Master of Furniture Design

Program Overview

The Master of Furniture Design program in Florence, Italy is a one-year, English-taught program that develops students' knowledge and skills in furniture design, prototyping, and production. The program includes a mix of lectures, design studios, and history courses, and prepares graduates for entry-level positions in the furniture industry or for advanced positions in design firms or studios. The program is open to students with previous experience in interior, architecture, or industrial design.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

• Focus: Develops knowledge and skills in furniture design, prototyping, and production.
• Duration: One year (30 weeks)
• Level: Master
• Language: English
• Structure: Mix of lectures, design studios, and history.
• Objectives:
• Train students to interview for positions in design firms or studios.
• Equip graduates with skills for entry-level positions like space planners, assistant designers, and production coordinators.
• Prepare graduates for advanced positions like leading designers, project managers, or freelance work.
• Acceptance:
• Requires previous experience in interior, architecture, or industrial design.
• Alternatives: Academic level Interior Design or short summer course on furniture.

Outline:

• Furniture Design (3 credits): Study history, theories, and current expressions of Italian and international furniture.
• Art History 1 (3 credits): Covers Florentine art from the late 1200s to early 1500s, including historical, social, and political influences.
• Italian Language 1A (1 credit): Focuses on conversational Italian for greetings, travel, business, and everyday life.
• Second Semester:
• History of Modern Italian Design (3 credits): Explore product and interior design, and their connections to art, architecture, and fashion.
• Art History 2 (3 credits): Covers artistic developments from the 1500s through the Counter Reformation.
• Furniture Design 2 (3 credits): Gain professional experience in quality control, process planning, costing, and supervision.

Teaching:

• Faculty: Highly qualified with credentials in architecture or PhD level.
• Teaching methods: Dynamic, motivating, and interactive learning.
• Field trips: Integral part of the curriculum, including visits to museums, churches, the Salone Internazionale del Mobile furniture exhibition, and a Tuscan furniture factory.

Careers:

• Potential positions: Space planners, assistant designers, production coordinators, leading designers, project managers, freelance designers.
• Possible paths: Establish own design firms, take on freelance assignments.

Other:

• The program content may be subject to change.