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Master in Product designoverview

www.domusacademy.com

Master aWarDeD BY NaBa NUOVa aCCaDeMIa DI BeLLe artI MILaNO

Domus Academy - Master in Product Design Overview

DOMUs aCaDeMY sChOOL Of DesIgN

• Aknowledgeacceleratortodealwithaconstantlyevolvingdesignscenario.

• Alivelearningplatformtoenhancedesignthinking,creativityandprofessionalskills.

• AmulticulturalMilan-baseddesignarenatoinvestigateglobaldesignperspective.

• Abridgetostepfromclassicaldesignapproachtonewdomains

• Acatalystofexcellencetoapproachinnovativedesignstrategies

Domus Academy - Master in Product Design Overview

PrOgraMMe sUMMarY INfOrMatION .8

PrOgraMMe aIMs aND OBjeCtIVes .9

eNtrY reqUIreMeNts .11

PrOgraMMe strUCtUre .13

LearNINg teaChINg aND assessMeNt strategIes .14

stUDY PLaN .18

aNNex I: Master strUCtUre .22

index

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Domus Academy - Master in Product Design Overview

qUaLIfICatION (FirstLevel)AcademicMaster

PrOgraMMe tItLeMasterinProductDesign

PrOgraMMe tYPeFullTime

freqUeNCY Of INtakeOnceortwiceperyear

startINg MONthsSeptemberand/orJanuary

COUrse LeaDerPhilippeCasens

LaNgUage Of INstrUCtION aND assessMeNtEnglish

Part a: PrograMMe suMMary inforMation

Part B: PrograMMe aiMs and oBJectives

TheMasterCourseinProductDesignaimsattrainingstudentstogrowintoindividualscapableofdevelopingremarkableprofessionalskillsandwillingtoplayanactiverolewhileproposingnewintuitions,aestheticvisionsandculturalvalues.Thecourseisstructuredasanexplorationofresearchanddesignexperiences,whichdoesnotonlyprovidethe“howtodo”toolsbuthelpseachandeveryindividualtofindthereasoningbehindtheirdoing.

Besidesthe“problemsolving”skill,typicaloftheDesignCulture,studentsarealsoencouragedtodevelopa“problemsetting”approach,inwhichthepracticalknowledgebecomespartoftheindividualcapabilityforcriticalelaboration.TheprogramreinforcesaDesignDirectionvocation,namelythecapacitytointegratethedesignchoicesofaproductorserviceinabroadervisionofmanagementandinacorporatestrategicproject.

TheDomusAcademyMasterCourseinProductDesignoffersapathofresearch,experienceanddesignwhichcombinesthetheoreticalrichnessofanexpertandinnovativedidacticsystemwiththecloseandconcretecollaborationoffirmsandprofessionals.

Moreover,DomusAcademyensuresthatstudentsattendingtheacademybecomeawareofthegreatopportunitiessurroundingthem,suchasthefactthatMilanisaninternationalanddesign-orientedcitywithalotoffamousdesignstudiosandagencies,researchlabs,tradefairsandcompanies.StudentsatDomusAcademycomefromabout50differentcountriesandthisfactmakesitaninternationalschoolwheredifferentculturescanbemet;DomusAcademyispartofaninternationalnetworkofuniversityandtheteachersoftheacademyareinternationallyrenownedprofessionalsintheirfield.

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Domus Academy - Master in Product Design Overview

LearNINg OUtCOMesUponsuccessfulcompletionofthecourse,thestudentwillhave:• Demonstratedanindividuallydrivenconceptualresearchprojectusingresearchmethodsandtechniquesappropriatetoprofessionalstandardsindesignpractices;

• Demonstratedanunderstandingoftheprofessionalfieldanditsrestraints,developedtheabilitytodealwithrequestsandbeingabletointerprethis/herownworkinthiscontext;

• Demonstratedacriticalandpersonaldevelopmentinenvisioningadvancedprocessrelatedtotheproject;

• Effectivelydemonstratedareflectiveandevaluativeapproachtotheirownworkallowingthemtoactindependentlyinidentifying,implementingandsustainingindividualresearchandpracticesataprofessionallevel;

• Demonstratedinnovativeapproachestodesignbuiltonknowledgeandawarenessofthefield;

• Demonstratedselfandprofessionalmanagementskillsintermsofinteractioninamulti-culturaldomain,teamworkandtimeconstraintsataprofessionallevel;

• Demonstratedanabilitytoeffectivelycommunicateconcepts,methodsanddesignproposalsinspoken,visualandwrittenform.

Career OPPOrtUNItIesStudentsattendingtheMasterinProductDesignwillbecomeprofessionalscapableofcreatinganddesigningproductsforthemanydifferentfieldsintheindustrialsystem.Trainedprofessionalsaredestinedtofindopportunitiesinseveralcontexts,achoicebetweenbeingself-employedprofessionaloremployedincompanies(product,furnishing,materials),workinginarchitectureanddesignstudios,abletorepresentaconsolidatedrealitybothlocallyandworldwideandoperatingindifferentfields.

CrIterIa fOr aDMIssION tO the PrOgraMMe (INCLUDINg reqUIreD eNgLIsh LaNgUage sCOre)EligibilityconditionsforenteringtheMasterCourseare:• BachelorDegreeorEquivalent

• EnglishLanguageKnowledge:IELTS5.0orequivalent

ApplicantsarerequiredtosubmittheApplicationPackage,including:• ApplicationForm(fullandsatisfactorycompletion)

• CopyofBachelorDegree*orequivalent

• Transcriptsofpreviousstudypaths

• IELTS5.0CertificateorEquivalent

• DetailedResumé

• Statementofpurpose

• Portfolioofprojects

Theprogrammeisaddressedtocandidatesholdingabachelordegreeindesign,engineer,architecture,visualartsordisciplinesrelatedtotheprogramme’sfieldofstudy.Admissionstudents’withdifferentdegreesordiplomas,aswellasofprofessionalswithasignificantexperienceintheprogramme’sfield,willbetakenintoconsiderationiftheapplicantismotivatedbyaresearchinteresttowardstheprogramme’stopics.UponsuccessfullycompletingtheprogrammethestudentwillreceiveaDomusAcademyMasterDiploma.

ParticipantswhoareeligibleaccordingtoNABAruleswillreceiveanAcademicMasterfromNABA.

Part c: entry requireMents

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Domus Academy - Master in Product Design Overview

* Degree CerificateStudents holding a non-Italian Bachelor Degree shall contact the Italian Embassy or Consulate in the country where the degree was issued in order to ask for the so called “completion documents”, consisting in:a. Translation into Italian – made by a certified translator – of the student’s Bachelor Degree.b. Translation into Italian – made by a certified translator – of the student’s Academic Transcripts.c. “Dichiarazione di valore in loco” (Declaration of Value) of the student’s Bachelor Degree. The “Dichiarazione di valore in loco” is the document attesting that the study qualification obtained in the student’s country of residence is valid for accessing Italian Universities or Academies.

Part d: PrograMMe structure

COUrse DIagraMTheprogrammelasts10monthsandisfull-time.

Please, refer to Annex I for Master Structure

Courses Workshop 1 Workshop 4Workshop 2 InternshipWorkshop 3 Final Master Project

ECTS 6

ECTS 7

ECTS 7

ECTS 7

ECTS 16

ECTS 7

ECTS 10

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Domus Academy - Master in Product Design Overview

OUr LearNINg aND teaChINg strategYInthefollowingparagraphsyouwillfindinformationontheWhatandtheWhenofourlearning,teachingandassessmentframework.

TheprogrammeoftheMasterCourseinProductDesignisworkshop-based,supportedbyseminars,tutorials,lectures,work-in-progresssessions,critiquesandaseriesoftutorled-projects.Throughapro-activerelationshipwiththeCourseStaffandProjectLeaders,studentswillleadtheirprojectworkandbesupportedthroughconsultativeandadvisorytutorialguidance.

ButfirstashortglimpseontheWho.

Wecall‘CourseLeader’theteacherwhohasoverallresponsabilityforthecourse,coordinatesthestudyprogram,generatesideasandexploitsnetworkingopportunities.

TheCourseLeaderinvitesvisitingprofessorstotheacademy,coordinatestheassessmentprocessanddevelopsworkshopthemes.Ontheotherhand,ProjectLeadersareprofessionalsandteachers,chosenamongexpertsofaspecificfield,whosejobistoproposeabrief,providementorshipstostudentsandtakepartintheassessmentoftheprojects.

Lecturesareusuallyusedforthepresentationanddiscussionoftheoreticalissues.Theywilloftenbesupportedbygroupdiscussions,whichprovideanopportunityforinteractionbetweenFacultyandstudents,andallowstudentstoextendandexaminetheissuesraised.Someactivitiesrequirestudentstoworkingroups.Teamsarecarefullyselectedandsuitablymanagedtoensurethatallstudentsareawareofeffectivegroupprocessesandcontributetofinalprojectoutcomes.Formalteachingissupplementedbyarangeofvisitinglecturersandvisitingprofessionals;studentswillhavethechancetoattendpresentationsbydesigners,artists,critics,industryprofessionalsandacademics.

Notonlywillthemeetingandexchangeofideaswithleading

Part e: Learning teaching and assessMent strategies

professionalsofferstudentsthechancetoenrichtheirknowledgebutalsofavourabettercareerperspective.

OUr teaChINg MethODsTheteachingandlearningmethodsemployedontheCoursearedesignedtohelpstudentsachievetheirindividualprofessionalgoalsalongwiththelearningobjectiveoftheCourse.Coursesprioritizeanoriginal“learningbydesigning”approach,thathasbeendevelopedbyDomusAcademyovertheyears.

Theprimaryvehicleforlearningisthereforetheprojectwork.

Emphasisisplacedon:• learningandapplyinga“problemsetting”approach,ensuringthatstudentsrefinetheircriticalskillsandapplythemthroughouttheirworkprocess;

• fosteringapersonalcreativestyleanddevelopinganoriginalwayofexpression;

• developingresearchskills,whichwillenablestudentstosourcerelevantmaterials,assimilatingandarticulatingrelevantfindings;

• conceivingconceptsandvisionscapabletoblendcreativelanguageswiththeactualneedsofendusersbyinterpretingabrief,oftenbasedonarealdesignassignment,inordertodesignaprojectthatcanmatch,orevenexcede,thecompany’sexpectation.

StudentsworkisconstantlysupportedbytheFacultyandbyvisitinglecturers,anddesigners.

WOrkshOPsWorkshopsareprojectassignmentsdesignedtogivestudentsaworkingknowledgeofdifferentcoresubjects.Allsetprojectsstartwithapresentationofabrief.Whichoutlinesthesubject,scopeandpurposeoftheworkshop.Theworkshopculminatesinanopenpresentationtothefacultyandinvitedprofessionals.

Duringallpresentations,anopendiscussionontheoutcomeoftheprojectisheldinfrontofaBoardchairedbytheCourseLeader.

16 Feedbackstostudentsarealsopartofthefinalassessmentgiventostudentsafterthepresentation.TheCourseLeaderandtheProjectLeaderareavailabletofurtherdiscussassessmentswithstudentswhenrequired.

Studentsworkinmulti-culturalandinternationalteamstoenhancetheircapacityforteamworkaswellastoexposethemtoacomparisonwithdifferentbackgroundsandcultures.Studentsworkinmixedgroupstosupportthebuildingofacommonmindsetandtosharepreviousexperiences.

Studentsareexposedtodifferentpointsofviewinthedesignfield,workingwithdesignersandcompanies.Oneofthepurposesofthisexposureistogivestudentsthebroadestviewpossibleofthedesignfieldinordertosupportthemintheselectionoftheareainwhichtoconcentratetheirfuturecareers.

LeCtUresLecturesencompasskeylectures,casehistoriesanddiscussionsonaselectedrangeoftopics.TheCourseLeaderalsoinvitesdesigners,researchers,stakeholders,andrepresentativesofcompaniestopresenttheirworkandideasasalinkbetweenthespecificdisciplineperspectiveandthebroadercultural/economiccontext.

PraCtICaL/LaBsPracticalsandLabsintroducedifferenttools&techniquesaimedatdevelopingskills,addressingspecificstagesofthedesignprocess.InPractical/Labssessions,studentsworkbothingroupsandindividuallyinordertocompletebriefskill-basedexercisesandassignments.

INterNshIPTheinternshipisthekeystepofaprocessinwhichthestudentisindividuallyfollowed,inthelightofmatchingtheassessmentofthestudents’skillsandaspirationswiththerequirementofkeystakeholders:manifacturingandservicecompanies,publicinstitutions,designstudios,consultantincreativefields.

It’sthemomentwhenstudentshavethechancetotestwhat

theyhavelearnedinrealworkingenvironment.Moreover,itisauniqueopportunitytodevelopanetworkofpersonalrelationshipwithinthedesignfieldofchoice.

fINaL Master PrOjeCtTheFinalMaster’sProjectisanindividualprojectinwhichthestudentinvestigatesasettheme.Themesarechosenbystudentswithinaresearchframeworkagreedwiththefaculty.TheFinalMaster’sProjectculminatesinanopenpresentationdeliveredbythestudentduringtheFinalExam.

Whenapplicable,collaborationwithCompaniesissetfortheFinalMasterProject.Thefocusremainsontheeducationalside,givingprioritytotheeffectivestudent’slearningwhencarryingoutaprojectina“close-to-reality”environment.Companies’representativesprovidefeedbackstostudents,moderatedbyFaculty,andtheyshouldrepresentanadditionalopportunityforstudentstosetarealitycheckabouttheirownapproachtodesignprofessions.

assessMeNt sYsteMThemaingoaloftheassesmentsystemistomonitorhowstudentsdevelopethedesignandtechnicalcompetenciesrequiredtobeawardedanAcademicMaster.

Assessmentisdonebyevaluatingeachstudentwitha1to30markgivenattheendofeveryworkshop,andthroughaqualifyingexaminationgivenattheendofeachtheoriccourse.Theadmissionmarktothefinalexamiscalculatedbyarithmeticaveragewhichtakesinconsiderationallthemarkstakenaftereachworkshop.

Studentswillreceive0-110(pass70orabove)asoverallevaluation.TheDiplomaExaminationBoardmayawardup10pointsfortheFinalProject.HonoursmaybeawardedonthebasisoftheBoardassessmentofstudyprograms,dissertationsandportfolios.

Domus Academy - Master in Product Design Overview

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hIstOrY aND CULtUre Of DesIgN Theintroductorytheoreticalcoursesexploitthehistoricalapproachtodesignasmethodforunderstandingthecontemporaryproduction.Theyprovidestudentsadeepknowledgeaboutthepresentscenario,withaspecificfocusonbothhistoryandcultureoftheitaliandesign,andlinkstotheinternationaltendencies.Maintopicsofthesechallengingtheoreticalinquiriesindesignfieldare:movementsandlanguages;designculture;materialsevolutionandinnovations;productdesignandservicedesign;communicationwithindesignprocess;designfacinghumanities;marketing,sustainabilityandstrategyaskeyfeaturesofcontemporarydesignlandscape.

WOrkshOPs ThesequenceofworkshopsismanagedbytheCourseLeaderwiththeaimtoexploit,reachandchallengeopportunitiesofcooperativeprojectswithleadingcompanies.

WOrkshOP I - eNVIsIONINgThisworkshopdealswithculturalandsocialthemes,andisfocusedonContemporaryCulture.Theconsiderationstartswithabroaderconcept,thatisconsideredparticularlyrelevantandstrategictoanyprojectscale,andthatisdesignedaspace,anenvironment,aproductorengageinsomeformofinteraction.

Studentsareinvitedtoelaborateprojectswithastrong,evocativeandnarrativefocus,creatingasynthesisofvaluesthatareindependentofthespecifictypologyoftheproductsexamined.

WOrkshOP II - MICrOsYsteM eNVIrONMeNtsTheworkshopexploresnewmodelsofcivilisationthathave

Part f: study PLan emergedtogetherwiththechangesthathavetakenplaceoverthelastdecades.Someofthescenariosforecastedinthepasthavenowcomeofage,intermsofbehaviourrequiredbytheneweconomiesandnewservices,andintermsoftechnology,andelectronicmedia.

SpecialattentionisdedicatedtotherelationshipbetweenElectronicMedia,ServicesandArchitecture,fromresidentialtoproductionsystems,fromdistributiontoleisure-directedsystems.

Theenvironmentalsystemsarethehubsofbroadterritorialsystems;thesearereversiblestructuresforrelationalspaces:theyaremadeupofcomponents,semi-finishedproducts,structuresandurbanisationstylesinstagesofevolution,progressivelyevolvingtogetherwiththevariousactivitiestheyaccommodate.

WOrkshOP III - PrODUCt DesIgNOverthelastfivedecades,ProductDesignhasreachedahighlevelofsophisticationandcomplexity.Differentdesignapproachesandperspectiveshaveconceptualizedvisionsinmanifestos,andthishasinfluencedthedesigncultureatlarge.Thisworkshopaimstodeveloptheabilitytocombinedifferentapproachesinanew,innovativeandsurprisingway.

Theworkshopexplorescorporatecasesinvolvingtheleadingdesigncompanieswhoseabilitytoinnovatehasnotjustconcernedtheproductsbutalltheelementsthatmakeupatrulyglobalofferencompassing:positioning,image,distributionandcommunication.

WOrkshOP IV - INteraCtION DesIgNTheaimoftheInteractionDesignworkshopistodevelopadesignconsiderationontherelationshipbetweenmanandinteractiveobjects.Inparticular,itanalysesthequalitiesoftheinterfacesusedwithhighlyperformingobjects,therelationshipbetweenphysicalandvirtualspace,thenewservicesthatcanbecreatedusinginformationtechnologyandscreen-basedtechnologies.

Domus Academy - Master in Product Design Overview

20 tWO kINDs Of INterNshIPThefirstkindofinternshipisaworkexperienceinacompanyworkinginthedisciplinaryfieldanditisakeymomentinthedevelopingoftheMasterinProductDesign.

Theinternshipisthefinalstepofaprocessinwhichstudentsthankstoaone-to-onetutorship,getadeepandbalancedevaluationoftheirskillsandaspirations,inordertobuildacareerwhichfitstheiraims.

Thereisalsoanincampusinternshipthattakesplaceoverthecourse,anditisshapedasanintensiveworkshopincollaborationwithacompany.This“campusinternship”developsanintegratedprojectstrictlyrelatedtoapracticalandactualneed(i.e.,theresolutionofadesignproblem,orthebrainstormingplatformofanewproject).Duringthiscrucialphasestudentsarementoredonastep-by-stepbasis,andgainsthefundamentalexperienceofdealingwiththerealworld,withrealbusinessandwiththepeopleworkinginthefield.

fINaL Master PrOjeCt Thefinalprojectisanimportantmomentoftheoveralllearningexperience,sincestudentshavethechancetocriticallyselect,adopt,andintegratethemethodologieslearnedduringthecourseintoasingle,consistentbodyofknowledge

Studentswillneedtoproduceacoherentbodyofworkthatreflectsadevelopingpersonalintegrityandachieveahighleveloftechnicalskill.Theywillneedtodevelopanindividualapproachtotheresearchanddeveloptheirownpersonalinvestigation,planningandwritingofafinalreport.Studentswillbeexpectedtodemonstrateaclearrelationshipbetweentheirresearch,textandpracticalworksubmittedtotheMasters’presentation.Theywillbeexpectedtocriticallyreflectontheirownpracticesaswellasonthatofothers,byexploringandidentifyingthecontextoftheirownworkwithintheareaofProductDesign.

Collaborationwithcompaniesand/ordesignerswilladdrealvalueandlinkstothefield,whilestillmaintainingstudents’freedomasfarastheselectionanddevelopmentofapersonalthemeisconcerned.

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Domus Academy - Master in Product Design Overview

COURSESHistoryandcultureofdesign

WORKSHOP 1Envisioning

WORKSHOP 2MicrosystemEnvironments

Annex I

Master structureProduct Design

WORKSHOP 3ProductDesign

WORKSHOP 4InteractionDesign

InTERnSHIP FInAl MASTER PROjECT