If you enrolled before the 2025/2026 academic year, consult the list of Programmes and Regulations available on your School website.
The information provided about the programme refers to the academic year 2025/26 and may be subject to change in the academic year 2026/27.
MSc in Product Service System Design
The Master's Degree in Product Service System Design trains professionals who are experts in innovation in the so-called product-service system, understood as a combination of products, services, communication, artefacts and digital spaces through which innovative and sustainable design solutions, experiences and brand identities take shape. Students learn to develop creative solutions using methodologies ranging from ethnographic research to participatory and data-driven design, collaborating in multidisciplinary teams and acquiring leadership and entrepreneurship skills.
Admission to the Master's Degree in Product Service System Design is reserved for candidates who hold a first-level degree in classes L-4, L-17, L-21, L-3, or a Level I Academic Diploma obtained from Institutes of Higher Education in Art, Music and Dance (AFAM) in courses related to the field of Design and the visual arts. Those who hold a first-level degree in different classes may also enrol, provided they have extra-curricular training and professional experience related to the field of Design, deemed suitable by the Master's Degree Course Council.
Admission to the Master's Degree Course is subject to verification of individual preparation and placement in a useful position in the merit ranking. A minimum weighted average of 23/30 (Polimi graduates) or 25/30 (other Italian universities) is required.
Admission is based on the evaluation of the portfolio/thesis abstract, CV, motivation letter and ranking in the merit list (max 100 points: 50 portfolio, 20 CV, 30 average; 5 bonus points for first choice). Candidates must have an adequate English language certification.
Students with a bachelor's degree in Design or relevant post-graduate work experience with a background in the field of design are eligible to apply. Applicants are required to submit a portfolio.
Admission is subject to assessment of individual qualifications (portfolio, CV, personal statement, academic documentation), ranking and possession of an English language certificate of at least B2 level according to the University's criteria.
Procedures and deadlines are indicated in the Eligibility and Admission Requirements section of the University and School of Design websites.
The programme involves alternating theoretical courses with practice oriented studios. The development of the program along the two years is intended as a gradual evolution of complexity in terms of design challenges and project scope and scale. This manifests in the three studios that start with a focus on the micro scale of a product design, to a service system and spatial design scope, to then enlarge and engage with the design for more complex service and social systems.
From a theoretical perspective, the first semester involves foundational courses aimed at training students in their ability to investigate and understand cultural and business contexts, to design for user-experience and digital innovation and to prepare for team building activities and dynamics.
In the second semester, the program includes an in-depth study of service design for innovation theories and models, and of data driven service design approaches.
The theoretical courses conclude in the third semester with a teaching on systemic design for sustainability and with the selection of two elective courses that can convey specific and in-depth skills in economic, social or cultural innovation.
The job profiles of graduates can vary significantly, focusing on one of the components of a product-service-system or developing a more systemic and service design perspective on the development of complex systems of offer. The professional role of graduates also changes with time, with roles such as UX/UI designers and design researcher in the initial years after graduation to then potentially grow into more strategic and leading roles in organisations, such as project manager, design lead or strategic designers.
In particular, some of the roles that PSS designers can play are: design researcher, UX/UI designer, trend analyst, service designer, retail and interior designer, brand designer, art director, corporate image coordinator, project manager, strategic designer, business designer (double degree with management engineering)
Programme Coordinator: Prof. Daniela Sangiorgi (daniela.sangiorgi@polimi.it)