Milan - Fashion Design & Merchandising

Why Milan?

Fashion is in the air in Milan. As one of the “big four” fashion capitals (along with London, New York, and Paris), Milan is home to many high-end fashion houses such as Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Miu Miu, and many others; and nearly all of the “big names” are represented. Prepare to be inspired by the Milanese standards of elegance and obsession with style—from the runway to the street.

Our Fashion Design & Merchandising Program offers a holistic fashion experience. Encounter the sources of global trends in business, design, tailoring, fabrics and materials, modeling, and marketing. Learn about the business of fashion from local experts and professors from the best universities in Milan. Join the Milanese design and tailoring scene through practicum courses at professional fashion institutes offering hands-on lessons in clothing and accessory creation.

What You'll Study

Diversify your fashion studies with an elective course from our Italy Today Program. Courses include History, Political Science, Literature, Music, and much more.

As part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience, you also have the opportunity to enroll in a fashion-related internship and accompanying academic seminar that helps you contextualize what you’re learning hands-on at your placement.

Daily Life

Milan will be your classroom. Imagine exploring design and the use of fabrics in the classroom and then attending a runway show during Fashion Week as part of your coursework, or visiting the headquarters of high-end fashion houses and luxury brands after lectures on business, branding, and merchandising from local experts in the field. Everything you do in Milan will be part of your learning experience.

We want you to feel at home in Milan, so we do everything we can to help you integrate into life in the city. From housing to cultural activities, our job is to make sure you have the most authentic study abroad experience possible.
Academics

Our mission is simple: to provide you with the best study abroad program possible—which includes the highest quality academic and cultural experiences.

While in Milan, you take 15–19 credits per semester, and all courses are worth 3 credits unless otherwise specified.

You are also placed in a required Italian language course tailored to your proficiency level. Language courses are taught in Italian, and all other courses are taught in English or Italian.

Create your own academic experience by selecting from the following required and optional program components:

IES Abroad Italian language course (required, 4 or 6 credits)
English-taught IES Abroad area studies courses (optional, 3 credits each)
Fashion-related courses (in English or Italian) at partner institutions (optional, credits vary)
Internship and seminar (optional, 3 credits)
Service learning placement and seminar (optional, 3 credits)
IES Abroad Italy Today Program elective courses (optional, 3 credits each)

Please note that some courses have prerequisites.

Daily Life

Part of making you feel at home in Milan is doing our best to help you feel safe and cared for. Whether it is an orientation program that prepares you, housing that is well-located and comfortable, or the field trips that take you to places off the beaten path—we’re all about our student services. This is just one of the things we’re known for.

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