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

Visual and Interactive Arts

Milan

Didactic projects
Hunting archive

Visual and Interactive Arts

Milan

Didactic projects
Āmēn

Visual and Interactive Arts

Milan

Didactic projects
Unhived

Visual and Interactive Arts

Milan

Didactic projects
Come on, smile!

Visual and Interactive Arts

Milan

Didactic projects
Pale fire

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

News

16 October 2026

From Zero to Future 2026

Opening of the Academic Year in Visual Arts and Communication with a Three-Day Workshop for New Students

14 October 2026

TypoLAB by Gonzalo Muñoz wins a LADAWARD 2026 Award

The project adds another international accolade to its list of achievements, winning in the Student–Digital category.

12 October 2026

Saioa Villa, alumni of IED Kunsthal Bilbao, presents Matterness at Basquerville Festival

The Official Undergraduate Degree in Graphic Design graduate was selected to take part in Harroby, the festival’s platform dedicated to the next generation of design professionals.

06 October 2026

Public Program IED.60, October 2026

This month, IED’s Public Program continues to take design beyond the classroom, creating opportunities for dialogue with audiences, cultural institutions, businesses and professional communities.

05 October 2026

IED Kunsthal Bilbao opens the 2026/27 Master and Postgraduate academic year with Toni Segarra

The day combined an institutional welcome for new students with an open, intergenerational conversation on creativity, talent, teamwork and the transformation of the profession.

02 October 2026

AQU Catalunya grants favourable accreditation to IED Barcelona’s Bachelor of Arts in Design

Once again, IED Barcelona has received a favourable report from the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU Catalunya), certifying the quality of the Bachelor of Arts in Design (Título de Grado en Enseñanzas Artísticas Superiores de Diseño) delivered by the centre.

Two girls holding a paper program in front of a design festival poster

02 October 2026

Brut! 2026 brings two new creative voices from IED Barcelona to the stage

Visual Arts graduates Irina Kavtaradze and Kyla Henry took part in the event where leading design schools showcase their outstanding final degree projects, held on 1 and 2 October at Disseny Hub Barcelona.

Runners starting a mountain race

01 October 2026

A graphic design by IED Barcelona features on the 2026 Travessa Matagalls-Montserrat T-shirt

The design by Visual Arts student Hannah Bokelman was chosen for the T-shirt worn by the 3,000 participants in the event, a non-competitive endurance walk held on 19 and 20 September.

29 September 2026

Six emerging IED designers reach the final stage of the Arts Thread Global Creative Graduate Showcase 2026

Alumni Mariona Panés, Sara Vainer, Miranda Sanz, Malak Yahia and Victoria Escobar (IED Barcelona), together with Zuriñe Berrueta (IED Kunsthal Bilbao), are finalists in the competition, which last year attracted more than 5,000 creatives from 117 countries. Discover their projects and vote!

Don't miss it

Exhibitions and Festival

23 October 2026 - 25 October 2026

Madrid

IED Madrid in the 7th Edition of Recreo Book Art Fair

The school is developing GRADA, a collaborative project with Recreo that transforms the fair’s auditorium into a space for meeting, play and participation

Exhibitions and Festival

06 November 2026 - 07 November 2026

Barcelona

Mira Digital Arts Festival 2026

IED Barcelona returns as an artistic partner and will take part in the digital arts and contemporary music festival with “Ananke: A Liturgy”, an interactive installation by Motion Graphics and Video alumna Malak Yahia.