University of Ferrara

Overview

The University of Ferrara (Università degli Studi di Ferrara) stands as the main university of Ferrara City in Italy. It was founded with the approval of Pope Boniface IX in 1391 by the Marquis Alberto V D'Este. Just after the completion of Italy’s unification in 1871, the university became a free institution. With this, it underwent expansion of its original course offerings in theology, law, and the arts. It incorporated faculties, including those for law and mathematics, pharmacy, and veterinary practice.

Today, the university runs eight faculties. They are the (1) Faculty of Architecture, (2) Faculty of Economics, (3) Faculty of Engineering, (4) Faculty of Humanities, (5) Faculty of Law, (6) Faculty of Mathematical, Physical, and Natural Sciences, (7) Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, and the (8) Faculty of Pharmacy. Each has its own departments that offer a wide variety of courses in their fields.

Just like other Italian universities, the University of Ferrara’s research departments exist independently from their faculties. For instance, biologists and physicists proceed with their projects in different research institutes. The same can be said for disciplines in the humanities like literature and history. Also, its medical research units work closely with the city hospital that provides space in its buildings for teaching and learning.

University of Ferrara research is always recognized among the top 10 Italian universities. Scientific research is considered by the university as one of its key functions and as the foremost basis for teaching. Research is conducted in many fields including Language Studies and Literatures, Physics, Philosophy, Earth Sciences, Architecture, and Engineering. Research areas range from the philosophy of logic and computing to population genetics and genomics. These efforts are part of a long and rich heritage of scientific exploration and education.

In the 2000s, the university started close collaboration with partners in Guangdong, China. Cooperative multidisciplinary projects span across different faculties, including those of architecture, engineering, jurisprudence, and medicine. Research projects in various study areas were done in collaboration with local businesses in the industrial area and Chinese universities. Master’s programs were also set up in conjunction with Chinese institutions. These include those for aesthetics and cosmetology. This was a collaborative effort between China’s Ginza International Beauty and Hair Academy and the Ferrara Center of Cosmetology.

The university is also active in a wide array of international research and teaching projects. It is involved in projects in the study areas of conservation genetics, gene therapies, coastal risks, and many more.

Notable graduates and professors include the Stoic philosophy populizer, ecologist, and philosopher Massimo Pigliucci, the poet Ludovico Ariosto, Paracelsus, and the translator of Aristotle, Theodorus Gaza.