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ASP – Alta Scuola Politecnica

The ASP Experience

The ASP – Alta Scuola Politecnica promotes a path reserved for talented students willing to broaden the horizon of their disciplinary training and motivated to integrate it with additional transverse elements. Students are initiated to a path of advanced interdisciplinary training to understand the complex relationships between science, innovation, technology and socio-economic systems.

Advanced interdisciplinary training

The students refine their ability to make a positive impact on society and the environment.
The educational core of the ASP path is contextualization and problem definition of complex problem (problem setting), as well as the ability to deal with problems critically originated from the multiplicity of points of view and sensitivities involved (challenge the picture). This does not exclude and indeed lays the foundations for the actual problem solving (problem solving). From a practical point of view, this intent translates for ASP in a path of Intensive Schools structured around complementary topics and in an application project of multidisciplinary character, developed by the students in parallel to the path of master’s degree.

In this context, the disciplinary technical expertise, supported by the industrial, professional, research and other non-academic institutions experiences, helps students to define viable solutions, supporting the dialectical process open to other cultures and sensitivities, also thank to a one-to-one mentoring programme, which foresee the participation of managers and CEOs of industrial groups and national and international experts.

Another important aspect of the ASP training path, is the development of a training model, based on the collaboration between talented students of international honour programmes, like, for example, the collaboration with the Delft University of Technology.

ASP educational activities

The ASP educational activities start in January and are distribuited in parallel to the two-year courses of the Laurea Magistrale programme. 
A final period of intensive analysis and design is planned at the end of the programme before the final exam. 

ASP courses are one-week, intensive modules, typically residential; they take place during summer, winter and spring periods.

ASP projects start in the first year, with presentation of possible topics to be chosen by students, and proceed with exploration, concepts generation and analysis throughout the two following years. 

ASP Diploma & Diploma Supplement

The ASP-Alta Scuola Politecnica, given the high academic value recognized to its program, will award students of all cycles the “ASP Diploma” approved jointly by the Politecnico di Milano and the Politecnico di Torino.

In addition, for each student graduating from the Alta Scuola Politecnica, the ASP career will be included in the Diploma Supplement (DS) which is the only official supplementary document recognized, nationally and internationally, at the end of the university course. The Diploma Supplement (DS) is a document that integrates the official qualification obtained at the end of a course of study at a university or higher education institution.
The DS describes the nature, level, context, content and status of the studies undertaken and completed by the student according to an 8-point standard model, developed on the initiative of the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO. It facilitates the knowledge and evaluation of new academic qualifications by employers and helps the academic and professional recognition of Italian qualifications abroad and the international free movement of graduates.
This certification is issued in a bilingual (Italian-English) edition and consists of about ten pages.

Therefore, ASP students at the end of the programme will receive both the “ASP Diploma” and the “Diploma Supplement” integrated with the ASP activities.
Since both universities are involved, it is recommended to the students to submit a thesis work under the supervision of a tutor from their own Politecnico and a supervisor from the partner Politecnico. Finally, the Thesis will be discussed in regular graduation sessions in students’ own university.

 
 
Main deadlines
July - October
Call for the new Cycle
November - December
Interviews and selections
Mid December
Results and final ranking
February
ASP Day: Opening Ceremony (new incoming cycle) & Graduation Ceremony (previous cycle)
March
New Call for Projects (new incoming cycle) & Winter School (previous cycle)
March - April - May
Winter School + Spring School (new incoming cycle) & Poster Session of the new chosen projects
April - May
Matches Students-Projects and kick-off of the new Projects
July
Call for the new Cycle
September - October
Final Examination

Venues

One of the ASP – Alta Scuola Politecnica objectives is to develop the highest interaction possible among the different disciplines taught at the Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino. In order to achieve this interaction, The Alta Scuola Politecnica adopts an innovative approach to the organization of the educational activities.
Hence, all our efforts to plan our educational activities in full time weekly schools, separately located.

Venues of our schools have been Venezia, Cernobbio on Como lake, Lignano on the Adriatic Coast, Cagliari in Sardegna, Belgirate on the Lake Maggiore, Bardonecchia and Sestriere in the Alpi Piemontesi, Neaples, and Loano on the Ligurian Sea. These are places where students, professors, board and staff have the opportunity to spend a full time week together, discussing and also enjoying those social activities that are essential for creating a community.