GUIDES TO THE UNIVERSITY

Bocconi University offers the following MSc programs referring to the University Graduate School:
 

• 7 MSc programs belonging to the  Management field of study (LM-77 of the Ministerial Decree 16 March, 2007):
  • Management (M);
  • Marketing Management (MM);
  • International Management (IM);
  • Amministrazione, finanza aziendale e controllo - Accounting, Financial Management and Control (AFC);
  • Economics and Management of Government and International Organizations (GIO);
  • Economia e legislazione per l'impresa [Law and Business Administration] (CLELI);
  • Economics and Management in Arts, Culture, Media and Entertainment (ACME);
• 2 MSc programs belonging to the Economics field of study (LM-56 of the Ministerial Decree 16 March, 2007):
  • Economic and Social Sciences (ESS);
  • Economics and Management of Innovation and Technology (EMIT);

• 1 MSc program belonging to the Statistical Sciences field of study (LM-82 of the Ministerial Decree 16 March 2007 ):

  • Data Science and Business Analytics (DSBA);

• 1 MSc program belonging to the Political Science field of study (LM-62 Ministerial Decree 16 March 2007):

  • Politics and Policy Analysis (PPA);

• 1 MSc program belonging to the Finance field of study LM-16 of the Ministerial Decree March 2007) "Finanza:

  • Finanza-Finance (FIN).

In addition, for students initially enrolled starting from the 2019-2020 a.y.:

• 1 MSc program belonging to the "Techniques and methods for information society" field of study LM-91 of the Ministerial Decree March 2007 :
  • Cyber Risk Strategy and Governance (Cyber) in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano.

On average the class groups are comprised of 85 students per class group. For the DSBA, PPA and CYBER MSc programs, each class group contains a smaller number of students.

First year class groups are structured as follows: 

(*) students initially enrolled starting from the 2019-2020 academic year.
 

MSc program requirements are expressed in credit points.
A credit point is the unit of measurement which determines the workload students are required to fulfill. It is assumed that students are adequately prepared from the start to carry out the educational activities required by the degree program. The workload includes classroom activities (lectures, exercises, seminars) and individual study.
In accordance with the ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System), on average one credit point corresponds to 25 hours of work for the student; about 8 hours are spent in the classroom.
The average workload for a full-time student is set at 60 credit points per year as per agreement.
To graduate, MSc students must have acquired 120 credit points.
The credit points assigned to each individual educational activity are earned when students pass the exam or when their progress is verified in other ways required by the activity.

It should be noted that, in compliance with the educational objectives of the Master of Science programs and with the ministerial tables concerning the relating field of studies, the program structure may be subject to slight variations decided on by the competent Academic Bodies.

Bocconi University offers preparatory courses held before the start of lessons. These courses are an important tool which helps students to face the subjects characterizing the first year of the Master of Science program.

As Master of Science programs are more specific than the Bachelor of Science programs and as the composition of class groups is heterogeneous, the attendance is strongly recommended because they help all students enrolled to face the commitment of the university experience. The course profiles of Master of Science programs have been therefore created by considering the basic knowledge of the undergraduate programs acquired and known.

Detailed information is available in "Preparatory Courses".

The MSc program structures, with the exception of the MSc in Data Science and Business Analytics (DSBA) and Cyber risk strategy and governance (CYBER), are made up of educational activities worth credit points, which are divided in:

• compulsory course (including seminars) also interchangeable;
• activities chosen by students: electives or other educational activities (e.g. workshops or assignments);
• curricular supplementary activities*;
• EU foreign languages;
• Internship or similar activities;
• thesis.

*All detailed information (courses on offer, procedure for choosing them, etc) on curricular supplementary activities worth 2 CP in the second year, are available in the paragraph 2.1.2.4 Curricular Supplementary Activities.

Regarding foreign languages, for MSc programs, English is the first language and a European Union language is the second language, with the exception of the MSc in Data Science and Business Analytics (DSBA) and Cyber Risk Strategy and Governance (CYBER), where only one foreign European Union language other than English is required.

The MSc in Data Science and Business Analytics (DSBA) and Cyber Risk Strategy and Governance (CYBER) program structure is made up of educational activities worth credit points, which are divided in:

• compulsory course (including seminars) also interchangeable;
• activities chosen by students: electives or other educational activities (e.g. workshops or assignments);
• one foreign EU language other than English;
• Internship or similar activities;
• thesis.

Every MSc program structure includes compulsory courses, relating to exams that all students are required to pass.

Compulsory courses are needed in order to satisfy program requirements and they represent the fundamental building blocks for achieving the educational objectives of the degree program.

This chapter contains a section relating to each MSc program where students can find the detailed program structure with the list of all the compulsory courses and compulsory courses that can be chosen by the student, credit point value and position in the program.

Some study plans include compulsory courses and/or curriculum that can be freely chosen. For procedure see "Curricular choices of the first year of studies".

Students can receive credit for exams concerning each compulsory course taken at universities abroad as part of the programs offered by the International Relations Service, unless courses are part of the list of not recognized exams.
Students can receive credit for exams recognized either in full or partial after the course program has been integrated according to the procedures that can be found in "Credit for Exams Passed at Universities Abroad".

Course profiles are available on the website at www.unibocconi.eu/courses.

Detailed courses programs (course syllabuses) are generally available online and  they are also generally given out in the classrooms by faculty on the first days of lectures.

Elective courses are chosen by students in order to complete their individual study plans, as provided for by the curriculum of studies, the major chosen, from  the group of courses offered by the University and/or offered in collaboration with other universities.
This chapter contains a section relating to each MSc program where students can find the detailed program structure with the number of electives required.
Elective courses are generally worth 6 credit points.

The choice of electives must be made at the start of the second year of studies for all programs with the exception of the ESS for which the choice must be made during the first year of the program. The procedure is specified in "First-Year Procedures, Rules and Administrative Deadlines".

Before choosing their electives, students should consult the "Table of incompatible courses" and the "Table of banned courses".

The "Incompatible courses table" specifies the courses that cannot be chosen together in the same study plan because their course programs are either exactly or partly similar. The "Banned courses table" indicates the courses that cannot be included together in a specific MSc program.

The exams relating to electives can be taken at universities abroad as part of the programs offered by the International Relations Service. The criteria and credit approval procedure is specified in "Credit for Exams Passed at Universities Abroad".

Course profiles are available with the specification of the language of instruction of the course (Italian and/or English) at www.unibocconi.eu/courses.

Detailed course programs (course syllabuses) are available online and  they are also generally given out in the classrooms by faculty on the first days of lectures.

Workshops are interdisciplinary activities. Student evaluation is exam based and marked out of 30 by the workshop professor. 

In-depth studies (only for students enrolled in the ESS MSc program) involve students carrying out individual research on topics decided upon with the Course Director

• of a compulsory or elective provided for in the program structure and passed
• of a PhD course entered in the study plan as Higher Level Course.

Student evaluation is based on a written assignment for each in-depth study, which is marked out of 30. One in-depth study can be allocated to each course, worth a maximum of 3 credit points; in order to have an in-depth study recorded in their study plan, students must contact the secretary's office of the Department of reference of the course chosen.
Compulsory courses, recommended majors, elective selection criteria and choice groups for each MSc program are listed below.

The educational offer for the 2019-2020 academic year will include an e-learning class group for some elective courses already taught in the same semester with traditional methods.

Some highly-motivated and deserving MSc students (enrolled in ESS, FIN, GIO, DSBA and PPA) will be allowed to obtain academic credit from higher level courses. That is, courses held as part of the following Bocconi PhD Programs: PhD in Economics and Finance, PhD in Business Administration and Management, PhD in Public Policy and Administration and PhD in Statistics. You can check further information on the number of courses that can be validated for ESS, FIN, GIO, DSBA and PPA in the paragraph relating to each Master of Science program structure. Further information on administrative procedures to apply and to have the PhD exams passed recognized is included in chapter "Higher Level Courses".

Curricular supplementary activities aim to develop wide-ranging cultural knowledge and are classified as professional training activities.
They include, for example, seminars on specific topics, study tours, IT courses on the use of software and courses on non-European languages.

Individual program structures for students enrolled in the first year of a Master of Science program, include 2 compulsory credit points dedicated to curricular supplementary activities in the second year of the program. These credit points are part of the 120 credit points required to complete the degree.

Exceptions:

• DSBA and CYBER Master of Science programs, whose students may take part in curricular supplementary activities by recording 2 credit points earned as additional courses;
• CEMS program, whose students will obtain academic credit for the 2 compulsory CEMS seminars (Business Communication Skill Seminar and Responsible Global Leadership Seminar) to cover the 2 credits for curricular supplementary activities required for courses in the second year of IM. Any curricular supplementary activities can only be recorded in the study plan as additional courses. 

These activities are positioned in the second year of the program, however, participation in the activities may be completed in advance during the first year of the program, as long as spots are available. Curricular supplementary activities  offered in the 2019-2020 a.y. involve, for example:
 

• IT courses organized by SEDIN;
• Language and culture courses organized by the Language Center;
• Course on thesis writing;
• Workshops created in collaboration with ISPI;
• Broaden Your Frame Seminars;
• Media Experience
• Study Tours.

Detailed information on the activities offered and the schedule will be made available in September 2019

Choice of Activities and Assignment
Information on the choice of Curricular Supplementary Activities and assigment is available in the paragraph 9.3 Curricular Supplementary Activities: choice, assignment and placement in the Program Structure.

Placement of Curricular Supplementary Activities in the Program Structure
The two credit points that can be earned are subject to meeting the attendance requirements and passing a theory-based test (pass or fail); assessment methods will be defined ad hoc for the specific activity.

Students may record up to three curricular supplementary activities in their study plan: of these, one is placed in the academic career as part of the 120 credit points required; the other two will be additional courses.
Students enrolled in the MSc in DSBA and CYBER can record up to two curricular supplementary activities as additional courses.
Please note that any additional curricular supplementary activities may be placed in the individual study plan in addition to (and not as an alternative to) other additional courses.
The 2 credit points earned for each activity:

• are recorded in the academic career upon passing the final theory-based test;
• are not included in the calculation of the GPA;
• are not included for the purposes of Bocconi rankings for exchange programs (Exchange, CEMS);
• are valid for ISU Bocconi scholarship rankings.