The 6 italian Schools of excellence
The 6 Schools of excellence are italian special statute university institutions, also called "Scuole Universitarie Superiori", holding a unique position within the Italian higher education system. They are public universities in their own right and carry out research and education in applied and pure sciences. Three of them offer undergraduate (three-year degree and master's degree) and post-graduate courses (PhD) meanwhile the other three train only PhD students (GSSI, IMT and SISSA). The Schools of excellence model is based on the French Grandes Ecoles model with basic principles: the selection of students exclusively on the basis of merit and a strong intertwinning of teaching and research, community life and a great openness towards international exchanges.
The main goal is to improve student performance through high-quality professional educating. This is pursued and achieved through:
- High quality, interdisciplinary course content;
- Exchange programs with the world's best universities;
- Collaborative research through partnerships;
- Quality apprenticeships, training and international mobility.
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GSSI - Gran Sasso Science Institute - L’Aquila |
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The Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) is an international PhD school and a center for research and higher education in the areas of Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science and Social Sciences. |
The IMT School is an institution of higher education and research with an historical legacy with the higher education centres established in the town of Lucca since 1300. Tradition and innovation, rigorous selection procedures, multidisciplinary focus on Economics, Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Physics, Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, Analysis and management of cultural heritage are the pillars of the IMT School, supporting the development of cutting-edge scientific research and innovation, and its doctoral programs, which attract students, researchers and faculty from around the world. |
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SISSA - International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste |
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| The University School for Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia focuses its characterization on two research lines with a strong innovative, interdisciplinary and international character: the study of the neurobiological foundations of cognitive and social skills; the assessment and reduction of the risk starting from the effects of the earthquake. International teachers promote students' individual merit and skills in a highly selective environment. The teaching activity is integrates with the research projects by providing challenges and opportunities at various educational levels, both undergraduate and post-graduate (second level masters and PhD) course. |
SISSA - International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste was founded in 1978 and it was the first institution in Italy to promote post-graduate courses for the achievement of the PhD. It features 82 Faculty, 100 Research fellows and 302 PhD students, active in three research areas: Physics, Mathematics and Neuroscience. All the scientific work carried out by SISSA researchers is published regularly in leading international journals, the School has also drawn up over 150 collaboration agreements with the world's leading schools and research institutes, and within the competitive field of European funding schemes SISSA holds the top position among Italian scientific institutes in terms of research grants obtained in relation to the number of researchers and professors. |
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Founded in 1810 by Napoleon, the Scuola Normale Superiore is the first higher education school in Italy. The activity of the Scuola Normale is divided into three Faculties: the Faculty of Humanities, the Faculty of Sciences (both based in Pisa) and the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences (based in Florence). The model of the Normale is based on some basic principles: selection of students exclusively on the basis of merit and of their talent and potential, total gratuitousness of studies and the collegial system, deep interweaving between teaching and research, community life, great openness to international mobility. From the often unexpected meeting of different experiences, hopes, talents, a unique training model is born, which integrates and harmonizes the attitudes of each one: individual skills progress in collective sharing. The School is a leader in research in various fields. His alumni include three Nobel laureates, a Fields medal, two Prime Minister and two Presidents of the Republic. |
Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies is a public university institute working in the field of applied sciences: Economics and Management, Law, Political Sciences, Agricultural Sciences and Plant Biotechnology, Medicine, and Industrial and Information Engineering. The Sant’Anna School aims at experimenting innovative paths in research and education where professors and researchers live and interact with the students, day after day, enjoying a continuous cultural and intellectual exchange. Innovative ideas, which are then developed in collaboration with foreign universities, organizations, companies and research institutes, are generated here. Due to its international nature, education of excellence and scientific community, the Sant’Anna School established itself as a reference both in Italy and abroad and world University rankings confirm the top position: 177th at the international level on a census of 1.011 institutions (QS World University Rankings) and 4th at world level of best young universities (under 50 years old) for the Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2020. |
