Today, curators operate in a context that requires an awareness of those intercultural dynamics, power relations and asymmetries that have marked history. Moreover, curators are required to understand how such factors translate into the tangible form of the curatorial gesture, in the design of material and immaterial spaces.

This course will train professionals to be capable of planning the curation of cultural heritage in the broadest sense – inclusive of visual arts, architecture, archaeology, visual cultures, and ethnographic universes – from an intercultural perspective. Graduates will be able to operate in cultural contexts characterised increasingly by the centrality of intercultural relations and dynamics, the growing critique of Eurocentrism and colonial dynamics, the openness to other cultural horizons and the examination of issues of cultural appropriation, the re-elaboration of colonial events and memories, and cultural circulation in a global geographical dimension. The course provides both theoretical and operational skills, developed in educational workshops with professionals who operate in intercultural perspective.

This course stands out in the way in which it combines curating, interculturality, and design, thereby offering a training programme that is unprecedented within the Italian academic context which benefits from its unique location in Venice, a well-known international center for the arts. After graduating, students will be able to work in public and private cultural institutions as curators capable of understanding and reproducing in an exhibition context the transcultural dynamics that have crossed
historical eras, in particular the ideological constructions related to exoticism, orientalism, colonialism, and the construction of otherness.

Curating arts and heritage in intercultural perspectives

Curating arts and heritage in intercultural perspectives

Curating arts and heritage in intercultural perspectives

Curating arts and heritage in intercultural perspectives

Curating arts and heritage in intercultural perspectives

Curating arts and heritage in intercultural perspectives

Curating arts and heritage in intercultural perspectives

What do Urban Planning and Spatial Planning deal with?
With concrete phenomena that affect our lives and the environment we live in.
They work to understand and guide the transformations of cities and territories, of built spaces and the natural environment, and of the people who inhabit them.
The Bachelor’s Degree in Urban and Spatial Planning trains people able to read, interpret, and hold together the complexity of contemporary urban and territorial phenomena.

The degree programme offers two tracks: the first focuses on sustainability and environmental management; the second on urban studies. Both aim to provide you with the knowledge and skills to improve the quality of our living environments, taking social equity, inclusion, listening, and stakeholder engagement as foundational values. The programme includes lectures, integrated courses with exercises and studios, seminars, talks, and study trips. You will have the opportunity to undertake an internship in professional practices, public administrations, research and study centres, companies, and associations: a valuable experience to prepare you for entering the job market.

After graduation, you will be able to work professionally as a junior planner (registered in the Registry of Architects, Planners, Landscape Architects and Conservators/section B), ready to enter the world of work by contributing to the design of territorial governance plans, strategic and sectoral plans (Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, green plans), and projects for urban and territorial transformation and regeneration. You may work on environmental assessment, participatory processes and projects for urban transformation, and geographic information systems.

Studentesse e studenti di Urbanistica e pianificazione in viaggio studio | Urban and Spatial Planning students on a study trip

Una lezione di Luca Mercalli agli studenti di Urbanistica e pianificazione | Urban and Spatial Planning students on a study trip

Studentesse e studenti di Urbanistica e pianificazione in viaggio studio | Urban and Spatial Planning students on a study trip

Building on a tradition renowned worldwide and the legacy of masters of architecture such as Carlo Scarpa and Aldo Rossi, the Iuav Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture is fully rooted in the present and anticipates the needs of a profession in evolution.

A contemporary architect must be able to read places, know their history and imagine their future, coordinate different disciplinary skills. They must combine humanistic sensitivity, technical knowledge, and civic sense to help create sustainable spaces, cities, and environments.

The programme brings theory and practice, knowing and know-how together.
In the integrated studio, you will test and verify the knowledge acquired and the interdisciplinary relations that make up an architectural project.
The central experience of your studies (and the most loved by Iuav students) will be Wave – Architecture Design Workshops in Venice: three weeks of intensive design guided by internationally renowned architects. An extraordinary learning opportunity, unparalleled in university education, culminating in a major public exhibition.

After graduating, you will be ready to work professionally with competence and autonomy as a junior architect(registered in the Order of Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservators / Section B), prepared to enter the job market by contributing to design, construction management, surveying, and testing of building works, including public works. Or you may choose to continue with the Master’s Degree, which opens the way to the activities of the liberal profession of architect recognised at the European level.

Wave Workshop di Architettura a Venezia 2025 – evento finale

Wave Workshop di Architettura a Venezia 2025 – evento finale

Wave Workshop di Architettura a Venezia 2025 – evento finale

Wave Workshop di Architettura a Venezia 2025 – evento finale

Wave Workshop di Architettura a Venezia 2025 – evento finale

Wave Workshop di Architettura a Venezia 2025 – evento finale

Today, protecting and safeguarding cultural heritage requires a proactive approach, oriented toward the future and capable of engaging with all events (natural and conflict-related) that make heritage vulnerable, from tourism pressure to climate change.
The single-cycle degree programme offered by Iuav is highly competitive at national level, set in a city that possesses an extraordinary architectural, urban and landscape heritage and that is itself an unparalleled laboratory for restoration and conservation culture.

The five-year programme provides you with a solid educational foundation and a wide range of interdisciplinary activities, scientific contributions from national and international experts, and a body of knowledge developed by Iuav through years of experience in reconstruction in risk areas, both in prevention and in emergency and post-emergency management. You will have the opportunity to undertake internships in public and private institutions.
You will develop the ability to oversee the entire conservation and design process, from preliminary phases to supervision of execution and long-term maintenance of the work.

After graduation, you will be able to work with competence and autonomy in all activities related to the profession of architect, recognised at European level, in both decision-making and operational roles, in public and private contexts. You may also access the School of Specialisation in Architectural and Environmental Heritage (SSIBAP), qualifying for positions as architect officials within the Italian Ministry of Culture.

Il cantiere di restauro di Palazzo Farnese a Roma | The restoration site of Palazzo Farnese in Rome

Rilievo tramite drone | Survey carried out using a drone

Acqua alta in Piazza San Marco | High water in Piazza San Marco

Sopralluogo | Site inspection

Venice provides lifelong inspiration. An uninterrupted tradition links Venice to its School of Architecture. Masters such as Carlo Scarpa and Aldo Rossi, who taught at Iuav, were affected by the beauty of Venice and translated it into their works.
Iuav caters for the needs of rapidly changing professional environments and is fully committed to teaching design and planning as interpretations of spaces, knowledge of their history and synergy of multidisciplinary competencies and skills.

During the two-year study programme, you will acquire all the necessary competencies to become architectural designer and thinker able to move towards a career in architecture as independent and inventive practitioners. You will also acquire the knowledge to enhance your communication skills and gain expertise in contemporary architectural fields.

The English-taught MA in architecture provides education and training for internationally oriented architects in accordance with the Directive of the European Parliament 2005/36/CE. It offers you excellent preparation for the changing demands of society, both in the technical-scientific area and the humanities. It trains how to cope with present-day problems related to urban and natural landscapes while focusing on the conservation and transformation of different architectural and urban contexts, with particular attention to environmental, economic and social sustainability.

MA students are highly qualified to hold important positions in both national and international architectural firms. They can work in public institutions, private practices and public companies in construction, urban and regional planning.

Wave – Architecture workshop in Venice

Wave – Architecture workshop in Venice

Wave – Architecture workshop in Venice

Venice, an incomparable architectural and urban model, is also the ideal context to study mobility issues: the main modes of transport, from water to land and air, operate and interact in a single integrated system.
The Master’s degree offers a competitive training in the national context on topics related to mobility and transport: students can benefit from internships in major companies and organisations operating in the sector, study experiences abroad and integrated workshops, an element that distinguishes Iuav educational offer. 

The aspects of transport and mobility covered by the programme are diverse and provide a holistic view of the challenges to be faced; other programmes deal with transport-related aspects mainly from a sector-specific point of view (e.g. safety and logistics, vehicle design). 

The Master’s degree aims to anticipate the consequences of an ongoing global trend in the field of transport and mobility: the digitalisation and automation of the sector. 
They require interaction with increasingly complex tools and a wider range of skills that need appropriate technical training. In response to these challenges, the Master’s degree aims to train the future infrastructure and mobility manager. This role is intended for a professional capable of facing and solving complex challenges in transport planning, design, implementation, management, maintenance, and preservation of (large) transport works and infrastructures. 

Sustainable transportation and smart maritime mobility

Venice, at the centre of an extremely diverse and fragile ecosystem, is internationally recognised as a paradigm of resistance to climate change. It is therefore the ideal city to host courses that focus on environmental management and protection.
The innovative Master's Degree in Renewable Energy Engineering in the Coastal Environment trains engineers to protect coastal environments from environmental threats and to manage the complex process of designing infrastructure and systems to achieve sustainable development goals.

This Master's degree is run in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR) of the National Research Council (CNR), also based in Venice, to enrich the teaching programme with experiments and calculation and simulation tools used by the most advanced research institutes. In the surrounding area, students can explore coastal and marine sites of high environmental value and carry out experimental activities directly related to the topics studied. 
Students can also benefit from the well-established student mobility network of the Università Iuav di Venezia. Internships are organised in agreement with public and private bodies. Internships will allow students to apply what they have learned during their studies in the real world.

Graduates will be able to plan and manage interventions in the coastal environment, even on a large scale, and to collaborate with technicians and designers from other disciplines.

Renewable energy engineering in coastal environment

If your goal is to care competently and responsibly for the environment around us, the Master’s Degree in Urban and Spatial Planning offers you a high-level educational experience. Rooted in the consolidated tradition of the first School of Urban Planning in Italy, it also responds to the most urgent needs of the present while anticipating future challenges. Alongside the “historic” themes of urban, environmental, territorial, and landscape quality, new and pressing issues now require the insight and expertise of urban planners: the local-global relationship, social inclusion, urban innovation, climate change, decarbonisation, management of extreme events and risk reduction in cities (also following pandemics), and urban metabolism, supported by technologies offered by GIScience, to design the cities of tomorrow.

The professional world increasingly demands specialised knowledge to design and plan urban and territorial transformations, especially within the framework of the ecological transition. At the end of the two years, you will be able to work as a designer and manager of urban, environmental, territorial, and social planning at all levels; designer of sectoral, experimental, and strategic plans; designer of public policies; or ICT expert. You will also be eligible to take the State examination and obtain professional qualification as a planner, as provided by Italian law.

Urbanistica e pianificazione per la transizione (Italian track)
The programme has a strong international profile and offers a double degree in Urban and Spatial Planning with Tongji University in Shanghai (China). You may also join the Erasmus+ programme “Planning and Policies for Environment and Landscape”, in collaboration with the universities of Barcelona, Girona, Lisbon, and Alghero. A wide network of international universities guarantees study and internship opportunities in numerous countries and direct connections to the labour market.

The study path is organised around three interdisciplinary semester-long experiences: in the Design Lab for Transition and Resilience, you will acquire advanced skills in urban planning and environmental monitoring techniques, starting from the challenges of a rapidly changing climate. The Territorial and Landscape Design Lab focuses on planning and design in relation to heritage conservation, with particular attention to marginal areas and service design. The Urban Innovation Design Lab addresses themes of inclusion and urban innovation, aiming to make cities more inclusive and to design urban regeneration projects that are sensitive to social diversity.

Urban and Spatial Planning for transition (English track)
Studying Urban and Spatial Planning in Venice means entering the tradition of the first school in Italy to establish a master’s programme in this field in 1970. Today’s world demands a greater awareness of environmental and social issues, with a primary focus on urban resilience. Iuav MS programme in Urban and Spatial Planning for Transition offers a new vision of urban transition and innovation that considers cities and cultural heritage as common goods to be preserved despite global change.

Students can explore both theoretical and practical aspects, thanks to the collaboration with local and international organisations, to investigate new challenges related to sustainability, climate change, urban metabolism, disaster recovery planning and post-disaster rebuilding. Students can also spend an international mobility period in one of the many partner universities in Europe, thanks to the Erasmus+ scholarship programme. 

Double degree opportunities are also available: by studying 2/3 semesters in a partner university, students can obtain a double degree issued by Iuav and the partner university: Tongji University (Shanghai - China).

Graduates can work as designers and managers of urban, environmental, territorial, and social planning at all levels; designers of sectoral, experimental, and strategic plans; designers of public policies and ICT experts.

Il corso di laurea ha ricevuto il certificato di qualità dall'Association of European Schools of Planning per il periodo 2024-2030 / The master programme has been conferred the certificate of quality by the Association of European Schools of Planning for the period 2024-2030

Unesco

A lezione di urbanistica

Spatial Planning for climate change: presentazione

Studenti in viaggio studio. Torino, quartiere Ina Casa, progetto di Giovanni Astengo

Studentesse e studenti di pianificazione in visita agli orti di Venezia

Today’s designer can move across disciplines and engage with every activity that contributes to the creation process.
The three-year Bachelor’s Degree in Design at Università Iuav di Venezia gives you the chance to experiment both in areas traditionally linked to design (such as everyday objects or publishing, furniture or sport) and in emergent themes of our time, such as individual and social well-being, the environment, energy, and the challenges of digitalisation.
The programme meets the needs of the economic and production fabric and includes, in addition to studios led by experienced professionals, courses in history, theory, criticism, computing, economics, as well as workshops, seminars, cultural initiatives, and internships.
You will have access to well-equipped labs for computing, photography, video, model-making, and prototyping. All these experiences prepare you either to enter the job market immediately or to make an informed choice about continuing your studies.
After graduating you can work in companies, design studios, the creative industries, specialised publishing, manufacturing in the fashion and arts sectors, and in public or private institutions: for example museums, galleries, video and multimedia production centres, documentation centres and archives.

Interior Design track

Iuav Interior Design is a unique study path in the national landscape. Moving across disciplines such as exhibit, retail, interior, interaction, and visual design, you will learn to coordinate complex projects for all the spaces that shape our daily lives. By putting people’s needs first, you will design innovative solutions for living and working environments; displays for exhibitions, trade fairs, and entertainment; and projects for “minimum spaces” (e.g. transport interiors) or “temporary spaces” (e.g. concerts or events).
Alongside design studios, theory courses provide methodological and instrumental knowledge, technical-scientific and economic foundations, and historical-critical and humanistic perspectives. All the experiences you undertake prepare you to enter the job market immediately or to choose how to continue your studies in an informed way.

Product and Visual Design track

This track is a unique gateway to the world of design and introduces you to the different aspects of product design and visual/multimedia communication. Starting from the fundamentals of drawing and geometry, you will learn to engage with different levels of complexity to develop innovative solutions in sectors historically linked to design, such as furniture or sport, as well as in emerging areas of contemporary life, such as individual and social well-being, the environment, energy, and new ways of living.
Alongside design studios, theory courses provide the methodological and instrumental, technical-scientific and economic, historical-critical and humanistic knowledge needed to understand and address the many dimensions of design. All the experiences you undertake prepare you either to enter the job market immediately or to continue your studies in an informed way.

Design Open Lab - Laboratori di design in mostra

Design Open Lab - Laboratori di design in mostra

Design Open Lab - Laboratori di design in mostra

Laboratorio di modellistica per il design

Welcome Design Workshop 2024

Welcome Design Workshop 2024

Welcome Design Workshop 2024

Wave Workshop di progettazione a Venezia 2025 – workshop di design

Wave Workshop di progettazione a Venezia 2025 – workshop di design