Assistance and agreements for international mobility
The service intends to deal with the definition of agreements with universities in other countries for the international mobility of students, in particular for periods of training abroad, but also, for example, for the award of joint degrees or double degrees appropriate for the achievement of the expected learning outcomes, as well as the organisation 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 undertaken important work aimed at increasing the number of courses with double or joint degrees, with a view to increasing and promoting international mobility. In this sense, the policies for the development of training provision have taken specific account of the relationship between the international development of the provision itself, its sustainability and adequacy, and the territorial dimension and relations with other universities. It is precisely the international dimension of the course catalogue that is aimed not only at increasing the number of deserving international students, diversifying their geographical origin, but also at increasing the number of graduates who have had training experience abroad, thus strengthening the international dimension of training contexts, including through the teaching of foreign experts and the development of students' language skills.
The University of Parma is part of a network of professor and student exchanges that, through numerous agreements at EU and non-EU level, allows study periods abroad and/or internships, enabling students to gain training experience abroad, both as regards teaching and work, as part of mobility programmes, thus creating international career opportunities for its students and favourable environments for the development of research activities, through the funding of projects by local researchers and the attraction of scholars from all over the world.
Over the years, the numerous academic contacts that have developed have allowed for the creation of a network of international collaborations that today sees the presence of partnerships with Universities and Research Organisations from all over the world, with consequent recognition of the University of Parma on the international academic scene.
This can be seen in the implementation of double titling programmes with structured mobility, in the TeachinParma project co-funded by the CariParma Foundation for the support of Visiting Professors operating within the Doctoral Schools, in the recruitment of Visiting Professors for teaching activities in the first and second level study courses.
In order to coordinate central and departmental activities, International Mobility Commissions have been established in each department since 2017. Internationalisation initiatives can be accessed from the 'INTERNATIONAL' menu item on the university homepage.
In order to foster the growth and scientific and teaching updating of the teaching staff, the University encourages participation in international mobility programmes, both under the Erasmus+ Programme and the OverWorld Programme, in order to carry out a teaching and/or training period abroad; it promotes initiatives useful for acquiring specific knowledge and know-how from good practices (creation of academic networks, research collaborations, participation in competitive calls) and for developing language skills relevant to professional development.
The realisation and implementation of internationalisation processes, on the basis of the directives issued by the university governance, is carried out by the Internationalisation Unit (Research, Internationalisation and Third Mission Management Area).