The Master’s program aims to:

• support students in reimagining knowledge, research, and contemporary digital design practice;
• encourage students to develop a critical and reflective approach to digital design;
• introduce students to experimentation and design-based research, bridging the theory and practice of digital design;
• encourage students to explore the broader cultural contexts of the discipline and freely experiment with the boundaries of digital design practice;
• enhance understanding of the ethical, social, and environmental implications of digital design practice, urging students to develop responsible and sustainable approaches to their work;
• provide students with a unique and stimulating social and working environment that helps them develop and demonstrate research, technical, and design skills, allowing them to enhance their professional and academic abilities;
• foster independence, initiative, and a sense of responsibility to achieve personal or group results.

Students must hold a bachelor’s or higher academic degree in a field of arts, design, or other creative disciplines from any program recognized at ISCED level 6. Graduates in scientific, social sciences, and humanities disciplines may also be selected for the Master’s program, as well as candidates who have previously gained significant professional experience in the field. SPD also takes into consideration other significant experiences and/or participation in SPD Preparatory Courses.

In addition, international students need IELTS score of 6.0, with no component below 5.5.

Selection is based on the following criteria:

• curriculum vitae
• motivation letter
• portfolio
• online interview

The number of places is limited.

The Master’s course in Designing Digital Cultures is organized in collaboration with major industry leaders and other universities. Certificates and academic credits are awarded according to the ECTS system.

This module provides the opportunity for the student to experience either a vocational internship with external institutions and companies, an internal research internship, or a period of study abroad.

The Major Project module aims at enabling students to develop and direct their own design project, taking into account learnings from previous modules. It aims also at encouraging students to demonstrate a high level of professional competence and to have a deep understanding of the social and philosophical context, in which they are practicing.

Students are expected to demonstrate the enterprise potential in their ideas and to understand the future possibilities and contexts, in which ideas will exist. Students critically reflect upon their own learning and become prepared for continuous professional development.

Those who completes the Master’s program in Designing Digital Cultures at the Scuola Politecnica di Design is ready to pursue a career that encompasses the use of the technologies taught in the following fields:

• Animation
• Art and other creative professions
• Performing Arts (e.g., Theatre)
• Cinema
• Journalism
• Set Design
• Game Design
• Production Companies
• Cultural Institutions

2050+
2050+ is an interdisciplinary agency based in Milan that works at the intersection of technology, the environment, politics and design. Since its inception, 2050+ has created various projects spanning curatorial and research practices, exhibition design and architecture. 2050+ regularly collaborates with fashion brands creating temporary installations, films, public events and editorial initiatives. In parallel, the agency is committed to various independent research projects, including writing short films and critical texts that have been featured on numerous publishing platforms, often addressing the relationship between data and the material world – a line of research that 2050+ explores in the context of ADS8 – Data Matter, a research and design studio at the Royal College of Art in London.