You lead the academics.
We deliver everything else.

FACULTY-LED PROGRAMS · MILAN - BUSINESS HUB

Faculty-led in Milan - Italy's business, fashion & design capital.

Milan is our city hub for business, fashion, design, finance and contemporary-Italy disciplines. Our Academy is in elegant Via Durini, 7, a short walk from the Duomo and from San Babila Metro - right inside Milan's design quadrant. For U.S. partner universities, Milan is the city where contemporary Italy works at full speed: the country's stock exchange, the headquarters of every major Italian fashion house, the global design weeks (Salone del Mobile, Milano Fashion Week), Bocconi University, Politecnico, the Italian banking sector, and the contemporary art scene (Fondazione Prada, Hangar Bicocca, Pirelli HangarBicocca).

Milan runs on a city-model - different from our Florence and Mantua campus model. Faculty teach at our Academy classrooms in Via Durini; the cohort is housed in vetted external accommodation (homestays, shared student flats, studios, partner hotels) within a 30-minute commute from the campus. There is no on-campus meal plan, but the city around you is one of the most varied gastronomic environments in Europe. The visiting faculty member retains full academic authority - syllabus, instruction, assessment, grading - while our partner desk handles housing logistics, ground transport, cultural programming, corporate site visits, and approval-ready documentation.

Looking at other cities? See Faculty-led in Florence (campus model · primary hub) · Faculty-led in Mantua ("Deep Italy" campus model) · Faculty-led in Turin (design / Slow Food city-model) · Faculty-led overview (all four campuses).

How a faculty-led program works with us

Your faculty leads the academic vision. The visiting faculty member designs the academic content, teaches the discipline-specific course, sets the assessment criteria, and grades the students. We are not co-instructors and we do not interfere with the academic plan - the credits belong to your institution. We deliver everything around it. Classroom and study space, on-campus or affiliated housing, ground transport, field-study logistics, Italian language instruction at the appropriate level (where part of the design), student services on site, cultural programming, and integration with our resident operations team. Approval-ready documentation. See the Academic Approval Pack - the structured documentation set we issue to support your institution's curriculum approval, risk-management review, insurance review, and study-abroad office sign-off. Single partner desk - one contact. You work with one named partner-desk lead for the full lifecycle of the program - pre-departure planning, on-site delivery, and post-program reporting. No vendor stack to manage, no fragmented communication.

Three phases of program support

Our partner desk operates across the full lifecycle of a faculty-led program - from initial scoping to post-program reporting. The structure mirrors the standard expectations of U.S. study-abroad offices and accreditation reviewers.

Pre-departure. Academic Approval Pack tailored to your institution, syllabus integration with our facilities, faculty briefing, draft program calendar, risk-management documentation, health-and-safety brief, housing inventory and allocation plan, pre-departure orientation materials for students, visa documentation guidance, advanced cultural-immersion planning. On-site delivery. Arrival reception, airport transport coordination, check-in at on-campus or affiliated housing, on-site welcome and orientation, classroom and lab access, daily operations support, weekly cultural programming, faculty office space, 24-hour emergency contact, ongoing health-and-safety oversight, mid-program review. Re-entry & reporting. End-of-program student debrief, attendance and participation records issued in the format your registrar expects, faculty feedback session, post-program report to the home institution, transcript-friendly documentation where required, partnership-renewal conversation for future cohorts. Continuous accountability. Each program is reviewed against the original academic and operational plan agreed at scoping. Variance is documented and shared with the home institution - together with proposed mitigations. We treat post-program reporting as the seal of the partnership, not as paperwork.

Program types we have run or can run

2-4 week summer programs. Intensive faculty-taught programs around a single discipline - Italian civilisation, art history, architecture, design, food studies, contemporary politics, fashion, music. Cohort housing on or near campus; full cultural programming included. Semester abroad with Italian language component. A full 12-16 week semester where your faculty teaches the core discipline course and we deliver concurrent Italian language instruction at the appropriate CEFR level. Optional integration with our long-term study-visa documentation framework. Pre-semester language intensive + main program. Students arrive 2-4 weeks before the main faculty-led semester for an intensive Italian course, then the discipline-specific program begins. The most common pattern for "Italian + discipline" cohorts targeting B1/B2 proficiency by mid-semester. Custom short courses (1-2 weeks). Executive-education cohorts, MBA short courses, professional-development groups, alumni programs. Compressed, high-density academic content, custom-scheduled around home-institution calendars. Full academic year. For institutions wanting a continuous study-abroad presence in Italy: a year-long program with cohort rotation between fall and spring semesters, optional summer continuity. Hybrid & rotation models. Cohorts that move between two or more of our four cities during a single program - for example, Florence (heritage) + Milan (contemporary Italy) - or that combine on-site weeks with online pre-departure preparation.

What we coordinate on the ground

Beyond classroom delivery, the partner desk coordinates the full operational footprint of the program. The list below is what is included as standard; further services are available on request and scoped at program design.

Arrival & logistics. Airport transfer coordination · arrival reception · check-in at on-campus or affiliated housing · local SIM and connectivity guidance · public-transport orientation · welcome kit. Housing. Cohort housing in our on-campus residences (Florence, Mantua) or in vetted partner accommodations (Milan, Turin) · faculty housing options · meal-plan integration · housekeeping and maintenance coordination. Visa & immigration administration. Consulate-grade enrolment certificates · syllabus and program-hour documentation for visa applications · post-arrival residence-permit support · liaison with consulates and Questura when required. Risk management & safety. Comprehensive risk-management documentation · health-and-safety brief · emergency response protocol · 24-hour emergency contact · liaison with U.S. State Department travel advisories where required. Health insurance & healthcare. Coordination of medical-insurance documentation meeting Italian consulate and university requirements · local healthcare orientation · medico di base guidance for longer programs. Academic operations. Classroom and lab scheduling · IT and AV setup · library and study-room access · printing and reprographic support · attendance recording · grade-submission handover to home institution.

Optional academic enrichments

Beyond the faculty-taught core course, programs can be enriched with discipline-aligned additional learning experiences, designed by your faculty together with our partner desk.

Guest lectures & conferences. Local academics, industry professionals, cultural-institution curators delivering targeted lectures aligned with the faculty's syllabus. Joint sessions with Italian university partners where relevant. Field trips & site visits. Discipline-aligned visits - museums, archaeological sites, corporate sites, design studios, regional excursions (Siena, Pisa, Bologna, Rome, the Langhe wine region, Verona, Cremona). Logistics, transport, and entry-fee coordination handled by us. Internships & service learning. Credit-bearing or co-curricular placements with local Italian organisations - cultural institutions, NGOs, design studios, small enterprises, schools - scoped against the academic objectives of the program. Conversation partners & teaching placements. One-to-one or small-group conversation-partner pairings with Italian university students for language-component cohorts · teaching-assistant placements in local schools where relevant to the academic plan. Experiential & community engagement. Hands-on workshops, studio practice, laboratory work, volunteering with local cultural and social organisations · structured community-engagement activities scoped to the discipline. Cultural-immersion calendar. Weekly evening and weekend programming - cinema, opera (La Scala, Teatro Comunale), regional cuisine, walking tours, food-and-wine excursions, sport - designed for the cohort's interests and level of Italian.

Disciplines we have hosted - or can host

Our four campuses, together with our network of academic and cultural partners, support a wide range of disciplinary frames. Below: the disciplines we have worked with most often, mapped to the campus where the surrounding city offers the strongest field environment. Other disciplines welcome on request - we have run programs from environmental policy to opera studies.

Humanities & cultural studies. Italian civilisation · art history · architecture · Renaissance studies · museum studies · classical & medieval studies · religious studies · history of science · heritage conservation. Primary hub: Florence · also Mantua. Languages & linguistics. Italian language (A1 → C2) · sociolinguistics · translation & interpreting · pedagogy of L2 · comparative literature · Italian cinema studies. All four campuses; primary hubs: Florence and Milan. Business, management & finance. International business · management · entrepreneurship · finance · marketing · luxury & fashion management · sustainability strategy · Italian economic history. Primary hub: Milan. Design, fashion & communication. Fashion design · industrial & product design · graphic design · advertising · media studies · digital communication · visual culture. Primary hubs: Milan and Turin. Food, agriculture & territory. Italian food studies · Slow Food · wine & sommelier studies · food anthropology · sustainable agriculture · regional terroirs · culinary history. Primary hub: Turin · also Mantua. Social sciences & contemporary Italy. Political science · contemporary Italian politics · sociology · migration studies · European studies · public policy · gender studies · urban studies. Primary hubs: Milan and Turin. Arts, music & performance. Music history & opera studies · performance studies · theatre · creative writing · contemporary art (gallery scene, Castello di Rivoli, Fondazione Sandretto). All four campuses, scoped to discipline focus. Other / interdisciplinary. Engineering site visits · automotive history · environmental policy · health-systems comparison · gerontology · architecture of historic preservation · service learning & community engagement. Scoped per program.

Sample weekly schedule - a day in the life in Milan

Illustrative schedule for a 14-week faculty-led semester in Milan with an Italian language component, delivered at our Academy in Via Durini, 7. The visiting faculty member teaches the discipline-specific course at the Academy; our team delivers the Italian language module and the Milan-specific cultural and corporate programming around it.

Monday - Friday morning. 09:30 - 11:00 · Faculty-taught course (visiting faculty, classroom 1 - Academy on Via Durini)
11:00 - 11:15 · Coffee break at a partner bar in the Quadrilatero del Silenzio or in Via Durini
11:15 - 12:45 · Italian language class (CEFR-level group, classroom 2) Afternoons (varies by day). Mon & Wed: independent study, faculty office hours, library access at partner universities (Bocconi, Statale) on request
Tue: guest lecture or curatorial visit - Fondazione Prada, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Triennale, Museo del Novecento, Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Pinacoteca di Brera
Thu: corporate site visit aligned with the discipline - fashion atelier (Brera / Tortona), design studio, financial-services HQ, advertising agency, contemporary art gallery
Fri: city walk - Duomo, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Quadrilatero della Moda, Navigli, Brera, Porta Nuova business district (scheduled per syllabus) Evenings (optional). Weekly: aperitivo in Brera, Tortona or Navigli - Milan's signature social ritual, with the cohort in Italian
Bi-weekly: cultural-programming event - opera at La Scala (when in season), cinema in lingua italiana, design event
Monthly: Lombardy regional dinner with cohort and faculty Weekends. Saturday: optional day-trip - Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Bergamo, Mantua (our "Deep Italy" campus, 2 hrs by train), Verona, Pavia, Cremona (approx. every other weekend)
Sunday: free for independent travel and rest. Mid-program break trip (3 nights to Rome, Florence, or the Swiss/Italian Alps) once per semester.

This is an illustrative Milan schedule. The final calendar is co-designed with the visiting faculty during scoping to align with the home institution's credit-hour requirements and the discipline-specific learning outcomes.

Pricing model

Faculty-led programs are quoted on a per-cohort basis, scoped against the institutional requirements agreed during partnership development. We do not publish flat per-student price lists because cohort size, length, discipline, language component, housing model, field-trip scope, and faculty-residence needs all affect the package. The structure below describes what is included and how the model works; concrete pricing is shared in a detailed worksheet during scoping.

Standard inclusions (all programs). Cohort housing in our on-campus residences or vetted partner accommodations · meal plan where applicable · classroom and lab space · Italian language instruction (where part of design) · faculty workspace and office support · airport transfer coordination · welcome kit · 24-hour emergency contact · ongoing student-services support · Academic Approval Pack and risk-management documentation · post-program report. Optional add-ons (scoped per program). Guest lectures from local academics or curators · day-trips beyond the standard 2-per-semester baseline · multi-day break trips (Rome, Amalfi, the Alps) · internship placements · service-learning partnerships · conversation-partner pairings with Italian university students · faculty fam-trip visit in advance · custom recruitment-support materials. Models we operate. All-inclusive per cohort - single invoice covers everything in the standard inclusions plus agreed add-ons. Per-student rate - flat fee per enrolled student, useful when cohort sizes are uncertain. Hybrid academic + à la carte - discounted academic-only core with optional services billed separately. Choice negotiated at MOU signing. Payment terms. Payment terms align with U.S. institutional fiscal-year schedules · typical structure: 25% deposit at MOU signing, 50% at 60 days before arrival, 25% at program close · invoices issued in EUR with USD reference rate · wire transfer or institutional payment methods accepted · final reconciliation 30 days post-program.

Past Milan programs & representative cohorts

Faculty-led programs we have delivered in Milan with U.S. partner institutions span the business, design and contemporary-Italy disciplines below. Specific institutional names and references are shared during partnership development on a confidential basis - contact the partner desk for a Milan reference list aligned with your discipline.

Business & Fashion executive program. 3-week executive program for a graduate business school, 18 participants. Faculty-taught luxury & fashion management + guest lectures by Milan-based industry professionals + corporate site visits in the design and fashion districts (Brera, Tortona, Quadrilatero della Moda). Housed in a vetted partner hotel near Via Durini. Design & architecture summer. 4-week summer programme for a U.S. school of design, 20 students. Faculty-taught Italian design history + visits to Triennale, Fondazione Prada, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Salone-del-Mobile pavilions, design studios in Tortona & Lambrate. Workshop sessions at the Academy. Finance & contemporary economy semester. 13-week semester for a Mid-Atlantic university business school, 16 students. Faculty-taught Italian and European finance + Italian language at B1 level + corporate site visits in Porta Nuova business district + joint sessions with Bocconi University faculty (where partnership allows). Media, communication & marketing. 5-week summer programme for a U.S. school of communication, 22 students. Faculty-taught Italian and European media landscape + visits to advertising agencies, publishing houses, RAI and Mediaset corporate sites + analysis-based fieldwork. Italian + Business pre-MBA intensive. 2-week pre-MBA program for an Ivy League business school, 28 students. Intensive Italian language (mornings) + Italian business and economic context (afternoons) + Italy-China supply-chain field visits in Lombardy. Housed in vetted student apartments near Porta Romana. Contemporary Italian art & curatorial studies. 4-week summer programme for a U.S. graduate program in curatorial studies, 12 students. Faculty-taught contemporary Italian art + visits to Fondazione Prada, Triennale, Hangar Bicocca, Fondazione Cini · Fondazione Brescia & Bergamo Capitale della Cultura sites.

Programs above are representative and anonymised. References, transcripts of partnership scope, and direct contacts at past partner institutions are available under standard confidentiality terms - request via the partner desk.

What our partners say

Selected feedback from visiting faculty and study-abroad office directors at past partner institutions. Full reference list and direct contacts available on request.

How to start a partnership - timeline

The typical path from a first conversation to an arriving cohort. Concrete dates are negotiated to align with your institution's curriculum-approval and admissions cycles; the steps below are the standard sequence.

1 · Initial enquiry. You contact the partner desk with a brief outline: institution, faculty leading the program, target dates, cohort size, discipline, language component required, key constraints. We respond within two working days with a first-call invitation. 2 · Intake call. A 45-60 minute call with the partner desk and (where relevant) the academic coordinator from our side. Goal: understand academic vision, institutional context, and operational requirements. We document the call in a structured intake brief shared back to you within five working days. 3 · Site visit / faculty fam trip. The visiting faculty member and (optionally) a study-abroad office representative come to Italy for a 2-4 day campus visit. We host classroom walk-throughs, sample lessons, meetings with our academic team, and a tour of housing options and field-trip destinations. 4 · Scoping document. A detailed scoping document is co-developed: program structure, calendar, syllabus integration, language component design, housing plan, field-trip schedule, risk-management plan, Academic Approval Pack outline, and a draft pricing worksheet. Iterated until both sides are aligned. 5 · MOU signing. Memorandum of Understanding (or equivalent partnership agreement) drafted and signed. Covers academic scope, operational responsibilities, pricing and payment terms, risk allocation, intellectual property, data protection, and exit clauses. Reviewed by both institutions' legal teams. 6 · Operational setup & recruitment. Joint launch of student recruitment at the home campus (information sessions, marketing collateral, application platform). On our side: Academic Approval Pack delivered, housing reservations confirmed, Italian language placement test scheduled, faculty pre-departure pack issued, risk-management protocols finalised. 7 · Arrival & program delivery. Cohort arrives. Three phases of support kick in as described above (pre-departure, on-site, re-entry). Single named partner-desk contact throughout. 8 · Post-program review & renewal. End-of-program debrief, post-program report to the home institution, satisfaction survey results, accounting reconciliation. Partnership-renewal conversation typically within 30-60 days of program close, in time for the next academic cycle.

Milan regional context - field-trip and excursion network

Milan sits at the centre of Italy's economic, design and contemporary-art networks, and is the most internationally connected city in the country (Malpensa, Linate, Bergamo airports). Programs can integrate excursions to any of the destinations below as standard inclusions or scoped add-ons.

In Milan (day visits). Duomo · Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II · Pinacoteca di Brera · Museo del Novecento · Museo Poldi Pezzoli · Fondazione Prada · Pirelli HangarBicocca · Triennale · Castello Sforzesco · Last Supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie · Quadrilatero della Moda · Navigli · Tortona & Lambrate design districts · Porta Nuova business district · La Scala (when in season). Lombardy & Northern Italy (day-trip range). Lake Como · Lake Maggiore · Bergamo · Brescia · Pavia · Cremona · Mantua · Verona · Modena · Parma · Bologna · the Italian and Swiss Alps · Lugano (CH, 1 hr). Easy access by high-speed rail from Milano Centrale and Milano Porta Garibaldi. Italy beyond Lombardy (weekend / break-trip range). Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples, the Amalfi Coast - all accessible within 3 hours by high-speed rail from Milano Centrale. Standard mid-program break trip: Rome, Florence, or a long weekend on the Italian Alps. Want a different Italian city focus?. For the Florentine campus model (primary hub), see Faculty-led in Florence. For Deep-Italy semesters, see Faculty-led in Mantua. For design & food in the Northern alternative, see Faculty-led in Turin. Overview: all four campuses.