The university system
BACHELOR'S DEGREE - duration 3 years, 180 credits
It ensures an adequate command of methods, general content and specific professional knowledge. The academic qualification of dottoressa or dottore is awarded.
Professional Bachelor's Degree - duration 3 years, 180 credits
It is a new type of degree programme involving two years of university education and one year dedicated to the traineeship or periods in a company in order to train highly specialised professional figures required by the labour market (graduate surveyors and experts in organic crop production).
SINGLE-CYCLE MASTER'S DEGREE - duration 5 or 6 years, 300 or 360 credits
It is a Degree Programme organised as a single cycle lasting 5 or 6 years, and graduates obtain the academic qualification of dottore magistrale or dottoressa magistrale. It is предусмотрed for degree programmes in Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Law, Building Engineering-Architecture, Primary Teacher Education.
MASTER'S DEGREE - duration 2 years, 120 credits
It provides advanced education and training for the pursuit of highly qualified activities in specific fields. It is accessed after completing a bachelor's degree, and a minimum degree mark and specific curricular requirements indicated in the admission notices may be required. It confers the academic title of Master's graduate.
FIRST-LEVEL UNIVERSITY MASTER'S DEGREES - at least 1 year, 60 credits
These are advanced scientific specialisation and continuing and recurrent higher education courses aimed at providing specific professional skills.
RESEARCH DOCTORATE
It is accessible only after obtaining a master’s degree and passing an entrance examination; it lasts 3 years, at the end of which the academic qualification of Doctor of Research is awarded. The objective is to acquire a sound methodology for advanced scientific research.
SPECIALISATION DIPLOMA
It is obtained by attending a course with a maximum duration of 6 years, after obtaining a master’s degree, and confers the qualification of specialist. The specialisation course provides knowledge and skills for the exercise of highly qualified professional activities, particularly in the field of medical, clinical and surgical specialties, but also in other contexts.
SECOND-LEVEL UNIVERSITY MASTER’S DEGREES - at least 1 year, 60 credits
These are courses of advanced scientific study and of higher continuing and recurrent education, aimed at providing specific professional skills.
UNIVERSITY CREDITS
The university credit (ECTS credit) (university credits (ECTS credits)) is the unit used to measure the commitment required in terms of study or learning activities.
One credit conventionally corresponds to 25 hours of work. The credits assigned to each course unit or teaching activity are acquired once the examination has been passed or the activities have been completed, regardless of the mark obtained.
FIELDS OF STUDY
They are groups of degree programmes at the same level that have the same learning outcomes and the same essential educational activities.
Within the classes, each university defines the name of the programme and the educational activities in the study plan. The degree class makes it possible to compare degree programmes with different names offered by different universities.
Access to degree programmes
Open-access courses
These are courses that do not impose limits on the number of people who can enrol, but an assessment of prior knowledge is still required. If the outcome is negative, it is possible to enrol with additional learning requirements (OFA), which must be fulfilled within the first year of the course.
Restricted-access courses (national or local restricted numbers)
These are courses that limit the number of enrolments: it is mandatory to sit an admission test and achieve a sufficiently high position in the ranking.