Master in Social Ecological Design. Torino

Full-time

For too long, design has unquestioningly served the whims of the market, dubious ideologies, or the empty promises of progress through technological change. The immersive and experimental Master's degree in Social Ecological Design: Regenerative Practices for Everyday Life offers an urgent alternative. Through integrating critical theory with creative practice in real-world contexts, it develops pioneering approaches that foster deep and caring connections with the living and material world. The Master's goes OUT THERE into real-world contexts and challenges, combining in-class learning with immersive fieldwork in contexts that span Sicily, Tuscany, and Piedmont (Turin and the Alps). 

Through direct engagement with communities and ecosystems, students develop a versatile skill set – including biomimicry, multispecies thinking, cross-cultural communication, cultural ethnography, creative activism, systems analysis, inclusive design, and more—while working alongside local stakeholders, craftspeople, experts, and peers. This unique approach, rooted in DesignXCommons, nurtures the awareness that care for tangible and intangible commons emerges through design and equips students both to work closely with different actors and to engage with theories, methods, and tools for driving meaningful, regenerative, and constructive social and ecological transformation.

By creating the conditions and fostering the courage for new forms of social and ecological collaboration, the programme cultivates designers to confront today's complex challenges and navigate uncertain futures.  To do this, the programme focuses on getting OUT THERE, OUT of the classroom, OUT of conventional approaches and OUT of disciplinary limitations, to nurture new social and ecological alternatives.


Credits:

The course awards 80 CFA (Academic Formative Credits), corresponding to 80 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System).

* The accreditation procedure with the MUR - Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca - for the academic year 2025/26 will be started for this course. The information on this page will be updated once the accreditation process is completed.