The Italian Higher Education System
Italian higher education consists of two main articulations: the university sector and the non-university sector.
At present, the university sector is made up of 89 university institutions which are classified in:
58 State universities - public entities endowed with scientific, teaching, managerial, financial and book-keeping autonomy. These institutions have full legal capacity in matters of both public and private law.
17 non-State universities (legally recognized by the State)
2 universities for foreigners with educational programs conducted in English.
higher schools specialised in 6 areas of postgraduate university studies
6 telematic universities.
The non-university sector includes 4 education typologies with their institutions:
higher schools of design: These include the polytechnics for the arts, academies of fine arts, higher institutes for applied arts, music conservatories and recognized music institutes, higher institutes for musical and choreographic studies and national academies.
higher education in language mediation: These are higher schools for language mediators.
higher integrated education (FIS): These offer programmes of higher technical education & training (IFTS).
A few specific fields such as archiving, diplomatics, restoration, and military studies, along with their respective institutions, fall under the supervision of ministries other than that of Education. etc.
Italy - 5 Great Subject Areas
The 5 great subject areas covering university education in Italy are: health, humanities, sciences, social studies and technology. Each area is subdivided in the following main subject sectors:
1. Health: dentistry, pharmacy, human medicine & surgery, midwifery, nursing, physio-and-rehabilitation therapy, preventive care, technical sanitary assistance;
2. Humanities: arts (performing, visual, fashion, music), cultural heritage, education, geography, history; Italian and classical/oriental studies, language mediation (applied foreign languages, interpreting, translating), modern languages and cultures (glottology, linguistics, literature, philology, etc.),
3. Sciences: agriculture, animal production & husbandry, biology, biotechnology, chemistry, environmental sciences, food industry & forestry, maths, natural sciences, physics, statistics, etc.;
4. Social sudies: administration, business, communication, cooperation & development, defence & security, economics, law, physical education & sports, psychology, political science and international relations, social service & sociology, tourism;
5. Technology: architecture & building engineering, design (industrial), engineering (civil, industrial, information), regional & environmental planning, urban planning, etc.
Exchange Programs
Many European students studying at Italian universities on exchange agreements are doing so under the European Community Socrates Erasmus programme. In all universities there will be a European Office or European Officer dedicated to the management of this program. Other exchange students from outside Europe are able to attend through bilateral agreements between their university and the host institution in Italy and are welcomed in the same way as European exchange students.
Teaching and Assessment
Most teaching at Italian institutions still takes place in large lecture halls but this will depend very much on the single course of study. As with any university education, students are expected to organize and take responsibility for a considerable amount of self studies outside the classroom in order to prepare for exams.
In Italy, university examinations are held after the teaching period and are mainly oral exams. Some courses will have written tests taking place during the semester or before the oral exam. Generally, each exam will be offered on a number of dates during the exam period and students can choose which date they wish to take the exam. Students are also entitled to turn down a mark and take the exam again if they are not satisfied with the result. Rules apply as to how often a student can take an exam within a given examination period.
