One study, two degrees: the Faculty of Architecture CTU in Prague and Politecnico di Milano launch a joint programme

Famous alumni of the Politecnico di Milano include Gio Ponti, pioneer of modern design and founder of Domus magazine, Aldo Rossi, theoretician of postmodernism and author of L'architettura della città, and Gae Aulenti, architect and designer known for the redesign of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. The School of Architecture, Urban Planning and  Construction Engineering (AUIC), where the programme will take place, is housed in Campus Leonardo, the concept of which was created by another Polimi graduate, architect Renzo Piano.

"Politecnico di Milano is a school where students and professors learn from each other. Instead of ready-made answers, the emphasis here is on curiosity, testing and finding one's direction. What excited me during my studies was the theory of architecture, which has a long tradition in Italy - its open approach made it fun, not just a set of lectures," says Rudolf Nikerle, a Polimi graduate and currently a visiting studio assistant at the FA.

The double degree combines studies at two universities. Students spend two semesters at their home school and two more abroad. They will develop their diploma project in English under the guidance of teachers from both schools and defend it at both institutions. In the academic year 2025/26, two students from the FA CTU will study in this programme, while the Italian students will participate in the following academic year.

Architect Ondřej Císler, a visiting professor at Polimi, initiated the cooperation with the Milan School of Technology. "We started talking about a double degree between Prague and Milan with Domenico Chizzoni, a colleague, professor at the Politecnico di Milano and a great expert on Czech architecture, around 2019. Due to the complexity of the academic processes and inexperience on our side, I did not even hope we would be able to sign the contract at a certain point. However, this is a fairly common relationship between European universities that promotes cooperation. I think the possibility of graduating in parallel at a top international school of architecture is attractive to our students. It is a pioneering step, for which I thank the current management of the school," comments Ondřej Císler, who believes that the FA CTU will have similar cooperation with other world universities in time.