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Requirements
The specializing master is mainly aimed at people who already have work experience who want to complete their training by understanding the dynamics of an advanced model of relationship between design, culture and production system.
The Master is also aimed at product designers who intend to expand their knowledge, as well as other professional figures working in the furniture product development chain, product portfolio management, and relationship with identity, placement and brand communication.
The Master’s degree is reserved for applicants holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture, Industrial Design, Engineering and in Economics (Chemistry, Computer Science, and Physics). For foreign applicants, equivalent degrees will be considered in their respective study curricula and an English test will be required.

Presentazione

The furniture industry is undergoing profound transformation and therefore companies are reconsidering their product ranges, presence in international market, distribution channels, and product and brand communication. All this requires a strong upgrading of the skills of designers and their ability to relate to added value building.

The Master is based on the capacity of Italian companies, working in the furniture industry, to use design as a fundamental lever of competitive advantage and a structural element of corporate culture. The core of the program is focused on the knowledge generated from the advantageous relationships instilled between the Italian production system and the network of professions involved in design. The Master sets its cultural roots in the “Italian model” of rapport between enterprise and design, while also aiming to develop new knowledge in innovation that responds to the challenges posed by technological, social and market changes.
The program’s structure takes on a systemic vision of the role of design in the furniture industry, teaming new fields of interest to the traditional focus on product development, along with the growing importance of brands and its tangible and intangible elements of expression.


Training objectives

The Master course intends to form knowledgeable designers of the most advanced models of relationship between the product development processes, market dynamics and technological developments. It also intends to complete the training of professionals in R&D, marketing and brand management in the furniture sector, offering them a better understanding of design management skills as a lever to create a competitive advantage.


Didactic Plan

The Specializing Master is based on practical activities with the participation of some of the most prominent Italian furniture companies and international designers.
Students will work on real problems related to contemporary challenges of the industry, starting from real project briefs from the partner companies.


The Specializing Master in Furniture Design provides the following types of training activities:

Introductory and specialized lessons, entrusted to a highly qualified faculty, composed of teachers from the Politecnico di Milano, professionals from the industry and experts from the business world. The lessons will introduce and go deeper into the various aspects of contemporary design and will give an overview of methods and tools intended to innovate and manage added value through design.
Seminars and meetings with designers and companies that will bring participants into direct contact with the protagonists of Italian design.
Project work in small teams starting from project briefs from partner companies with the support of professionals and experts from within the industry.
Practical activities through workshops to acquire physical and digital modelling and rendering skills.
Professional experience by way of internship at companies and professional studios (minimum 300 hours), with the aim of experimenting and expanding the skills acquired during the Master.


Employment Opportunities

The master seeks to train international designers for companies and design studios working in the international market, in Italy and abroad.
The program trains students for the following roles in the Furniture Industry:


R&D Managers;

- Designers or Leaders of Product Development Teams;
- Product Engineers or technical experts in the design of furnishing elements;
- Product Portfolio Managers;
- Design Managers or Art/Design Directors;
- Communication and Brand Managers.


For graduate students at the Politecnico di Milano, the enrollment fee is 13.000 € divided into: Entrance fee to the Politecnico di Milano 500 € per pupil and participation fee to the Master, equal to 12.500 € per student.

Luogo

a Milano

Attestato

At the end of the programme, once the final examination has been passed, the 1st level Specializing Master in Furniture design. Learning from the Italian experience diploma will be issued, with the related achievement of 60 CFU/ECTS.

Date e orari

Date: 4 Jun. 2025 - 31 Aug. 2026

Durata

60 CFU/ECTS

Programma

Didactic Plan

The program is delivered through company visits, lectures, testimonials, case studies and project work according to the following teaching modules:

1. Design and Manufacturing Processes: the main production models, technology and their relationship with design skills are introduced, providing students with a wide panorama of the diverse product typologies and technological matrixes of the furniture industry.

2. Product Design: the module focuses on the many phases of the design process, from need and opportunity exploration to conceptual solution definition and from product development to engineering. The objective of the course is to provide students with vertical and transversal abilities through the development of projects that start with a brief provided directly by companies supporting the educational program of the Master.

3. Design, Brand Direction and Communication: the module introduces design direction and management principles by linking brand positioning and identity with supply management and brand expression (brand positioning and architecture, product portfolio strategies, brand presence at point of sales, etc.). The course aims also to introduce strategies and tools for managing media and digital distribution channels.

4. Retail, Service and Exhibition Design: the module introduces issues in retail (channel typologies, presence formats, etc.), point of sale organization (layout, etc.), user experience (service and experience design) and integration between the tangible and digital dimension. The course also introduces the principles of display and product styling, as well as exhibition design.

5. Intership: 350 hours of professionalizing projects or 350 hours of curriculum internships at companies and professional studios, with the aim of experimenting and expanding the skills acquired during the Master in the world of work.

Docenti

The specializing master is entrusted to a highly qualified faculty, composed of teachers from the Politecnico di Milano, industry professionals and experts coming from the business world.