Master in Industrial Safety and Risk Engineering at Polytechnic University of Milan
Two-year English-taught LM-26 master at Politecnico di Milano in industrial safety, risk assessment and reliability, with a Health, Safety and Environment track and a Risk Engineering track. Entry needs set engineering credits and English such as IELTS 6.
Master
2 years
Milan
English
Polytechnic University of Milan
Industrial Safety and Risk Engineering is a two-year, 120 ECTS master's degree (class LM-26) taught in English at Politecnico di Milano's Milano Leonardo campus. Entry needs a bachelor's in industrial, information or civil engineering, or 180 ECTS with set maths, science and engineering credits, plus a recognised English certificate such as IELTS 6. There is no entrance test.
Entry requirements
Detailed entry requirements
PoliMi's Industrial Safety and Risk Engineering master asks for a bachelor's in industrial, information or civil and environmental engineering, or a three-year degree with set maths, science and engineering credits, a positive review of your academic career by an Admissions Commission, and English certified with a recognised test such as IELTS 6. There is no entrance test. Reviewed 8 October 2026. [1]
Degree and credits
You need a first-cycle degree (EQF level 6) or a comparable qualification. The regulations ask for a degree in Italian class L-9 (industrial engineering), L-8 (information engineering) or L-7 (civil and environmental engineering). Otherwise, you need at least a three-year degree of 180 ECTS that includes: [1]
- At least 20 credits in maths, physics, chemistry or statistics (sectors MAT/01 to 09, SECS-S/01 to 03, FIS/01 to 08 and CHIM/01, 03, 06 and 07).
- At least 10 credits in set engineering subjects: hydraulics, applied thermodynamics and heat transfer, manufacturing technology, and chemical engineering, chemical plants and industrial chemistry (sectors ICAR/01 and 02, ING-IND/10 and 16, and ING-IND/23 to 27).
The same criteria apply to degrees from abroad: the subject areas and credits on your transcript are identified, and if that is not possible, the Study Programme Board evaluates your career. Any missing credits must be made up before your preparation is assessed. [1]
PoliMi also requires a degree issued by a university in the official system of its country, giving access to EQF level 7, with subjects closely related to the programme. Franchised degrees are not accepted, and if you hold both a bachelor's and a master's, only the bachelor's is evaluated. [2]
Country rules and minimum grades
PoliMi sets strict country rules for some degrees, with no exceptions: [2]
- India: a bachelor's of at least four years, such as a B.Tech or B.E. A three-year B.Sc. may be considered only if it is an Honours programme. Minimum average 70 out of 100.
- Pakistan: a four-year continuous bachelor's, as 2+2 degrees are not accepted. Minimum GPA 3.3 out of 4.
- Bangladesh: minimum GPA 3.3 out of 4.
- Sri Lanka: an Honours degree at SLQF level 6 from a recognised institution. Level 5 qualifications are not evaluated.
- UK: an Honours degree or equivalent, with a university letter if the certificate does not say so.
If your average is below the minimum for your country, PoliMi does not evaluate the application. [3]
What this means for your transcript
Italian CFU and the credits on a foreign transcript are not the same unit, and the commission looks at your subjects, not just your total. As a guide, based on the rule above:
- Usually a fit: a four-year B.Tech or B.E. in Chemical, Mechanical, Industrial, Production, Civil or Fire and Safety Engineering, with solid maths, physics and chemistry and some fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, manufacturing or chemical engineering.
- Check carefully: a B.Tech in Computer Science, Electronics or Electrical Engineering. Information engineering is one of the listed degree areas, but your transcript may have little thermal, fluid or chemical content, so the commission can assign extra first-year units. A B.Sc. Honours in Chemistry or Physics usually covers the science block but may lack the 10 engineering credits.
- Often short: a BCA, B.Com, BBA or BA, which lacks the engineering subjects, and a three-year B.Sc. that is not Honours, which does not meet PoliMi's length rule for India.
If you are admitted with gaps, the commission can set prerequisites such as additional compulsory modules, tutoring or a specific MOOC. Prerequisite exams must be passed within 15 months, or the right to admission is lost. [1]
English
You need English certified with one of PoliMi's recognised tests. Accepted scores include IELTS Academic or General Training 6, TOEFL iBT 78 (or 4.5 on the scale used for tests from 21 January 2026), Cambridge B2 First at grade B, PTE Academic 59, Trinity ISE II and LanguageCert B2 Communicator. [3][4]
If English was the medium of instruction for your bachelor's for at least three years, a university document confirming that at least 75% of your courses were taught in English replaces the certificate. The certificate does not affect the evaluation and can follow the application deadline, but it is needed for the admission letter, merit scholarships, the visa and enrolment. [3]
International students admitted to English-taught master's programmes are enrolled with an Italian language obligation and must certify their Italian before the graduation exam. [4]
Selection
There is no entrance test. An Admissions Commission made up of members of the Study Programme Board decides from your academic career: it reviews your previous studies and your grades in basic and core subjects, and checks that your knowledge is adequate for the programme. Your bachelor's average counts as an element of merit for admission without prerequisites. [1]
Optional documents can make an application more competitive: a GRE General Test, a letter of recommendation, a motivation letter and detailed course descriptions. [3]
For 2026/27, PoliMi offered 75 places in this programme at the Milano Leonardo campus, 20 of them for non-EU students. [6]
Deadlines for the September 2027 intake
Applicants with a foreign degree can apply in two calls: [5]
- First call: 1 October to 1 December 2026.
- Second call: 12 January to 25 February 2027.
Outcomes for both calls are due by the end of May 2027. An additional call from 1 to 18 March 2027 is only for EEA students and non-EEA students resident in Italy. You can apply once per semester and to at most two programmes. [5]
Documents and non-EU steps
The online application needs your degree certificate or, if you have not graduated yet, an enrolment document confirming you are in your final year, plus your transcript, a cumulative GPA statement with the grading scale and a CV of up to two pages. Indian graduates upload scans of original transcripts or consolidated grade sheets certified by their institution. Documents cannot be changed after the fee is paid. [2][3]
Your degree must be obtained before enrolment. To enrol, you need a Diploma Supplement, a declaration of value or a CIMEA statement of comparability, and PoliMi can ask for the declaration of value or CIMEA statement at any stage. [2][3]
Non-EU applicants living abroad then complete Universitaly pre-enrolment and apply for a type D study visa.
Sources and verification
Checked by the ApplyAZ admissions team against the university's official documents listed below. Entry rules can change with each new call, and we re-check them before every application.
- Politecnico di Milano, School of Industrial and Information Engineering. Academic regulations, Master's degree in Industrial Safety and Risk Engineering (class LM-26), academic year 2026/27. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. Admission to Master of Science programmes with a foreign qualification: requirements and country-specific rules, undated. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. List of documents required by the Admissions Office for Master of Science applicants with a foreign qualification, accepted certificates updated for 2027/28. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. English language requirements for Laurea Magistrale programmes, academic year 2026/27. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. Application deadlines for Master of Science programmes with a foreign qualification, September 2027 intake. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. Places available for Master of Science programmes with a foreign qualification, academic year 2026/27. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano. Tuition fees for Laurea, Laurea Magistrale and single-cycle programmes, academic year 2026/27. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano, School of Industrial and Information Engineering. The student experience: Master's degree in Industrial Safety and Risk Engineering, April 2025. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- Politecnico di Milano, School of Industrial and Information Engineering. Industrial Safety and Risk Engineering programme page and 2026/27 course list. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
About the programme
Industrial Safety and Risk Engineering is a two-year master's degree (laurea magistrale) in class LM-26, Safety Engineering, worth 120 ECTS. The School of Industrial and Information Engineering runs it in English at the Milano Leonardo campus.
Its course list covers how to identify, assess and manage the risks of industrial plants and operations, from occupational health and accidents to reliability, fire, security and business continuity. It is aimed at engineering and science graduates who want to specialise in safety and risk. [1]
What you will study
Students pick one of two tracks. Health, Safety and Environment focuses on process industry, accidents, fire and pollution; Risk Engineering adds decision engineering, operations research, econometrics and resilience. Units in the 2026/27 course list include:
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Risk Assessment: Principles and Methods
- Reliability Engineering and Quantitative Risk Analysis
- Analysis of Industrial Accidents (HSE track)
- Fire Dynamics and Safety (HSE track)
- NATECH Risk Assessment
- Decision Engineering (Risk Engineering track)
- Operations Risk Management and Resilience (Risk Engineering track)
How the programme is taught
Both tracks share Technology Risk Governance and a unit on the legal side of technical activities, and the Risk Engineering track includes a Risk Management Lab. The second year offers electives such as AI for Risk Engineering, Human Factor Engineering, Business Continuity, Emergency and Crisis Management, and Security and Resilience of Critical Infrastructures, and ends with a 15-credit master thesis. A few electives are in Italian and are optional. [1]
In the first year, up to 20 credits are chosen to fill gaps from your first degree: the Study Plans Commission assigns them, following the conditions set at admission and your bachelor's path. Another 40 credits build the core of safety and risk engineering. Teaching mixes lectures, numerical exercises, computer modelling, laboratories and applied projects, and company visits and seminars with industry experts run during the year. There is no compulsory internship, but an optional internship in Italy or abroad can be approved in advance. [1][8]
Career paths
The two tracks point to roles such as:
- Health, safety and environment engineering in process and manufacturing plants
- Industrial risk assessment and reliability analysis
- Fire safety and accident analysis
- Operations risk, business continuity and crisis management
- Security and resilience of critical infrastructures
In Italy, graduates can sit the State exam for Section A of the engineers' register, and LM-26 graduates are exempt from modules A and B of the training for heads of the prevention and protection service (RSPP). [1]
Fees and scholarships
There is no programme-specific fee. PoliMi sets fees by family income (ISEE), but for 2026/27, international students in the reserved non-EU category admitted with a bachelor's from abroad pay the maximum fee unless they hold a PoliMi, DSU or other scholarship. With such a scholarship, the programme can be tuition-free for eligible students. The details are on PoliMi's tuition fees page. [7] The DSU right-to-study scholarship is managed by the university itself; students who meet the merit and financial-need conditions can apply, and the Politecnico decides.
How to apply from outside the EU
PoliMi checks that your bachelor's matches this master's: a degree in industrial, information or civil and environmental engineering, or at least 180 ECTS with 20 credits in maths, physics, chemistry or statistics and 10 in hydraulics, thermal, manufacturing or chemical engineering subjects. [1]
Foreign-degree holders apply online through the international admissions process, meeting the foreign-qualification requirements: a degree giving access to EQF level 7, the minimum grade average set for some countries and English proof. For the September 2027 intake, the first call runs from 1 October to 1 December 2026 and the second from 12 January to 25 February 2027, with outcomes by the end of May 2027. [2][5]
Once you are admitted, we complete the Universitaly pre-enrolment, and you apply for a type D visa. A Diploma Supplement, declaration of value or CIMEA statement of comparability is needed before enrolment. [2]
How ApplyAZ helps
ApplyAZ is an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities. We can include this programme in a shortlist of 20 to 30 English-taught programmes that fit your profile, so your plan never rests on a single application.
For eligible students who start with us, a named person owns each stage, from A to Z:
- We check your transcript against PoliMi's entry rules for this programme.
- We write your CV and a tailored statement of purpose.
- We prepare and submit your online application with your transcripts and English certificate, and Universitaly pre-enrolment.
- We help you declare your family income for reduced fees and file your Politecnico di Milano DSU scholarship application at the right time and in the right format.
- We prepare your visa file.
With operations in all 20 Italian regions, we follow each region's scholarship rules and deadlines as they change. The university decides admission, the region decides the scholarship and the consulate decides the visa, so no one can promise an outcome. You pay in milestones, and every service you pay for is either delivered or its fee is refunded (terms apply).
Programmes at Italian public universities can be tuition-free for eligible students. Check if you are eligible and book a one-to-one consultation session with one of our Italy experts, or see how ApplyAZ works.
Questions and answers
What bachelor's degree do I need for Industrial Safety and Risk Engineering at PoliMi?
A degree in industrial, information or civil and environmental engineering, or at least 180 ECTS with 20 credits in maths, physics, chemistry or statistics and 10 in hydraulics, thermal, manufacturing or chemical engineering subjects. From India, the degree must last at least four years, with an average of at least 70 out of 100. [1][2]
Is there an entrance exam?
No. An Admissions Commission reviews your previous studies and your grades in basic and core subjects. If it finds gaps, it can set prerequisites such as additional modules, tutoring or a MOOC, which must be passed within 15 months. [1]
What English level is required? Do I need IELTS?
You need a recognised English certificate, such as IELTS 6, TOEFL iBT 78, Cambridge B2 First at grade B or PTE Academic 59. If your bachelor's was taught in English for at least three years, a university document confirming that at least 75% of your courses were in English replaces it. [3]
When is the deadline for non-EU students?
For the September 2027 intake, the first call runs from 1 October to 1 December 2026, and the second from 12 January to 25 February 2027. Outcomes are due by the end of May 2027. [5]
Can I apply before I graduate?
Yes. You can apply in your final year with an enrolment document from your university, as long as you obtain the degree before enrolment. If you do not graduate in time, the evaluation is lost and you must apply again. [1][3]
I have a B.Tech in Computer Science or a B.Sc. in Chemistry. Can I apply?
Possibly. Information engineering is one of the listed degree areas, but the commission checks your subjects and may assign first-year units in thermal, fluid or chemical topics. From India, a B.Sc. must be a four-year degree or a three-year Honours degree, and it may lack the 10 engineering credits. [1][2]
Which tracks are there, and are they taught in English?
Two tracks, both taught in English at the Milano Leonardo campus: Health, Safety and Environment, oriented to industrial and operational risks, and Risk Engineering, oriented to corporate risk management. A few electives are taught in Italian and are optional. [1][9]
How many places are there for non-EU students?
For 2026/27, PoliMi offered 75 places in Industrial Safety and Risk Engineering at the Milano Leonardo campus, 20 of them reserved for non-EU students. [6]
Can someone handle my whole application to Industrial Safety and Risk Engineering at PoliMi?
Yes. ApplyAZ, an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, checks your transcript against PoliMi's rules for this programme, handles the application and Universitaly pre-enrolment, helps you file the Politecnico di Milano DSU scholarship application at the right time and in the right format, and prepares your visa file, for eligible students. Start by checking your eligibility.
I'm applying from India. What is the route into Industrial Safety and Risk Engineering?
PoliMi asks Indian applicants for a bachelor's of at least four years, such as a B.Tech or B.E., with an average of at least 70 out of 100, and considers a three-year B.Sc. only if it is Honours. Your subjects should include maths, science and some fluid, thermal, manufacturing or chemical engineering, and you need English proof such as IELTS 6. The steps are the online application, the commission's review and Universitaly pre-enrolment. [1][2][3] Indian students apply for the type D study visa at the Italian embassy or consulate that covers their state, such as New Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru.
Is the route different from Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka?
No. The academic rules for Industrial Safety and Risk Engineering are the same whatever your nationality. Applicants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka follow the same steps as India: online application in the first or second call, the Admissions Commission's review and Universitaly pre-enrolment, then a type D study visa from the Italian mission for their country of residence. Read our guide for students in Dhaka.
I live in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain. Where do I apply for the visa?
At the Italian embassy or consulate responsible for the country where you legally live, after Universitaly pre-enrolment. The academic rules for Industrial Safety and Risk Engineering are the same whatever your nationality, and Gulf residents follow the same steps: online application in the first or second call, the Admissions Commission's review and Universitaly pre-enrolment. Read our guides for Dubai, Riyadh and Doha.
I studied or live in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. What is the route?
The academic rules for Industrial Safety and Risk Engineering are the same whatever your nationality, and your degree is assessed like any other foreign qualification. Non-EU applicants who live abroad follow the same route: online application in the first or second call, the Admissions Commission's review and Universitaly pre-enrolment, then a type D study visa from the Italian mission for where they live. Read our guides for students in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
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