The tradition of honorary degrees is dear to Politecnico. The initiative, authorised with a law of 1926, was applied immediately yet with reserve by Politecnico that awarded the first honorary degree to Piero Puricelli in 1927, then to Natale Ratti (1930), to Giorgio Enrico Falck (1933) and others, to a total of approximately twenty recipients up until the early 1960's. Twelve of these degrees were awarded in 1964 in the presence of the President of the Republic, Antonio Segni, as part of the celebrations to honour the institution's one-hundred year anniversary.
The tradition, which was suspended for a few decades, resumed in 2001 with the awarding of an honorary degree in Mechanical Engineering to Emilio Riva. In the same year, honorary degrees in Design were awarded to great architects and graduates of the Politecnico such as Achille Castiglioni and Marco Zanuso.
Honorary degrees since 2001
2024
- Nanni STRADA (Design for the Fashion System)
2022
- Gérard MOUROU (Engineering Physics)
- Gilda BOJARDI (Interior and Spatial Design)
- Paolo MERLONI (Energy Engineering)
- Rafael Mariano GROSSI (Nuclear Engineering)
2021
- Juan LEMA (Environmental and Land Planning Engineering)
- Marva GRIFFIN WILSHIRE (Product Service System Design))
- Mark SARKISIAN (Civil Engineering)
- Yasmeen LARI (Architecture)
2019
- Ian RITCHIE (Building and Architectural Engineering)
2018
- Fabrizio DI AMATO (Chemical Engineering)
2016
- Dan M. FRANGOPOL (Civil Engineering)
2015
- Italo LUPI (Communication Design)
- Steven HOLL (Architecture)
2014
- Maurizio BOIOCCHI (Mechanical Engineering)
2013
- Álvaro SIZA VIEIRA (Architecture)
- Kengo KUMA (Building Engineering/Architecture)
- Giovanni ARVEDI (Engineering)
- Pasquale FORTE (Engineering)
- Cesare PUCCIONI (Engineering)
2009
- Gianfelice ROCCA (Management Engineering)
- Eugenio PARIZZI (Automation Engineering)
- Nicholas GRIMSHAW (Building Engineering/Architecture)
- Gabriele DEL MESE (Building Engineering/Architecture)
2007
- Giorgio ARMANI (Industrial Design)
- Paul J. CRUTZEN (Environmental and Land Planning Engineering)
- Marc DE LEVAL (Biomedical Engineering)
2006
- Alessandro MENDINI (Industrial Design)
- Leonardo DEL VECCHIO (Materials Engineering)
2005
- Bob NOORDA (Industrial Design)
- Luca Cordero di MONTEZEMOLO (Industrial Design)
- Nuno PORTAS (Urban Planning and Policy Design)
- Amedeo CAPORALETTI (Aeronautical Engineering)
- Manfred FUCHS (Space Engineering)
2004
- Giovanni LOMBARDI (Civil Engineering)
- Renato CARETTA (Mechanical Engineering)
- Giancarlo DE CARLO (Urban Planning and Policy Design)
2003
- Vittorio MINCATO (Management Engineering)
2002
- Bruno MURARI (Electronics Engineering)
- Vico MAGISTRETTI (Industrial Design)
- Angelo MANGIAROTTI (Industrial Design)
- Enzo MARI (Industrial Design)
- Giancarlo ILIPRANDI (Industrial Design)
- Sergio PININFARINA (Industrial Design)
- Steno MARCEGAGLIA (Materials Engineering)
- Giorgio SQUINZI (Chemical Engineering)
- Giovanni TESTA (Management Engineering)
2001
- Olgierd ZIENKIEWICZ (Engineering)
- Zdenek P. BAZANT (Engineering)
- Dusan KRAJCINOVIC (Engineering)
- Emilio RIVA (Mechanical Engineering)
- Vittorio MERLONI (Management Engineering)
- Achille CASTIGLIONI (Industrial Design)
- Tomas MALDONADO (Industrial Design)
- Marco ZANUSO (Industrial Design)
- Gillo DORFLES (Industrial Design)
- Ettore SOTTSASS (Industrial Design)