Top Banner

of 60

BrochureA5 Ing

Oct 18, 2015

Download

Documents

Francesco Gatti
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    1/60

    Politecnico di Milano

    Polo Regionale di ComoA teaching system between research and innovation

    2008 EDITION

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    2/60

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    3/60

    Politecnico di Milano:

    serving the country since 1863

    The University and its mission

    Politecnico di Milano is the main Engineering, Architecture and

    Design University in Italy, founded in 1863 to educate the executi-

    ves of a booming Country and it still plays an essential role in pro-viding the Country with the necessary talents for social and eco-

    nomic innovation and growth: Giulio Natta, Nobel-prize winner

    for Chemistry, Giovan Battista Pirelli, founder of the companywith the same name, Gio Ponti, international architect, were some

    of the students that attended its courses.

    The University has always aimed at quality and innovation of the

    teaching methodology and research, to be achieved in close colla-

    boration with national and international companies.

    The research activity, in particular, is strictly linked to the coursesand is a priority that allows Politecnico di Milano to reach top-

    quality scientific results.

    In the past few years the University has strengthened its relations-

    hip with international entities: there are several research projects

    carried out in collaboration with the most important European

    universities and more and more projects are being conducted with

    universities in the US and Asia.

    The research activity goes hand in hand with cooperation with the

    industry, the alliance between the university and the companies

    being an essential prerequisite for the education of the students,

    especially in a University system which offers different qualifica-

    tion levels: the Bachelor's degree, i.e., the three-year first-level

    course and the Master of Science degree, i.e., the two-year second-level course, the Ph.D. and the Specializing Master's degrees to

    study specific topics in depth.Moreover, attending the requirements of the industrial world and

    of the Public Administration helps researchers to constantly and

    rapidly innovate.

    The Milano LeonardoCampus in the Citt Studiarea.

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 1

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    4/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO

    Politecnico di Milano hasexperienced many bene-

    fits from the differentCampuses, where thelimited number of stu-

    dents and the organiza-tional flexibility allowedthe university to imple-ment high-quality tea-

    ching and scientific ini-tiatives.

    2

    The networked campuses

    The University grows and thrives only if it is connected to the

    society and the territory around it. Already since 1989, the first inItaly, Politecnico di Milano has embraced this philosophy, foun-

    ding a network of seven campuses covering most of the territory

    in the Lombardia region.

    The Politecnico di Milano Campuses link the academic life to the

    local social and economic activities and have greatly contributedto the cultural and social development of the cities that host them.

    The quality of the teaching activities in the different campuses is

    assured by three factors:

    the teaching staff of Politecnico di Milano is one and profes-

    sors teach the same courses in the various campuses of the

    University;

    every Campus hosts high-quality research activities, often lin-

    ked to local companies in the industrial sector of that district;

    the favourable student/professor ratio and high investmentsin classrooms, laboratories and teaching tools allow the campu-

    ses to provide students with a very high level of service.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    5/60

    The Como Campus

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 3

    The Como Campus is the first and largest regional campus of the

    University. Founded in 1989, in collaboration with the Chamber of

    Commerce and the Confedereation of Industries of Como, it has

    been working for more than fifteen years educating operators,

    middle managers and executives and promoting innovation andtechnology transfer through research activities and laboratoriesoffered to companies and public institutions.

    Today it is supported by Univercomo, the association linking

    Politecnico di Milano to all institutions and associations of the ter-

    ritory of Como.

    Research

    Research activities at the Como Campus in 2005 led to the founda-tion of a Research and Organizational and Technological Transfer

    Excellence Centre, working in such areas as the e-government, the

    promotion of new companies, web and multimedia application

    development, sound engineering and design, and technologies for

    the textile and wood/furnishing industries.

    A detail of the premisesof the Como Campus invia Valleggio.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    6/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO4

    The quality of the achieved results is witnessed by the leadership ofthe Como Campus within the Politecnico di Milano and among

    national and international universities, in several areas:

    it has promoted the first Italian Online Degree, ranked by the

    European Community as one of the best eight eLearning courses

    in Europe;

    its IT research team produced the first patent in the history of

    Politecnico purchased by a company interested in its commercial

    exploitation;

    it hosts one of the most advanced nanotechnology laboratories

    in Italy, the L-NESS laboratory, which includes a "clean room" avai-

    lable also to companies in the territory.

    The competitive edge of graduates on the market

    The Como Campus offers students the opportunity to interact

    and have a direct relationship with professors and develop theore-

    tical and practical skills, thanks to the strict collaboration with

    local and national companies, with the industrial associations and

    with the public administration. The results of such investmentsare clearly shown by a survey carried out in 2004 on a sample of

    470 alumni among more than 1000

    graduates of the Como Campus.

    According to the survey, students

    find a job quickly after graduation,

    with good salary levels and high sati-sfaction of the courses they attended

    at the Politecnico di Milano.

    39.31% of the interviewed students

    declare they found a job in less than

    one month after graduation, 22.8%

    within 3 months, 12.78% between 3and 6 months, while around 10%

    between 6 months and one year.

    The visit of the fomerItalian President CarloAzeglio Ciampi at theComo campus in via

    Castelnuovo, in March2004.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    7/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 5

    The international environment

    Students of the Como Campus, in addition to the various

    University services - IT and technological laboratories, a multime-

    dia room to learn foreign languages and for English courses, an

    academic library, the tutor services for the first-year students -also

    have the opportunity to study in an international environment,attending M.Sc. courses in English and getting in touch with stu-

    dents from different foreign countries.

    The project "Training Foreign Engineers in Italy" attracted to

    Como many foreign students; it started in October 2005 at the

    Como and Lecco campuses, in collaboration with the ForeignTrade Commission, UnionCamere and the Chambers of

    Commerce of Como and Lecco.

    In November 2007, almost four hundreds foreign students result

    active at the Como Campus. Among them, about forty attend the

    international Specializing Master Degrees and about 70 are

    Erasmus students, who come to Como from foreign universities toenrich their experience with an international education and trai-

    ning programme, or to achieve a second degree within the double

    degree agreements that Politecnico has with their universities.

    The others, more than 280 students, are enrolled as regular stu-

    dents of the B.Sc. and M.Sc. of the Politecnico di Milano.

    Among them, about 240 have joined the "Training Foreign Engineersin Italy" project. They graduated in their countries and they decided to

    study at the Como Campus, attracted by the quality of its M.Sc.

    Degrees and by the beauty of the Como territory.

    Altogether, the foreign students come from forty different countries.

    Thanks to the internationalization all the students of the ComoCampus improve their qualification by acquiring a solid knowledge ofEnglish, an essential requirement to succeed in the job market.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    8/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO6

    They also meet different cultures, lifestyles and philosophies,

    thanks to the different social activities, developed by the Italian

    and foreign students of the Como campus: study groups, cultural

    trips, sports and music events, an Italian-Chinese Language and

    Culture course, and so on.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    9/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 7

    International projects for students

    TIME Top Industrial Managers for Europe

    A double-degree European project

    Thanks to the TIME programme, students can be awarded a dou-

    ble degree, at the Politecnico di Milano and in another topEuropean University, by replacing one year of study at the

    Politecnico di Milano with two years at a foreign school.

    Politecnico di Milano is one of the founding members of the

    TIME programme, which includes 46 among the best technical

    universities in Europe.

    TIME is aimed at training the elite of European engineers; a sur-

    vey on employment of more than 1000 graduates with a double

    degree shows that 40% of them work in their Country of origin,30% in the hosting Country, and 30% in another country. Since

    the beginning, the TIME programme achieved excellent results: in

    May 2002 the number of students with two degrees was one thou-

    sand; among these, 160 come from Politecnico di Milano.

    UnitechEuropean Engineer and Manager

    The main objective of the UNITECH programme, started in 2002,

    is that of integrating into the university curriculum of the studentsan international experience and managerial studies. The program-

    me is for the Engineering students of Politecnico di Milano and

    allows them to attend the second year of the M.Sc. degree at one of

    the partner universities.Every academic year, each university selects a maximum of 14 top

    students. According to the programme, the student shall attend

    one academic year at the partner university, with a scholarship, fol-

    lowed by a traineeship of 3 to 6 months, at one of the partner com-

    panies, which remunerates the students with an adequate wage.

    Students successfully completing the programme are awarded

    with the prestigious UNITECH International certificate.

    The Politecnico di Milanooffers students differentinternational projects topromote academic andcultural exchanges andrelationship with diffe-rent countries.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    10/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO8

    MEDesMaster of European Design

    The Faculty of Design of Politecnico, together with six among themost important European Design Schools, offers to selected stu-

    dents the opportunity to study in an international environment

    (notably in Europe) for two years.

    The seven universities participating to the project, are internatio-nally renowned schools thanks to their excellent structures, tea-

    ching methods and courses on offer:

    GSA - Glasgow School of Art

    Glasgow, Scotland

    KISD - Kln International School of Design

    Kln, Germany

    UIAH - University of Art and Design Helsinki

    Helsinki, FinlandPolitecnico di MilanoMilan

    Les Ateliers/ENSCI

    Paris, France

    Konstfack - University College of Arts Crafts and Design

    Stocholm. Sweden

    ABK - State Academy of Art and Design Stuttgart

    Stuttgart, Germany

    For this programme, Politecnico di Milano offers 4-6 places for

    students enrolled in the second year of the Interior Design Course.

    These students attend the five-year MEDes degree awarding them

    with the qualification of Master of European Design, in addition

    to the B.Sc. and M.Sc.Degree of the Design Faculty.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    11/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

    The recent reform of the Italian University system divides courses

    into two main levels:

    First-level degree (Laurea, Bachelor of Science - B.Sc.)

    Second-level degree (Laurea Magistrale,Master of Science - M.Sc.)

    Each level leads to a different qualification and consists of differentacademic activities measured in credits. One credit (also referred to

    as CFU) is a unit of measurement of the work done by the student,

    corresponding to about 25 hours of individual study.

    The first-level degree is the course accessed after high school. It lasts

    for three years, and it corresponds to 180 credits. The curriculum is

    wide-ranging and promotes the learning of general scientific

    methods and subject matters, together with specific professionalknowledge. Academic activities are divided into two semesters. The

    curriculum of the course is unique for the first two years and gives

    students the opportunity to choose between two options in the

    second semester of the third year.

    A broad choice of courses

    9

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    12/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO10

    Students may choose to attend a traineeship in a company before

    entering the job market, or may decide to follow courses preparingthem for the M.Sc. Degree. The second-level degree, or M.Sc.

    Degree, is awarded after a two-year course of study, corresponding

    to 120 credits.

    Eligibility requirements for the M.Sc. course are a B.Sc. degree,usually in a similar sector, and an admission interview. Students

    coming from a different B.Sc. degree other than the one offered bythe Study Course of the M.Sc. degree, or those that attended the

    first-level degree on the same Study Course but having chosen the

    traineeship, may need to recover the missing credits, decided by a

    commission during the admission interview.

    Differently from the first-level degree, the M.Sc. degree analyzes in

    more depth the subjects of the chosen discipline, preserving thebroad spectrum of knowledge typical of an engineering course at the

    Politecnico di Milano. At the Como Campus, most courses of the

    Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, Management,

    Economics And Industrial Engineering, and Computer Engineering

    M.Sc. Degrees are offered in English.

    In addition to the first- and second-level degrees, there are other uni-

    versity courses. The Specializing Master's degrees, which may beattended after the B.Sc.or M.Sc. degree, allow students to learn spe-

    cific topics in professional sectors requiring advanced knowledge,

    more in depth. The Ph.D. is the highest education level and aims at

    developing skills useful for a career in the academic or industrial

    research sector.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    13/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 11

    The Specializing Masters

    The Como Campus offers first-level Specializing Master degrees

    (for students with a B.Sc. or M.Sc. degree or a degree from the oldeducational system) and second-level Specializing Master degrees

    (for students with M.Sc. degrees or a degree from the old educa-

    tional system).

    International Master in Industrial Management (IMIM)

    IMIM is a first-level international Specializing Master degree

    held by Politecnico di Milano, the Universidad Politcnica de

    Madrid and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

    It aims at training managers ready to cope with the challenge of

    innovation and internationalization of industrial and service

    organizations, by providing them with a comprehensive and

    multi-faceted knowledge of corporate issues, focusing mainly

    on technological, managerial and organizational aspects.

    Students spend one semester in each of the universities offering

    the Specializing Master degree, and a fourth semester workingon a project in a company they may choose all over the world.

    This truly international Specializing Master degree provides

    managers with a vision, an approach and an experience parti-

    Faculty Bachelor of Science degree(in Italian)

    Master of Science degree

    Facolt di Ingegneria Civile,Ambientale e Territoriale(I School of Engineering)

    www.ingcat.polimi.it

    Civil and EnvironmentalEngineering

    Environmental and GeomaticEngineering

    Tracks:Geomatic Engineering

    Environmental Engineering forthe Sustainable Development

    Facolt di Ingegneria dei Sistemi(II School of Engineering)

    www.ingsis.polimi.it

    Management, Economics AndIndustrial Engineering

    Facolt di Ingegneria

    dell'Informazione(V School of Engineering)

    www.inginf.polimi.it

    Computer Engineering

    Computer Engineering On Line

    Computer Engineering

    Tracks:CommunicationSound Engineering and Design

    Facolt del Design(School of Design)

    www.design.polimi.it

    Furniture Design Furniture and Textile Design

    Courses offered at the Como Campus

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    14/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO12

    cularly appreciated by companies working in different countries

    and in different geographical areas in the world. IMIM has been

    granted by the European Union the status of "Erasmus mun-

    dus" course and, therefore, scholarships are available for extra-

    EU students. Scholarships are granted also to Italian and

    European students.

    Master in Strategic Project Management (MSPME)MSPME is a first-level international Specializing Master degree

    held in collaboration by Politecnico di Milano, the Heriot-Watt

    University in Edinburgh, and the Umea University in Sweden.

    The academic objectives are:

    acquisition and development of a comprehensive knowledge instrategic project management;

    acquisition of a critical view on present-day hot topics in stra-

    tegic project management, whose methods and applications areevolving;

    development of individual skills supported by a relevant profes-

    sional and international experience.

    Students attending the Specializing Master also need to study

    for long period of time abroad in each of the three collaborating

    universities, for a total duration of sixteen months. MSPME has

    been considered by the European Union as an "Erasmus mun-dus" course and, therefore, scholarships are available for extra-

    EU students. Scholarships are also available for Italian and

    European students.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    15/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 13

    Master Il Polis-Maker for management of urban settlementtransformation. Choices and actions for the quality of life

    Polis-Maker is a second-level Specializing Master degree sponsored

    by the municipalities of Como, Campione d'Italia, Lugano, theChamber of Commerce of Como, Univercomo, the province of

    Como, and the Lombardia Regional Committee of the Architects'

    Association of the Province of Como.

    The aim is that of training programme-managers with methodolo-

    gical and operational tools to cope with the assessment of urban

    transformation plans, addressed in all their complexity.The Specializing Master degree is offered in collaboration with the

    Universit Cattolica di Milano, the Universit LIUC in Castellanza,

    and the Universidad de Buenos Aires, and with the scientific and

    academic support of the Ecole Polytecnique Fdrale de Lausanne.

    The admission test

    To enrol for the first-level degree courses of the Architecture,

    Design and Engineering faculties, applicants need to pass an

    admission test, which is compulsory for the enrolment at the firstyear of the mentioned degrees.

    For courses in Architecture (including the course in Architectureand Building Construction) and Design, admission to the test

    requires a high school certificate; admission to courses is for a

    limited number of students.

    For Engineering Courses the test is aimed at providing indications

    on the attitude of students towards scientific studies. The test maybe taken also by students without a high school certificate, who

    are attending the fifth or fourth year of the secondary school

    (early test).

    Since 2005, Politecnico di Milano is offering students the oppor-

    tunity to take the early test online for the admission to

    Engineering courses. The online modality requires the use of a PCwith a browser and an Internet connection. The test is held in dif-

    ferent sessions, distributed all over the academic year, in the com-

    puter rooms of the Politecnico di Milano, including the Como

    Campus. Further information concerning the admission test

    (enrolment procedure, how to take the test, topics, test samples)

    are available in the "Orientamento e Test" section of the website

    www.polimi.it.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    16/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO14

    Presentation

    Facolt di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale e Territoriale (1st School ofEngineering) focuses mainly on the acquisition of the technical and

    scientific basic knowledge necessary for a sustainable managementand exploitation of the territory, considered as the natural space

    used by men for developing the society.

    Many different sectors, of course, concur in reaching this general

    objective, but the role of the engineer in this context requires thecapacity to face technical issues posed by the territory through (geo-

    metric, physical, chemical, environmental) measurements, models

    (both for natural systems and man-made structures), plans (for the

    organization of structural projects and for sustainability and secu-rity) projects (of structures, infrastructures and other activities

    aimed at securing or reclaiming an environment), constructions

    (considering all technological, economic and managerial aspects),control and safeguard (both for natural and structural risks, and

    risks caused by productive processes).

    In this pipeline, the academic courses in Environmental and Land

    Use Engineering focus on all aspects of measurement - modelling -

    planning - safeguard, whereas the Civil Engineering course focusesmore on structural design - construction and control aspects.

    In the Como and Lecco campuses, Politecnico di Milano decided to

    test a new approach to these issues creating a new three-year degree,

    the ICA course (Ingegneria Civile e Ambientale, Civil and

    Environmental Engineering), which provides students with a gene-

    ral, wide-ranging knowledge allowing them to pursue both the IAT

    specialization (Ingegneria per l'Ambiente e il Territorio -

    Environmental and Land Use Engineering) and the IC specialization(Ingegneria Civile - Civil Engineering). Moreover, a ICA B.Sc.degree

    has the same curriculum and the same title offered at an internatio-

    nal level by top engineering schools, like the MIT in Boston or the

    Civil and Environmental

    Engineering

    The course in Civil andEnvironmental

    Engineering trains profes-sionals able to combinethe analysis of environ-

    mental and territorialissues with the capacity

    to find solutions, throughboth tangible projects

    (works and plants) andintangible projects (urban

    and economic actionplans, management tools,working rules and proce-

    dures).

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    17/60

    Imperial College in London.

    The program in Como

    The new ICA degree is offered only at the Como and Lecco

    Campuses.The curriculum of the first-level degree is the same in the

    two Campuses and has been organized to provide students with a

    basic knowledge, allowing them to continue their studies with a IATor IC degrees with the full recognition of the passed credits. Besidesthe main curriculum, aiming at the continuation of the studies, stu-

    dents may follow a specific, more practical curriculum, designed for

    those who want to start working soon after the first-level degree.

    As for the M.Sc.degree, the Como Campus allows students to conti-

    nue studying with the IAT M.Sc. degree, which has two main pecu-

    liarities: it is the international degree in the field offered to foreign

    students with lessons held in English; moreover, the Como Campus

    focuses especially on modern space technologies for the acquisitionof environmental and territorial data.

    The ICA B.Sc. degree

    This course has the same curriculum for the first two years, which

    mainly focuses on the acquisition of basic scientific knowledge and

    on the essential tools used in Environmental and Land UseEngineering, without which Politecnico di Milano would not achie-

    ve its goal of producing top engineers.

    In the third year, there are two different curricula, with some diffe-rences for those who want to continue studying with a IAT or IC

    M.Sc. degree. Some of the courses are held in the Lecco Campus ; in

    this case, the lessons are delivered to the Como Campus with real-

    time distance-learning technologies, while practical exercises andlaboratories are held in classrooms of the Como Campus. The main

    differences between the IAT and IC curricula are in the objectives of

    the two courses; the former mainly focuses on environmental insta-

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 15

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    18/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO16

    bility, protection from pollution, modelling and management of

    environmental and territorial information; the latter enhances struc-

    tural design and project implementation know-how.

    Besides these two curricula, a further professional curriculum is

    available, with specific courses.

    The Master of Science degree

    The Master of Science Degree in Environmental and GeomaticEngineering is part of the internationalization project of the Como

    Campus. For this reason all its courses are given in English.

    The MSc provides a general knowledge about Environmental engi-

    neering and Geomatics topics including environmental surveying,

    data analysis and modeling, natural resources management, and

    water in particular, pollution reduction planning, natural hazards

    prevention and land use planning.Moreover the Como MSc is characterized by two curricula: the

    Geomatics curriculum and the Environmental Engineering for

    sustainable development curriculum.

    The first one, unique in Italy but present in all the developed coun-

    tries, deals with geographic or spatially referenced data acquisition

    and management. Special attention is given to the earth observation

    from space, in connection with the fast growing satellite based envi-ronmental services, such as positioning, fleet control and mobility-

    info services.

    The second curriculum aims at the exploitation of the knowledge

    about land and environmental phenomena, and about organization

    and planning for engineering actions.

    This approach is valuable both in our advanced world and in develo-

    ping countries, from which many students come to attend ourMaster.

    The international characterization of the MSc course has proved tobe able to give a wide and experienced overview of the environmen-

    tal and land use questions also to the Italian students coming from

    the local school.

    Job opportunities

    The available qualifications include the Junior Engineer (B.Sc.Degree) and Senior Engineer (M.Sc.Degree) titles. The Mastersof Science operates in the same fields of the graduate students but

    with more skill and professionalism. It has to be mentioned the gro-

    The Environmental andLand Use Engineering

    designs complexsystems, consisting of

    the human artefact andits interaction with the

    environment.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    19/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 17

    wing opportunity for those who apply to geomatics curriculum to

    find a job in different sectors of the Space industry which operates

    in the Earth observation field and in both public bodies and private

    companies for Information and Communication Technology dea-

    ling with environmental and geographical data.

    For those who attend the environmental engineering for sustainable

    development curriculum, job opportunities can be found either incompanies operating in an international framework (construction,

    land use planning and management, natural resources exploration

    and exploitation, soil defense) or in governmental or non-govern-

    mental organization for cooperation.

    The students with a IAT M.Sc. degree will have the opportunity to apply

    in a wide range of fields their advanced know-how of territorial andenvironmental information management, acquired during the course.

    General statistics about the Politecnico di Milano graduates show

    that 90% of our students find a job within the first six months aftergraduation; notably, a survey held by the Association of Territory

    and Environment Engineers proves that, in this sector, 27% of stu-

    dents find a job immediately after graduation, while only 5% find a

    job more than one year later.

    PhD and research activities

    Environmental and Land Use Engineering has always dealt with

    complex issues, which interested a wide international community of

    researchers. Some of our students want to become academic resear-

    chers and therefore continue studying by enrolling on a Ph.D., to

    achieve a higher level of education.

    In Como, the Politecnico di Milano has laboratories and advanced

    research teams on topics like space geodesy and Earth observation,the study of thermal, fluid and dynamic models for diffusion and

    transport into the atmosphere, modelling of hydro-geological risks,safeguard of the effects of ground, water and air pollution.

    Useful links

    The website of the Geomatics laboratory in Como: geoma-

    tica.como.polimi.it

    The website with the curriculum of the new degree in Civiland Land Use Engineering: www.polo-como.polimi.it/english

    ("Teaching" section)

    Researchers carrying outmeasurements

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    20/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO18

    Presentation

    The landscape in which companies compete is constantly chan-ging, due to the combination of different factors: market globali-

    zation, production delocalization, the quest for innovation. In thiscontext, engineers, in addition to their traditional technical skills

    - which are being constantly redefined as well - need to have a

    broader know-how.

    They need to understand the complexity of operations and admi-nistration of companies and be able to plan, organize and mana-

    ge them by always finding innovative solutions.

    They have to closely monitor the evolution of the "rules of thegame" and financial instruments, due to the essential role they

    may play in their activities. They need to have the right toolkit to

    work in industrial companies, but also in service providers andthe public administration.

    This is why Politecnico di Milano has created the Management

    Engineers, who are first of all engineers, with their understan-

    ding of technologies and their ability to model systems, theirproject know-how and their passion for innovation, their prefe-

    rence for quantitative analysis and support instruments.

    However, they also have to face highly complex and diversified

    systems, where the human factor, economic, organizational, and

    financial issues are strictly connected with technology and

    infrastructures.

    Within this framework, the Management, Economics and

    Industrial Engineering Course of Como Campus offers aM.Sc.degree, lasting two years, conceived for students willing to

    deepen their knowledge of both general and specific topics.

    Management andProduction Engineers

    need to be able to designand manage increasinglycomplex systems whichefficiently work in diffe-

    rent corporate processes.

    Management, Economics and

    Industrial Engineering

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    21/60

    The MSc in Management, Economics and Industrial

    EngineeringThe Management Engineer professional figure was created and

    then evolved in accordance with the constant changes of a com-plex and dynamic landscape, where management and innovation

    depend upon a wide spectrum of competitive variables. The result

    is an "eclectic" engineer, who combines technical-scientific know-how with economic,financial and organizational skills.

    The new Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering

    M.Sc. degree was created at Politecnico di Milano bearing thisperspective in mind, with an academic curriculum offering even

    more opportunities for the graduates,strongly oriented towards

    an international market. Lessons are being held in English and the

    presence of international students is notably strong.

    The intended targetThe structure of the new educational system, divided into twolevels, opened up new opportunities to follow different courses

    after the first-level degree.

    The Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering M.Sc.

    Degree is a great opportunity for graduates with either a tech-

    nological expertise or an economics background, even if they

    come from outside the management engineering field.

    The M.Sc. degree, indeed, allows one integrate competencies in

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 19

    The Como Campus ofPolitecnico di Milano isthe only one that offersthe M.Sc. degree inManagement andProduction Engineering in

    English.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    22/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO20

    different sectors and to develop highly-focused skills in areas

    essential for companies, public bodies and no-profit organiza-

    tions.

    The Curriculum

    The M.Sc. degree in Management, Economics and Industrial

    Engineering is a two-year long educational programme; studentswill acquire a well-balanced education in the Business

    Management and Supply Chain Management areas.

    Students can customize their curriculum by choosing elective

    courses in order to suit their professional needs and interests. The

    subject matters cover three main areas:

    Business Management:

    it provides students with the necessary know-how to manage

    companies in today's competitive markets, which are very dyna-mic and more and more globalized.

    Supply-chain Management:

    it addresses all the aspects related to the relationship managementof organizations, focusing especially on production and logistics.

    Mathematics and IT:

    this area addresses ICT topics from a managerial viewpoint andthe subjects connected to business intelligence supported by

    mathematical models.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    23/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 21

    Job opportunities

    Graduates in Management, Economics and Industrial

    Engineering find a broad variety of job opportunities: in indu-

    strial and service companies, in consulting firms, in financialinstitutions and in the public administration.

    The market has shown a strong interest in the Management and

    Production Engineer since the beginning.

    A survey of the Italian Statistical Office carried out in 2004 ranked

    the Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering curricu-

    lum first among professional profiles, with the greatest job oppor-

    tunities (assessed based on the average waiting time for the firstjob and on the number of graduates working three months and

    three years after graduation).

    The survey on Engineering graduates of Politecnico di Milano,

    carried out by the Impresa Politecnico Association in 1999, sho-

    wed that twice as many Management Engineers-graduated bet-

    ween three and nine years ago- work as executives compared tothe average of other engineering profiles, and 5% of them were

    entrepreneurs (in companies founded by them or in family busi-

    nesses); the survey also showed that many graduates worked in the

    service sector, especially as executive consultants; they were almost

    equally distributed in industrial and service sectors and in the dif-

    A survey of the ItalianStatistical Office (ISTAT)published in 2004 rankedthe Management andProduction Engineeringcurriculum first withrespect to the job oppor-

    tunities.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    24/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO22

    ferent fields (logistics, production, organization, managementcontrol, marketing, finance, etc.).

    The best evidence of the opportunities offered by this degree are

    the more than 5.000 Management and Production Engineers who

    graduated at Politecnico di Milano, working in industries, service

    companies,consultancy firms and also in public institutions andno-profit institutions.

    This widespread distribution across the market is not only due to

    the sector they work in, but also to the wide range of activities

    Management Engineers deal with.

    Useful links

    The website of the Management and Production Engineering

    course held in Como: www.polo-como.polimi.it/english

    ("Teaching" section)

    The website with the list of subjects, the official curricula,

    the academic regulations: www.ingsis.polimi.it ("Didattica"

    section, in Italian)

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    25/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 23

    Presentation

    Computer Engineers apply the analysis and design methods, typi-cal of the engineering disciplines, in all the contexts where

    Information Technology is essential to address and solve complexproblems. The engineering know-how and the ability to master

    design methodologies are the backbone of the curriculum, com-

    bined with other skills, like;

    designing and exploiting the full potentials of the convergen-ce between IT and telematics, ranging from the traditional com-

    puter networks, to telephone and satellite networks, to the inte-

    ractive television.

    joining IT and electronic design to create devices targeting

    different communication channels (computers, mobile devices,

    PDAs, third-generation telephones).

    knowing and managing the different multimedia formats

    required by modern IT applications (audio, video, languages for

    web contents, etc).

    controlling the communication processes which are essential

    for the success (or failure) of e-business, e-learning, e-govern-ment, and other on line solutions.

    To become a Computer Engineer means to have the necessary

    cultural instruments and professional skills to successfully ope-

    rate in a wide range of application domains.

    Since IT technologies are everywhere, computer engineers areneeded in all the sectors, from music to space missions. At the

    Como Campus, the Politecnico di Milano offers the Computer

    Engineering course at two levels: the B.Sc and the M.Sc. degree.

    Computer Engineerstoday are one of theprofessional profilesmost attractive to thejob market.

    Computer Engineering

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    26/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO24

    The Study Course

    The three-year degree in Computer Engineering addresses the

    fundamentals of the scientific and technical culture (like, for

    instance, mathematics, physics and chemistry), combining them

    with the essential elements of the various engineering subject

    topics, like electronics, telecommunications, automatics, econo-mics and management.

    A specific feature of the program offered in Como, rarely found in

    other comparable programs, is the teaching of the fundamentals

    of communication science, aimed at preparing the students to

    cope with all the aspects of the engineering profession in which

    communication plays a central role, from the production of mul-

    timedia contents, to the analysis and preparation of technicaldocuments, up to the management of multidisciplinary projects.

    All the main topics of modern Information Technology are stu-died in depth: from hardware to robotics, from databases to the

    web, from artificial intelligence to industrial automation, from

    information systems to software engineering.

    "Traditional" lessons and exercises provide students with the

    necessary theoretical and methodological knowledge, while labo-ratories and practical project activities lead to the acquisition of

    the professional expertise and the familiarity with the most rele-

    vant technologies. The curriculum of the three-year degree has a

    solid structure, guiding students along a high-quality study cour-

    se, with different options allowing students to "tailor" their studies

    according to their needs and cultural interests.

    The Como Campus offers6 computer rooms forlessons and exercises,

    with a total of 202 work-stations. Students may

    also use a language labo-

    ratory to learn English,French, Spanish andGerman. Moreover,

    TOEFL examinations areavailable at the Campus.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    27/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 25

    How to become Computer EngineersThe curriculum in Computer Engineering is not a prerogative of

    mathematics experts and computer gurus. All the students, from

    every kind of secondary school, may study technical and scientific

    subjects. The possibility to carry out the self-assessment test

    already on the fourth year of high school allows students to eva-

    luate their knowledge and to get ready for the Computer

    Engineering curriculum by filling potential gaps in their kno-

    wledge, also by special teaching initiatives promoted byPolitecnico di Milano for the future university students.

    The Master of Science Degree

    The M.Sc. degree in Computer Engineering held in Como has a

    particularly innovative curriculum.

    The course combines an in-depth study of the typical Information

    Technology subjects of a "classic" degree in Computer

    Engineering with new subjects, like the convergence between tele-communication networks, software and devices for the distribu-

    tion and use of digital contents, the analysis, synthesis and pro-

    cessing of multimedia formats (images, audio and video), and the

    computer-mediated communication techniques applied to the

    creation of digital contents.

    The innovative features of the course may also be seen in its pro-gramme, which is extremely flexible. Indeed, there are no strictly

    compulsory courses and students may choose the subjects to

    attend according to a few general constraints.

    The Master of Sciencedegree comprises two dif-ferent tracks: "communi-cation" and "sound engi-neering and design".

    The specificity of theprogram offered in Comois the teaching of thefundamentals of commu-nication science.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    28/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO26

    Moreover, a tutor is assigned to each student and follows him/her

    for the entire duration of the course. The teaching activities are

    strongly oriented towards an international environment. Lessons

    and exercises are held mainly in English and there are students

    coming from all over the world.

    The course comprises two different tracks, which, although sha-

    ring common subjects, have independent educational objectives:"communication" and "sound engineering and design".

    The Communication TrackThe communication track of the Computer Engineering degree,

    the only one in Italy, combines Computer Engineering-related

    subjects with topics in communication science, to shed light onthe many communication aspects of modern technological pro-

    jects and on the strong technological components of communica-

    tion projects in all disciplines and industrial sectors.

    The teaching activities focus on the state-of-the-art concepts of

    the IT disciplines, like multimedia, web technologies, animation,

    2D and 3D graphics, audio and video processing, and addresstopics like the technological convergence of Information

    Technology, electronics and telematics, ranging from mobile devi-

    ces to computers, telephone and satellite networks, up to interac-

    tive television.

    The curriculum covers a wide range of applications in sectors likecultural heritage, e-business, e-learning, e-government.

    To complete the technical and communication learning program-me, the curriculum also deals with managerial and entrepreneu-

    rial aspects, in order to enable students to create and manage

    innovative companies centred on the information technologies.

    The curriculum spans five main disciplinary areas:

    IT:

    it provides students with the necessary know-how for the deve-lopment of modern and complex IT applications (typically inter-

    net-based or even multi-channel). Some courses focus on techno-

    logy and architectures, some on methodological aspects, some

    others on specific applications.

    Digital convergence and multimedia:

    it deals with advanced telematics, focusing mainly on the quality

    of service in computer networks and on methods and techniquesfor telecommunication infrastructure management, like local net-

    works, fixed and mobile internet, GPRS, UMTS; networks are stu-

    died together with the electronic design of devices and appliances,

    Above:In the Origami project, 3D

    graphics techniques arestudied supporting digitalcinematography and the

    creation of mixed real-vir-tual environments.

    Below:a 3D environment on theweb constructed within

    the Shrine project inwhich students from dif-ferent nationalities meet

    in virtual visits to themost prestigious

    museums in the world.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    29/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 27

    especially for multimedia contents.

    Communication:it addresses communication-related subjects, focusing on the cul-

    tural aspects making information an effective "message". Some

    basic subjects introduce the fundamentals of communication

    science and sociology of communication; some others providestudents with methods and techniques useful in the development

    of applications integrating communication and technology , some

    others tackle the design of communication-intensive applicationsin specific sectors.

    Mathematics:

    it develops the basic theoretical knowledge needed to understand

    and study more in depth subjects like 3D graphics, cryptography,

    signal processing, analysis of data, and system modelling.

    Management engineering, general engineering and comple-

    mentary subjects:

    this area focuses on topics related to legal and managerial aspects

    in ICT and on the managerial, territorial, and commercial appli-

    cations of Information Technology.

    Sound Engineering and Design Track

    The Sound Engineering and Design track meets the strongdemand for experts in the production, processing and distribu-

    tion of multimedia contents, educating professionals able to com-

    bine their engineering know-how with music and sound culture

    and sensitivity.

    Audio and sound play an essential role in the information society,

    in different domains: engineering, design, artistic or musical cul-ture, economy and ergonomics (from domotics, to the design of

    environments and products with high audio quality, up to the

    customization of interfaces).

    In this scenario, the course is a unique academic experience in

    Italy and parallels a few other prestigious programmes on the

    same topics available in European countries like The UK, France,Spain and Germany.

    The teaching activities are carried out in collaboration with the

    Music Conservatoire "Giuseppe Verdi" in Como, where a five-year(3+2) academic course in "Electronic Music and Sound

    Technologies" is held.

    The curriculum mainly focuses on project and laboratory acti-

    By sophisticated mathe-matical models, with the

    aid of the computer, engi-neers are able to designmusic instruments thatdo not exist in reality.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    30/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO28

    vities and spans a broad range of applications, from synthesis

    and elaboration of sound for multimedia and digital cinema

    applications, to the design of sound environments, to domoticsand the design of solutions for sound quality in industrial, civil

    and urban domains.

    The course comprises six main disciplinary areas:

    IT and digital signal processing:it deals with analysis, design and implementation of web-based,

    multi-channel and multimedia applications, the design of inte-ractive systems, gesture controls an multimodal interfaces, 2D

    and 3D graphics. Moreover, the courses in this area address the

    main media formats (images, audio, video), from the point of

    view of their digital representation and treatment with digital

    signal processing techniques.

    Acoustics:it spans the fundamentals of acoustics, music acoustics, envi-

    ronmental and architectural acoustics, applied psycho-acoustics

    and music perceptions, electronic design for the music domain,

    technologies of sound and of electroacoustic instruments,

    sound perception of space, and the electroacoustic systems for

    audio diffusion and sound spazialization.

    Audio design:it deals with topics concerning audio and audio-video design, music

    communication and production, audio design for web publishing,

    architecture and domotics, the fundamentals of sound perception

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    31/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 29

    and perceptive analysis, the design of sound objects, cinema, theatre,

    and television audio production and post-production.Music:

    it studies music forms and languages, models and techniques of

    sound composition with information and electroacoustic techno-

    logies, the history, phenomenology and aesthetics of contempo-

    rary music, the theories, analytical methods and symbolic nota-tions of the computer and electroacoustic music repertoire.

    Mathematicsand Physics:

    it focuses on the theoretic foundations needed to understand and

    analyse more in depth disciplines like digital signal processing and

    acoustics.

    Management engineering, general engineering and comple-

    mentary subjects:it addresses topics related to the legal and managerial aspects of ICT

    and on its managerial, territorial and commercial applications.

    Admission requirements and procedures for the M.Sc. degreeThe M.Sc. degree in Computer Engineering held in Como is not

    offered only to Computer Engineering graduates, but also to all

    students with a curriculum in the information sector.In order to be eligible for the course, students need to pass an

    admission interview with a Commission, which takes place at the

    beginning of each semester.

    Projects and laboratories

    Projects are essential in the Computer Engineering curriculum,

    because they allow students to carry out hands-on experience on

    what they learn during classes. Most projects span multiple disci-plines and aim at developing real-world applications based on thetechniques studied in different courses.

    Projects are held in laboratories fully equipped with state-of-the-

    art tools and appliances, which are constantly updated.

    Job opportunities

    Job opportunities for computer engineers, with either a first-level

    or a second-level degree, are numerous and wide-ranging: stu-

    dents may start a career as engineers, managers, or entrepreneurs.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    32/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO30

    The ICT sector is the one that offers most benefits to engineers

    with a high-quality degree.

    Notably, the job market in the North-West of Italy and in theLombardia region shows that computer engineers are the most

    valuable resource.

    In 2002, 56% of the computer Engineers who graduated from the

    Como Campus found a job in less than one month; 92% in less

    than two months. The perceived quality of the degree is shown by

    the fact that 30% of them were called directly by companies.

    The B.Sc. in Computer Engineering trains junior engineers with asolid and broad technical, scientific, and cultural background,

    who can effectively master the main design and implementation

    methods and keep up with the fast-paced evolution in

    Information Technology.

    This job profile is the most sought for by companies, due to its fle-

    xibility and ability to adapt to different job and applicationdomains.

    The Communication track of the M.Sc. degree in Computer

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    33/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 31

    Engineering trains high-profile professionals working in the deve-lopment of innovative and communication-intensive technologi-

    cal applications. Examples of job profiles in this sector are the

    designer of multimedia and web applications, the designer of 2D

    and 3D applications and graphic systems, the expert in embedded

    and multimedia systems, the head of technology-mediated com-

    munication projects.Job opportunities for graduates are available in fast-growing sec-tors, like the TV and multimedia industry, online publishing, mobi-

    le telecommunications, e-Business, e-Learning, e-Government,

    domotics, and so forth.

    The sound engineering and design track of the M.Sc. degree trains

    professionals in sectors like the environmental and architectural

    acoustic and electroacoustic design, the audio production and

    post-production, the web publishing, the design of professionaland commercial instruments.

    Another active area in this sector is the radio and television

    industry, where the need of know-how for the production and

    post-production of audio and music contents is constantly gro-

    wing; the music and multimedia publishing industry, which hasskyrocketed in the past few years thanks to the availability of

    new media for mass distribution (CD, DVD, Internet, digital

    television).Last but not least, the audio/video service providers for the design

    and installation of audio diffusion systems in public spaces. Other

    relevant sectors include the domotics, security, architectural acou-

    stics etc, where job opportunities are growing at a high pace.

    Useful links

    The Como Computer Engineering website: www.como.poli-

    mi.it/informatica

    The website with the list of subjects, the official program-

    mes, the academic regulations: www.inginf.polimi.it

    ("Didattica" section, in Italian)

    The website of the "Giuseppe Verdi" Music Conservatoire:www.conservatoriocomo.it (in Italian)

    www.polo-como.polimi.it/english ("Teaching" section)

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    34/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO32

    The Computer Engineering on

    line degreewww.laureaonline.it

    In the year 2000, Politecnico di Milano, in collaboration with

    Somedia, a company of the Espresso Media Group, created theComputer Engineering online degree, the first entirely online

    degree in Italy.

    The idea behind this project is simple and effective: to developa course in the ICT sector using ICT instruments. The course,

    created within the framework of the new educational system, is

    completely equivalent to the traditional computer engineering

    curriculum: it is held by the professors of the Politecnico diMilano, studies the same subjects, awards the same credits, and

    students pass the same exams as in the regular Computer

    Engineering degree.

    The online format enables students to study at their own pace,to choose a curriculum compliant with the workload they can

    sustain, to interact with the virtual campus by means of toolsallowing them to communicate with tutors and professors and

    get in touch with other students, thus overcoming the con-

    straints due to distance.

    The Politecnico di Milano, with the support of the METID

    Centre (Metodi e Tecnologie Innovative per la Didattica -

    Innovative Teaching Methods and Technologies), has combined

    academic and scientific skills with innovative methods to crea-te and organize the educational process and its contents. The

    result is a degree with the same level of quality as the traditio-

    nal courses, but which experiments new methods and takes

    advantage of new technologies.

    The Computer Engineering online degree has been accredited

    by CampusOne, a project promoted by CRUI (Conference of

    Italian University Rectors) in order to asses the quality of theuniversity degrees, assist students during their university career,

    and link universities and the job market by helping graduates to

    find a job.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    35/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 33

    Teaching format and structure of the course

    The Computer Engineering online degree adheres to a teaching

    format which integrates all they key aspects of e-Learning: tea-

    ching methodology, technology, organization.Students participate to classes in virtual classrooms, consisting of

    20-25 participants, followed by a professor and by a tutor. Everycourse of the online curriculum is supervised by an official pro-

    fessor. The Faculty professors belong to the Politecnico di Milano

    and have a long academic experience and a strong motivation.

    Professors are responsible for:

    defining teaching projects aimed at fully exploiting multimedia

    and telematic instruments;

    producing innovative teaching materials;

    establishing and managing new relationship modalities withstudents.

    Tutors are experts in the field (usually researchers or professors ofthe Politecnico di Milano) who coordinate, in collaboration with the

    professor, a virtual classroom. They manage:

    the teaching activities of the course (projects, exercises, etc);

    live communication sessions with the students (for explanations,in-depth analyses, etc).

    The program is based upon some key points. Individual study is car-

    ried out mainly on contents created by professors for this purpose,

    entirely available and usable online. They contain multimedia mate-

    rials, glossaries, exercises, self-evaluation tests and useful links. Since

    2006, the software platform has been completely updated; it allows

    21/07/2003

    The first graduates inComputer Engineeringonline in Como.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    36/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO34

    students to get access using any operating system and is being con-stantly improved to take into account the specific needs of the stu-

    dents. Collaborative learning is achieved with different tools and ser-

    vices (e-mail, forums, bulletin boards, live sessions) available in the

    platform,which allows students,tutors and professors in every virtual

    classroom to interact both in real-time and in asynchronous mode.

    Notably, the real-time activity requires students to meet in a virtualclassroom at a specific time of the day to join the scheduled live ses-

    sion, thanks to which participants may communicate by chatting,

    sharing files, carrying out interactive exercises, and much more. In

    the live session, students may request additional explanations of the

    contents to clarify difficult points, develop projects in collaboration

    with other students in the same virtual classroom, interact with

    other students, and receive immediate feedback to their questions.

    Periodical online tests on each subject enable professors to con-stantly monitor the learning progress of the students.

    These tests are held for all the subjects and often they are a prere-

    quisite to be admitted to the final examination. The final exams are

    held in presence at the Como Campus; the assessment criteria are

    the usual ones, and the examination procedures are explained to the

    students at the beginning of the course.

    University credits

    The Computer Engineering online degree follows the rules of the

    new educational system, according to which every University

    degree is divided into a first level three-year course and a second-

    level two-year course. The Computer Engineering online course

    awards a first-level degree, which gives students the opportunity

    to define a customized curriculum; at the beginning of each year,

    students may decide how many credits they want to subscribe: 30,45 or 60. The complete course comprises 180 credits in total.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    37/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 35

    Furniture Design

    Presentation

    Industrial design deals with the design and development of indu-

    strial products, by culturally integrating the design disciplines

    with those related to the technology and the analysis/interpreta-tion of social, economic and market scenarios.

    Therefore, design naturally fits into the culture of the

    Politecnico di Milano, by merging technical and scientific

    know-how with humanistic knowledge, and working in close

    collaboration with production companies and enterprises at a

    local and national level. Indeed, Politecnico di Milano created, in

    1993, the first Industrial Design degree in Italy.

    In 2000, the course was also opened in Como, demonstrating once

    more the historical ability of Politecnico di Milano in building

    relationships with the enterprise system, a key point for creating

    professionals fitting the market trends and for guaranteeing job

    opportunities to graduates.

    The Como Campus represents in this sense the perfect place to

    develop a program with a particularly strong link with the pro-

    duction system, which led to the creation of the FurnitureDesign course.

    The furniture sector represents an essential domain in which the

    Italian design can express itself responsible to a great extent for

    the worldwide success of the "Made in Italy"; in particular, in thefurniture sector, a leading role is played by the companies of the

    Brianza area, which still represent one of the most important pro-

    duction districts at an international level.

    The teaching staff of the course constitutes a link between the uni-versity and the local productive system, and thus blends two dif-

    ferent cultures: the academic and scientific culture of the profes-sors coming from the Politecnico di Milano departments and

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    38/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO36

    from other universities, and the professional and corporate expe-rience of teachers coming from companies and professional orga-

    nizations. The Como Campus offers the Furniture Design Major,

    inside the Industrial design B.Sc. degree.

    Furniture Design Major(B.Sc. Degree in Industrial Design)

    The course

    Designing a piece of furniture means developing an industrial

    product to be used within a certain environment, to make it effi-

    cient, pleasant and liveable.

    In this perspective, the concept of "furnishing item" has progres-

    sively extended to a wide range of goods that make houses andpublic spaces usable and pleasant: not only pieces of furniture, butalso all the items decorating an environment, combining the func-

    tional dimension with the aesthetic and emotional ones: from

    plant terminals, to household appliances, to lighting systems, sani-

    tary appliances, coatings, industrial division systems for interiors,

    upholstery, doors, windows and shutters, etc.

    The furniture designer should be able to work on the "hard" com-

    ponents of the product, starting from a solid technical back-ground, and on the "soft" qualities, i.e. to manage at the same time

    technologies, shapes, colours, materials, and feelings.

    The Furniture Design Major enables students to operate in the

    different domains of furniture design, for houses and in public

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    39/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 37

    and semi-public spaces, like working places, learning spaces,

    health structures, entertainment centres, hotels, points of sales of

    different kinds, external environments, and urban furnishings.

    The Furniture Design Major gives students the necessary skills toperform the design tasks in the different phases of product deve-

    lopment: creation, concept development, technical development,

    engineering, large scale production, communication, distribution,

    and launch on the market. To do so, students need to acquire dif-ferent skills and the necessary sensibility to support the innova-

    tion process typical of the design sector.

    They also need to acquire the necessary skills to read and under-

    stand the context in which the product must be placed in order to

    develop innovative solutions: market analysis, usage context

    analysis, the study of trends, the knowledge of the transfer and

    application modalities of new materials and technologies, market

    intelligence techniques, and the decision support tools to use

    during a project and during the product life cycle in connectionwith environmental and social sustainability.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    40/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO38

    Objectives

    At the end of the three-year course, students will be able to deve-

    lop a project of a furnishing item or system, showing their ability

    to control the key factors affecting the product, and notably: tech-

    nology, production and performance-related aspects; the choice

    of materials; the definition of formal quality; the match with mar-

    ket objectives; the construction of the product identity related tothe corporate identity; the choice of communication channels and

    modalities and their potential technical development; coherence

    with environmental sustainability objectives.

    The curriculum does not aim at teaching a unique and predefi-

    ned design method, but a set of tools and the know-how in dif-ferent fields, which may be mixed and enriched by the students

    during the development of a specific project. Students, therefo-

    re, must be able to understand the context in which they work,identifying the underlying evolution dynamics, to correctly use

    the available tools.

    Students shall acquire the knowledge of the following aspects:

    representation tools and techniques, from manual to technical

    drawings, from photography to physical and virtual modelling of

    the product;

    visual languages, perception mechanisms and chromatic

    systems, image construction and manipulation techniques;

    history of furniture, within the broader history of industrial

    products and art;

    processes of construction of product meaning and value, star-

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    41/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 39

    ting from humanities subjects like semiotics, aesthetics, sociology

    and psychology;

    ergonomics, performance, and more in general, factors related

    to the relationship between the product and the user;

    the principles of project planning, production and distribu-tion of industrial products;

    the problems and the constraints of marketing, technical and

    economic feasibility, manufacturing, market penetration strate-

    gies, etc. tools for product life-cycle planning, up to product dis-

    posal.

    Job opportunities

    Graduates in Furniture Design are "project technicians", i.e.

    they have a technical know-how for the design of furniture

    items and systems.

    Graduates may work:

    in production and furnishing companies and more gene-

    rally in companies manufacturing industrial products for the

    house, like lighting devices, sanitary appliances, internal

    coatings, interior division items, upholstery, doors, windows

    and shutters, etc.;

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    42/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO40

    in professional firms and in design companies working in

    Furniture Design;

    in the sector distribution system;

    in companies developing customized pieces of furniture for

    specific areas, like products for the point of sale, for a commu-

    nity, public places, etc.

    Special teaching initiatives at the Design

    Faculty

    The project workshops

    During the academic year, students participate to full-immer-

    sion project experiences, which last one or two weeks, calledworkshops. During this short period of time, popular profes-

    sionals or design companies propose projects to students and

    support them during the development phase.

    Students have the possibility to see, within the schedule of aproject, what happens in a corporate and professional scenario:

    the final objective is that of providing students with the capa-

    city to implement a project.

    Workshops are managed by visiting professors from the inter-

    national professional world. In the past few years, workshops at

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    43/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 41

    the Design Faculty were held, among others, by Mario Bellini,

    Pierluigi Cerri, Antoni Citterio, Gui Bonsiepe, Bruce Fifield,Alessandro Guerriero, Vico Magistretti, Angelo Mangiarotti,

    Enzo Mari, Norman McNally, Paola Navone, Barret Davis, Piero

    Castiglioni, Aldo Cibic, Perry King,Marc Sadler, Ugo La Pietra,

    Bob Noorda, Italo Rota, Denis Santachiara.

    Some of the companies who participated in corporate works-hops are: Caimi, Con-Pak, Decathlon, Edra, Ege,Frette, Grohe,

    Mantero, Mares, Molteni, Honegger Promotion, Inda, Osram,Tecno, Whirlpool.

    Learning in companies

    During the last year of the M.Sc.curriculum, students carry out a

    traineeships in qualified corporate and professional structures.

    This experience is useful to let students experience the real pro-

    fessional environment and to create university-mediated dialoguewith the labour market.

    The Design Faculty, with the RAP service (Rapporti con le

    Aziende e Professioni - Relationships with Companies and

    Professionals), which has a branch in Como, offers a wide range of

    on-the-job training opportunities, in Italy and abroad, in the

    design fields related to the subjects studied.

    Useful Links

    The website of the Design Faculty: www.design.polimi.it

    www.polo-como.polimi.it/english ("Teaching" section)

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    44/60

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    45/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 43

    Students opting for the courses held in Como, study in an envi-ronment full of cultural activities and enjoy unique services and

    opportunities:

    by studying in a top university, participating to the courses of

    the main Engineering and Industrial Design School in Italy;by having the opportunity to discuss directly with professors,

    thanks to the limited number of students in each class, compara-

    ble with the best European standards,by using services assisting the learning process. Students,

    indeed, are constantly supported by tutors who are the link with

    the professors and also play an essential role in helping the defini-

    tion of the curriculum;

    by enjoying a wide range of services making it easier for stu-

    dents living out of Como to find a place to live;by experimenting the life and study in an international com-

    munity, thus getting ready to enter the global job market.

    Students in Civil and Environmental Engineering and in

    Environmental and Geomatic Engineering will find:

    the opportunity to use, during the first and second-level

    degree, advanced laboratories like the Geomatics laboratory, the

    technical physics laboratory and the industrial automation labo-ratory, with state-of-the-art equipment, specialized software, and

    environmental and territorial datasets,

    the opportunity to develop an advanced know-how in geoma-

    tics and in its related fields, also thanks to the courses exchanged

    with the Management and Production and Computer

    Engineering degrees.

    Students of the Management and Production Engineering course

    in Como will have the opportunity to:participate to programmes and activities aimed at creating a real

    community of management students. Among other services, the

    university organizes workshops on hot topics in corporate manage-

    Why study in Como

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    46/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO44

    ment, competitions awarding the best management engineering stu-

    dent of the year, and the most interesting entrepreneurial idea (to the

    best idea, corporate incubation services are offered);

    live in an international environment. The M.Sc. course,indeed, is held in English with the aim of attracting Erasmus or

    Unitech foreign students, and students who autonomously decide

    to study in Italy;be involved, with thesis work and traineeship experiences related

    to their course, in the various technology transfer projects that pro-

    fessors and researchers in Como carry out in collaboration with the

    associations and the companies of the area; in this way, students willbe able to witness the dynamics within a company and contribute to

    innovate its organization, management and technology.

    Students interested in the Computer Engineering course have

    excellent reasons for studying in Como:because the curricula are extremely innovative and unique in

    Italy: with the track in communication, an engineering schoolcombines, for the first time, technical and scientific education

    with humanistic and communication subjects;

    because the track in sound engineering and design is unique in

    Italy and among the few courses in Europe that integrate

    Information Technology, telecommunications, electronics, and

    physics with music production and sound design, resulting in an

    extremely modern and multidisciplinary project;because the graduate students will acquire skills that are the

    most advanced and sought for in the market, and the academic

    activities are held in collaboration with internationally renowned

    research and technology transfer projects.

    Students of the Furniture Design course will be able to:

    attend courses tightly connected to companies and to the diffe-rent professionals working in the design field, especially in the

    wood/furniture system characterizing the Brianza area of Como and

    Milan,and in the Como textile district, leaders of the "Made in Italy";

    live in an international environment, by participating to the

    MEDes programme (Master of European Design Network) invol-

    ving seven top European design universities and extra-EU pro-

    grammes based on special bilateral agreements with Japan, SouthAmerica, Canada, Australia and the United States;

    use experimental laboratories for modelling and photo-

    graphy, with technical and teaching equipment, technologies andservices supporting the implementation of projects and prototy-

    pes by students.

    A detail of the ComoCampus of Politecnico di

    Milano in via Valleggio.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    47/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 45

    The quality of a university depends also on the quality of the job

    opportunities available to its graduates. Traineeships, international

    relations, research projects and an environment which supports the

    creation of enterprises by students are the essential ingredients to

    find not just a job, but the right job that suits one's ambitions.

    After the degree: traineeships

    Choosing what to do after graduation is a fundamental moment in

    the career of a student. One of the most effective tools to facilitatethe approach to the job market is a traineeship in a company, availa-

    ble on the third year of the first-level degree, and which may also be

    carried out during the M.Sc. degree, as a part of thesis work.

    Traineeships are controlled by a Politecnico di Milano professor,

    and allow students to better understand what career they want to

    undertake. The quality of the traineeship projects and of the

    hosting companies is extremely high and is constantly monitoredby the Traineeship Office (Ufficio Stage) of Politecnico di Milano.

    Following are some examples of companies offering traineeships

    to students of the Como Campus:

    In the Information Technology and Automation sector: ABB,

    Accenture, Acer, Agusta, BSC Group, Bizmatica, Cefriel, Cisco, DS

    Group, Eldor Corporation, ESA Elettonica, Etnoteam, HP, IBM,Intel, Microsoft, Multimedia Point, Pirelli Informatica, Reply, ST

    Microelectronics,TxT e-solutions,Whirlpool

    In the Management and Production sector: Accenture, Aeffe,

    Afros, Alcantara, Artsana, Beta Utensili, Bravosolution, BB Italia,

    Cappelletti, Coca Cola Bevande, Hirsch Italia, Interweb,Lastminute, Mantero Seta, Merloni, MetalC, Neologistica, OMPPorro, Oraplus, Pirelli Pneumatici, SEA Handling, Siemens,

    Sistemi Quemme,Tecnolario,Webegg,WebRatio.

    Study and work during and after

    the university

    The alumni of the ComoCampus are foundingmore and more ofteninnovative companies

    with high technologicalcontent.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    48/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO46

    In Environmental and Land Use sectors: ASIL di Merone,

    Comodepur, Consorzio Valsorda Bevere, Lariana Depur, SOGEI-

    VA (Management company of purification plans of the Province

    of Varese), Lombardia Region.

    In the public administration, associations, and local institutions:

    Municipality of Como, Province of Como, Lombardia region,Chamber of Commerce of Como, Civic Museums of Como,

    Scientific Culture Centre "Alessandro Volta".

    Finding a top job

    According to a job market survey held in 2004 on 473 alumni of

    the Como Campus of Politecnico di Milano, 77.51% of alumni

    found a job within the first year after graduation, and 81.17%

    work in the area of Como or in the Lombardia Region. 50.11%of the interviewees reckon that the qualification they hold from

    the university was essential to find a job, and as many as 75.47%

    are extremely satisfied with the course they chose.

    48% of them think the University provided them with an overall

    good education related to their present job, and 94.29% would

    suggest to a high-school student to enrol to the same course. Asmany as 56.76% are employed with an open-ended contract,

    21.13% have a fixed-term contract, and 13.27% are working as

    freelances. In 2004, average salaries were between 1000 and 1500

    euro for 44.42% of the graduates, between 1500 an 2000 for

    23.08% of them, and between 2000 and 4000 for 11.17% of them.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    49/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 47

    Spin-offs, Start-ups and incubated companies

    The several research and technology transfer projects and the trai-

    neeships carried out in collaboration with local, domestic and

    European companies offer top-quality job opportunities to gra-

    duates. The number of students from the Como Campus who

    establish their own company in order to turn an innovative ideainto a successful product is also growing. At the moment, at the

    Como Campus there are several companies founded by students.

    Companies partially owned by Politecnico di

    Milano (Spin-offs)

    WebRatioWeb Ratio (www.webratio.com) was founded in October 2001 as a

    spin off of Politecnico di Milano, by three graduates and two profes-

    sors of the Como Campus. The Politecnico di Milano participates to

    the company with a 10% share. The core business of the company is

    the development of a revolutionary software programme allowing

    users to create and maintain web applications via a simple, straight-forward visual language and automatic code generators. The pro-

    duct is the commercial and industrial outcome of an international

    patent owned by the University developed at the Como Campus.Today, WebRatio has a staff of 20 employees and collaborators and

    works with national and international customers.

    MetalC

    MetalC S.r.l was created in 2005 as spin off of Politecnico di

    Milano, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce of Como,

    to launch on the market an innovative approach for the manage-

    ment and optimization of supply-chain relationships amongItalian SMEs. Such know-how stems from the several projects car-

    ried out at a regional and national level for the digitization of the

    relationships between suppliers and customers.

    Within this framework, MetalC S.r.l. offers to the market of Italian

    companies IT products and services for support, re-design and digi-

    tization of corporate workflows, especially those processes related to

    the management of the supply chain, based on a shared communi-

    cation vocabulary and on an integrated software toolsuite calledIntegrate!. MetalC also promotes the technology transfer to the soft-ware houses of clients and partners, disseminating the web-based

    solutions and the Integrate! method approach.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    50/60

    POLITECNICO DI MILANO - POLO REGIONALE DI COMO48

    Incubated companies

    Wise-Lab s.r.l.

    Wise-Lab S.r.l. (Web Innovation and SErvices LABoratories) is a

    company working in the Information and Communication

    Technology sector since 2001. It is a highly technical company and

    focuses mainly on the development of B2B (BusinessToBusiness)and B2C (BusinessToConsumer) Internet applications, portalsand other software applications. Its flagship product is

    Wiseportal, a data-management platform which allows users to

    create and edit Portal pages by complying with the WAI-W3C gui-

    delines and with the Stanca Law n. 4/2004.

    This product allows users to independently manage, without any

    technical skill, portal of different complexity, medium to small

    (WisePortal Free), portals for medium businesses (WisePortal

    Professional), and portals with a high number of content elements,many pages, and high access volumes (WisePortal Enterprise).

    Wise-Lab's core technology is the WiseModel, a XML and UML-

    based integration platform which allows users to create advanced

    web applications. The integration is carried out by modelling the

    interaction between the software components and the serviceswith UML diagrams and then by automatically generating a real

    web application (not a prototype, but a real application). Thanks

    to this platform, Wise-Lab meets the clients' requirements and

    implements custom applications, assuring the effectiveness and

    efficiency required by the modern IT market.

    Video4U

    Video4U (www.video4u.it) is a company founded in 2002 by 4

    Computer Engineering alumni of the Como Campus. It deals with

    the creation, editing and publication of videos on the web. It is spe-

    cialized in making available on the web multicamera videos for on-demand and/or live use, exploiting a method that allows viewers to

    see videos without waiting for the complete download of the file.

    "Politecnico di Milano encourages entrepreneurial ideas, and it's one

    of the promoters of the competition "Fare Impresa a Como (to crea-

    te a company in Como)", which gives a real opportunity to young

    entrepreneurs" declares Marzio Ghezzi, one of the founders of

    Video4U. "We were happy of our experience as students in Como, so

    much so, that, with the right know-how, we decided to open ourown company. The Como Campus is an environment with ahuman touch, were students can work together with top profes-

    sors, enjoying all the advantages such a close relationship brings.

  • 5/28/2018 BrochureA5 Ing

    51/60

    A TEACHING SYSTEM BETWEEN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION 49

    Moreover, the fact that in the Campus you can meet IT, design,

    management and environment experts is very encouraging: you

    have a blend of different skills which, if combined, can work on

    and implement any project" Ghezzi says.

    Opl

    Opl s.r.l. (www.op-la.com) works in the design, implementationand management of innovative communication products, in con-

    tent production for different media, and as a graphic agency. It offers

    "turn-key" communication projects, which include press contents,

    images, graphic development, press services and software houses for

    the integration of IT applications. Created by a group of professio-

    nals including journalists, experts in creativity, graphic designers,and IT experts, the company offers to the market a multi-task team

    with a background of different experiences in the media, consul-

    tancy, management and Information Technology sectors. Since itsfoundation in 2002, Opl has collaborated with the "Alessandro

    Volta Scientific Culture Centre" in Como and has implemented dif-

    ferent projects, among which there are: two corporate portals, the

    contents for two important e-Government projects, and institutio-nal communication for some uni