Master’s Degree in Digital and Interaction Design

The master's degree in Digital and Interaction Design trains designers able to design digital experiences and artefacts. The first year develops basic skills in interaction design, the humanities and social sciences and digital technologies; the second year includes advanced workshops and a compulsory internship. The topics include interaction design, UX and UI design, digital artefacts, user experience, smart and wearable technologies, with a smart eyewear workshop carried out in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica and with attention to digital innovation. Designing digital experiences means starting from people: understanding needs, behaviours and contexts of use, and translating them into interfaces, services and interactive systems. The programme teaches how to conduct user research, build prototypes, test them and improve them iteratively, with an approach that combines creativity, method and knowledge of technologies.

The programme lasts two years, is held in person in Milan and is delivered entirely in English. Access requires a degree (EQF level 6) in classes L-4, L-17, L-8, L-9, L-31 or equivalent, with at least 36 credits in specific areas, a minimum weighted average of 23/30 for graduates of the Polytechnic University of Milan and of 25/30 for those of other Italian universities, and an English certificate of at least B2. The page does not state the total credits, the detailed list of courses, the number of students admitted, the application deadline, the start date or the details of the internship. The cost is not made public. The compulsory internship in the second year is an important step, because it makes it possible to work with project teams, companies and professional studios in the digital sector and to apply the skills learned in the workshops in a real setting. For many students it is also the first opportunity to build contacts and a portfolio to present in later job interviews.

The aim is to train professionals able to work at 360 degrees in digital and interaction design and to manage innovation in multidisciplinary contexts. The positions mentioned include digital designer, interaction designer, user experience specialist, UI designer and digital product strategist. Career opportunities concern design studios, consulting firms, high-tech companies, public and private bodies and entrepreneurial initiatives, as well as continuing with a doctorate or advanced master programmes. The humanities and social sciences sit alongside technology because interaction design is not only a technical matter: it concerns the way people communicate, work and live with digital artefacts. This approach trains professionals who are aware of the ethical and cultural aspects of their work, as well as able to develop effective and usable solutions.