Guides to the university

The study plan for all BSc program, with the exception of BAI, includes:

• First year: first language
• Second year: second language

The study plan for BAI (the Bachelor of Science in Mathematical and Computing Sciences for Artificial Intelligence) includes only one language in the second year, whose rules coincide with those of the second language for the other BSc programs.

The choice of foreign languages depends on both the following variables:

• The language of instruction of the BSc program;
• The student’s native language (as declared during admission to the program, which cannot be changed for the entire duration of the program).

The languages included in the study plan must be:

• different from the student’s native language
• different from each other.

In addition:

• English as a first language is mandatory for students who are non-native English speakers enrolled in BSc programs in Italian (except for BAI);
• Italian as a first or second language is mandatory for students who are non-native Italian speakers enrolled in BSc programs in English.

When it is possible to choose as foreign language the vehicular language of the program, the minimum exit level is higher than the required entry level (see table below).

All possible combinations are listed below:
 

(1) Students who are native English speakers MUST (while non-native English speakers CAN) choose a language other than English.

(2) Second language is not assigned automatically; it has to be chosen when enrolling in the second year. The course level is assigned automatically. 

(3) A2 is required for Double Degree incoming students and for students enrolled in WBB (World Bachelor in Business). Students are allowed to change languages included in their personal study plan (see conditions and deadlines in chapter 9 "Administrative Rules, Procedures and Deadlines".

The educational offer includes the following:
For English (first year) - except BAI:

• B2 (BSc Programs in Italian) and C1 curricular courses (BSc Programs in English).

For other curricular languages:
First language (first year) - except BAI:

• B2 curricular courses.

Second language (second year) - only language for BAI:

• B1 curricular courses;
• Italian: A2 curricular course (for specific categories of students enrolled in international programs);
• Italian preparatory course (held in the first semester) for all first-year students who are not native Italian speakers, aimed at promoting successful participation in the curricular course

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

Knowledge may be assessed through an internal exam or recognition of a language certificate. In both cases:

• the grade will be recorded as a score out of thirty and will be included in the calculation of the Grade Point Average (GPA);
• the level of competence acquired is mentioned in the exam report and in the student’s transcript.

After passing the internal exam, a certificate can be completed at a later date, but the certificate cannot be recorded in the student's transcript. However, after a certificate for a specific language is recorded on the transcript, the internal exam can no longer be taken.

The assessment method consists of a Bocconi exam focused on assessing four skills, in line with international certifications:

• reading comprehension
• writing skills
• listening comprehension
• speaking skills

Students can sit the exam (“general” mode) starting from the end of second semester (after the end of the teaching period: May).
5 exam sessions are scheduled during the following periods:

1. May-June
2. June-July
3. late August-September
4. October
5. January-February

The exam consists of:

• a written part (focused on writing, reading, listening)
• an oral part (focused on speaking).

Please note that in order to sit the exam, students must register through the exam registration tool in the yoU@B Student Diary.
Further details on exam methods and assessment criteria are available in the course syllabus posted in Blackboard.

Regarding the level of the exam:

• for second languages and for English for class groups in English, Bocconi internal exams are organized for the minimum exit level only;
• for English, starting in the May 2023 exam session, the internal exam will be offered only for the B2 level for class groups taught in Italian and for the C1 level for class groups taught in English.

Regarding the recording of a language certification as an alternative to the internal exam, please note that:

• credits for the first language (except BAI) shall be calculated in the number of credits required for enrolling in the second year, only if the certificate is submitted by 12 July 2023;
• in order for it to be recorded in the transcript, students must submit the certificate to the Language Center (see submission methods at the page www.unibocconi.eu/languagecenter “Certification Recognition”) and do not need to register for the Bocconi internal exam.

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

• officially recognized by the University and have been taken at an officially recognized test center in Italy or abroad;
• equal to or higher than the minimum exit level requirement;
• submitted to Language Center for recording within 3 years after sitting the international certification exam (2 years for the TOEFL and for IELTS, according to the provisions of the certifying agency);
• submitted by the student; only original certifications or, as an alternative, statement of results;
• verifiable by the University

NB: Please note that for some certificates, the Language Center must be authorized to view the results in order to verify the authenticity of the certificate. Authorization must be requested before sitting the exam. If this authorization is not provided, the necessary verification operations cannot be completed and, as a result, the certificate submitted by the student will not be taken into consideration.

More detailed information (list of recognized certificates, conversion tables, etc.) is available on the website www.unibocconi.eu/languagecenter, in the “Certification Recognition” section.

Under his/her responsibility, the student must carefully check the certifications which can be recognized, the relating conversion rules and the detailed instructions for submitting an application, before forwarding the certification recognition request. 
In order to support students who want to earn an international certification, the Language Center offers:

• courses to prepare for some certifications (details available on the website at www.unibocconi.eu/languagecenter in the “Supplementary Activities” section);
• materials for preparing for certificates at the Language Lab (details on the website www.unibocconi.eu/languagecenter in the ‘Self-Study’ section);
• test center service for some certificates:
  • British Council/Cambridge English Language Assessment for English: IELTS Academic, BEC Vantage, BEC Higher, C1 Advanced (CAE), B2 First (FCE);
  • Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Paris Ile-de-Fance for French: DFP Affaires (levels B1 Business and B2 Business)

Detailed information is available on the page www.unibocconi.eu/languagecenter in the “Certifications” section.

In addition to attending lectures, learning foreign languages requires a constant commitment to self-study.
The Language Center offers:

• tutoring service with the language teaching staff to support individual learning; the service is available upon reservation;
• various materials for preparing certifications and the Bocconi exam.

A Language Exchange service for students is also organized, along with a film festival for movies in their original language (Movies & Languages Film Festival).

For more information: www.unibocconi.eu/languagecenter in the “Self-Study" and "Other Activities” sections.

Curricular languages can be recorded as additional activities (see chapter 9 “Administrative Rules, Procedures and Deadlines”), either by passing a Bocconi exam or through recognition of a certificate.
Moreover, also non-curricular languages (Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and Portuguese) can be recorded in the academic transcript but only as additional activities.

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). 

For further detailed info on recognition of certifications, please see the website at www.unibocconi.eu/languagecenter in the “Certification Recognition” section.

Starting in the 2022-2023 academic year, the curricular course Computer Skills (cod. 30424) will be managed by the new Department of Computing Sciences.

For more information, see the website www.unibocconi.eu/courses.

Bocconi University is a Test Center issuing ECDL/ICDL Full Standard and Advanced (ECDL/ICDL Full Standard or ECDL Core), EPM (European Project Management) and Digital Marketing certifications.

Exams are held each week according to a calendar which is updated regularly. Students may purchase ICDL products (at a discounted cost) online, view the exam calendar and enroll directly through their yoU@B student Diary, using the IT certifications ICDL box.

In order to register for the Computer Science exam (second partial or general exam), students must first complete the full ECDL/ICDL certification (ECDL/ICDL Full Standard or ECDL Core) or one of the equivalent certifications recognized by the University.

For more information on IT Certifications, please refer to the website at www.unibocconi.eu/itec in the 'IT Certifications' section.

To improve IT skills, students can attend extracurricular IT Skills courses organized by the IT Education Center, which are part of the extracurricular activities (see chapter 8. Other activities: supplementary activities, courses and seminars).

These courses, held in English and/or Italian, have limited spots and a duration ranging from 8 to 24 hours. Participation is recognized through the issuance of an Open Badge, a digital certificate that can be shared online (LinkedIn) or on a CV.

Supplementary IT activities, which are optional and cross-curricular for all degree programs (BSc, MSc, IMA, Specialized Master, PhD) focus on a variety of topics, including:

• Microsoft Office at an advanced level;
• Applications for Mathematical, Statistical and Econometric Analysis;
• Programming in Visual Basic for Applications, Java and Python;
• Data Analysis, Business Intelligence and Big Data;
• Project Management;
• Social Media, Web Analytics, Website Creation;
• Bitcoin, Blockchain and Cyber Security.

Registration for courses must be completed through the yoU@B Student Diary, in the "Sign Up for Various Activities" box. Registration will be available approximately four weeks before the start of each activity.

For more information, see the website at www.unibocconi.eu/itec, Supplementary Activities' section.