Foundation Course in Humanities (FCH)
University of Pisa Summer - Winter Schools & Foundation Course
Key Information
Campus location
Pisa, Italy
Languages
English, Italian
Study format
Blended, Distance learning, On-Campus
Duration
1 Year
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
Request Info
Application deadline
Request Info
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
* 5000 euros
Introduction
Foundation Course in Humanities (FCH) - 60 Foundation Course credits
The Foundation Course Humanities (FCH) is made of 60 credits (CFC) and the duration is one year divided in two semesters.
Lessons are taught in English and there are 24 CFC of Italian language from the A1 to the B2 level.
Mandatory modules consist of 51 CFC and students can choose the remaining 9 CFC among several optional modules.
Academic coordinator: Prof. Arturo Marzano
Mandatory modules
Italian Literature: an introduction I (6CFC)
Italian Literature: an introduction II A (3 CFC)
Greek and Roman Archaeology (6 CFC)
Modern European History (6 CFC)
History of Art: an introduction (6 CFC)
Italian Language and Culture (24 CFC)
Elective modules
First semester (6 CFC)
Principles of Economics and Management (3CFC) / Ecology for Agriculture (3CFC) / Introduction to philosophical thought (3 CFC), Italian History (3 CFC), Introduction to Film History (3 CFC)
Second semester (3 CFC)
Goesciences (3 CFC) / Logic and Reasoning (3 CFC) / Italian literature II B (3 CFC)/ Advanced Math (3 CFC)/ Introduction to European Law (3 CFC)
What is the foundation course?
The Foundation Course is a study program composed of two fields of study: Humanities (Foundation Course in Humanities-FCH) and Sciences (Foundation Course in Science-FCS), taught in English and primarily aimed at candidates who do not possess the minimum schooling requirements outlined in current legislation for enrolment at Italian universities.
Attendance of the Foundation Course is mandatory and students must accumulate all the credits provided by the course in order to obtain the final qualification.
The modules available within the Foundation Course are taught in English and a certificate of knowledge of the English language at a B2 level is required.
FAQ
- What other options do you have for this program?
Science, Native Italians, Free Choice modules.
- Can I pay for this program in installments?
Yes
- What is the admission process for this program?
The application period is from 31/01/2024 to 29/02/2024
You must apply only for one program (Humanities, Science, Native Italians, Single modules) by going here
There are 140 spots available (70 for Humanities and 70 for Science).
Native italians and Single modules are counted separately.
Upon completion of the assessment process, successful candidates will be informed by email by 15/03/2024 and they will be asked to pay the first fee and to sign the Responsibility Agreement by 22/03/2024. After this they will receive the acceptance letter within two weeks and they will be asked to apply for the Visa through the Universitaly portal (if non-EU students).
The first fee is 1016 euros
Should the number of successful candidates exceed that of the available places, we will consider admitted candidates the first 70 for Science and the first 70 for Humanities in chronological order according to when they have submitted the application for the program.
Should some of the successful candidates decide to withdraw or not to pay the first fee by 22/03/2024 they will be excluded from the program.
Please note that if we will not reach 140 students accepted within the first intake (31/01/2024-29/02/2024) we will open a second intake from 29/03/2024 to 19/04/2024. Finally, if even within the second intake we will not reach 140 spots we will open a third intake in May.
The list with successful and rejected candidates related to the first intake will be published in our website (foundationcourse.unipi.it) by 20/03/2024
Each candidate will be identified in the ranking list through the ID number given by DreamApply during the application procedure.
- What documents are required to apply to this program?
If you want to apply for the Foundation Course the following documents are required
- Passport
- Secondary school leaving certificate obtained after at least 11 years of school + transcript of records of the last school year.
If you have not obtained your Secondary School Qualification yet, it is enough a school enrollment certificate along with your transcript of records (original and officially translated in English or Italian). The deadline to submit the final school certificate is 30/09/2024. - English language certificate (B2 level at least) or proof of one full year of school in English.
We do accept the following certificates: IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge English qualifications and Duolingo - Declaration of Value or CIMEA Statement of Comparability and Statement of Verification of your Secondary School Certificate. Deadline to obtain the documents is 31/05/2025.
**If you obtained your High School Diploma in one of the countries under the Lisbon Recognition Convention/ Countries of the Enic Naric networks (https://www.enic-naric.net/) you can submit the Statement of Correspondence, as an alternative to the Declaration of Value or Statement of Comparability . Please note that the Statement of Verification is in any case required. You can download the Statement of Correspondence from the ARDI database. Please select the country in which your academic title has been issued, choose upper secondary school education and choose the level of your academic title (in your case EQF 4). After this click on “>” and finally select “click here to download the PDF version of the document”.
Info about the Declaration of Value here
Info about the CIMEA certificates here
Admissions
Curriculum
Structure of the foundation course
The academic year is structured in two terms for which attendance is obligatory.
Each term lasts for 12 weeks and corresponds to the already existing academic semesters.
The terms are organized in the following way:
- 1 week of orientation (which happens once the students arrive)
- 9 weeks of classes
- 1 week of exam preparation (winter break)
- 1 week for exams
Once a student has finished the FC program, s/he will receive a certificate that will allow the student to request enrolment in a Bachelor’s or long single-cycle degree program at the University of Pisa.
Once a student has obtained the FC certificate, should the student be interested in pursuing a degree program at another Italian university, it will be the student’s responsibility to contact the University of interest in order to request information about the procedure and timetable for a pre-evaluation and possible enrolment. According to ministerial decree n. 7696 of March 23rd, 2016, the Italian legal system foresees that each university has full autonomy regarding the admission criteria requested from students interested in studying at their university.
Gallery
Ideal Students
Suitable candidates for the foundation course
The program is primarily designed for students with:
- A secondary school qualification obtained after 11 years of school
- An American high school diploma without 3 Aps or 1 year of college
- International General Certificate of Education/ General Certificate of Education without 3 A-levels
In order to apply for the Foundation Course your Secondary School Certificate must give you the right to apply for the university in the country to which your school system belongs.