SCHOLARSHIPS
2-year MA in Design Leadership and Strategy
DESIGN-DRIVEN LEADERSHIP: INNOVATION, STRATEGY AND BUSINESS IMP ACT
APPLY NOWDEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: March 13th, 2026
COURSE START: October 1st, 2026
SCHOLARSHIPS AMOUNT
• Scholarships covering from 3.500€ to 5.000€ of the total tuition fee for the first year of the Master of Arts Programme.
Scholarship amount deduction is for the first year only but it’s considered renewed for the second academic year provided that the student passes exams for at least 40 credits within the 3rd exam session, autumn - September, with a weighted average not less than 27/30
INTRO
Design today goes beyond mere aesthetics or functionality: it is a strategic lever for driving innovation, shaping business models, and influencing organisational culture. The discipline of Design Leadership & Strategy examines how designers assume decision making roles, influence product or service vision, and generate sustainable impact at scale.
Design leaders operate at the intersection of creativity, business insight, and organisational structure, translating user and market insight into strategic choices, fostering cross disciplinary collaboration, and embedding a design mindset across teams.
Recent scholarship and practice, from foundational arguments in Rise of the DEO (Giudice & Ireland, 2013) to newer analyses as in Design Leadership (Quint, 2024), highlight how design leadership is critical to building effective design driven organisations, aligning design with corporate strategy, and scaling design’s influence across the enterprise.
BRIEF
Select two designers who have worked within design-oriented or innovation-driven companies and analyse how they led significant transformations at the product, process, or strategic level.
Describe the organisational context in which they operated, the strategic decisions they influenced or made, and the effects on business performance and company culture. Then, critically reflect on what it means today to hold a leadership role as a designer. How are creative vision, strategic influence, and the ability to lead teams and processes integrated in practice?
Your analysis should refer to both foundational and contemporary theory to understand design-driven leadership as a new paradigm for business and to provide a current, practical framework for embedding design at the core of organisations. Clearly articulate the strategic and decision-making contributions a designer could have and propose original reflections on how design today can influence innovation, competitive advantage, organisational transformation, and long-term business value.
THE PROGRAMME
Domus Academy 2-year Masters of Arts programmes (120 ECTS) are accreditated by the Italian Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR), and awarded by NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti.
During the path, students engage in in-depth theoretical coursework that will put into practice through an unconventional mix of workshops, seminars, specialized laboratories, Boot camps & intership/professional experience and a final degree project.
The 2-Year Master of Arts in Design Leadership & Strategy provides interdisciplinary education at the intersection of design, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
APPLY NOW When you submit your project you will receive an immediate confirmation email that your submission was received. If you do not receive a confirmation, let us know at: competitions@domusacademy.it