Spurred by the
Bologna process, a major reform was instituted in 1999 to align its programmes with the more universal system of undergraduate (
bachelor's degree) and postgraduate studies (
master's and
doctoral degrees). This allowed for greater mobility of university students via exchange programmes to other countries such as the United States and
Commonwealth nations. The old
laurea was split into undergraduate and postgraduate studies, and their programmes have been reformed.
First cycle: Laurea The Laurea (180
ECTS credits), a
first cycle degree that is equivalent to a
bachelor's degree, includes bachelor-level courses, simpler than those of the old
laurea, and its normative time to completion is three years (note that In Italy
scuola secondaria superiore or
Lyceum, high school, takes five years, so it ends at 19 years of age). To earn a
laurea, the student must complete a thesis, but a less demanding one than required for the old
laurea (typically, a non-research thesis). A graduate is granted by law the title of
dottore (shortened dr. or dott.), or Doctor.
Second cycle: Laurea magistrale The
Laurea magistrale (formerly known as Laurea Specialistica, 2002–2006) is a
second cycle degree equivalent to a
master's degree (120
ECTS credits) which can be earned in a two-year programme after the laurea and requires an extensive thesis (usually, 150–250 pages). In some fields (particularly Medicine, Law, Engineering and Architecture) the
Laurea magistrale a ciclo unico is awarded. This is a five or six year
second cycle (
master's) degree (300 or 360
ECTS), which does not require a previous
first cycle degree for the admission (like an Integrated master's degree in the UK). The
Laurea magistrale should not be confused with the Italian
Master, which is not a master's degree, but a one-year diploma (60 ECTS) which guarantees a more practical education but does not give access to further levels of studies (it can be considered similar to a
postgraduate certificate or a
postgraduate diploma). A
I level Master (
Master di I livello) is a
diploma which can be obtained after a Laurea; a
II level Master (
Master di II livello) can be gained after a Laurea magistrale and is useful for pursuing further studies (like a PhD) or for professional achievements. A graduate is granted by law the title of
dottore magistrale (shortened as dr. mag. or dott. mag.), or Magistral Doctor. However, the title is not commonly used, and graduates are simply addressed as "doctor".
Third cycle: Dottorato di ricerca The
Dottorato di ricerca (equivalent to a
Doctor of Philosophy) is a
third cycle degree which can be undertaken only after achieving a Laurea magistrale. It was introduced in the mid-1980s and consists of three/four years of PhD-level courses and experimental work, including the final defense of an innovative thesis. Other than the PhD, another third-cycle title is the
Diploma di Specializzazione, gained after a two-year (Law,
Diploma di Specializzazione in Professioni legali) or a three-to-six year (Medicine, depending on the particular field) course of study and research. To enrol for a
Diploma di Specializzazione, a Laurea magistrale (in Law or Medicine, respectively) is required. The
Diploma di Specializzazione in Professioni legali is one of the ways to access the competition for appointment as a judge, whereas the
Specializzazione in a specific medical field is required to be recognized as a Specialist Medical Doctor. A graduate is granted by law the title of
dottore di ricerca (shortened as dr. ric., dott. ric. or PhD), or Research Doctor. However, the title is not commonly used, and graduates are simply addressed as "doctor" or append "PhD" to their name following the
English system of post-nominals. ==References==