First Level Academic Diploma in Photography - IED Milano

Language

Italian, English

Start date

October 2026

Frequency

Full time

Fruition

On campus

Duration

3 Years

Credits

180 CFA / ECTS

Course Coordination

Magali Avezou

Course also available in:

Rome
Turin

The Bachelor of Arts in Photography at IED Milano combines experimentation and research, blending analogue processes with digital and generative techniques in a vision that reflects photography in its contemporary dimension. The teaching approach encourages the development of authorial perspectives and critical views on reality, exploring new narratives and expressive possibilities. In the third year, students may choose a specialisation focusing on fashion photography, its production dynamics and the professional relationships specific to the sector. Milan, with its vibrant creative and professional environment, offers the ideal context to work in diverse fields: from creative direction to curating exhibitions and events, through to the entire publishing landscape.

Course structure and contents:

The IED programme spans three years, integrating design, cultural knowledge, dialogue with professionals, technical skills and innovative tools.

First Year: Students acquire the technical and cultural foundations of photography, from studio practice and darkroom work to the use of key post-production and layout software such as Photoshop, InDesign and CaptureOne. Theoretical courses introduce the fundamentals of visual perception, the history of photography and critical image analysis, combined with personal projects, interdisciplinary workshops and collaborations with external partners.

Second Year: Focuses on project methodology across research, editorial, artistic and commercial production. Students define a personal visual language and engage with the concept of post-photography, learning practices of reuse and reinterpretation of archival materials to construct new visual narratives. Theoretical studies support this process by analysing contemporary aesthetics and emerging communication tools.

Third Year: Dedicated to advanced design and professional simulation. Students develop a coherent, authorial portfolio, manage the art direction of their productions, and design exhibitions, events and publications. The exploration of generative artificial intelligence enables them to integrate it consciously into the creative process, addressing its ethical implications.

The final thesis project consists of an authorial work demonstrating the ability to use the image as an expressive, critical and communicative tool. Projects cover a wide range of themes: from fashion, architecture and music, through personal research, to science and social engagement, confirming photography’s role as a language capable of narrating and interpreting the world.

Faculty

Course Coordinator

Magali Avezou

Independent curator

Carlotta Cattaneo Carter

Alice Guareschi

Visual artist

Sha Ribeiro

Photographer

Martin Allegra

Photographer

Luca Attilio Caizzi

Photographer and Creative Director

Ivo Sekulovski

Photographer, Visual Artist, Photographer

Carlo Furgeri Gilbert

Photographer and filmmaker

Luca Rotondo

Freelance Photographer

Schenetti Massimiliano

Photographer

Sonia Marin

Professional Photographer

Claudio Morelli

Journalist, photographer and filmmaker

Sergio Lovati

Photographer and Artist

Rebecca Pedrazzi

Art historian and critic specialized in AI Art, curator, and journalist

Davide Bertuccio

Photojournalist and director of documentary photography

Carola Merello

Architectural and Interior Photographer

Silvio Wolf

Visual Artist

Sara Guerrini

Photography Consultant & Picture Editor

Ferri Carazo Paula

Sound designer and sound recordist

Giorgio Majno

Photographer

Claudia Buzzetti

Freelance Project Manager, Content Curator

Andrea Gelpi

Insight Specialist & Market Research Consultant

Giulia Gravina

Graphic designer

Federico Lanzani

Photographer

Dario Mastrocola

Photographer

Claudia Pasanisi

Freelance Photographer and Creative Director

Marianna Schivardi

Filmmaker

Marco Nero Formisano

Advertising photographer and filmmaker     

Stefano Uvietta

Photographer

Matteo Bricchi

Photographer

Davide Sottile

Graphic Designer

Roberto Prosdocimo

Photographer, Owner of REPARTO21

Scaravaggi Silvia

Art Curator and Writer

Antonino Amoroso

Producer

Ermanno Guarneri

Founder of Shake

Ornella Mignone

Scenographer and Curator

Thomas Wiedenhofer

Photographer, Producer

Raffaele Solaini

Philosopher and semiotic expert

Sergio Messina

Musician, Radio Author, Teacher, Researcher

Luca Toccaceli

Lecturer in Communication and mass media

Marianne Boutrit

Artist and Photographer

Elena Datrino

Photographer, Lecturer

Erica Bernardi

Curator

Angela Madesani

Art Curator, Author and Historian

Lisa Montagner

Surfacing/Texture Artist

Projects

Graphic Design and Visual Communication

Milan

Da sempre qui

Visual and Interactive Arts

Milan

Young Researchers, Cariplo Foundation

Graphic Design and Visual Communication

Milan

Incendio Doloso

Visual and Interactive Arts

Milan

Unconventional Display Possibilities

Visual and Interactive Arts

Milan

Se il mondo girasse al contrario il tempo andrebbe all’indietro

Visual and Interactive Arts

Milan

l’accadere del tempo

Visual and Interactive Arts

Milan

There Are No Edges

Visual and Interactive Arts

Milan

WOMEN: IN BETWEEN

Visual and Interactive Arts

Milan

Myoho

News

02 April 2026

Forbes Next Leaders: Noemi Giulianini designs the March magazine cover

Forbes Next Leaders and IED join forces to promote next-generation creativity, continuing the partnership dedicated to the Next Leaders covers.

30 March 2026

IED PRESENTS THE SEARCHLIGHTS: the urgencies of our time through the photographs of people in their twenties

On Friday, April 10, from 3:00 PM to 6:30 PM, Gallerie d’Italia – Torino will host a dynamic and interactive Public Portfolio Review, inviting reflection on photography as a political act and a way of investigating the contemporary world. On display will be the projects of 18 students from the IED Group.

25 March 2026

IED ranked among the world's top 100 academic institutions in the QS World University Rankings® by Subject 2026

Europe's largest Art and Design school network secures 78th place worldwide in the Art & Design discipline, marking its 60th anniversary year.

19 March 2026

Plural Intelligences: IED Announces the Theme of Its 60th Anniversary

IED reveals Plural Intelligences, the theme dedicated to the 60th anniversary of its foundation, which will take place in 2026.

Forbes Next Leaders – IED Student designs the February cover of Next Leaders

12 March 2026

Forbes Next Leaders – IED Student designs the February cover of Next Leaders

Forbes Next Leaders and IED come together to promote the creativity of a new generation: the partnership dedicated to the covers of Next Leaders begins.

06 March 2026

IED Madrid’s Workshop Week 2026 explores new creative territories with international guest lecturers thanks to the Erasmus KA131 programme

Guest lecturers Lavinia Rosseti, Filippo Rossi, and Nicolas Lambouris brought new perspectives on materiality and contemporary audiovisual practices within the #TimesNew concept.

03 March 2026

This was IED MUSES Talks: Omar Sosa

The co-founder of ‘Apartamento Magazine’ shared his creative dynamics at the intersection of art, architecture and editorial design in the second episode of the second season of the IED’s inspirational talk series.

IED Expands Its English-Language Offer with New Courses in Design, Fashion and Film

27 February 2026

IED Expands Its English-Language Offer with New Courses in Design, Fashion and Film

IED – Istituto Europeo di Design is broadening its international offer with a new range of English-taught courses. A strategic move that strengthens IED’s position as Europe’s largest design network, opening its doors to students and creative professionals from across the globe.

Display case of a typography exhibition

26 February 2026

TDC 71: The Power of Typography Arrives at IED Barcelona

From 25 February to 25 March, the campus will host, for the second consecutive year, the exhibition of the finest international works awarded by the Type Directors Club (TDC) of New York in 2025.

Don't miss it

Exhibitions and Festival

16 April 2026 - 16 April 2026

Barcelona

OFFF Barcelona 2026

Alumnus Jaime Rose De Candole (IED Barcelona) will present her final degree project at NXT, the platform for emerging talent within the festival of art, design and creativity.

Lecture and Panel discussion

16 April 2026 - 16 April 2026

Bilbao

Jornada Open Branding

IED Kunsthal Bilbao will host an event exploring branding as a driver of growth, examining how it can become a real tool for management and differentiation, as well as analyzing current trends and their impact on companies.

Exhibitions and Festival

23 April 2026 - 23 April 2026

Turin

Re - Resistence Ester Valabrega, a possible archive

Sofia Valabrega’s project at the Polo del '900, bridging family memory and the history of the Resistance.