School of Design
Degree Programme of:
Product Design
Laurea (Equivalent To Bachelor Of Science)
Milano Campus
1. General Information
School School of Design Code Reference Law 1090 Name Product 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 Venanzio Arquilla Website of the School http://www.design.polimi.it Website of the Study programme
http://productdesign.polimi.it
Central Student Office - Milano Bovisa
Address VIA LAMBRUSCHINI, 15 (MI)
2. General presentation of the study programme
Designing a consumer product (or a tool, a car, a piece of furniture) does not mean just "inventing" something, but also knowing how to describe its characteristics in functional, physical, technical, aesthetic-formal and image terms, so that its use can be understood and its possible realization and production can be described. Therefore, product design implies a great variety of complementary skills, all equally functional to the development of objects designed for the needs of those who will have to use them, and before, to realize them.
The product designer's project development is the creative ideation or redefinition of everyday artefacts and everything that people choose, buy, use, consume; his/her proposal is an innovative solution, adjusted to the individual and collective needs, understandable in use, respectful of regulatory requirements, consistent with the opportunities and the environmental, technological and productive restrictions. The designer knows how to understand and provide answers to the user's expectations, by connecting them with those of the economic and production system and has the necessary skills to create something that can be realized according to the industrial reproducibility rules, in full agreement with his/her socio-economic context, social conventions, traditional and innovative technologies, business techniques, market rules, distribution and communication. His/her intellectual role is to promptly understand the design question and provide an improvement from cultural, social and technical point of view.
This Laurea (equivalent to Bachelor of Science and hereinafter referred to as L) programme in Industrial Product Design is thought for the broadest framework of the wide world of artefacts, including long lasting consumer goods interpreting product design both literally and in its broader meaning from furniture design and in the many manufacturing and industrial goods sectors.
The L study programme in Industrial Product Design provides a strong basic education, at theoretical and operational level, in the field of the project disciplines, and it is designed in order to include, around its main methodological core, all the appropriate disciplines. Historical-critical information related to the culture of the project and to the artefact development are provided, humanistic disciplines that understand social and cultural contexts, scientific and technological courses related to materials and technologies of transformation, processing and production, lectures of economic culture in order to be able to better understand business contexts and markets. At the same time the programme wants to develop the representation technique skills (from drawing by hand to technical drawing, from photography to three-dimensional studio and prototype modelling), techniques for digital image production and visual language interpretation.
The L study programme in Industrial Product Design trains a Project Technician profile able to support all activities from the creation phase to production and distribution on the market. The graduating student has a wide range of employment opportunities, in all activities related to the field of product design, both as professional that in company, as well as in all design fields in the widest sense. The L study programme includes a Laurea Magistrale (equivalent to Master of Science and hereinafter referred to as LM) of the same class at Milan Campus, as to say the LM in Integrated Product Design.
3. Learning objectives
In the education of the graduate student in Industrial Product Design, the main objective is acquiring the right knowledge of cultural, scientific, methodological, technical and tool elements that can be seen as the basis of design culture. This means that it is considered an essential ability to be able to understand the user behaviours and requests, and all social, cultural, relational, symbolic, ergonomic and economic aspects that lead to the choice, use and success of a given product. Equally important is being able to analyse, understand and read the user behaviours to effectively describe the different contexts of use; as well as making use of the results of the analysis both during development of innovative typological-formal and functional ideas, and in the collaboration on the aspects of communication and distribution, or joint product-service designing.
The designer must properly visualise ideas, in all the different process stages, from research and definition of the problem, to creation of the concept, up to its production. Therefore, having the right knowledge of tools and techniques related to representation (from drawing by hand to representation and digital modelling) and the languages of artistic and visual cultures, necessary to communicate the idea in an appropriate way, are considered essential skills. Compared to the LM of the same class, the L in Industrial Product Design provides the right knowledge on the technical-executive control of the project and has a more professional profile. The graduate student in Industrial Product Design is able to interact with all the players involved in the process, because s/he knows their languages and needs, and has developed skills in assessing the technological, material and productive aspects, and is able to define them in terms of socio-economic, environmental sustainability, and legal coherence.
In this L educational career, the main subject areas are:
- Design culture studies. The objective of this study unit - the foundation stone in designer training - is to provide students with a method to be used to face a wide range of topics of medium complexity. Characterized by laboratory education methods, it concentrates the paradigmatic moments of the project practice, and gives a connection to real experiences to all courses provided as theoretical ex cathedra lecture. There is, therefore, a phase of concept analysis and definition in order to define the context in terms of opportunities and restrictions, to study the different possibilities, and define priorities; to take into account the interaction with the user starting from the choice of the product, up to its use and then disposal; to evaluate products and systems in their different characteristics.
In the synthesis phase, however, the knowledge acquired during the study programme can be used to develop a project able to change needs in product requirements; to choose, based on the expected performances, the materials, the components, the construction technologies and the assembly methods; to adjust the product properties to the restrictions of industrial production and to safety regulations and requirements.- humanities studies disciplines. The educational objective is to enrich the student's creative career with suggestions, focusing on human being and his needs. Therefore, we move in the observation and interpretation of sense systems related to design objects, given their aesthetic-cultural values, and in the analysis of different scenarios in which they are placed. A comprehensive framework includes socio-technical, fast ethnographic, artefact value and symbol interpretation analysis, as well as providing a full interpretation of the ergonomic and perceptional properties which characterise the product-user relationship. Given that the 'user' part is crucial for the education of the graduate student in Industrial Product Design direct observation of people and behaviours, roles and contexts is supported, to learn how to interplay not with the typical user, which is a non-functional abstraction, but with the different groups of users and contexts, that can be economic, regulatory, social or connected to cultural models, to types of knowledge, collective practices, methods of acceptance or social resistance with respect to the use and consumption possibilities. Ethnography, economy, marketing, IT, psychology, proxemics, anthropology and anthropometry: there are some disciplinary sources of reference that foster the aspects of large-scale social dynamics, allowing us to understand influences between people's behaviour and material culture.
- History and art criticism subject area. The educational objective of this study unit is to use the historical method to improve the skill related to project understanding in its reference context; the subjects of study present the evolution of the project culture related to the development of artistic, architectural, visual communication, design and fashion language.
- Visual culture, representation and technical drawing subject fields. The educational objective is to create a basic knowledge in visual expression and in creating images from analysis and design synthesis elements. Therefore, the object of study are the languages, tools and techniques related to the morphological, material and functional representation of the product (from drawing by hand to digital representation, from photography to production of study models and prototypes, from digital modelling of surfaces to parametric modelling); understanding and reading of visual languages; digital production and image manipulation techniques; the perceptual mechanisms and chromatic systems.
- Material culture and transformation and working technologies subject area. The educational objective is to provide knowledge related to the choice of materials functional to contexts of use, required performance, manufacturing limitations and regulatory requirements; This area includes the study of materials, their chemical-physical characteristics, performance, structural and functional properties; studies of industrial processing and transformation technologies.
- Economic culture of business knowledge and economic feasibility for design. The aim of this area is to point out all the elements that define the consistency in business driven by innovation processes. Therefore, the study is focuse on economic systems, business contexts, markets and marketing issues; a special study in detail is dedicated to the analysis of economic feasibility, and to the understanding of the constituent aspects of the corporate identity able to influence the intervention strategies.
Within the Study Programme, there are further educational careers that pay particular attention to some topics, considered important for the new frontiers of development of design professions or because they are related to the key sectors of national economic 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 (interdisciplinary workshop) 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 of I Level L enables students to access LM, Specializing Courses of first level and Specializing Master of first level.
The Laurea Magistrale continuing the three-year Laurea in Industrial Product Design is Integrated Product Design with which it constitutes one single Programme Board (Consiglio di Corso di Studi, or CCS).
The Laurea Magistrale in Design & Engineering, Product Service System Design, Digital and Interaction Design, Naval and Nautical Design (La Spezia) can also be considered of continuity.
5. Professional opportunities and work market
5.1 Professional status of the degree
The qualification of Project Technician defines the professional profile of the three-year L study programme, able to develop all aspects of integration between product design and technological and production processes. The inclusion of this profile in the work market usually takes place, for what concerns companies, within the technical, research and development areas, or in professional design and consulting firms.
5.2 Careers options and profiles
The Study programme answers to the cross-training demand coming from the goods for end consumption sector, as well as from all intermediate players from professional product design studios, distribution and commercialisation system and specific local districts of a given territory.
The graduate student in Industrial Product Design carries out his/her profession with executive skills, the habit of working in team, the right knowledge to understand and implement design requirements and translating them into appropriate financial, ergonomic, manufacturing, material, representation and modelling properties. S/he also has the necessary skill to guide the research and match the concept with the user needs and with all the necessary matrices to properly show the project: the social and consumption dynamics, the formal languages, the philosophy and culture of company.5.3 Qualification profile
Industrial product designer
profile in a work context:
Design technicians, able to play a supporting role in all technical and design activities from the creation stage to production and distribution on the market.
This profile fits into the professional system with executive skills, expressing the ability to work in a team. This profile has the necessary skills to help during the research and production of concept.
The professional trained is a “project technician” who, on completion of the course, possesses the skills required to carry out a multiplicity of support technical-design activities and project assistance tasks as they develop and take shape in the various phases starting at the creation phase and continuing to the planning, development and engineering phases all the way through to large scale distribution and market dissemination.
Within this course of study specific subject areas can be studied in greater depth such as cutting-edge developments for professional design development or strategic sectors for the development of the Italian economy.
This Laurea programme in Industrial Product Design aims to prepare students for product design in the broadest framework of the wide world of artefacts, including long lasting consumer goods interpreting product design both literally and in its broader meaning from furniture design and in the many manufacturing and industrial goods sectors.
skills of this function:
Specific skills:
- understanding the user behaviour, the world of needs and the social, cultural, relationship, symbolic, ergonomic and economic aspects which affect product choice and use;- read the specific features of use contexts analysing, interpreting and codifying user behaviours for design purposes;
- read the formal languages, points of view and corporate cultures;
- translate the analysis elements into innovative solution design both by means of formal-type innovation and in functional innovation or by acting on communication, distribution and design aspects linked to products and services;
- use tools and techniques relating to product representation (from drawing by hand to digital representation and modelling);
- monitor the technological, material and manufacturing alternatives which accompany the project expressing these in terms of socio-economic and environmental sustainability as well as overall legal coherence;
- implementing design requirements and translating them into appropriate financial, ergonomic, manufacturing, representation and modelling forms for production;
- interacting with all those involved in the design process, with a knowledge of its languages and skills.
Job opportunities:
The programme responds to educational demand coming from the goods for end consumption sector and intermediate components ranging from professional product design studios, distribution and commercialisation system and specific local districts.
There is a wide range of career openings for graduates in all professional and corporate activities working in the product design field in the widest sense. Employment opportunities consist mainly of careers in technical and research and development offices in companies or professional studios working in design and consultancy.
6. Enrolment
6.1 Access requirements
Italian secondary school leaving qualification or other comparable foreign qualification (level 4 EQF)
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
Admission is dependent on candidates passing an entrance examination.
There are 300 places (of which 20 are reserved for non-EU students including 10 Chinese students on the Marco Polo project).
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
Students graduate on completion of 180 study credits. Graduate students from the Industrial Product Design Laurea study programme must have a strong basic education on design subject, both on methodological and technical-operational elements. In particular they must have a good knowledge about tools and techniques related to formal and functional product representation (from drawing by hand to technical drawing, from photography to three-dimensional product models), digital image production and visual language representation techniques, individual and colour system perception mechanisms. They must also have a strong knowledge in product planning and design methodologies and all aspects related to their distribution and distribution in the market.
Most important for the training of product designers are scientific and technological skills related to materials, techniques for product transformation in prototypes and subsequently industrial production. In this sense, of fundamental importance is a knowledge of working processes and technologies, economic systems, corporate contexts and business culture. Alongside these subject areas, historic and critical studies related to products and their evolution, semiotics and aesthetics, sociology and psychology are equally important.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.
Intership
https://www.design.polimi.it/en/1/teaching/studying-design/curricolar-internships
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-guides7.3 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 professors' names of the Study Programme and what they teach will be made available on the degree programme from September onwards.
The Degree Programme is published each year on Politecnico di Milano's website.The names of the teaching staff who will be teaching on the programme with their CVs are published on the university site by year and study programme.
.
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.