3.The new university system

3.1 The previous system

The Ministerial Decree no. 509 of 3rd November 1999 set up the new university system in the academic year 2001/02 and also provided for the transitory phase from the old to the new system.This means that universities must complete degree courses that are currently running and give students the opportunity to opt for the new system.For some years to come, the two different systems will continue to co-exist until the old system is phased out.In the previous system university studies were organised as follows:

1. First level courses (three years) leadingto a first degree called Diploma Universitario with an entrance requirement of school leaving qualification (Diploma di superamento dell’Esame di Stato conclusivo dei corsi di istruzione secondaria superiore, shortened to Diploma dell’Esame di Stato and also known as Maturità).
    
2. Second level courses (four to five years with medicine lasting 6 years) leading to the Laurea degree conferring the title of dottoreand with an entrance requirement of a first degree (Diploma universitario) in a related area of study or a school leaving qualification (Diploma dell’Esame di Stato/Maturità).
    
3. Third level programmes leading to a research doctorate (Dottorato di Ricerca) or to a specialisation degree (Diploma di Specializzazione/Specialista) with an entrance requirement of the Laurea.

These qualifications are still being awarded during this transitory phase.

3.2 New Academic Degrees and Qualifications

The reform has abolished the old three year degree (diploma universitario) and the old four year degree (laurea) and has introduced the following new academic qualifications organised in three cycles.

3.3 Course objectives

The Ministerial decree establishes a defined set of learning outcomes for each level of degree course.

3.4 Credit System

The university reform has introduced a system of university credits (Crediti Formativi Universitari) in Italy for the first time. The principal objective has been to make studies more student-centred, reducing the gap between official and real length of courses as well as lowering the drop out rate. The main characteristics of the system are as follows:

1. the credits represent the total student workload (class time, individual study, exam preparation, practical work etc) and one credit is equivalent to 25 hours
    
2. the average full time workload for one academic year is 60 credits which is equivalent to 1500 hours. Universities may opt to increase or decrease this total workload by maximum 20% (1200-1800 hours) but they must justify this change.
    
3. the amount of time to be reserved for individual learning or other individual educational and training activities may not be lower than 50%, except for the courses including practical or laboratory work
    
4. credits are earned once the student has passed the assessment for each course or activity
    
5. the total or partial recognition of credits obtained by students wishing to continue their studies in a different degree programme or different institution is at the discretion of the educational authority concerned, in accordance with the criteria and procedures of the university teaching regulations
    
6. teaching regulations of each university can provide for regular reassessment of credit allocation and indicate the minimum number of credits to be achieved within a fixed period of time (in the case of full or part time studies)
    
7. universities can recognise credits for professional skills and experience according to the regulations as well as other skills and knowledge acquired in post-secondary level courses that have been designed and taught in collaboration with the university.
   The ministerial decree also establishes the number of credits for each degree.

The ministerial decree does not set credits for the research doctorate since it is essentially based on individual research activities. The legal length is a minimum of three years in accordance with the regulations in the most recent reform.

3.5 Entry Requirements

The basic entry requirements to the new degree courses are defined as follows.

The ministerial decree no. 509 of 3rd November 1999 acknowledges the right of universities to require an adequate previous education level in the basic subjects of the chosen degree course for all applicants. Consequently, they may set additional admission requirements for the different degree courses. The teaching regulations of the universities must therefore determine:

When the admission to a degree course at any level is requested on the basis of a foreign qualification, it is the responsibility of the universities to evaluate the qualification concerned and decide its suitability. Institutions apply the recognition criteria and procedures as established in their statutes and teaching regulations as well as any relevant bilateral and international agreements in force.

3.6 Classification of Courses

The Ministry has drawn up a classification of degree courses of the same level. There are 47 different classes for the first degree Laurea and 109 different classes for the second degree (Laurea Specialistica). Degree courses may be given different names by the different universities but they have the same learning outcomes and teaching/learning activities. Degree courses of the same class have the same legal value. All classes belong to one of the five subject areas – engineering and architecture, health, humanities, science and technology, law and economics. Each degree programme must cover 6 different types of subject courses as follows:
a. basic education courses in one or more fields of study
b. specific courses related to the degree programme
c. courses in one or more similar or supplementary subject fields
d. elective courses
e. preparatory courses for the final examination (including the assessment of foreign language skills for the Laurea
f. further courses aimed at improving language skills, as well skills relating to computer studies, telematics, interpersonal skills and any other skills considered relevant to the labour market, in particular work experience and training.
Since it is the universities that name the degree programmes and define the teaching regulations, the learning outcomes and activities are indicated not for the individual degree programmes but for the degree classes, i.e. the groups of degree programmes. Therefore, all the programmes that universities set up in a specific class will have the same learning outcomes and compulsory activities but they will differentiate in name, specific learning outcomes, and especially in the detailed choice of teaching/learning activities that the students will need to carry out as well as in the number of credits allocated. (There are minimum credit requirements fixed by ministerial decree that the teaching regulations of individual institutions must allocate for the different educational activities in relation to each class of degree and subject field.)
Universities are therefore able to offer different degree courses in the same degree class which either have a strong vocational focus or follow a more academic pathway, or alternatively combine both these elements. In all cases, the courses must provide the students with adequate knowledge of general scientific principles and mastery of methods as well as specific professional skills.

3.7 Course offerings at Italian Universities

The Italian Ministry for Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) has set up a database available on its website at http://offertaformativa.miur.it/corsi/ where all first and second degree programmes currently offered at Italian universities are listed. The list below indicates the different classes for both first and second degrees. First degrees are characterised by both theoretical and applied studies and this is often indicated in the Italian title by “scienze” or “scienze and tecnologie”. Second degrees have a strong theoretical part and specialise in a specific subject field.

First degrees - Undergraduate studies

Second degrees - Graduate studies