Studying abroad

The University of Parma offers all its students various opportunities to foster the development of a real international dimension of university study. From exchanges in Europe through the Erasmus Plus Programme to extra-European mobility with the Overworld Programme and numerous pathways for acquiring a double degree.
Some degree courses, in fact, thanks to the conclusion of international agreements with partner universities, provide the opportunity, at the end of the university course, to obtain a double degree with one or more associated foreign universities.

Erasmus Plus Programme

The European Union Programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport

Contacts

Prof. Giorgio Pelosi (giorgio.pelosi@unipr.it)

Prof. Andrea Secchi (andrea.secchi@unipr.it)

In January 2014, the Erasmus+ programme came into force and ran until 2021.

If you want general information on the initiative, you can find it on the pages of the official website or on those of the Italian Agency Erasmus+Italia http://www.erasmusplus.it/ More specific information for our University can instead be found on the University of Parma's International Relations websitehttp://www.unipr.it/internazionale.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE ERASMUS PLUS PROGRAMME Structure of the Erasmus Plus Programme:

SMS (Student Mobility for Study) and SMT (Student Mobility for Training) programmes

Number of grants/periods of mobility

Amount of Erasmus Plus grants

Linguistic requirements

STRUCTURE OF THE ERASMUS PLUS PROGRAMME SMS (Student Mobility for Study) and SMT (Student Mobility for Training) programmes The Erasmus Plus SMS programme is aimed at carrying out periods of study, of study and internship* or second-cycle degree thesis varying from three to twelve months at one of the Universities consortium members with the University of Parma present within the European countries participating in the Programme.
The competition call is published on the University page: Erasmus plus programme.
The Erasmus Plus SMT Programme is aimed at carrying out internship periods, varying from two to five months at universities, companies, public and/or private bodies based in one of the EU countries.
The call of competition is published on the University page: Erasmus Plus Programme.
In light of the latest European political events involving Great Britain, the National Agency ensures that for the time being Erasmus programmes to and from this country remain unaffected pending new arrangements.
* If one intends to do the three-year degree course in the SMS context, one must bear in mind that more than 50 per cent of the ECTS credits must in any case be associated with face-to-face teaching. For example, if the internship requires 15 ECTS, at least 16 credits of lectures with a final examination must be scheduled.
Number of grants/mobility periods Students may study and/or receive training abroad for up to 12 months (min: 2 for internships and 3 for studies) within each study cycle (degree, master's degree and PhD - thus up to a maximum of 36 months) regardless of the type of mobility (studies or internships) and of the number of mobility periods (e.g. 2 periods of 6 months or 3 periods of 4 months, even spread over different years of the same cycle).
Amount of Erasmus Plus grants The amount of the grants depends on the type of SMS or SMT programme and the countries you go to. The amounts are 230 and 280 euro per month basic for the SMS programme and 430 and 480 euro for the SMT. To these figures can be added other national and local contributions amounting to a further EUR 100 or so. See the notices for up-to-date data and more details.
Language requirements The student is required to check the language requirements of the university at which he or she intends to spend an Erasmus Plus period. In order to ensure that Erasmus Plus mobility students are able to verify their language level in a timely manner, the University of Parma provides for a compulsory language proficiency test (Language Placement Test, LPT) at the time of application. In order to apply for the Erasmus Plus call for applications, the LPT test is therefore required. Obviously, if the candidate has certifications from official bodies (TOEFL, IELTS, Goethe Institut, etc ) of the required level, he/she is exempt from the LPT.
The dates and modalities for accessing the LPT test will be published on the University page of the Erasmus Plus programme.
Starting from a.a. 2016/17 language courses will be activated for access to Erasmus Plus programmes.
Some locations (e.g. the Netherlands) require a TOEFL language certificate. In this case, the student must achieve it independently.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE ERASMUS PLUS PROGRAMME Selection criteria Applications will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:

  • Evaluation of the academic curriculum, understood as the average and number of examinations taken in relation to the year of study;
  • Motivation that prompted the candidate to apply;
  • Motivations that prompted the candidate to identify a specific destination;
  • Analysis of the objectives to be achieved and the planned programme of study;
  • Analysis of previous experience abroad.

Procedures and requirements

Before departure

Once selected, students must propose a programme of study to be followed abroad, by searching the websites indicated for each location for the courses they intend to follow. This programme of study, approved by the Erasmus contact person, will be included in a Learning Agreement (LA) to be signed by the corresponding Erasmus contact person at the destination. As standard, 60 ECTS per year, 30 ECTS per semester or 15 ECTS per trimester.

Upon return, students must report to the Erasmus Office for their return declaration and Transcript of Records issued by the host university.