| Direzione Amministrativa Area Relazioni Internazionali |
Ufficio Mobilità Erasmus Resp. Sonia Trinari |
Office LLP/Erasmus|
General
information
|
|
The
University of Perugia is rich in history and one of the oldest universities
in Italy. The records date back to 1285 when a Studium was established
by the Perugia Town Council. The privilege of being a Studium Generale,
given by Pope Clement V in 1308, marked the foundation of the University.
In 1318 the courses on Canon and Civil Law were established, followed
by courses on Medicine and Liberal Arts. In 1371 the Faculty of
Divinity was instituted. The prestige of the Studium in the 14th
century was associated with the presence of famous scholars including
Cino da Pistoia, Bartolo da Sassoferrato and Baldo degli Ubaldi
for law and Bartolomeo da Varignana, Tommaso del Garbo, and Gentile
da Foligno for medicine. Other outstanding scholars were Luca Pacioli
in the 15th century and Giuseppe Neri in the 17th century for mathematics.
The chairs of Greek and Hebrew had already been established by this
time. During the second half of the 18th century, major social and
political upheavals caused changes in European thought and culture.
Between 1799 and 1814, the University of Perugia underwent many
reforms. The French system of studies was introduced. The "Consulta"
organized the University into five Faculties with a lay Rector as
head in the place of a Bishop, and established the guidelines that
have been followed to the present. In 1824 Pope Leo XII gave the
University the status of a free University. With the unification
of Italy in 1860 the University of Perugia was established under
the jurisdiction of the Rector and the Town Council, who issued
statutes subject to approval by the Government. From 1944 to the
present, the University of Perugia has achieved an outstanding reputation
as one of the leading Universites in Italy. Perugia
is a lovely hill-town which lies in the centre of Italy in the region
of Umbria. Perugia has easily access from Florence and Rome as well
as from Ancona and the Adriatic Coast. Umbria is known as "the green
heart of Italy". It combines natural beauty and architectural interest.
There are many important museums, among the most important are:
the Archaeological Museum, the National Gallery, with a collection
of Umbrian and Tuscany paintings from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
Perugia is truly a University city: it hosts one of Italy's oldest
Universities as well as the University for Foreigners and the Accademia
delle Belle Arti "Pietro Vannucci", which holds international courses
on painting and sculpture. In Umbria there is a wide variety of
entertainment and concerts (Umbria Jazz in Perugia and "The Festival
of Two Worlds in Spoleto) as well as theatres, cinemas, discos,
exhibitions and other cultural events. General information At
present about 33,000 students from Umbria, other parts of Italy,
and from foreign countries are enrolled in the University. The academic
year in the Italian system of higher education begins October 1st.
Courses are organized in semesters. Lessons are held until the end
of May. There are eleven Faculties: Law, Political Science, Economics,
Humanities, Education, Mathematics, Physics, and Natural Sciences,
Pharmacy, Medicine, Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, and Engineering.
|