Studying abroad

Assistance and agreements for international mobility

The service aims to manage the definition of agreements with universities in other countries for the international mobility of students, especially for periods of training abroad, but also, for example, for the issuance of joint or double degrees, suitable for achieving the expected learning outcomes, as well as the organization and management of the international mobility of outgoing students and the reception of incoming students from other countries.

In recent years, the University of Parma has initiated a significant effort to increase the number of study programs with double or joint degrees, with the aim of enhancing and promoting international mobility. In this regard, the development policies for the educational offer have specifically considered the relationship between the international development of the same offer, its sustainability and adequacy, and the territorial dimension and relationships with other universities. The international dimension of the educational offer is aimed not only at increasing the number of deserving international students, diversifying their geographic origin, but also at increasing the number of graduates who have had a training experience abroad, thereby strengthening the international dimension of educational contexts, also through the teaching of foreign experts and the development of students' language skills.

The University of Parma is part of a network of teacher and student exchanges that, through numerous agreements at the community and non-community level, allows for periods of study abroad and/or internship activities, enabling students to have training experiences abroad, both educational and work-related, within mobility programs, thus creating opportunities for international careers for its students and favorable environments for the development of research activities, through the funding of projects by local researchers and the attraction of scholars from around the world.

Over the years, numerous academic contacts have been developed, creating a network of international collaborations that today includes partnerships with universities and research institutions around the world, with the consequent recognition of the University of Parma in the international academic landscape.

The intense activity aimed at improving internationalization has resulted in an increase in language training opportunities, the consolidation of exchange activities within the Erasmus+ Program, the expansion of exchange opportunities within the OVERWORLD University Program, the implementation of double degree programs with structured mobility, in the TeachinParma project co-financed by the CariParma Foundation for the support of Visiting Professors within the Doctoral Schools, and in the recruitment of Visiting Professors for teaching activities in first and second level degree courses.

To coordinate the central activity with that at the departmental level, from 2017, International Mobility Commissions have been established in each Department. Internationalization initiatives are accessible from the "INTERNATIONAL" menu item on the University's homepage. To foster the growth and scientific and educational updating of the faculty, the University encourages participation in international mobility programs, both within the Erasmus+ Program and the OverWorld program, for a period of teaching and/or training abroad; promotes initiatives useful for acquiring specific knowledge and know-how from good practices (creation of academic networks, research collaborations, participation in competitive calls) and to develop language skills relevant for professional development.

The realization and implementation of internationalization processes, based on directives from the university governance, are managed by the Internationalization Unit (Educational Leadership, Internationalization, and Student Services Area).

For guidance and assistance to students regarding study periods abroad through Erasmus-Plus scholarships or Erasmus Placement, or Overworld Programs (as well as for exchanges based on individual agreements between universities), the Course of Study relies on appointed teachers (one for each linguistic area) who hold information and orientation meetings on exchange projects, organize selections for the allocation of scholarships, advise students in choosing destination sites, offer assistance in compiling the Learning Agreement and forms in general, and carry out operations for the recognition of grades and exams once the exchange experience is concluded.

These teachers work in close contact with the Structures for International Educational Exchanges for Italian Teachers and Students and Reception of Foreign Teachers and Students (Internationalization Unit). Since 2013, the University of Parma has also successfully participated in ministerial calls for scholarships for Russian language students who spend a semester at a Russian university (Lomonosov Moscow State University and Kazan Federal University), also engaging in teaching assistant activities in Italian language courses.

Erasmus delegates for the Study Course in Civilizations and Modern Foreign Languages: Prof. Micòl BESEGHI, Prof. Alba PESSINI, Prof. Andrea RAGUSA, Prof. Elisabetta LONGHI, Prof. Olga PEROTTI.