
- assistance in finding and developing teaching materials.
Open Days are organised for students wishing to enrol in the School of Design's courses of study, during which each course of study presents its teaching programme through presentations and/or open lectures.
An orientation service is available to introduce students to the educational and training activities of their courses of study in order to clarify the missions and goals and professional outlets for future students
Every year a Welcome Day is organised for first-year students, during which the following are presented: the organisation of the School, the offices and their responsibilities, the international exchange programmes, the communication tools of the School and the Politecnico, the School of Design website, Trouble Ticketing, chat, the Beep portal, the library services, the instrument laboratories and Safety Week (the week in which students obtain authorisation to access the laboratories). During this meeting, space is given to the presentation of the Joint Committee and the Student Representation.
The Student Representatives of the School Council have prepared a handbook to introduce themselves and summarise the services students can access.
For current students, presentations of optional courses and Synthesis Workshops are prepared. In addition to the Teaching Fact Sheets, which present in detail how the courses are conducted, students can access the School's website and view slides and videos prepared by the lecturers to summarise the topics covered in the course.
The School organises "Lesson 0" to provide information on the University's facilities and services and to explain the organisation of the course of study; it is left to the coordinators to organise such a Lesson in collective mode with the other courses of study or on the first day of class of one of the subjects of the specific degree course. Students in subsequent years are provided with information on the range of courses on offer and on initiatives specific to their own year.
The focuses of Lesson 0 are:
- Course Organisation and University Services (I L);
- experience abroad (II and III LT),;
- post-graduate: Master’s Degree and Level I master's degree;
- job market and Career service (III LT)
- LM admission: criteria and parameters N and V (II e III LT);
- student opinion questionnaire (I,II;III LT);
- questionnaire on services and overall training pathway (III LT);
- final examination: type, choice of supervisor and final grade (III LT).
For current students, the School has initiated activities aimed at:
- contribute to removing obstacles to successful course attendance, including through initiatives tailored to the needs, aptitudes and requirements of individuals;
- make students more actively involved in the learning process.
Il/i Course Tutoring Contact Person(s) is the institutional reference point for guidance at the School; the service is organised within the framework of the course of study and in particular deals with:
- support service to students where they need help in solving problems or deepening concepts;
- approval and possible drafting of texts concerning the presentation of the degree course for which the professor is the contact person;
- identification of student projects from their degree course, to be used as orientation tools during Open Days, and for the School's institutional communication.
The School of Design participates in the national PotDesign project - Guidance and Tutoring Plans - set up by Miur.
For further details on the Tutoring Actions put in place by the School:
Tutoring
https://www.design.polimi.it/en/1/teaching/services/tutoring
7. Contents of the study Program
7.1 Programme requirements
The Program satisfies the professional figures demand of the fashion industry, its supply chain, of firms designing fashion products and events, of the distribution/sales system and specific territorial districts.
The Graduate in Fashion Design enters the professional world with operational skills. He/she is able to work in team, and to interpret and execute operational project indications, translating them into the economic, ergonomic, productive, material, representational and modeling features required to go into production. He/she also has the necessary skills to assist in the research and concept development phase, and is able to understand user requirements, social and consumer dynamics, formal language and corporate philosophy which represent a fundamental matrix from which to develop the design project.
R&D trends forecaster, stylist, materials researcher, technologies researcher, textile researcher, image researcher;
STYLE Womenswear designer, Menswear designer, Accessory designer, Jewelry designer, Knitwear designer, Sportswear designer, Underwear designer, Beachwear designer;
PRODUCTION Pattern making, Pattern development, CAD designer;
MANAGEMENT brand manager, store manager, contents manager, web manager;
DISTRIBUTION retail designer, visual merchandiser;
COMMUNICATION & WEB Fashion communication, exhibit Designer, photography assistant, fashion journalist, fashion editor, fashion blogger, press office;
CULTURE fashion historian, fashion curator.7.2 Mode of study
The Study programme has a full-time attendance that is divided over two semesters.
The teaching methods are: Single Subject Courses, characterized by theoretical contents that are communicated with ex cathedra lectures and verified during the year with tests and interviews; Integrated Courses, they refer to more than one discipline or specific area and sometimes they are provided by two or more professors, each one providing his/her contribution; Laboratories, where the students carry out project activities, under the guidance of the team of professors, each one providing his/her contribution applied to the project topic (the Project Laboratories use Experimental Laboratories that offer the opportunity to experiment and use tools, technologies and machineries useful for the project).
Workshops are also included within the curricular offer, or full time courses lasting a week in which students develop a project under the guidance of a foreign visiting professor, a professional with clear reputation or in co-tutorship with a company. By participating in this activity, the student fulfils the traineeship activity required by the educational system.
The Erasmus Programme and the other international mobility programmes are an opportunity for students to spend a study semester abroad at qualified European universities.
Guide to the Study Plan and allocations in sections and elective courses for the Degree and Master's Degree Courses
https://www.design.polimi.it/en/teaching/documents/career-guides
Internship
https://www.design.polimi.it/en/1/teaching/studying-design/curricolar-internships7.3 Detailed learning objectives
At the enrollment, the student is placed in a Section (PSPA, Pre-approved study plan): the division into Sections is necessary to divide the total number of enrolled students in the Laboratories and Single Subject/Integrated multi-section courses. The allocation in the Section is kept during the career: the student can choose optional courses and Synthesis Laboratories.
Students' ability to choose the courses and credits to be included into their Study plans is ruled by the regulations of the School which makes available a credit offer for each year of the course (“nominal offer”).
Each year students can choose courses for a different number of credits than that specified by the nominal courses to graduate their study programmes according to their needs.
The minimum number of credits a student can enrol on is 30 unless the number of credits needed for course completion are fewer than this.
The maximum number of credits a student can enrol on is 80, respecting exam priorities.
The current framework of the study plan requires the course exam sequence to be respected. Courses designed for later years of the programme cannot be included to the Study Plan of the following year (“advance inclusion”) unless all previous and current year courses have also been included into it.
In order to include the 2nd year Laboratories, it is necessary to have passed all 1st year Laboratories; to include the Final Synthesis Laboratory of the 3rd year, it is necessary to have passed the 2nd year Laboratories and all the 1st year courses. As a result of this rule, there may be a change in the number of credits that a student may nominally enrol for.
The Educational Regulations also require that a specific number of credits are allocated to types of activity which can be categorised as follows:
- educational activities chosen independently by students (optional courses);
- educational activities related to the preparation of the final exam;
- activities related to educational work experience and guidance.
7.4 Foreign language
Foreign language assessment will be carried out in accordance with the university's methods as set out on the “Student Services/Guides and Regulations/Guide to the English Language”, web page: www.polimi.it.
For Study Programme of 1st level, the assessment takes place at the admission test centre. If the student does not pass the exam, an OFA will be assigned, which is an additional educational obligation to be fulfilled before the inclusion in the Study plan of 2nd year courses.
The English TENG test will be included in the calculation of the score for the ranking lists.
The fulfilment of the English OFA can be reached through:
- submission of one of the English language certifications, recognized by Politecnico di Milano, to the Registrar's Office
- participation in specific dedicated test sessions to assess the English language knowledge
Students are encouraged to read this document carefully and respect the norms set out in it.
Specifically, note that: "Pursuant to Ministerial Decree 270/04 the Politecnico di Milano has adopted the English language as the European Union language which students must speak in addition to Italian".7.5 Degree examination
The examination consists of the presentation of a piece of work (poster, prototype, video, etc.) representing the project(s) developed during the Final Dissertation Workshop and a portfolio containing projects and personal experiences significant to one's chosen training path. Both products are drawn up under the guidance of the supervisor, assisted - as far as the Portfolio is concerned - by the professor responsible for drawing it up, where the CCS has so provided. It will be possible to supplement the paper with technical drawings, booklets, research, models, etc. at the discretion of the lecturers.
Students will be able to finalise their work and portfolios during the PEL, following the instructions given by each supervisor and the professor responsible for the portfolio if the CCS has so provided.
The work must demonstrate the competence of the student both as regards the methodological approach of the project and the acquisition of the technical and cultural tools specific to the course of study.
The paper and the portfolio are normally written in Italian. At the graduate student's specific request, papers may be written in other languages, subject to authorisation from the Responsible for Degrees.
In this case, too, the discussion of the dissertation takes place in Italian. If the dissertation and portfolio are prepared in a foreign language, the undergraduate student must prepare a short report in Italian.
Thestudent must provide the Committee with at least 1 copy of the paper and portfolio. The portfolio may also include a record of the activity carried out in companies or professional offices, for students who have carried out the placement in place of internal trainee courses. The paper and portfolio will be presented to one of the CO (Operational Committees) set up by the degree course to which the student belongs.
There is only one Supervisor and must be a lecturer (Professor or Researcher) employed or contracted by the University (in the current or previous academic year), may be a member of the Degree Committee. He may be assisted by one or more co-supervisors or by experts in specific subjects.
The Supervisor is normally included in the Graduation Committee that will assess the student, make his or her proposal for a mark and may propose to the Committee that a maximum of 2 points be awarded to the work and portfolio.
A lecturer who is not part of the Final Syntesis Studio followed by the student cannot be identified as the lecturer. Reasoned requests for exceptions must be approved by the School Council.
Following the evaluation, presentation and discussion of the dissertation, as well as of the student's entire career within the Degree Programme, the Degree Committee shall assign a score. The score assigned by the Degree Committee has a minimum value of -1 (minus one) hundredth of a decimal point and a maximum value of 8 (eight) hundredths of a decimal point. The Graduation grade, assigned by the Graduation Committee, is expressed in hundredths.
It is made up of the sum of the average achieved by the student in the courses, weighted according to the credits and expressed in hundredths and hundredths of a hundredth (without taking into account any additional work or honours) - and the score awarded by the ittee and expressed hundredths and hundredths of a hundredth.
This sum shall be rounded up to the nearest whole number (0.50 is rounded up to 1.00) and limited to 110.
The minimum graduation mark is always 66.
The Graduation Committee may also award honours.
Honours, which can also be proposed by the rapporteur, means a special appreciation by the Committee for the preparation and competence achieved by the graduate, for his or her brilliant curricula studiorum, for the manner of expression, the ability to reason, and the quality and originality of the dissertation.
Honours may only be awarded if the mark, formulated as per Art. 8, is, before rounding off, greater than or equal to 111 (one hundred and eleven) hundred decimal points. Honours are awarded by unanimous decision of the members of the Degree Committee.
Further information can be found in the Degree Examination Regulations available on the School's website: https://www.design.polimi.it/en/teaching/documents/career-guides
8. Academic calendar
The Laurea course calendar is drawn up in accordance with study assessment methods which, for the Design School's Laurea programmes involve “ongoing” assessments performed during each semester. The academic year is made up of two semesters each of which consists of a teaching session and learning assessment sessions (exam sessions). The teaching sessions of each semester are made up of two periods of lessons, practice and laboratory work, with exam sessions with the related curricular workshop activities.
The teaching periods are approximately mid-September-December and end-February-early June.
In September, before the start of lectures, there will be a period for presentation of Study Plan.
The degree exam sessions are scheduled in these periods: February, July, September.
Information on Schedules and Deadlines
https://www.design.polimi.it/en/didattica/translate-to-english-documenti/translate-to-english-calendario-accademico
9. Faculty
The names of professors for each Course, together with their subject, will be available on the degree programme starting from the month of September.
The degree programme is annually published on the website of Politecnico di Milano.
Faculty
https://www4.ceda.polimi.it/manifesti/manifesti/controller/ricerche/RicercaPerDocentiPublic.do?tab_ricerca=2&k_cf=19&__pj0=0&__pj1=9ecc24961246e5b7e801848d93f75565
10. Infrastructures and laboratories
The School of Design is based at Campus Bovisa-Candiani where the educational activities are held and where there are services for students (Experimental laboratories, Library, Study room, Press Service,...)
https://maps.polimi.it/maps/
Design Laboratories
The creation of big experimental laboratories supporting design education is in line with the Politecnico di Milano School of Design's experimental tradition, its inductive teaching model, in which 'knowledge' and 'know-how' are mutually supportive.
The purpose of these laboratories is the practice of activities which allow students to verify their design hypotheses and learn how to use the technical tools required for experimentation, representation and design communication.
The laboratories managed by the Design Department occupy an approximately 10,000 square metre space in the Milan Bovisa campus.http://www.dipartimentodesign.polimi.it/laboratori/i-laboratori
11. International context
Building an international dimension for the School of Design and its Study Programmes has been one of its priority objectives since it was founded in the year 2000.
There are many reasons for this purpose: the nature of design which inherently draws its very lifeblood from its multicultural and multi-local character, its proximity to both the world of manufacturing - which has now taken on a global dimension - and the sphere of consumption whose dynamics and tendencies are visible in a range of local specific contexts; the very DNA of the design community which has always been international; Milan's acknowledged status as design capital, a crucible for designers from all over the world who have come here to study or open a studio; the desire to make educational trajectories increasingly permeable to impulses deriving from this stimulating context as in other dynamic foreign contexts, with the aim to teach to international professors and designers.
To these should be added more highly structured activities which aim to strengthen collaborative relations, in the didactic and research fields, with selected universities: this is the case of the MEDes_Master of European Design educational programme (with 6 partner universities), the LM Double Degree Programmes.
The School of Design is a member of Cumulus, a network of European design schools, and of the main international design associations. http://www.cumulusassociation.org/
12. Internationalization
For the School of Design, internationalization has a double meaning: supporting student (and teaching and technical staff) mobility outwards and, on the opposite direction, attracting students, researchers, professors and visiting professors from abroad.
In recent years, the School of Design has committed itself to widen its international contact network and it now works with 200 design universities from all over the world in Erasmus exchange programmes (with 150 European universities), in bilateral exchange projects (with 60 non European universities), joint workshops with other schools, international internships and so on. Double Degree programs have been opened at the Master level.
To encourage the internationalization most of the Master programmes are offered in English or have at least an English track.In addition to these actions, the School of Design invites Visiting Professors from all over the world, within its programs, and promotes innovative and international teaching activities through Collaborative Classes program which foresees a collaboration online of students and teachers.
International exchanges
The School of Design takes part in international student exchange programmes which offer students the opportunity to go abroad for a period, both during L and LM study programme, at one of the Politecnico's partner universities. A list of the School's partner universities is available on the Politecnico's web site and on the School of Design web site in the International Area.
The Erasmus+ Programme
The Erasmus + program establishes the possibility for a European university student to carry out a period of study in a foreign university within the European Union, from 2 up to 12 months, legally recognized by their university.In particular, Erasmus for study allows university students to complete a period of study at a university that has signed an agreement with the home university. This mobility may give the right to an economic contribution (with conditions specified in the Call for international mobility) and to free enrollment in the host university. The student can thus follow courses and carry out exams in the partner university and then have the exams taken also in the university of their country recognized. The mobility can be carried out for a maximum of 12 months in each level of study.
Bilateral exchanges
The School of Design has also activated some bilateral agreements with non-EU universities. These are intended for both the use of Laurea (Bachelor) or Laurea Magistrale (Master) students.
The procedures for admission to such exchanges are the same as those for Erasmus exchanges with the exception for the economic contribution for mobility, that in this case it is not guaranteed.
The bilateral agreement, in fact, enables students to attend a period of study abroad at a partner university without incurring registration fees at such universities. In some cases, however, a management fee for exchange students must be paid (e.g.: Orientation fee, insurance,).
The MEDes Programme (Master of European Design (MEDes)From the a.y. 2002/2003, the School of Design activated the MEDes, as five-year international educational programme, in collaboration with six other famous European design universities and formalised through an agreement that relies on the Erasmus+ mobility programme.
A maximum of 6 students are selected for this excellence programme among all those enrolled on the 2nd year of the laurea study programmes in Industrial Design, Interior Design and Communication Design, that at the time of application are in order with the curricular exams and that have successfully attended at least 60 credits at Politecnico di Milano. The students apply immediately for two years of mobility (and for a total of five years of study including Laurea and Laurea Magistrale) and therefore they guarantee the continuation to LM at Politecnico di Milano within the MSc Programs in Intergated Product Design, Interior and Spatial Design, Communication Design and Product Service System Design, always following the normal career planned by the School of Design of Politecnico di Milano which foresees the degree examination at the end of the 3rd year. In order to complete the full career, students can only graduate in their university of origin, for both Laurea and Laurea Magistrale. (Cf guide to access the Msc)
In addition to Politecnico di Milano, the universities taking part in this programme are:
Politecnico di Milano, School of Design, Milan, Italy
Aalto-University, Helsinki, Finland
Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm, Sweden
Köln International School of Design, TH Köln, Cologne, Germany
The Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland
ENSCI-Les Ateliers, Paris, France
Universidade de Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
Candidates, admitted to the MEDes programme, have two study experiences abroad, in two partner universities: the first one during the 3rd year of I level Laurea, and the other one during the 1st year of Laurea Magistrale. The universities of destination will be chosen according to the aptitude shown by candidates during the selection process, to the selection made by the responsible professors during the workshops (organized every year in March, in one of the partner schools and with compulsory participation by the exchange students of 1st and 2nd year) and considering the preferences stated by the student.
"Free Mover" Mobility“Free Movers” are students who have international mobility and independently organize their period of study abroad. This mobility is not tied to an exchange project organized by the Politecnico di Milano, for example, Erasmus. It therefore occurs outside current agreements between the Politecnico di Milano and partner sites and the call for International mobility.
Since this is not a structured and community program, candidates for the "Free Mover" mobility must personally organize their stay abroad (contact with the chosen University, food, accommodation, health assistance, etc.) and there is no '' disbursement of any type of contribution to support the expenses for the mobility period.
“Free Mover” mobility may be used to sit exams or to conduct thesis work, with different requirements for the candidacy process and approval from the Programme. In the first case, the mobility may not be used for a site that has an exchange agreement with the Politecnico for the School in which the student is registered.
Guide to the international mobility of Corsi di Laurea e Laurea Magistrale Scuola del Design
https://www.design.polimi.it/en/teaching/documents/career-guides
13. Quantitative data
The University Assessment Commission Nucleus perform periodic analysis on the overall results analysing the teaching activities and the integration of graduates into the work world. Reports and studies are available on the website of the Politecnico di Milano.
Data
https://www.polimi.it/il-politecnico/organi/nucleo-di-valutazione/dati-a-cura-dellufficio-di-supporto/
14. Further information
Students are encouraged to consult the School of Design site and in particular the Guides which regulate access, changing degree programme, courses and laurea exams for any other information they may need.
For more information see the website of the degree course
http://www.fashiondesign.polimi.it