Guides to the university

To classify language competence levels, Università Bocconi follows the Common European Framework established by the Council of Europe.

An outline of the language skills relevant to each level are available at http://www.unibocconi.it/languagecentre.

The program requirements of all Master of Science Degrees in the fields of study 'Management' and 'Economics' (respectively rooms 84/S and 64/S) include 2 European Union languages.

The program requirements of the corso di laurea specialistica in Giurisprudenza (Master of Science in Law-room 22/S) include one compulsory European Union language. The second foreign language is optional and can be taken instead of "seminars/elective course".

The objective of the foreign language course is to provide students with the ability to use specialized language skills appropriately.

Exams for both first and second languages are placed in the I semester of the second year of the program.
Language paths/educational path is placed in the II semester of the first year of studies (see 4.6 "Language learning paths"),

First foreign language courses are awarded 4 credit points for all MSc programs; second foreign language courses are awarded 4 credit points for MSc programs in the fields of economics and management and 6 credit points for the Master of Science in Law program. Students earn the credits when they pass the exam or record in their academic career one of the international language certifications recognized by the University.

The choice of foreign languages follows the same criteria for both first and second languages, depending on:

• the teaching language of the class group (Italian or English)
• the native language of the student (languages chosen must be different from the student's native language).

If a student has more than one mother tongue (e.g. coming from or residing in a multilingual Country or living with parents from 2 different nationalities) the student must choose one language as his mother tongue for the whole duration of his studies.

The table below shows first and second language options:

(*) For students who are not  native English speakers, one of the 2 languages must be English; for the Master of Science in Giurisprudenza [Law], English is compulsory.
(**) For students who are not  Italian native speakers, one of the 2 languages must be Italian.
 

The course codes are:

• for all Master of Science programs in the fields of Economics and Management:

• for the Master of Science in Law Program:

Students can choose their foreign languages when finalizing the enrolment (18-28 September 2007; more detailed information is available on the Internet at http://www.unibocconi.it/languagecentre in Language Teaching > Master of science.

Students can change languages in first and second year of studies, as follows:

• first-year students: during the period 7-31 January 2008. Changes can be made via Punto Blu terminals or Virtual Punto Blu.
• second-year students: during the period 1 August - 3 September 2007 and 7-31 January 2008 via Punto Blu terminals or Virtual Punto Blu.

Exit levels are set according to language area and the language in which the lessons are taught (Italian or English). If there are two exit levels, it is up to the students to choose.

On the basis of the requirements for the Master of Science  program (described in the course profiles and in the course syllabuses) exit levels (see paragraph above), the University sets the minimum foreign language requirement in order to complete the MSc educational path in time. 

The entry levels for the MSc degree programs are:

• B1 or preferably B2 for the first language;
• A2 or preferably B1 for the second language.

On the website at http://www.unibocconi.it/languagecentre the following are indicated in detail:

• required knowledge and skills for each level;
• topics and learning  materials to help students  reach the minimum required levels;
• self-assessment guide for language knowledge and skills.

The teaching activities for studying languages offered by the Language Centre include curricular courses for all languages(*) at the following levels:

(*) No curricular courses of Portuguese have been scheduled for the 2007-2008 a. y. because of the limited number of students with this language in their study plan. However, a guideline to prepare for the final exam has been published on the website site at http://www.unibocconi.it/languagecentre.

The course level to be attended is determined when finalizing the enrolment (18-28 September 2007). This is based on the student's language skills which can be certified by either the exit level achieved during the undergraduate degree or the international certification that has been obtained in the meantime and recognized by Università Bocconi. The lowest level course will be assigned if students have not handed in adequate documentation supporting their language level.

Courses suggested by the University according to basic language level are listed below:

• for the first language:

• for the second language:
  
  

Curricular courses last one year of studies. Each course  begins at the start of the II semester in the first year and finishes at the end of the I semester in the second year for a total of 72 hours of lessons.

Attendance at curricular courses is not compulsory but strongly recommended; attending courses is considered the most effective way of learning the language and preparing for the final exam.
Students enrolled in the course are encouraged to attend.
Active participation at curricular courses and individual study may  award a maximum  of  2 extra points to the final exam mark (detailed information is given  in the exam requirements for each language and is available on the Internet site at http://www.unibocconi.it/languagecentre).

The class timetable can be viewed at Punto Blu terminals or Virtual Punto Blu. For first year students after finalizing the enrolment, for second year students after enrolling in their year of studies.

The summarized course programs (course profiles) of the language modules are available on the website at http://www.unibocconi.it/profiles.

The detailed course programs (course syllabuses and exam requirements) are available on the website at http://www.unibocconi.it/languagecenter.

One B2-level English class group has been programmed in first semester of the 2007-2008 a. y. This class group will review the language basics and provide first year students with the best possible preparation to take on the curricular course which is scheduled in the II semester.
Five hours of classroom teaching per week are planned which should be integrated by individual study, according to the teacher's instructions.
Students can sign up for class groups online via the yoU@B student diary (sign up for "Various Activities") when finalizing the enrolment.
Applications will be accepted until enrollment capacity is reached (a maximum of 100 applicants) on a first come basis.

The class group is run if the minimum number of applicants is reached.

Double Degree programs involve the participation of both students enrolled at University Bocconi and students enrolled at partner institutions (incoming students).

For those students who are enrolled at Università Bocconi the rules regarding foreign languages are indicated herein (see Chapter 4 "Foreign languages").

For those students who are enrolled at other institutions (non native Italian speakers) the rules regarding foreign languages indicated herein (see Chapter 4 "Foreign languages") apply with the exception of the following:

• method of choosing foreign languages;
• exit levels.

Method of choosing foreign languages

The table below shows first and second language choices.
 

(*) 1 of the 2 languages must be Italian

Exit levels

The exit levels for all MSc programs require business level for the language of specialization:

Language knowledge is assessed by one of the following methods:

• Bocconi exam, or
• international certification from among those recognized by the University.
  

The services offered by the Language Centre are designed to assist students in developing self study methods, inform on exam assessment methods and provide a range of materials available for use from the language laboratories. The services are available to all students (those taking Bocconi exams or preparing for international certifications).

Bocconi exam

Language knowledge is assessed by an exam. This exam is designed to test the student's comprehension and knowledge of both written and spoken skills in keeping with one's language level required.
Exams are prepared in accordance with the standards relating to international certifications.

The exam is marked out of thirty and will be included in the calculation of the Grade Point Average (GPA).

The language level achieved will be specifically indicated on the official exam report and academic transcript.

Students are responsible for choosing their exit level, which can be higher than those indicated in paragraph 4.4 "Exit Levels".

Students state their desired exit level when they register for the final exam at Punto Blu or Virtual Punto Blu.

The choice of the exit level does not depend on the course attended. Therefore a student can sit for an exam (or present a certification) at a level different from that of the course he/she has attended.

Exit levels which are higher than those foreseen for curricular exams of first and second languages are possible only through the registration in the student's academic career of any international certifications recognized by the University.

For the undergraduate degree exit levels shown below, students may request to have the curricular exam waived, that is the registration of the undergraduate degree grade in the student's academic career (exam grade or recognized international certification result converted in a mark out of thirty according to the Language Centre conversion table): 

Students who meet the requirements (as mentioned above), and opt for the exemption, must present the request at the Teaching Services and Organization Desk in the period 1 August - 28 September and 7-31 January 2008.   

Transfer students can also apply for exemption from languages, exemption which is to be approved by the Language Center, which will determine if students meet the criteria. This is based on the supporting documentation submitted to the Language Centre providing evidence of their language level (the exit level from undergraduate studies or international certification recognized by Università Bocconi).

International certifications

Students can choose to take one of the international certification exams among those suggested by the University for the MSc programs instead of the Bocconi exam. Students will then apply to have the result recorded in their student's academic career and converted into a mark out of thirty by the Language Centre (the certifications suggested and the mark conversion table is published on the website at http://www.unibocconi.it/languages in MSc > International certification).

International certifications can be presented from the first year of studies.

With regards to certifications, students must take the exam through an official Examination Centre, either in Italy or abroad.

Students are responsible for the costs associated with sitting the exams for international certifications.

For the purpose of registering international certifications in the academic career, certifications are valid for a period of three years from the date of issue.

The certifications presented as language prerequisites for admission to class groups taught in English can also be used as an alternative to the Bocconi exam. These certifications can only be submitted if they satisfy the exit level requirement and are among those recognized by the University.

The table of International Certifications contains the recognized certifications, however some of them do not have an equivalent not being recognized by Università Bocconi.