Guides to the university

WBB students spend their third year of studies in Italy. The third year study plan includes a second foreign language (European Union language).

Rules are as follows:

• Non-native Italian speakers:
  Italian is mandatory (ministerial requirement); minimum exit level: A2;
• native Italian speakers:

French or Spanish or German; minimum exit level: B1 general.

Italian students are allowed to change their second languages (see conditions and deadlines in chapter 9).

The educational offer includes:

• Courses to prepare for Bocconi internal exam:
  the duration of the course is one year (1st and 2nd semester)
  Italian (30308) – A2 general: 72 hours
  French (30307), Spanish (30310), German (30311) – B1 general: 128 hours
   
• Courses to prepare for international certifications
  French, Spanish and Italian: 48 hours, namely:
  French – DELF B1 general (1st semester)
  Spanish – DELE B1 general (1st semester) and DELE B2 general (2nd semester)
  Italian – CELI-CILS B2 general (2nd semester)
  Courses for certifications are open to BSc students (any year) as well as students of other programs.

For further details about courses, please see “course profiles” published on the website and “course syllabi” available on the BBoard via yoU@B student Diary.

All students’ study plan includes second language “course codes” and all students are given a class-group to attend lectures; for French, Spanish and Italian, those who are interested, can apply for a course to prepare for international certification (with different course codes) via yoU@B student’s Diary.

Therefore, students have the following options: to attend the internal exam course only, the certification course only or both of them.

Certification courses:

• are open only to students whose study plan includes the foreign language related to the certification course;
• are for a limited number of students: students are admitted as long as places are available, on a first come, first served basis;
• are activated only if a minimum number of students enroll.

In order to benefit from the course, the student must have a knowledge of the language (at least) equal to the level immediately lower than the level of the certification course.

At the beginning of the course, the teacher evaluates the student’s preparation in order to suggest him/her whether to go on attending it or not.

1) Bocconi exam: mark out of thirty;
2) International certification: to be recorded in the academic transcript with conversion of the score in a mark out of thirty (conversion tables are published on the website).

The mark is included in the calculation of the Grade Point Average (GPA).

The final level of competence is mentioned in the exam report and in the student’s transcript.

Students holding an international certification (taken before or during BSc studies) whose level is equal to or higher than the minimum required for BSc studies can ask to have the result recorded in the academic transcript, provided that the certification is still valid (validation procedure).

Recording can take place as from the beginning of the 3rd year (even before the first available session for internal exams).

If the certification is submitted in a year after the year of studies the language is positioned in, the student will appear to be a student who has not yet passed the exam (“in debito”) until the certification is recorded.

Students must contact the Language Center to have the certification recorded in the academic transcript and do not have to register for the internal exam.

Students can opt for sitting the internal exam only, the certification exam only or both of them; in the latter case:

• once the result of the internal exam is recorded, the result of the certification cannot be recorded any more in the academic curriculum (it is an extra);
• once the result of the certification is recorded, the result of the internal exam cannot be recorded any more in the academic curriculum.

The assessment method consists of an exam focused on reading, writing, listening and speaking competencies as well as with international certifications.

Student can sit the exam (“general” mode) as from the end of second semester (after the end of the teaching period: May).

5 exam sessions are scheduled throughout the year (May-June, June-July, August-September, October, January-February).

The exam consists of two linked parts: written (focused on writing, reading, listening) and oral (final part focused on speaking).

Please note that:

• In order to sit for the exam, it is required to register via Punto Blu (one single registration, valid for both written and oral part);
• Both written and oral part have to be taken in the same exam session as the oral part is the final step of a single, complete exam (the same as with international certification);
• Final grade: result of the written part + result of the oral part + result of active participation (only for attending students; only in case of active participation);
• The written part is the same for attending and non-attending students.

Further details in the course syllabus available in BBoard.

Here below basic information about international certifications and tests (in short “certifications”).

Further detailed info, please visit the website area Campus and services > Services for Current Student> Language Center> Certificates.

International certifications can be recorded in the academic curriculum provided that they are:

• officially recognized by Bocconi University and have been taken at an officially recognized test center in Italy or abroad;
• submitted to the Administrative Office of the Language Center before the “expiry date” which is within 3 years after sitting the international certification exam (2 years for TOEFL and IELTS too, from test taken from 1st September 2019);
• submitted by the owner of the international certification (who is required to show his/her personalized Bocconi ID card); original certifications or statement of result (with stamp and signature of the certifying body) only are allowed for submission.

The level of the certification can be higher than the minimum required for undergraduate studies; it can date back to high school studies (provided that it is still valid) or can be taken during undergraduate studies (self-preparation or attendance in a course offered by Bocconi, when offered; see § 3.1.2).

The level/typology (general, business) recorded in the academic curriculum is the level/typology stated by the Certifying Body on the international certification.

In order to support students who want to earn an international certification, the Language Center offers:

• information and orientation service;
• courses to prepare for some certifications;
• materials for preparation and sample examinations at the Language Lab;
• moreover, Bocconi is accredited test center for some “British Council / Cambridge Cambridge English Language Assessment” English certifications and for some “Chambre du Commerce de Paris” French certifications. The registration procedure and the entire process strictly follow the rules established by the Certifying Body.

Registration fees for certification exams are at the student’s expense.

In addition to attending lectures, learning foreign languages requires a constant commitment to self-study, which includes a number of activities, based on specific assignments provided by the teaching staff in class and available on the course syllabus; different tools are offered to support learning activities (e.g. exercise books or multimedia courses/assignments available on the BBoard platform).

In addition, at the Language Laboratory students can benefit from:

• advisory and information services;
• tutoring service provided by the language teaching staff to support individual learning; the service is available upon reservation;
• various materials for preparing certifications and the Bocconi exam, available at the multimedia Library of the Laboratory and/or on the BBoard platform.

In general, students are advised to spend 3-5 hours per week on self-study.

Curricular languages are usually recorded as included in the standard 180 cpu of the study plan but they can also be recorded as additional activities (on top of standard 180 cpu – see chapter 9), either by passing a Bocconi exam or upon obtaining a certification (see chapter 9). In this latter case, the certification must be included in the list of certifications recognized by Bocconi university, must be still valid, and the level must be equal to or higher than the level required for that specific language in graduate studies.

Moreover, also “extra” languages can be recorded in the academic transcript but only as additional activities (on top of standard 180 cpu). “Extra” languages offered by the Language Center are Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and as from 2019-20, Portuguese.

As no internal exams are organized for such languages, it is possible to register only the result of a certification (score converted in a mark out of thirty). The certification must be included in the list of certifications recognized by Bocconi university and must be still valid.

For further detailed info on international certifications and conversion tables, please visit the website area Campus and services > Current Student> Services> Language Center.

The WBB program structure does not include a curricular IT skills course to be held at Bocconi University. However, students may attend extracurricular courses organized by SEDIN free of charge, as part of the extracurricular activities (see chapter 7.1. of the Guide to the University).
For more information on the IT Skills courses, please see the website at www.unibocconi.eu/sedin, 'Extracurricular Activities' section.

Bocconi University is a test center for issuing ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) IT certifications, including the Standard and Advanced levels and the EPM (European Project Management). Exams are held each week according to a calendar which is updated regularly. Students may purchase the ECDL products (at a discounted cost) online, view the exam calendar and enroll directly through their yoU@B student Diary, using the special ECDL box.

For more information, please refer to the website at www.unibocconi.eu/sedin, 'IT Certificates' section.