Information on Professional Master Programmes

• What is a Professional Master?
• Why enrol to a Professional Master?
• Why the University of Bologna?
• Registration procedures for Professional Master's Programmes

What is a Professional Master?

A professional master’s programme is a postgraduate course focused on advanced scientific training and continuous professional development. Upon completion, you earn a first or second level professional master's Degree.

First Level Professional Master's Programme: Requires at least a bachelor's degree for admission.
Second Level Professional Master's Programme: Requires at least a master's degree or a combined bachelor's and master's degree for admission.

The programme lasts at least one year and awards a minimum of 60 university credits.

Admission is competitive, based on an entry call

Why enrol to a Professional Master?

Obtaining a degree represents the moment of convergence of a student's interests and expectations. A Professional Master is the ideal complement to any university studies, offering entry to the world of work.

The Professional Master is a post-graduate qualification.
It is a flexible university programme marked by a greater level of multidisciplinarity than conventional degree programmes. Competences and knowledge from different areas interact in the Professional Master to respond to the need for new professional figures and new specialisations.
The Professional Master is ideal for graduates wishing to continue their studies after graduating, wishing to broaden their knowledge in other areas or specialise in a vocational area by applying the notions acquired during their degree programme.
The skills developed during the Professional Master programme are difficult to acquire in other ways. This is because the curricula are designed and tailored to meet the real needs of public and private institutions. During the programme, thanks to the direct presence of external partners, students have the opportunity to experience the world of work, new contexts, and refine their own ambitions and professional pathways. In this regard, the internship is a fundamental and inalienable component of the programme.

Why the University of Bologna?

The University of Bologna designs Professional Master Programmes that respond to the demand for highly specialised professional figures in different sectors. The University of Bologna was the first in Italy to offer a wide range of both first and second level Master's programmes.

The Master programme catalogue of the University of Bologna is the broadest and most articulated of all Italian universities. The Professional Master's programmes are chosen according to guidelines and quality standards aimed at their integration into the University's general activities, targeting quality and innovation in the choice of course units, defining selection criteria for incoming and outgoing students, focusing on the relevance of the professional profile, relations with the labour market, and the availability of specific resources.
The university tradition in Bologna bears witness to the success of its approach to innovation in education, which continues today with the Professional Master programmes by adapting to the cultural and professional needs of the modern world.
The Professional Master programmes at Bologna use the teaching resources of one of the world's most important universities. Students therefore have the possibility to work with professional and university teaching staff of the highest level.

Registration procedures for Professional Master Programmes

Students wishing to enrol in a Professional Master's Programme should go to the Studenti Online website and fill in the on-line application following the instructions given in the call for applications.

Having completed the application and paid the fee, students should print the summary sheet, sign it and deliver (or send) it to the programme location (addresses are indicated in the call for applications) with proof of any qualifications, within the deadline laid down in the call for applications.

Students must then attend the selection procedure on the date and time indicated in the call; as described in the call, the ranking list of students will be published, and the admitted candidates may then register. If the selection procedure is based exclusively on the assessment of qualifications, attendance at the selection is not required.

Students admitted to the ranking lists and wishing to enrol in a Professional Master Programme should go to the Studenti Online and fill in the on-line application following the instructions given in the call for applications.

Having completed the application and paid the first instalment, students should print the registration form, sign it and, within the set deadline send it to: University of Bologna - Master's Office  - Via Zamboni, 33 - 40126 Bologna (Italy) or deliver it by hand to the Master's Office in via San Giacomo, 7 (Bologna), with a copy of an identity document, the payment receipt and a passport photo.