I took a master in Strategic Design and graduated in 2023 from Poli Design or Scuola of Design, never understood what their formal name was, that’s how disorienting this school is. Anyway, the campus is in the outskirts of the city, in a degraded area. The students of this master were mainly brats with money that never cared a dime for the projects. The professors don’t care for your preparation, actually their grading system is completely arbitrary, they are just interested in keeping up a facade of being appealing by throwing buzzwords here and there (and, by the way, their english is a joke). The quality of education is pretty low, I would say their level of teaching would better be comparable to a professional high school rather than a university. Two years ago, when I enrolled, it cost € 12.000, and this year … well, check for y/self

When I started my Masters’s program in Integrated Product Design in Milano in 2020, I was excited. Enthusiastic about living and studying in the birthplace of some of the most radical ideas of European design – Two years later, I graduated and am left a little disillusioned.

All that I appreciated about studying in a creative field during my Bachelor’s was absent at PoliMi. There is little to no encouragement of experimentation or free abstract thinking; instead, the program seems to be stuck in a rigid construct of tradition and technicalities. The close ties to big industrial players, often heralded as an advantage of the school, were only perceived as limiting and, at times, exploitative. Collaborations with said companies felt more like unpaid labor than valuable design experiences.

In a sense, studying design at Politecnico felt like studying design as if nothing had happened in the last 30 years. There were very few references to the challenges humanity faces today and how design might be a medium to address and tackle these. An abstract, but overall very conservative concept of innovation is casually thrown around during courses, but nobody present seems to really know what it means. In addition to this uninspired and corporate-like content void, Politecnico also seems to have a problem with open feedback culture. At PoliMi, the requirements seem to be: Do things right but never differently. As a result, students often cater almost exclusively to the (very often male) professors’ wishes. “Someone has the documentation of the top graded project from last year? AMAZING – let’s slightly change their project and submit it.” The problem here is obvious: Designing differently does not necessarily mean wrong. On the contrary! Taking creative risks is what studying design should be about, and students will only take those risks if they can design in an environment where experimentation is not only encouraged but also promoted. None of which is the case at this school.

Overall, Politecnico di Milano is certainly not a bad school. It is certainly not the best design school in continental Europe, as the QS ranking suggests, but if you are looking to work in a classic industrial design job, you will be satisfied with the technical design education you receive. But if you are looking for a creative education that expands your horizon of what design can and should achieve, then you will be happier going somewhere else.

The course is really exciting with lots of site trips with real time practicing professionals in the fashion industry. Few professors are experienced in the industry for more than 15 years which will be very advantageous for the students to clarify the doubts and get in-depth idea and working models in the industry.

Studying at Politecnico di Milano as an international student was a whole round experience. I was able to work side by side with people from all around the world: Italy, India, Lebanon, Spain, France and many more, allowing me not only to learn about their different cultures but about their views on design and engineering aspects.

I have a background in Industrial Engineering with a minor in product design. Since I was looking forward to broadening my design knowledge the program in Design and Engineering was satisfactory. I was able to strengthen my technical abilities, such as 3D modelling, rendering, and sketching, being able to understand better how the new product development process works.

I was also able to deepen my knowledge in engineering, from material selection to product mechanics and manufacturing processes, allowing me to feel comfortable approaching projects that require both expertise.

Now that I am looking for a job, I think that by the program having both design and engineering aspects, allow a wide spectrum of opportunities, from manufacturing companies all the way to design studies.

I hope this review gives you a general idea on what to expect about the program and the university itself.