Program Introduction
Throughout the last decades, interior spaces have played an increasingly important role in the individual and collective environments we live in. Today, it is necessary to look at interior design with a new eye. An interior space is forged matter. To enter into it does not mean to enter an empty space anymore, but to become part of a large structure. We introduce ourselves in stories and narratives, we inhabit the space between objects, we trigger situations. We have learned from contemporary art to use ancient ruins and treasures, so that the flagship store of a fashion company now looks more like a museum than a shop, and a museum of natural sciences uses the same strategies of a flagship store. We have learned, through our experience, that actions of interior design are necessary to animate and enliven the complex public buildings within our contemporary cities, as well as to give meaning to public spaces, which represent the “interior” of the city itself.

In this MA program, students will explore the boundaries and constraints of the world of interior design, acquiring and widening their knowledge, critical awareness, original thinking. They are required to develop a highly experimental attitude, to pursue innovation both in theory and practice, through a widely interdisciplinary design approach. During an intensive two-years exploration of interior spaces, in the especially stimulating creative environment that the city of Milan on the eve of World Expo 2015 represents, students learn to conjugate in the future tense – as small but possible utopias – the verbs to dwell, to display, to exhibit, to sell: how we will live, how we will work, how we will communicate through interior spaces.

Learning Outcomes and Career Opportunities
The MA program aims at preparing the next generation of groundbreaking interior designers, with an excellent professional profile that matches the requirements of the international job market in the fields of interior design, exhibition design, architecture, specialized journalism. MA students are specifically trained in the interior design of different kinds of public spaces and explore the several different approaches to contemporary display design, from art exhibition to retail stores. While dealing with the wider cultural aspects of design, the MA program prepares professionals to work in the fields of contemporary art, curatorship, exhibition management, as well as design critique and specialised journalism. The MA program allows graduates to successfully access to the PhD programs in design offered by other academic institutions within the Laureate network. MA students will become skilled young designers and will develop multidisciplinary skills, and a general awareness to the radical changes they will have to deal with in the future. Through a mix of practical skills and theoretical visions, the MA program in Design, specialization in Interior Design, intends to enrich the professional profiles of the students, in order for them to become competitive in the international job market or establish successful start-up initiatives.

Degree & Certification
Students enrolled in the Master of Art – Interior Design that complete the full program receive a Master of Arts Degree awarded by NABA Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, recognized by the Italian Ministry of Education.

Declaration of Value
In order to receive the Academic Master Degree at the completion of the program students holding a non-Italian Bachelor Degree are required to have their degree validated prior to starting the program. In order to do so, students must contact the Italian Embassy or Consulate in the country where the degree was issued in order to ask for the so called “perfezionamento documenti”, consisting of:

• Translation into Italian (by certified translator) of the student’s High School Diploma*
• Translation into Italian (by certified translator) of the student’s High School Academic Transcripts*
• Translation into Italian (by certified translator) of the student’s Bachelor Degree*
• Translation into Italian (by certified translator) of the student’s Undergraduate Academic Transcripts*
• “Dichiarazione di valore in loco” (Declaration of Value) of the student’s High School Diploma & Bachelor Degree. (The “Dichiarazione di valore in loco” is the document attesting that the study qualification obtained in the student’s country of residence is valid for accessing Italian Universities or Academies)

For a complete list of Italian representative authorities worldwide please see here. The legalized and translated documents, as well as the “Dichiarazione di valore in loco” will be issued to the student.

*Please Note: All Consulates vary and they may have slightly different requirements. You must contact the Consulate, which holds jurisdiction where the diploma/degree issuing school is located.

Program Curriculum
The MA program in Design, specialization in Interior Design, awards students with the internationally recognized title of Master of Arts in Design. In order to graduate, students must attend a minimum of 15 academic courses, in three consecutive semesters, belonging to different course typologies. Project Workshops: integrated courses with very challenging design tasks, developed from an interdisciplinary point of view under the supervision of a small team of professors, each responsible for a specific aspect of the project. In these courses, directed by Italo Rota and coordinated by Luca Poncellini, students learn to use interior design as a key to understand the crucial issues of the contemporary global culture. Design courses: courses dedicated to the development of specific technical and methodological approaches to interior design and its disciplines. With Piero Lissoni, students learn the Italian approach to domestic spaces and furniture design; Denis Santachiara brings a new dimension to the program practice investigating advanced production technologies and self-promotion tools; Luca Stoppini explores the contemporary approach to display, based on interactive devices and on the activation of the space around the objects; with Ernesto Gismondi, students learn to design lights and with lights; the workshops of 3d rendering enhance the students’ abilities to investigate and show the nature of interior spaces.

Theoretical courses: courses, lectures, and conferences, dedicated to the exploration of the historical and contemporary landscape of Italian design, with an overview on the international scene of art, architecture and design. Students follow Andrea Branzi along an exciting journey across the design culture and are led by Angela Rui to discover new conceptual tools for the practice of interior design.

Creative workshops: short and intensive workshop experiences dedicated to the development of specific design tasks. Workshops are led by outstanding personalities in the field of interaction design, communication design, and exhibition design. The MA in Design, specialization in Product Design, and the MA in Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies, also offered at NABA, allow Interior Design students to collaborate in transversal projects, and to acquire a much more thorough vision of the different operative strategies available in the various fields of design.

Thesis and Final Project
The program foresees the development of a final project work, together with a theoretical thesis where the student analyzes the presented project under a methodological perspective. The final project and thesis, developed under the supervision of a faculty member, are discussed in front of an evaluating commission headed by the Program Director.

Internship and Study Abroad
Students acquire a number of methods and tools in extra-curricular activities and classes, which will be useful to them while entering the job market: career development, project management and presentation techniques, and portfolio creation are the main modules aimed at developing their interdisciplinary skills. We also encourage students to pursue an internship within interior design companies and professional studios. Students are helped in their choice by the academic staff, as well as in the definition of the path and structure that is most suitable to them. The aim is to enhance each student’s professional abilities and set the basis for the creation of a network that will be crucial in its professional growth as a designer. Alternatively, students can spend a period of study abroad (in Europe or overseas), at one of the Academies or Universities, with which NABA has established international exchange agreements (LLP-Erasmus and other programs).

*prices are subject to change

This is an SAI Select Services Program; it includes the important on-site services!

• Academic Master’s Degree awarded by Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (NABA)
• Certificate of Recognition awarded by Media Design School
• Program tuition
• Student health insurance providing full coverage and medical emergency evacuation
• SAI orientation to the host city and school
• SAI staff on-site providing assistance as needed and 24-hour emergency support

Pre-departure and Re-entry services

• Admissions counselor assigned to you, providing friendly assistance throughout your study abroad experience
• Helpful pre-departure tools and resources
• Assistance with student visa application
• Assistance with financial aid and loan processing
• Paid registration fees for national re-entry conferences
• SAI alumni network

Housing is not included in SAI Select Services Programs. However, your SAI Admissions Counselor will be happy to provide you with information and recommendations for local housing agencies, as well as school-provided apartments. Students who do not have prior housing arrangements should begin speaking with their Admissions Counselor as soon as possible.

Passports
Passports should be valid for 3 months after planned departure from Italy.

Student Visas
In accordance with Italian law students studying in Italy for 90 days or more are required to obtain a student visa. Those with Italian/EU citizenship are exempted. Non-US nationals should consult their local Consulate for information on student visa requirements.

Students must appear in person at the Italian Consulate to present their student visa application. Our Student Visa Office is available to assist students in getting ready for the appointment; SAI provides student visa consulting for all our students at no cost.