Designing a Professional Master’s Programme is the first step for developing a work-oriented curriculum that is innovative, topical, in line with the University’s strategic goals, sustainable and of high quality. Read the basic information and see the documents required for activating a Professional Master’s Programme.
Professional Master’s Programmes are postgraduate programmes focused on advanced training and scientific specialisation, offering specialist skills to enter the world of work. They are designed to meet the strategic goals of Departments, are governed by a separate regulatory system and are closely linked to the world of work. All the above, in order to facilitate the development of professionals suited to the new needs of production and society. Their sustainability is based on tuition fees paid by students and on external funding.
Professional Master’s Programmes must therefore be designed with a view to meeting the need for new professionals, other than those already covered by first-cycle, second-cycle and third-cycle programmes, by identifying scientific, methodological and technical areas that require innovation and specific training.
For more information, see the Guidelines for a.y. 2025-2026 [.pdf 820 KB]
When designing a project, reference must be made to two key documents:
Email: aform.progettazionemaster@unibo.it
Contatto: master@unibo.it
In order to submit a project renewal, you can duplicate the previous year’s project via the Activation request for professional training programmes application page, as follows:
Besides consulting with the parties concerned, the opinion of participants in previous editions of a programme can prove extremely useful when renewing a project. Some indicators to consider include:
The results of the surveys are gathered and published in the University website in collaboration with Consorzio AlmaLaurea. An extract of the survey, with a selection of questions relevant to assess student satisfaction, is available in the University Data Warehouse, which teachers may access using the password assigned to their Department.
Only the person who prepared the project and the Ufficio Progettazione Master’s staff can make changes to the project. Only the Ufficio’s staff can make changes to the project once submitted.
As a rule, programmes are taught by professors and assistant professors (permanent Senior Assistant Professors, and fixed-term Junior and Senior Assistant Professors) of the University of Bologna, as well as by external trainers. At least 50% of lecturing hours must be assigned to teaching staff of the University of Bologna. Retired professors of the University of Bologna may also contribute to this percentage. The remainder may be assigned to external trainers, including research fellows, PhD students and professionals.
As regards joint programmes, tenured professors of Italian and foreign partner universities also contribute to the academic teaching percentage of 50%.
As regards programmes in the areas of medicine and nursing, clinical and health professionals in the areas relevant to the programme may also contribute to the percentage of 50%.
Tenured professors and assistant professors of the University of Bologna may teach on professional training programmes, after covering the teaching activity assigned to them by the University itself, in accordance with the teaching planning guidelines approved every year by the Academic Bodies.
As per the Guidelines [.pdf 820 KB]currently in force, the following parameters apply to teacher remuneration: minimum remuneration €130/hour, gross for the institution; maximum remuneration €250/hour, gross for the institution. The minimum hourly rate is not mandatory; teachers may waive remuneration, in full or in part, and allocate such resources to institutional purposes, in accordance with the Regulations governing professional training programmes. The maximum hourly rate, on the other hand, is mandatory.
Please note that, according to good practice, the hourly rate paid to internal and external teachers should be essentially equal.
All administrative and accounting matters will be managed by organisations outside of the University of Bologna that meet certain requirements and with which the University has entered into a partnership agreement. Subject to approval, management may be assigned to internal structures (Departments, Interdepartmental Research Centres pursuant to Article 25, paragraph 1 of the Statute) as proponents of the programmes.
The budget must be prepared according to the template available in the application. Anything that is not covered by the template must be specified in the “notes to the budget”. Any amounts to be included in the University Budget are automatically calculated by the template. In the event of any reductions in the amounts to be included in the University Budget under the Regulations (e.g. for joint programmes), these must be indicated in the notes, since the template only calculates standard charges.
Yes, so long as the outgoing director sends an official notice to the Department that approved the project and, in carbon copy, to the Ufficio Master, and provided that the Professional Master’s Programme scientific board appoints a new director.
Pursuant to the Guidelines [.pdf 820 KB] (page 6), Professional Master’s Programmes are activated subject to reaching the feasibility budget for the project, which is based on a minimum number of participants that may vary up to 10%. When the minimum number of participants is not reached, the feasibility budget may be revised in the event of any funding received, after project approval, from third-party donations. The minimum number of participants may in no case be less than 8. The minimum number may be reduced to 4 in Professional Master’s Programmes that involve laboratory work with very specific instruments and technology, especially in the area of medicine. No exceptions are allowed to the above-said minimum thresholds of 8 participants for general Professional Master’s Programmes and of 4 participants for Professional Master’s Programmes that use advanced technology. The revised budget must be submitted to the Department for approval.
Internships form an essential part of the curriculum and allow acquiring university educational credits (CFUs).
Internship activities may only be carried out at partner organisations and businesses. The procedure to enter into an internship agreement is managed by the Professional Master’s Programme secretariat. The list of prospective partner organisations must be assessed by the Professional Master’s Programme scientific board and submitted to the Department for approval. Internship agreements are signed by the Head of Department. The Head of Department is responsible for selecting suitable organisations to carry out internship activities, having regard to both quality and ethics.
An internship training plan is prepared for each intern and signed by the Professional Master’s Programme director, the tutor at the organisation and the intern. In addition to personal details, logistic and practical information, the plan sets out the learning outcomes and main activities of the internship.
For further information, see the Guidelines.
Auditors are participants who may attend even in lack of the required qualifications, because of their solid professional experience.
The percentage of auditors may not exceed 20% of participants enrolled in the programme. Auditors, if any, are not calculated for the purpose of reaching the minimum number of participants required to activate the programme.
The possibility for auditors to attend must be specified in the project and expressly stated in the Professional Master’s Programme data sheet attached to the call for applications.
Auditors may be issued a certificate of attendance stating the number of hours completed. Auditors do not earn CFUs and have no attendance obligation.
The attendance fee for auditors must be indicated in the call for applications and may be reduced up to 50% of that for participants.
Professional Master’s Programmes provide for a (cumulative) final exam, which is graded and recorded by the Professional Master’s Programme director via the AlmaEsami application.
The final exam is managed by the director:
Regulations governing professional training programmes [.pdf 99 KB]
Master Guidelines a.y. 2025-2026 [.pdf 820 KB]