First Level Academic Diploma in Communication and Promotion of Contemporary Artistic Heritage - IED - Milano

Language

English, Italian

Start date

October 2026
October 2027

Frequency

Full time

Fruition

On campus

Duration

3 Years

Credits

180 CFA / ECTS

Course Coordination

Matilde Losi, Elisabetta Donati De Conti

The art and cultural communication market is highly competitive and constantly evolving. Its unique nature requires professionals capable of applying a dual perspective—one that focuses both on content and execution—across all communication activities aimed at audiences, as well as in education, curation, and cultural mediation.

The Bachelor of Arts in Art and Communication was created to train professionals who can combine strategy and creativity in the development of cultural projects at any scale, from exhibitions and events to cross-media communication campaigns.

Milan is the ideal place to study cultural communication.
The city’s vibrant ecosystem of public and private institutions, companies, foundations, and creative industries active in art, cinema, photography, theatre, publishing, music, and beyond offers students direct access to the professional world. Throughout the program, students gain hands-on experience through collaborations with companies and cultural institutions, turning learning into real-world practice.

Course structure and contents:

The first year provides a multidisciplinary foundation in visual communication and the arts, offering the theoretical and practical tools needed for advanced study. Through courses in photography, directing, and audiovisual languages and techniques, students develop a critical and informed understanding of contemporary expressive tools. Historical subjects such as art and fashion history and architectural history explore the evolution of visual languages and their cultural impact. The year is completed with visual communication design methodology, alongside marketing and management, building a strong, professional-oriented design mindset.

The second year marks the transition into professional practice. Students apply their skills to real projects, often developed in collaboration with external partners, companies, and cultural institutions, under close faculty supervision. Alongside aesthetics and further studies in art and fashion history, the curriculum includes exhibition design and museography, cultural anthropology, and the history of new media, offering a deeper understanding of the relationship between communication, culture, society, and technological innovation.

The third year focuses on advanced design and professional integration within the cultural and creative industries. Students work on real-world projects proposed by companies, institutions, and organizations, refining specialized skills and a clear professional identity. Courses in art and performing arts law and economics provide essential tools to navigate the legal and managerial landscape, while museology, museography, and exhibition system design explore the dialogue between content, space, and audience.

The program concludes with a Final Thesis Project, a key moment of synthesis where students can develop a personal concept or respond to a professional brief, often in collaboration with companies, cultural institutions, and industry professionals—a concrete gateway into the creative and cultural job market.

Faculty

Course Coordinator

Matilde Losi

Designer, Editor and Curator

Course Coordinator

Elisabetta Donati De Conti

Designer, Editor and Curator

Anna Paola Buonanno

Interior Designer & PhD fellow

Tommaso Frangini

Film director

Piergiorgio Italiano

Designer and founder of From outer Space

Lorenza Daverio

Photographer, lecturer, and curator

Gianluca Miotto

Film director and creative producer

Giovanni Galanello

Photographer

News

11 September 2026

Issue 4: Material World - Plural Intelligences

What happens when we recognize the intelligence of materials and learn to work with it responsibly, collectively, and collaboratively?

07 September 2026

Fashion show and festival: the IED Public Programme is back

In September, IED's Public Program returns with a calendar of events across its campuses in Italy and Spain, offering opportunities for dialogue, exchange and discovery open to the community and the wider public.

28 August 2026

What does sustainability mean for a design school?

When discussing sustainability, the debate often focuses on environmental impacts and the responsible use of resources. But what does sustainability mean, in practical terms, for a school that educates future designers, creatives and professionals capable of driving change?

03 July 2026

July: Exhibitions, Installations and New Horizons for IED.60 Public Program

With the arrival of July, IED Graduation Days enter their busiest phase across IED’s Italian campuses, bringing with them a series of public events designed to showcase the ideas, projects and research developed by students.

12 June 2026

Issue 3: Future Memories - Plural Intelligences

What will we choose to remember from the present we are living through? This is the starting point of the third issue of Notes on Plural Intelligences – Future Memories.

09 June 2026

Creativity in motion: the IED.60 Public Programme gets underway

June marks a special moment for IED: the Public Program IED.60 is in full swing, with a rich calendar of events spanning fashion, design, illustration and visual arts, bringing talks, exhibitions and open events to Milan, Rome, Florence and New York for the IED community and the wider public.

21 May 2026

IED AHEAD - Design your tomorrow, today.

Enrol by 31 July 2026 and get an exclusive 20% discount on tuition fees for Undergraduate and Foundation Courses starting in September, October and November 2027.

11 May 2026

Design tells its story at the Turin International Book Fair with EDICOLA IED

From 14 to 18 May, a newsstand of creativity presented the first two issues of Notes on Plural Intelligences alongside a selection of the best Italian and international magazines, accompanied by a programme of talks and workshops that explored themes of design, publishing and contemporary communication.

07 May 2026

IED.60 Public Program - May: between Plural Intelligences and the culture of design

The programme of IED events open to both the internal and external communities continues in may; it was launched to mark the 60th anniversary as a collective reflection on the role of design.