University of Ferrara

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University of Ferrara
Università degli Studi di Ferrara


Established:	1391
Type:	State-supported
Rector:	Prof. Patrizio Bianchi
Staff:	600
Students:	20,823 (2006)
Location:	Ferrara, Italy
Sports teams:	CUS Ferrara (http://www.cusferrara.it)
Website:	www.unife.it

The University of Ferrara (Italian: Università degli Studi di Ferrara) is the main university of the city of Ferrara in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. In the years prior to the First World War the University of Ferrara, with more than 500 students, was the best attended of the free universities in Italy. Today there are approximately 12,000 students enrolled at the University of Ferrara with nearly 400 degrees granted each year. The teaching staff number 600, including 223 researchers. It is organized into 8 Faculties.

1 History
2 Organization
3 Famous alumni
4 Points of interest
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

The University of Ferrara was founded on March 4, 1391 by Marquis Alberto V D'Este with the permission of Pope Boniface IX. The Studium Generale was inaugurated on St. Luke's Day (October 18) of that year with courses in law, arts and theology. After the unification of Italy, Ferrara University became a free university with faculties of Law and Mathematics, a three-year course in Medicine (reduced to two years in 1863-64), as well as Schools of Veterinary Medicine (abolished in 1876), Pharmacy, and for public Notaries.

After WWII, it started to be state-supported and this allowed the opening of many faculties and research departments. The most remarkable growth took place between the '70s and the '80s, when Prof. Antonio Rossi was in charge of it as Rector.

Some notable instructors include:

Giovanni Bianchini, professor of astronomy
Cesare Cremonini, professor of natural philosophy between 1573 and 1590

[edit] Organization

These are the 8 faculties which the university is divided into:

Faculty of Architecture Biagio Rossetti, which has received awards as best architecture faculty in Italy in recent years.
Faculty of Economics
Faculty of Engineering
Faculty of Humanities
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
Faculty of Pharmacy

Generally speaking, research departments do not coincide with faculties (as is usual in Italy). Specifically, literature, history, philosophy are independent of one another. Furthermore, biologists, physicists, and geologists work in different institutions. Medical research is carrred out in cooperation with the city hospital, which offers some of its buildings for use as a teaching hospital.