Master in Furniture Design Learning From the Italian Experience

The master integrates design, management and innovation skills to train designers specialised in Italian furniture design, with skills immediately usable in the market. The modules address production processes, product design, creative direction, communication, user experience and retail, and include corporate case studies and practical applications of design as a strategic competitive lever. The aim is to offer a complete view of the furniture supply chain, from the idea to the product and its presentation to the public. The programme presents the Italian experience as a model, in which craftsmanship, industry and design culture have given rise to products and companies of international standing, and analyses the reasons for this.

Teaching lasts fourteen months and is held in person in Milan, at the Department of Design of the Polytechnic University, with no option of online or part-time attendance. The methodology includes lectures, design workshops, professional talks, company visits and real briefs proposed by companies. A compulsory 350-hour internship with companies and design studios is planned. Instruction is delivered in English. The page does not specify the credits, the total hours, the assessments or the price. Admission is through selection in chronological order, until places run out, so it is important to apply early. Real briefs and company visits make it possible to learn at first hand about the work of companies in the sector and to engage with their needs for innovation, quality and communication. Professional talks and company visits make it possible to see production processes up close and to meet designers, entrepreneurs and creative directors, with whom to discuss decisions and strategies.

The aim is to train designers specialised in Italian furniture design, with skills useful for entering companies and studios. Career opportunities include furniture designer, interior architect, furniture designer, furnishing consultant and eco-sustainable product design expert. The master is aimed at graduates and professionals with experience in the furniture sector or related fields, holding a bachelor's degree, a master's or equivalent degree or a first- or second-level academic diploma, including equivalent foreign qualifications, who wish to learn about the Italian model of furniture design and acquire tools to design, communicate and manage furnishing products in an international market. The 350-hour internship, in particular, is an opportunity to enter a professional environment and to test the skills acquired, with possible effects on employment opportunities. The master also fosters the ability to present proposals to companies and clients and to collaborate with different figures in the supply chain.