Industrial Design Engineering and Innovation

Course

Becoming Product Designer in Milan today is a recognized value on professionalism. BE A MASTER OF PRODUCT DESIGN!

The Politecnico, together with its advanced production system and a top-class historic culture, creates for its master students access to this value.

Politecnico’s technical and design culture, placed in Design 8th place in the world and powered by Italian design masters such as Marco Zanuso and Achille Castiglioni, is integrated with the high technology and engineering expertise in the field of production and innovative materials, feeding the tradition of excellence from the Nobel Prize for Chemistry Giulio Natta to our day.

It is a high profile professionalism the Specializing Master purpose, placing the designer and product design expert in line with contemporary technology and innovation, starting from a solid tradition on creativity and method.

The Specializing Master in Industrial Design Engineering and Innovation, directed by Prof. Matteo O. Ingaramo, was created to mold capable designers who can manage the entire development of a new product from the initial concept to the manufacturing stage.

This Specializing Master joins the artistic and humanistic skills belonging to design culture with the technical know-how that relates to production technology, materials, and manufacturing costs. It strives to meet the need to operate in a worldwide landscape of heightened competition where the designer can increase the value of a product by making innovations – in both aesthetics and usability – that take advantage of available technologies. The aim is to train professionals whose creative capacity is matched by technical expertise and awareness in a product’s industrial feasibility.

Because its faculty is made up of teachers from a variety of fields, from both inside and outside the Politecnico di Milano, the Specializing Master establishes a set of multidisciplinary skills called upon throughout the course of training. Cultural visits to foundations and museums, along with technical field trips to manufacturing companies, round out the training and foster the attainment of educational objectives. Many graduates from previous editions are playing leading roles in major manufacturing concerns or renowned design studios, including: Whirlpool Europe, Chicco Artsana, 3M, Polti, Cini&Nils Lighting, V12 Design, Studio Volpi, Studio Luca Trazzi, Serralunga, Rupes spa, Zinc, Design Group Italia, Toys Toys, Ditronetwork srl. Others have founded and directed their own studio.

Gallery

Testimonials

Didactics

Training objectives

The Master aims to develop professionals who are able to deal with the design and production process of large and small series industrial products, placing special emphasis on technological, production and cost aspects,without neglecting the aspects of  expressivequality.

The curriculum offered by the Master in Industrial Design, Engineering and Innovation combines the artistic and humanistic skills related to project culture and language of the product with techniques related to manufacturing technologies, materials and industrial costs. This way, it aims to respond to the need to compete in an increasingly competitive international scene, in which the designer is able to enhance product value by generating innovations (aesthetic and use) that take advantage of the possibilities offered by the available technologies. It is therefore of primary importance to develop professionals that combine creative skills with sound technical skills related to industrial feasibility of the product.

Didactic Plan

The Masters teaching includes lectures, seminars, practical classes and workshops. The program is divided into three main topics of study:

1. large appliances;
2. small appliances;
3. consumer electronics and IT products.

Particular attention will be given to learning the theoretical methods and techniques behind the use of software for three-dimensional digital modelling. The course provided is divided intoareas – comprising a total of modules, workshops and the Internship to achieve a total of 60 CFU credits (university credits).

The final exam consists in the development and presentation of an elaborate in which the candidate will take care of bringing out the experience gained during the curricular internship and all the master activities and developed projects.

Didactic Modules

The 11 learning modules:
1 – Computer-aided Design (CAD)

We learn both the theoretical methods and the practical techniques for applying dedicated software to three-dimensional modeling.  This includes an in-depth understanding of the issues involved in modelling and in photorealistic rendering. We learn to handle both suface modelling and top-down parametric 3D modelling.
Specifically, we deal with the stages of form development starting from product conception and we develop skills in using engineering software during execution stages of the design that are compatible with rapid prototyping and putting items into automated production.

2 – Processes and Criteria for the Design of Industrial Products of Medium Complexity
This module analyzes the development process in manufacturing enterprises to acquire an understanding of how to manage – at the design stage – all the variables related to planning new manufactured products of medium complexity, with an eye to applying planning systems to industrial production.

3 – Production Processes and Methods
Students acquire the ability to understand and manage the technical, technological, organizational, and financial issues involved in manufacturing processes and the workflow of industrial logistics for medium-complexity products.

4 – Project Financial Assessment
Students acquire the knowledge about the cost of running machinery, tooling up, machining, and finishing that is needed to evaluate the ‘industrial cost’ of a product.  They learn to select among possible design solutions, taking into account the project’s economic feasibility.

5 – Quality Control and Certification, Patenting
We learn about certification procedures for manufactured goods and for stages of the production process, as well as the procedures for protecting inventions and a product’s planning value.

6 – Materials and Technologies
This module provides the knowledge and tools that enable designers to understand how manufactured products relate to the materials they are made of, using material-selection information systems such as the design version of the Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES).

7 – Business and Innovation
Objectives include acquiring the main skills needed to organize a product portfolio coherent with company strategy and to organize the innovation process so as to integrate all the corporate skills involved, as well as some know-how for setting up, managing, and verifying the individual development projects for a new product.

8 – Design Driven Innovation Tools
Defining the concept of innovation led by design.
This involves an in-depth look at design’s contribution to new product development, providing knowledge needed in creating innovative product concepts.

9 – Empowerment
This course contributes to the student’s individual learning process through lessons in self-empowerment, public speaking, and teamwork.

10 – Communication Skills for Design
Improved language skills are needed to work in a corporate or professional environment, both for technical purposes and for managing product development.

11 – Seminars
The seminars led by professionals from the corporate world deal with issues in designing products of medium complexity, in production processes, and in tools for innovation.

12 – Sustainability Circular Economy
This module explores strategies and practices that promote resource efficiency, waste reduction, and sustainable development through circular economic models, fostering environmental resilience and long-term economic viability.

Workshops and Product-development Laboratory

The workshops are design simulations on topics identified in the course of training.  The Specializing Master follows two sequential workshop phases, in incremental difficulty.  This makes it possible to coach students gradually into a growing design awareness.  Practical design work wraps up with the Product-development Laboratory, where students learn product-plan execution.

Workshop 1: Product Concept and Layout
In this design simulation students identify usability limitations in specific product categories.  They start by analyzing state-of-the-art products and users on the market, in an attempt to uncover unsatisfied needs.  Using this analysis, students are expected to design a new product, including layout and determining its main components.

Workshop 2 and Product-development Laboratory: Design and executive development of industrial product
The exercise consists in the design of mass consumption products of medium complexity starting from removal and relief of an existing product. After analyzing and understanding the starting material, students are required to prepare a brief that highlights the possible areas of project. Improvement focus on formal and usability aspects of the product, without ever neglecting the industrial feasibility aspects and methods of assembly. The level of definition of the project is accurate, with great attention to the producibility and the clear identification of all components.

Product-development Laboratory: Executive development of industrial products
Students are called upon to develop the designs laid out in the preceding phase.  Specifically, they have to make detailed choices about materials, production processes and logistics, and how to present the design.  This must be done with an eye to chances for optimizing product parts for actually putting it into production.  Special attention is thus paid to execution design, using parametric modeling software and, where called for, physical modeling and component prototyping.

There will be a strong focus on learning theoretical methods and acquiring the techniques that underlie the use of dedicated software applied to three-dimensional modeling.

Title Released

Upon completion of the Specializing Master, students earn a first-level Politecnico di Milano Specializing Master Degree, provided they have met the 75% minimum attendance requirement.

Employment Opportunities

The Master programme was created to train expert designers, who can develop a new product from its concept to production. The employment opportunities are:

• working with professional firms which participate in the various product development stages, from concept to engineering;
• working with manufacturing companies belonging to the sectors which make up the Italian production industry (e.g. house hold and professional appliances, lighting, furniture, toys and children’s products);
• freelancing with enhanced skills to interact with the business world.

The professional role will be an expert productdesigner, with theoretical knowledge combined with significant experience applied to production processes. By achieving the necessary professional field experience, students can aspire to the role of product manager responsible for the development of new products.

Admission

Requirements

Candidates with Bachelor or Master of Science on Engineering, Architecture,Industrial Design fields can be eligible. The Specialising Master’s Board requires applicants to pass a selection interview.

The selection interview will take place online after they will have sent their application documents. The Board reserves the right to select and admit graduates or applicants with a three-year university degree (equivalent to a Bachelor of Science) from other universities, on condition that those academic qualifications are compatible with the Specializing Master’s subjects and/or applicants with a curriculum vitae that is coherent with the Specialising Master. Foreign applicants holding equivalent qualifications are welcome to apply for enrolment in the Specialising Master.

Deadlines

To take part in the XIX edition of the Specializing Master in Industrial Design Engineering and Innovation, starting on November 17th, 2025, applications must be submitted according to the following criteria*:

Italian qualification within 60 days before the starting date

STEP 1
1) Documents to be sent for preliminary verification to POLI.design

• Curriculum vitae
• Portfolio
• Motivation letter
• Copy of ID document
• Other

The following documents should be uploaded on this page

2) Documents to be sent for preliminary verification to Politecnico

• ID document copy
• Copy of the Diploma Supplement and copy of the degree diploma or self-certification on the appropriate form that can be requested to POLI.design (selezioni@polidesign.net)
• ANIS certification (access to the ANIS portal is via SPID or CIE from the following link)

The following documents are to be uploaded on this page by following the instructions at this link
____________________

European qualification within 60 days before the starting date

STEP 1
1) Documents to be sent for preliminary verification to POLI.design

• Curriculum vitae
• Portfolio
• Motivation Letter
• Copy of ID document

The following documents should be uploaded on this page

2) Documents to be sent for preliminary verification to Politecnico

• Copy of ID document
• Copy of Diploma Supplement
• Photocopy of degree certificate

The following documents are to be uploaded on this page by following the instructions at this link

STEP 2
1) Documents to be sent for authenticity verification (within 45 days before the start date) 

• Diploma Supplement with a digital signature or verifiable QR code. Should the student lack a Diploma Supplement with a valid signature or verifiable QR code to verify its authenticity, the student will have to submit one of the documents required for students with a non-EU qualification (cfr. next item).

The following documents are to be uploaded on this page by following the instructions at this link
____________________

Non-EU degree within 60 days before the start date

STEP 1
1) Documents to be sent for preliminary verification to POLI.design

• Curriculum vitae
• Portfolio
• Motivation Letter
• Copy of ID document

The following documents are to be uploaded on this page by following the instructions at this link

2) Documents to be sent for preliminary verification to Politecnico

• Copy of ID document
• Degree in original language + Italian/English translation
• Original transcript of passed examinations + Italian/English translation

The following documents are to be uploaded on this page by following the instructions at this link

STEP 2
1) Documents to be sent for authenticity verification (within 45 days before the start date) 

• Enic/ Naric Certification or CIMEA 
• World Education Services (WES) Certification 
• Statement of value 
• Copy of the visa application or copy of the visa

According to the timeframe provided for by Italian law, the details of the application for a residency permit must also be communicated as well as the residency permit as soon as it is issued.

The following documents are to be uploaded on this page by following the instructions at this link

*Applications submitted after the deadline may be considered at the discretion of the Scientific Committee.

Price

The cost of the University Specializing Master’s programme is € 14.000,00 broken down as follows:

• € 500,00 – enrolment fee to be paid to the Politecnico di Milano, no later than 30 days before the starting date following the procedures that POLI.design will specify;
• € 13.500,00 – participation fee for the University Master’s Course to be paid to POLI.design following the procedures that will be specified upon admission.

PROMO

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.

SUPPLIERS
A promotion for those who collaborate or have collaborated with POLI.design. Our way to say thanks and share knowledge.

PER MERITO
Intesa San Paolo supports talents and gives access to training. Discover more details here.

Faculty