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International Academic Institutions

IAAD Turin: design and transportation, courses and Master's

IAAD, in Turin since 1978, specializes in Transportation Design thanks to the city's historic automotive vocation. A 90% job placement rate within one year, part of the European AD Education network with over 15,400 students.

September 2026
7 min read
Transportation Design Product & Interior Design 90% Job Placement AD Education Network Turin / Bologna
IAAD Istituto d'Arte Applicata e Design logo
Turin · since 1978 · 90% Job Placement Part of the AD Education network
Institution Profile · IAAD - Istituto d'Arte Applicata e Design

About IAAD

IAAD, Istituto d'Arte Applicata e Design, is a private design university based on Via Pisa in Turin, a city with a long tradition in the automotive and industrial design sectors, with a second campus in Bologna, on Via Jacopo Barozzi. Founded in 1978, IAAD is authorized by the Ministry of University and Research to award the first-level Academic Diploma, in line with the AFAM-ISIA system, for the bachelor's programs delivered in Turin.

The academic offer includes bachelor's programs in Communication Design, Digital Communication Design, Interior Design, Product Design, Textile & Fashion Design, Transportation Design and Innovation Design, as well as Master's programs in Digital Design, Event & Exhibit Design, Digital Marketing & Communication Management and Transportation Design. The school presents itself as a dynamic community of individuals in constant relationship, a talent incubator promoting an interdisciplinary vision of design applied to sectors such as automotive, communication and interiors.

Academic Offer · IAAD - Istituto d'Arte Applicata e Design

Main academic areas

Communication Design Product & Interior Design Transportation Design Textile & Fashion Design

Bachelor's programs (Communication, Digital Communication, Interior, Product, Transportation, Textile & Fashion, Innovation Design) and Master's in Digital Design, Event & Exhibit Design, Digital Marketing, Transportation Design

Key Figures

IAAD statistics and indicators

90%
Job placement within one year
1978
Founding year
12
Schools in the AD Education network
15,400+
Students in the AD Education network
2
Campuses (Turin, Bologna)
Main indicators
Job placement within one year90%

Courses delivered mainly in Italian. First-level Academic Diploma in line with the AFAM-ISIA system for the Turin programs.

Alumni & Career
Alumni Network
High-profile, with a dedicated community (IAAD Alumni Community) that follows the careers of former students who became established professionals, including Fabio Filippini and Riccardo Cascone
Partner Companies & Organizations
Organic relationship with the business world through direct collaborations to develop tailor-made Master's programs (co-designed with the Partner Companies Office); partnership with AD Education, a European network of 12 schools and over 15,400 students
History & Identity · IAAD - Istituto d'Arte Applicata e Design

IAAD's history

IAAD was founded in Turin in 1978, a city historically tied to the Italian automotive industry and therefore a natural birthplace for a school specialized in applied design, with a particular vocation toward fields such as Transportation Design. From its founding the institute set out to train new generations of designers capable of combining respect for the tradition of Italian design with research and innovation, oriented toward creating goods and services with social and cultural value as well as commercial relevance.

Over the decades the school has progressively expanded its academic offer, including areas such as Interior Design, Product Design, Textile & Fashion Design and Innovation Design alongside the more traditional communication disciplines. The opening of a second campus in Bologna, a city also with a strong industrial and university tradition, represented a significant step in the institute's expansion beyond Piedmont's borders. Authorized by the Ministry of University and Research to award academic qualifications equivalent to the AFAM-ISIA system, IAAD today continues to represent one of the leading reference points for design education in Italy and Europe.

Student Voices

What people say online about IAAD

Available sources, via portals like Alto Apprendistato Regione Piemonte and Masterin.it, highlight a very solid job placement rate.

Alto Apprendistato Regione Piemonte & Masterin.it
90% job placement

A very solid job placement rate, equal to 90% within one year of finishing studies, a notable figure for a design school.

AD Education Network
European expansion

The partnership with AD Education, a French group leading in private design and applied arts education, has placed IAAD within a European network of 12 schools, 36 campuses and over 15,400 students, significantly broadening exchange and mobility opportunities.

Reported strengths
  • 90% job placement rate within one year of finishing studies
  • Faculty made up mainly of professionals active in the sector, with a strong link between teaching and the real working world
  • Partnership with AD Education, a European network of 12 schools, 36 campuses and over 15,400 students
  • Active alumni community following the careers of former students who became established designers
  • Long tradition (since 1978) and strong ties to Turin's automotive design culture, a distinctive element for Transportation Design
Points to consider
  • No serious systematic criticism in the public sources reviewed
  • Courses delivered mainly in Italian, a factor to consider for international students
In summary: the overall judgment emerging from the web is that of a solid institution growing internationally, with excellent employment outcomes and a strong connection to the Italian and European design industry.
Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ — IAAD

On Via Pisa in Turin, with a second campus on Via Jacopo Barozzi in Bologna.
In 1978, in Turin.
Because of Turin's historic automotive vocation, the birthplace of Italian industrial design tied to cars.
Communication Design, Digital Communication Design, Interior Design, Product Design, Textile & Fashion Design, Transportation Design and Innovation Design.
Yes, IAAD is authorized by the MUR to award the first-level Academic Diploma in line with the AFAM-ISIA system for programs delivered in Turin.
Digital Design, Event & Exhibit Design, Digital Marketing & Communication Management and Transportation Design.
Via the email address orientamento@iaad.it or the official website iaad.it.
In Depth

IAAD embodies the historic connection between Turin and Italian automotive design culture: the Transportation Design specialization, combined with a faculty of active professionals and a 90% employment rate, positions it as a reference point for those seeking education strongly oriented toward the working world.

Related Content on MastersHub

If you're comparing IAAD with other design institutions in Italy, also check out the profile of IED - Istituto Europeo di Design. Before applying, read our guide on what a Transcript of Records is, and for a general overview of foreign qualifications, our explainer on how grading works in Italian universities.

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