Visual Arts for the Digital Age

Language

Italian

Start date

November 2025

Frequency

Full time

Fruition

On campus

Duration

1 Year

Credits

60

Course Coordination

Martin Romeo

Learn how to create interactive experiences inspired by contemporary multimedia art, involving innovation, experimentation and project design thinking. This is what awaits you in the Master's Program in Visual Arts at IED Milano

The Master's Program in Visual Arts at IED Milano provides professional training for those who want to approach new artistic and digital expressions, moving into a career as designers, creators and media experts for projects and events on contemporary art.

This Master's Program is based on the combination of two worlds: new technologies and performing arts. You will explore the production of ‘edutainment’ learning experiences based on augmented reality and artificial intelligence, as you come into contact with visual design studios, artists, art historians, curators, and art directors.

You will develop projects and content from your own ideas, moving between aesthetics, art, ethics and society with the best tools available.

Information to decide

Exploring and experiencing different ways to communicate and practice art

The Master's Program in Visual Arts at IED Milano provides multidisciplinary training and a great opportunity for growth on many different levels, covering education, professional and human perspectives, along with research and project-based experience based on a learning process where creativity, theory and practice are all combined.

This programme is accredited by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research as a Level I Academic Master's Degree. It consists of different parts: core modules, specific activities, project work and internship. As a first step, you will acquire cultural, analytical and interpersonal skills while attending visits and lectures. You will then move on to multimedia macro-design and integrated media, which will be followed by a further project-based design phase, with a special emphasis on performance techniques and intensive workshop activities. The last part will be focused on art direction and will be run in parallel with training on new media design aesthetics.

Over the year, you will be involved in workshops, rounds of meetings, practical training, case histories, testing, self-branding and presentation activities. This way, you will have the opportunity to develop specialist know-how to successfully move into your future career. All of the skills, expertise, and mindset acquired will help you stand out and be attractive on the market, catching the attention of public and private institutions.

The internship is also part of the training programme. You can carry it out working with design studios, art workshops, museums, multimedia production centres, communication and event design agencies, or also at IED if you choose to complete a field project.

The dissertation project will be the final product of your training path. You will have the opportunity to carry it out based on your own ideas or in cooperation with external partners.

The Master’s Degree in Visual Arts at IED Milano is for students who want to explore contemporary art and experiment with new styles, techniques or software tools, looking for new content and tools that make full use of new technologies. It is also intended for those who like being involved with interdisciplinary projects, working in teams or learning from interaction with lecturers, all of them being leading players in the contemporary art scene.

Students on this Master's Degree course come from a variety of disciplinary and professional backgrounds - including art, humanities, music and project design. They are mainly involved in the world of performing arts, interactive installations, digital and public art.

This Master's Degree seeks to train up innovative professionals who can combine technical skills in video, sound, motion graphics, 3D animation and interaction design with humanities backgrounds covering film, art, music and communication trends. Depending on your background and previous education, you can develop a career in design studios, creative industries, specialised publishing, museums, galleries, video and multimedia production centres, communication and event design agencies. You will also be able to work as a Visual Artist, Visual and Interaction Designer, Art Director, Project Manager.

The Master's Degree in Visual Arts at IED Milano pays close attention to market demands and provides an overall understanding of how to develop and manage arts and cultural activities. Cross-cutting knowledge of technology and the language of multimedia/cross-media arts will contribute to training up professionals who can stay ahead of future trends and scenarios, with a strong ability to select the best approach for developing a message into visual arts.

This programme will bring you into direct and close contact with your lecturers and fellow students, as also with visual design studios, artists, art historians, curators and art directors. You will have an all-round view of artistic innovations as a way to develop innovative strategies and projects consistent with new media and communication trends.

This Master’s Degree has been designed as a work space and a laboratory where projects -whether developed individually or as a group- come to life to create and enhance personal style day after day.
You will be covering everything from the design and production of a VR application to the reworking of Triptiko – A vision inspired by Hieronymus Bosch. Also, you will be working on the creation of trailers using one or more video games (thus producing what is technically known as a machinima, film made using video games). Production of an experimental magazine will also be covered as a way to explore the complex relationship between graphic elements and content.

Teaching partners for this programme include studios like Karmachina, AUT Design Collective, Studio Azzurro, Limiteazero and Another Reality, some of the most accredited players in the field of multimedia visual project design for museums and exhibitions. This is definitely an ideal context and a great testing ground where you can learn everything about the trends and dynamics of the industry.

Syllabus

The programme is divided into four main areas. Core modules will provide historical and analytical skills, while workshop and project-based activities will focus on in-depth study and practical applications, under the supervision of renowned lecturers and companies in the industry. Project development and portfolio build-up on one hand, and the internship experience on the other, are also key parts of the training process for this Master's Degree.



CHARACTERISING MODULES

History and Culture of Applied Arts
Design Methodology
Communication Lab



SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES

Aesthetics of New Media
Visual Arts Latest Trends
New Integrated Media Techniques



PROJECTS

Ws1 Multimedia Design
Ws2 Performing Techniques for the Visual Arts
Ws3 Art Direction (Art Management)



CURRICULAR INTERNSHIP

Faculty

Martin Romeo

Visual Artist

Course Coordinator

Lucia Cristiani

Visual Artist

Luca Coppola

Graphic designer and Art Director

Simone Santilli

Artist and Co-Founder The Cool Couple

Azalea Seratoni

Contemporary Art Historian

Rino Stefano Tagliafierro

Digital Artist Karmachina

Francesca Perani

Architect-activist, visual designer and educator

Chiara Zaniol

Content Designer and Producer

Maria Paola Zedda

Emiliano Bagnato

Composer, musician and sound designer. Emiliano creates and designs interactive sound installations, writes music for videos and performances, works as a musician and teaches modern guitar and sound design. Over the years he has published the albums Cerchi nell'Acqua and Fernweh, performed in various European countries and worked with many artists including Gabriele Salvatores (ost Il Ragazzo Invisibile), the visual design studio Karmachina , Jacopo Benassi and the Btomic club, Debora Petrina, Jochen Arbeit, Stefano Lanzardo and Nicola Tognoni (in the Emistènico project)

Mariarosa Rocco

Managing Director at The Coachingroup Srl

Paolo Antonini

Vinicio Bordin

Paolo Silvestri

Marta Bianchi

Creative and executive produce

Course partner

What people say

IED Master Tales - Interview with Marta Valpiana

Interview with Marta Valpiana, Alumna of the Master in Visual Arts at IED Milano. Master Tales is a series of conferences dedicated to master students through which Alumni who graduated in previous years talk about their professional journey, suggest practical details on how to take their first steps in the world of work and provide stimuli on new, little-known and possible inspiration for students. #iedmastertales

Marta Valpiana

News