Guides to the university

The study plan of all MSc programs (except DSBA, Cyber and TS) includes:

• English as the first language (mandatory)
• choice of the second language

The DSBA, Cyber and Transformative Sustainability study plans require just one EU language, whose rules coincide with those of the second language of other MSc programs.

The rules outlined below are applicable to all Bocconi students and to students from partner Institutions (incoming students) registered in a Double Degree/Joint Degree program taught in English.

First language

English (Professional English Seminars - 2 CFU) – mandatory

For:

• all students (regardless of their native language, therefore native English speakers included);
• all MSc Programs (in English and Italian) except DSBA, Cyber and TS.

The main aim is to develop effective writing skills in a professional setting.

For students enrolled in the first year during the 2021-2022 academic year, the minimum exit level depends on the entry level (see table below). These students are assigned the levels of the Professional English Seminars (positioned in the second year of studies) in compliance of the following criteria: 

*Also valid for Double Degree/Joint Degree incoming students; assigned by default to students who have earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Bocconi in a program taught in English.

Students enrolled in the first year during the 2022-2023 academic year will be assigned the levels of the Professional English Seminars depending on the teaching language of the program, as follows:

• students enrolled in a Master of Science program in Italian: B2 business
• students enrolled in a Master of Science program in English: C1 business

Second language

For all MSc Programs (single language for DSBA, Cyber and TS) - 4 CFU:

MSc programs in English:

• for native Italian speakers: French, Spanish or German minimum exit level: B1 business;
• for non-native Italian speakers: Italian mandatory. Minimum exit level:
  • A2 only for students in Double Degree programs (incoming + outgoing) + Joint programs, who have not previously attended a Bocconi BSc program(1);
  • B1 business for all other students.

MSc programs in Italian:

• Choice of French, Spanish or German; minimum exit level: B1 business

More details regarding the second language:

• students can change the choice of their second language during the timeframe when the study plan can be changed (see Chapter 9 Administrative Procedures, Regulations and Deadlines);
• the native language cannot be selected as a foreign language. Students declare their native language during the admission process and can never change it during MSc studies;

 (1) At the beginning, Double Degree outgoing students are given a B1 business level; then, upon admission to the DD program (usually in March of first year), the level is switched from B1 to A2.

The curricular educational offer includes:

For the first language:

English Preparatory Course (first year, second semester):

• Assigned to all students with a B1 entry level, with the aim of allowing them to successfully participate in second-year seminars

Professional English Seminars at the B2 business or C1 business level, in the second year:

• 4 time-slots per year are offered (two in the first and two in the second semester): Students choose the preferred time-slot when enrolling in the second year until all available spots for the available class groups are filled (max. 150 students per class group for B2 Business Level; max. 180 students per class group for C1 Business Level);
• Only specific groups of students (e.g. Joint Degree Louvain, Double Degree Queen’s University) are allowed to attend the seminar course in their first year (first or second semester).

For the second language:

• Preparatory Courses: offered in the second semester of the first year, aimed at fostering successful participation in the curricular course;
• B1 business curricular courses in French, Spanish, German and Italian, second year, first semester;
• A2 Italian curricular course (only for students in Double Degree Programs - incoming + outgoing + Joint programs  who did not attend a BSc program at Bocconi)
• • first year, second semester – outgoing DD, Joint program students, 1 year exchange programs
  • second year, first semester – incoming DD students

The educational offer will be preceded by an entry-level readiness test. This will direct the student to the most suitable educational path.  

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

• for English as the first language: the test is 'pass/fail' and the grade is recorded as ‘pass’;
• for the second language (single language for Cyber, DSBA and TS): the grade is recorded as a score out of 30 and included in the calculation of the Grade Point Average (GPA);
• the final 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 aims to assess the soft skills of English communication used in a professional setting.

Students can take the test right after the end of the teaching selected (exam session reserved to students enrolled in a teaching class group) and/or during the four “general” exam sessions available: January, February, June, September (open to all students).

Further details in the course syllabus available on Blackboard.

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

The exam can be passed in the following ways:

• only for students enrolled in the first year in the 2021-2022 academic year: by passing the two partial exams + oral part;
• by passing the general exam (which includes a written part and an oral part).

Further details on exam methods and assessment criteria are available in the course syllabus posted in Blackboard.

Regarding international certificates, please note that:

• regarding the second language (single language for Cyber, DSBA and TS): because B1 business certificates do not exist for some languages, general language certificates are recognized as an alternative, as long as the minimum level is B2 general;
• in order for it to be recorded in the transcript, students must submit the certificate to the Language Center (see submission methods at page www.unibocconi.eu/languagecenter 'Certification Recognition' section) 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 Language Center 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 test and the IELTS test, according to the provisions of the certifying agency);
• submitted by the student; only original certifications or, as an alternative, statement of results are allowed for submission;
• 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 at the page www.unibocconi.eu/languagecenter, in the 'Certification Recognition' section.

Under his/her responsibility, the student must carefully check the certifications which can be recognized and the relating conversion rules, 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 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-France 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.

Students enrolled in the first year who have attended a Bachelor program at Bocconi and who recorded in their academic career for the Bachelor program an internal exam or certification at or above the minimum exit level required for the Master of Science program, may apply for an exemption for both the first and second language, provided that:

• the exam in the Bachelor program was passed no more than three years ago;
• the certification is still valid at the time of application for the exemption (i.e. completed no more than three years ago; two years for the TOEFL and IELTS, according to the regulations of the certifying body).

In addition, regarding English, please note that the exemption may be granted only if the level recorded in the Bocconi Bachelor academic career is at least C1 and the grade achieved in the Bachelor program is equal to or higher than 27/30).

Regarding the second language (single language for DSBA, Cyber and TS), please note that the exemption may be granted only if the level recorded in the Bocconi Bachelor academic career is at least B2.

The exemption application can be completed by filling out the form available in the B in Touch procedure - 'Languages' topic (for deadlines, see Chapter 9 'Administrative Procedures, Regulations and Deadlines').

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 internal exam.

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

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 Procedures, regulations and deadlines'), either by passing a Bocconi exam or through recognition of a certification.

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.