Overview

The main academic field is Design. Other academic fields partially covered are: Philosophy; Language Theory; Sociology of Cultural Processes; History of Art; Science and Technology of Materials; Industrial Engineering. The achievement of the PhD qualification in Design requires a study and research activity equivalent to at least three years of full time study. During this period, both educational and research activities are provided. At the beginning of the programme, candidates become effective members of a research team, within which they develop an original research topic: this activity is the core of the learning process. Parallel to this, candidates are involved in training and specialist activities.

Career

The Design programme from Politecnico di Milano intends to educate a flexible figure: a designer who knows how to carry out research and a researcher who uses design tools. At the same time, s/he is also an expert in knowledge management, in constructive interaction among different actors and in the sharing of ideas and proposals. The combination of these skills is useful in a variety of work environments. Specifically: in institutions expressly dedicated to the development of design research, such as universities and research centres; in design agencies and in design-oriented companies; in public corporate bodies and in organizations for territorial development which, increasingly, are faced with complex roblems, which the designer-researcher can effectively address, analyse and contribute to resolve.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Research Positioning

Design Research Prototyping

Methods, tools and dissemination strategies

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 36 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-09-24 00:00:00

Application deadline not specified.

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

78

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Credits

180 ECTS

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Milano, Italy

Disciplines

Design View 7 other PhDs in Design in Italy

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

78

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Other requirements

General requirements

In order to access the Politecnico di Milano PhD programmes it is necessary to have one of these qualifications:

a university degree obtained under the educational system in force prior to M.D. n. 509 dated 3.11.1999
a Laurea Specialistica (equivalent to a Master of Science) obtained in accordance with M.D. n. 509 dated 3.11.1999
a Laurea Magistrale (equivalent to a Master of Science) obtained in accordance with M.D. n. 270 dated 22.10.2004
or similar academic qualifications obtained abroad that are equivalent in terms of duration and contents to the Italian qualifications and previously recognised by the Judging Panels.
Where there are foreign qualifications, applicants must submit all documents required to enable the Selection Committee to establish the eligibility of the qualifications obtained abroad.

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Tuition Fees

Additional Details

For the first enrollment and for enrollment in the following years the PhD student without scholarships are required to pay an amount of Euro 167,04.

Living costs

Milano

Italy

850 - 1450 EUR / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.