NARIC guide on Higher Education Systems in the European Union

III. Special types and forms of final qualifications in higher
education
(a) Master’s courses
Due to their autonomy, Italian universities, both State and independent but legally-recognised, may run courses and award
qualifications different from those regulated by national law.
A few institutions, for example, organise post-Lauream programmes which they frequently call Master’s courses. Originally
modelled on the British or US pattern, the Italian Master’s courses have been conveniently adapted to the local situation.
In the setting up and management of such degree courses, Italian academic institutions often operate autonomously, but at
times they avail themselves of the cooperation of outside qualified bodies. For instance, consortia have been established
between universities and industrial and/or commercial concerns with the purpose of jointly running Master’s courses (or
similar ones) which may better answer the market demand for young professionals provided with both in-depth theoretical
education and a more practically-oriented training.
Since all Master’s courses are subject to numerus clausus restrictions, to gain admission applicants must not only possess a
related laurea (or an equivalent foreign qualification) but also pass a selective entrance
examination.
Course length may vary from one to two years. Attendance is compulsory. As for study content, Master’s courses mostly
concern such fields as business management, corporate administration, mass communications, and so on.
Teaching alternates traditional university lectures with case-studies and other active methodologies.
Even if the Italian Master’s degrees often enjoy considerable popularity among employers — especially in connection with
the private industrial and commercial context — they have no legal validity on the national territory, since they do not fall
within the official university system.
Anyhow, they are generally well accepted on the labour market as additional, more professionally-oriented qualifications
obtained after an official Italian degree.
(b) Continuing university education
Italian universities — on their own or in cooperation with public as well as private enterprises within the legal framework of
purposely created consortia — are also involved in initiatives of istruzione continua o permanente, that is to say continuing or
lifelong education.
It seems important to specify that in Italy most activities connected with continuing education are set up and developed
outside the national
educational system, either by the regions or by private organisations.
Continuing education has fundamentally developed along two different channels. The first, which could be referred to as
‘second-chance education’, covers a number of initiatives essentially designed to offer new education and training
opportunities to people who have previously had very limited ones because of definite social reasons; it mainly consists in
courses for adult education, the majority at secondary level.
The second channel is that of ‘continuing higher professional education’, including different types of educational offerings:
they are meant for professionals who, already provided with a high degree of education and/or experience, need to update or
extend their professional
competence.