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Politecnico di Milano
Polo Regionale di ComoA teaching system between research and innovation
2008 EDITION
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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)
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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-
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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.;
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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
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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)
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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