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Specializing Master / IV edition

Design for Food

Innovation Circularity Future

Design for Food specializing Master to train innovative and sustainable product-service designers through an experimental approach that combines design, theory, strategy and learning.

16.500 €
English
3 Feb. 2025 - 31 Mar. 2026
Available seats : 20
Reductions :  Agevolazioni
WEBINAR | DESIGN FOR FOOD STORIES: Novel Entrepreneurship | Click here and register!

Course

The Specializing Master in Design For Food, co-founded by Politecnico di Milano and Università degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche di Pollenzo, integrates extensive design and food engineering skills with specific competences in the food area, related to humanities, gastronomic sciences and food technology.

It therefore provides a wide-ranging designing capacity on process and tools for the design of the food product-service system and a series of specific thematic in-depth useful for the understanding of culture, sociological and anthropological factors and also scientific and technological.

As a whole, it provides an explanatory and comprehensive overview of food systems, from agricultural production to food processing, from distribution to consumption, from planning to recycling in a circular economy perspective.

The Specializing Master trains design and consulting profiles who are able to integrate creative and operational skills, through the development of hard and soft skills, which train participants to work in multidisciplinary teams, in competitive and highly strategic contexts, in quick and dynamic private and public organizations.

 

Faculty

The Specializing Master in Design For Food programme is taught by a multidisciplinary faculty, with academics from Politecnico di Milano and other universities, and a selection of external professionals.



Master Board

Stefano Maffei Director
Francesco Bombardi Co-Director
Giovanna Gigante Didactic Assistant
Barbara Parini Didactic Coordinator

Gallery

Youtube Flickr

Testimonials

Victoria Chavez

Product Development

Stefania Mogliati

Design for sustainable Food System

Julia Sprong

Business Development

Julia Tonkin

Food Innovation Specialist

Giovanni Bruno

Operations & Couriers coordinator

Gianmarco Capezzuto

Project Manager

Kentaro Sohara

Entrepreneur

Francesca Viale

Trade Marketing Manager

Hsin-Ning Wei

Wine Consultant

Helenza Zarate

Culinary Director

Diogo Zonta Melani

Global Artwork Project Manager

Events

Event
21 June 2023

POLI.design for Italian Chamber of Commerce in Mexico

Event

Didactics

Training objectives

The Design for Food specializing Master aims to train professionals, entrepreneurs, independent innovators, civil servants with competences in the design and management of systems, processes and products-services in the food sector.

Professional profiles characterized by a profile combining the design and experimental approach of design with the thematic knowledge of the logics of the food sector in all its extension “from field to table”, including the traditional and more advanced production and distribution systems and with a specific attention to sustainability.

The sector already expresses forms, experimentations, experiences, innovation and project-oriented cases, requires a transversal expertise able to integrate in a strategic way the different design factors.

For this reason, the Specializing Master completes the design (in the disciplinary extension of systems, strategies, services, products-services, communication) and food engineering skills, brought by Politecnico di Milano, with the thematic and specific ones in the food area related to humanities, food technology and gastronomic sciences.

Participants will be able to:

  • understand the socio-economic and environmental transformations of the sector
  • outline innovative models and strategic orientations for the specific sector
    design for sustainability;
  • understand and design the territorial impacts of food supply chains;
  • use theoretical and critical skills to define design opportunities;
  • understand and use the potential of the sector’s technologies, as well as the main elements of the production processes of the different supply chains;
  • design complex solutions and their articulation in terms of product, service, communication and space;
  • manage the main elements of food safety and planning;
  • manage all phases of the process of conception, design, development and implementation of an innovative solution in an advanced perspective that includes participatory approaches;
  • use specific design tools for design.

Didactic Plan

The teaching approach combines theory and practice, by alternating lectures and hands-on activities (group works, exercises and projects).

The didactic path (FEB – JUN 2025, in Milan) is characterized by:

  • Lessons: aimed to introduce the main topics of the programme and provide students with a general framework;
  • Design classes: aimed to the acquisition of tools and methodologies for analysis and design development;
  • Workshop: “hands-on” activities developed in collaboration with external companies and realities aimed at the application of tools and methodologies for the development of product-service ideas;
  • Study Trip* in Piedmont organized in collaboration with Università degli studi di Scienze Gatronomiche di Pollenzo: 10 days spent in Piedmont with teaching modules on the UNISG campus and visits to interesting food companies in the surrounding areas.
  • Study Trip* in Emilia Romagna: a complete immersion to delve into the specific food topics of a typical Italian area.

At the end of the didactic activities, the programme includes a final training experience (JUL 2025 – MAR 2026, in Italy or abroad), which can be:

  • Internship: 500 hours of training experience in a partner reality of the Master or suggested directly by the participants in agreement with the Master Board
  • Professionalizing Project: a scientific research activity that involves the in-depth study of issues shared between the Student and the Master Board.

* The costs of the study trips (travel, room and board) are included in the registration fee.

Title Released

At the end of the course, the Diploma of Specializing Master in “Design for Food” by the Politecnico di Milano will be awarded.

The Specializing Master program grants 60 CFU (Formative University Credits) equivalent to 60 ECTS.

Employment Opportunities

The job opportunities for graduates are manifold. These will be practitioners whose profiles combine the design and experimental approach with specific knowledge of the underlying logic of the food sector in its extension “from field to table”, considering traditional and innovative production and distribution systems, with specific attention to sustainability.

For example, we can list:

  • R&D FOOD Project Manager: R&D managers for the improvement and implementation of food processing and production processes;
  • FOOD Service & Product Designer: professionals specialised in the conception and design development of sustainable food products and services;
  • FOOD Brand Manager: marketing managers for the development and implementation of innovative food product-service lines;
  • FOOD startupper/entrepreneur: inventors and self-employed entrepreneurs capable of transforming innovative ideas into sustainable new businesses in the agri-food sector;
  • FOOD Innovation Specialist: professionals and consultants of innovative food strategies and policies within companies, public institutions, research centres and third sector organisations.

Admission

Requirements

The Specializing Master welcomes candidates with a Degree or Specialist/Master’s Degree in Design, Engineering, Architecture, Economics and/or Management, Social Sciences/Humanistic Sciences, Gastronomic Sciences, Agriculture, Food Technology, or to people with other types of degrees who have also gained significant professional and work experience and who wish to strengthen their professional path in the field of food innovation, acquiring and developing specific and qualified competences.

Selection will be made on the basis of the documentation sent, followed by a possible interview in English language (remotely). The selections will be made in chronological order with respect to the date of receipt of the application, until all available places are filled.

Deadlines

To take part to the selection process, the application form must be completed online within the following deadlines:

  • Italian/foreign citizens with a qualification obtained in Italy and Italian/U.E. citizens with a qualification obtained abroad within November 3, 2024
  • Non-EU citizens with qualifications obtained abroad by October 3, 2024

Price

The Specializing Master costs € 16.500 (€ 16.000 participation fee + € 500 enrollment fee at the Politecnico di Milano) EXEMPT VAT ART. 10 DPR 633/72.


 

PROMO

OPEN DAY 24: -15%
A promo for those who have shown interest in our Master’s programs and are looking forward to starting an experience at POLI.design.

Deadline: you can take advantage of the reduction by finalizing your application by June 25th and making payment by July 9th.

The “Open Day 24” reduction cannot be combined with other forms of discounts.

EARLY BIRD: -10%
The promotion for those who have clear ideas, know which educational path can enrich their future, and can’t wait to get back to the classroom.

Deadline application: within August 30, 2024
Deadline for sending the signed contract and payment of the deposit of the participation fee: within September 15, 2024

FAMILY SUPPORT: -50%
A chance to gift your siblings the encouragement they need to invest in their future.

FRIEND TO FRIEND: -20%
An opportunity to gift to a friend to make education the foundation of their growth.

POLI.NETWORK: -50%
A promotion designed to strengthen the bond and identity among members of the Politecnico di Milano community.

BACK TO SCHOOL: -1.000€ on Specializing Masters
The discount for those who have already trusted POLI.design and Polimi, and wish to return to study and build their future.

Faculty

The Specializing Master in Design For Food programme is taught by a multidisciplinary faculty, with academics from Politecnico di Milano and other universities, and a selection of external professionals.

Partners

Current edition

Past editions

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