Parma University
| Quick Facts | |
|---|---|
|
University Founded In: |
962AD |
|
IMS Founded In: |
2021 |
|
2022 EU Points: |
34.1 |
|
2022 Non-EU Points: |
41.9 |
|
Maximum Fees: |
€2625 |
|
University Size: |
32,000 students; 960 professors and researchers |
|
Main Location of IMS: |
Piacenza |
|
Special Admission Requirement? |
None |
Camici in Movimento
Camici in Movimento is ths society for representatives of the medical course in Parma University and will be the most helpful resource for future students.
The University of Parma has recently unveiled a new English Medicine and Surgery Programme aimed at international students. The first cohort began their studies on October 2021.
We have obtained a massive amount of detailed information by visiting & contacting the university, as well as reaching out to the course president. Here below is everything we’ve found out that makes the brand new programme in Parma University SO UNIQUE (important information about enrolment!).
Parma itself is a city with great history, having been a Roman colony since 183BC. Take a walk around and discover the many squares and palaces the city has to offer. Marvel at the frescoes ornamenting the walls and ceilings around the city, as that of the Camera di San Paolo, or find a cozy place to sit and have a taste of local and renowned foods, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or cured meats like Culatello and Prosciutto. Anywhere you look around Parma you’ll be enamoured with its beauty and history.
(All useful reference documents and links can be found at bottom of page.)
Main Location(s) of Parma IMS Course
While the course is offered by Parma University, the sede, or “seat”, of the university is located in the town of Piacenza. Because of this separation between the “main” campus in Parma, the English Medicine programme offers a dedicated hospital (!) exclusive to only those Medicine in English students of Parma University.
Piacenza is a 45 minute train ride away from Parma itself, which leads us to believe that the cost of living and rent will be especially lower. It seems that all lectures and clerkships will take place in that scenic town instead of at the main campus of the university located in central Parma.
Collegio Alberoni
Hospitals of Parma University IMS
Ospedale Guglielmo da Saliceto
All first-year lectures will take place in the Collegio Alberoni of Piacenza and, until the new facility is opened, hospital rotations will take place at the Ospedale Guglielmo da Saliceto. The Collegio also serves as a seismic and astrological observatory, a church, library, and museum of natural sciences.
Number of Seats in Piacenza
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
EU |
TBA |
40 |
40 |
|
Non-EU |
TBA |
60 |
60 |
Past IMAT Points of Parma
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
EU |
TBA |
34.1 |
44.5 |
|
Non-EU |
TBA |
41.9 |
35.5 |
Why Choose Parma for Medicine in English?
Every time we have a guest on our “Medicine in Italy Podcast” we’ll update this section for why they think you should go to their university!
The course president Professor Marco Vitale has stated that they would like to prepare doctors with a focus on humanities, scientific & evidence based medicine, and a hope of igniting the passion of life long learning in their future students.
There will be a particular emphasis on the follow skills as stated by him:
1. Excellent communication skills
2. Self-learning and self-assessment skills (continuing education)
3. Ability to independently analyse and solve medical problems
4. Excellent clinical practice based on scientific evidence (evidence-based medicine)
5. Continuing professional development skills
6. Knowledge of scientific research in medicine
Another VERY interesting point he mentions is that in 5th year they will have a focus on studying healthcare systems in OTHER COUNTRIES which is something special and specific to the international course. As there is still only 1st year in this English medical course, we do not know exactly what this means yet, but we’re curious to see if this would actually better prepare international students for post graduate options and specialisation training applications.
The course is organised to have specific areas of focus based on the semester number, with the 6th semester entirely being dedicated to hospital time and thesis writing with no lectures. There seems to be an early emphasis on clerkships. More on that below.
Fees in Parma University
The fees for Parma University ranges from €0 to a maximum of €2925, depending on a number of factors including family income and/or Academic merit. Be sure to add €156 to whatever the student ISEE amount may be, as to account for the minimum fee amount (a regional fee and virtual stamp tax).
Below is a more detailed calculation to estimate the fees for a student:
More details about tuition fees of this course can be found here and a chart distinguishing the different income brackets for the ISEE here.
All students enrolled or whom intend to enroll in degree courses of the University of Parma that want to request a reduction on the amount of university fees and contributions, must complete the application on the ER-GO website BEFORE NOVEMBER. Applications are not accepted after the deadline.
Scholarships & Grants of this University
On a pamphlet (SEE END OF PAGE) that summarises the details about the new Medicine & Surgery English Programme at the University of Parma, it clearly states that there are 100% fee covering grants for students that need them. Depending on circumstances of family income or academic merit, there are scholarships available to reduce fees.
The University of Parma adopts a tuition system with a “proportionality character”, structured according to the following parameters:
- Economic Condition – This value is calculated and determined exclusively by the ISEE value;
- Academic Merits – Only academic credits (CFU) earned in the twelve months prior are considered, at least 10 credits for enrolment in the 2nd year; at least 25 credits for years following the second.
To take advantage of the various economic benefits , such as tuition reduction, regional scholarship, collaborations for those who study, exemptions and various incentives, female students and students must follow these two steps:
- Request the issuance of the ISEE certificate
- Request the issuance of the ISEE certified certificate*(only for international students)*
The full list of fee sanctions, reductions and benefits can be found here.
Academic Calendar of Parma University
A lot of information about the timetabling and scheduling can be found on Parma’s Medicine and Surgery website, this is always a great place to start. Generally it’s the usual academic timetable; October-February, then March-June. Classes start a little later in the morning, from 10:30am to 5:30pm. There are no lectures on Fridays, excluding some occasional circumstances when they would have lectures in the morning.
Each year, the University of Parma draws up its own calendario accademico, or academic calendar, indicating the dates on which the University is closed in accordance with public holidays; this can be found on the University website. However, the Calendar of Teaching Activities can be downloaded on the Medicine and Surgery Courses’ website.
Generally speaking, the timetable of the first semester is made public two or three weeks before the beginning of the semester itself; the timetable of the second semester is published about ten days before classes resume.
Each student can consult the calendar through different ways:
- Visiting the Agenda Studenti website, where it is possible to check the schedule in various ways by setting filters (entire schedule, scheduled lectures of just one class, all scheduled lectures from a certain professor etc.)
- With the University’s official mobile application “UniPR Mobile”.
Class Timetables
We have attached links to class timetables of the first semester for the 1st and 2nd years. Although this may seem like a staggering amount of material for only one week, consider each color-coded lesson belongs to a single subject, and the timetable shows the classes by their subdivisions.
There is OBLIGATORY ATTENDANCE of at least 67% of lecture hours for each course and 90% of hours for each clerkship!
Exams in Parma University
Most exams are written exams for the first two years, after which all the exams are orals. There are additional options to improve your mark from a written exam by taking an oral one. The University of Parma also offers multiple attempts at exams, and you can continue with your year even if you haven’t passed all of your exams.
If you see the academic calendars/class timetables from the links in the section above you will find that exams run for about one week before the winter holiday, and for some days a few weeks after returning from winter holiday. Registration in advance must be done to sit a given exam on a specific date.
As mentioned before February, June, July, and September are dedicated exam sessions with no lectures taking place. There might be additional sessions during Christmas and Easter break to give behind students a chance to catch up.
Syllabus and Course Structure
Here is a more detailed breakdown of the course syllabus and organisation for this brand new programme:
- Semesters 1-3: Morphology, biochemistry, functions
- Semester 4: Pathophysiology of diseases and Clinical microbiology
- Semesters 5-9: Clinical disciplines and related biomedical technologies
- Semester 10: Public health, organisation of healthcare systems (in Italy and also countries outside of Italy), reasoned medical therapy and clinical risk management
- Semesters 11-12: Completion of the curricular internship and the qualifying internship + preparation of the degree thesis
57 CF
1st Semester
- Physico-chemical bases of life – 8 CFU
- Cells & tissues – 9 CFU
- Statistics, research methodology & safety regulation – 5 CFU
- Molecular biology, genetics & genomics – 6 CFU
- ADE – 2 CFU
2nd Semester
- Biochemistry – 12 CFU
- Human anatomy & organogenesis – 12 CFU
- ADE – 3 CFU
62 CFU
1st Semester
- Human physiology – 12 CFU
- Immunology & microbiology – 13 CFU
- Medical humanities – 6 CFU
2nd semester
- Disease pathophysiology – 8 CFU
- Clinical microbiology & infectious diseases
8 CFU - Pharmacology – 9 CFU
- Biomedical research clerkship – 6 CFU
61 CFU
1st semester
- Laboratory medicine & immunogenetics – 6 CFU
- Endocrine & metabolic & gastrointestinal disease – 9 CFU
- Neurological sciences – 11 CFU
- Psychiatry – 4 CFU
2nd semester
- Hematology & oncology – 7 CFU
- Respiratory diseases & allergology – 6 CFU
- Cardiovascular diseases & basic life support – 7 CFU
- Biomedical technologies & imaging – 11 CFU
60 CFU
1st semester
- Clinical immunology & rheumatology – 5 CFU
- Nephrology & urology – 5 CFU
- Muscoloskeletal disease – 3 CFU
- Rehabilitation medicine – 5 CFU
- Dermatology & plastic surgery – 5 CFU
- Geriatrics & functional patient management – 6 CFU
2nd semester
- Head & neck – 10 CFU
- Clinical surgery & emergency medicine – 15 CFU
- Medicine & surgery clerkship 1 (Clinical rotation 1) – 6 CFU
60 CFU
1st semester
- Pediatrics – 8 CFU
- Obstetrics & gynaecology – 6 CFU
- Pathology – 8 CFU
- Forensic & occupational medicine – 7 CFU
- ADE – 1 CFU
2nd semester
- Puplic health, international health systems & economics – 11 CFU
- Internal medicine, clinical pharmacology & clinical risk management – 11 CFU
- Medicine & Surgery clerkship 2 (Clinical rotation 2) – 6 CFU
- ADE – 2 CFU
60 CFU
1st semester
- Medicine & surgery clerkship (Clinical rotation 3) – 27 CFU
- Thesis – 3 CFU
2nd semester
15 CFU:
- Licensing internship in internal medicine
- Licensing internship in surgery
- Licensing internship in community medicine
- Thesis – 15 CFU
Practical Experience & Clerkships in Parma
A heavy emphasis is placed on a rounded out experience, along with a variety of required clerkships starting early in 2nd year. Additionally, a very unique structure in 6th year, in which the entire year will be dedicated to internships in the hospitals with no lectures. But what makes it TRULY UNIQUE is the opportunity to COMPLETE CLERKSHIPS ABROAD.
Despite reaching out multiple times, we have not yet been able to confirm if these clerkships (in European Health Facilities) are entirely unique to University of Parma, and exactly how they differ from the traditional Erasmus exchange available to students in every university. It seems that this possibility to go abroad and train is not related to Erasmus, but rather to their 5th year emphasis in learning about healthcare systems outside of Italy.
This is a breakdown of how their clerkships will be structured over the 6 years:
- 2nd year: Internship in Biomedical Research (Biomedical Research Clerkship)
- 4th year: Clinical internship in General Medicine and General Surgery (Clinical Rotation 1)
- 5th year: Clinical internship in Pediatrics and Gynaecology (Clinical Rotation 2)
- 6th year 1st semester (Clinical Rotation 3): this period can be spent in European Health Facilities with which specific agreements will be activated.
Campus and Course Dynamics
A maximum of 100 students will be admitted for the course, provided IMAT results can/do correlate with this possibility. Class sizes range during COVID, though generally these 100 students would be most commonly split in thirds, groups of around 30, for classes and practical experience.
Cadaver Dissections
Parma follows the general trend of conducting pro-sections at best, with very little to no chance to do a dissection yourself.
Teaching Facilities
The Medical and Surgery Department (DiMeC) was founded on the 1st of January 2017. It coordinates 10 first-level degrees, 4 second-level degree, 2 single cycle degree programmes, 1 inter-university degree courses, 3 doctoral and 35 specialization schools.
The department is located on two main poles: Via Gramsci, with structures owned by the University of Parma and others belonging to the University Hospital of Parma, and Via Volturno, hosting the Biotechnological pole. The headquarters of the DiMeC (Direction and Administrative offices) is located in Via Gramsci.
Computer laboratories are available to students in most university buildings. The Wi-Fi service allows the connection to the University net in almost all areas and it’s accessible to staff and students through e-mail and password. They also enable these facilities to be used for exam work. Simply access the University’s website, clicking “registering for exams via the Internet” and selecting a Course.
Libraries
The University of Parma has an extensive library system (nearly two dozen libraries!) to serve students of almost every academic discipline.
They have a dedicated website as well as an app for an interactive map of the libraries where students can study and avail of different online services. The implementation of web information services, including bibliographic data and electronic magazines, has significantly increased the range and quality of the services offered by the university libraries, that offer literary resources up to around 1,000,000 books and 8,000 magazine subscriptions.
Sports Facilities & Canteens
The University of Parma provides opportunities to combine sport with study through its CUS.
The University of Parma CUS organises its own amateur and competitive sports events. Several inter-faculty tournaments are available for both individual and team sports during each academic year. Each academic year the CUS Parma organizes a series of preparatory courses for sports, relating to various disciplines, including: aerobics and fitness, martial arts, gymnastics, swimming, volleyball, basketball, tennis, and triathlon; various tournaments are made available exclusively to students of the University of Parma, such as: five-a-side football, volleyball, basketball, tennis, golf, and athletics.
Medicine & Surgery students (University of Parma) have access to the cafeteria service located at Collegio S. Isidoro. Other information about food services available to students can be found here.
Sources: CUS Parma, Università di Parma, 2022.
Affiliated canteens, Università di Parma, 2022.
Interesting Student Services
The University of Parma offers students a variety of services ranging from associations, social clubs and societies, to language learning centres.
According to it’s website, the Centro Linguistico di Ateneo (CLA) promotes the learning of modern foreign languages, offering students the opportunity to verify or acquire basic and advanced language skills (from level A1 / A2 to level C1 / C2) provided in their training course and beyond. The CLA offers a wide range of languages, from European (English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Russian, Romanian) to extra-European languages such as Chinese, Japanese and Arabic. The CLA also offers courses in soft skills and intercultural communication, as well as courses aimed at preparing international certifications.
Click here for a full list of services and opportunities, as well as associations.
Language Requirements
The possession and verification of language skills are compulsory for courses taught only in a language other than Italian. Students are therefore required to have an adequate knowledge of English (B2 level language CEFR certification). The methods for verifying knowledge of English language level B2 and the knowledge required for admission are defined in the course regulations.
For some universities meeting a certain score on the IMAT is enough to suffice this language requirement, but are unsure as of yet whether this is the case for the University of Parma.
Italian Courses
The University of Parma offers extensive lenaguage courses specifically designed for:
- Erasmus students from any degree course;
- foreign students at the university;
- PhD candidate students and researchers participating in a International Studies Programme.
An entry test is mandatory only if a student has studied previously the Italian language, as to place them in an appropriate learning group. Otherwise, absolute beginners need not to take the entry test and simply contact one of a professor from the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Cultural Industries.
Click here to learn more about the different courses offered, timetables, and find contact information of the corresponding professors.
Opportunities to Study Abroad
The Erasmus+ Program is an EU-sponsored mobility program that enables students with further study and experience by providing between 3-12 months at a European university.
Whereas many Italian universities offer these abroad opportunities, The University of Parma is unique in that they deeply encouraged. We will update this section when we confirm whether the Medicine in English course abroad opportunities are any different from the traditional Erasmus programs.
Special Admission Requirements
While the schools page shows that Medicine & Surgery is listed, it is not easily accessible. Luckily we have the document that details all of it and have summarised it for you.
Although there is not exactly a special admission requirement per se, there is a REQUIRED pre-application process.
- There seems to be a pre-evaluation of your previous degrees which NEED TO BE SUBMITTED THROUGH THIS FORUM. This might be where you will need to upload your documents, including the DV.
- You must sign up through their website at this link by the deadline of JULY 8 by clicking ISCRIVITI as seen below:
However registrations are not open until early July, so you may just be greeted with this message similar to this one:
It is really important you apply on the Universitaly website first, and after your pre-application you follow the instructions on the Parma University website.
It is also a requirement to have received 12 years of schooling before applying. For international students who might not have completed 12 years of schooling, the University of Parma actually offers a “Foundation Programme” which we are currently writing an article on.
Studying Medicine in Piacenza
Brief Overview of City
Weather
Parma is located in the western part of the Emilia Romagna region, there is a humid temperate climate. Winters are quite cold and damp, while summers are hot and muggy. Rainfall is rather moderate and fairly distributed throughout the year. The wettest times of the year are autumn and spring where most days of rain occur and the months see an average of about 75-76mm of rain.
Source: Climate – Parma (Italy), climatestotravel.com.
Cost of Living Index
According to the website Numbeo the consumer prices in Parma of day-to-day items is not too much better than neighboring Milan. However, rent is nearly 60% less than that of Milan, and slightly more affordable than nearby Piacenza. An average one-bedroom apartment in the Parma city centre is about €540, and a three-bedroom €925. The same apartment sizes go for around €600 and €1130, respectively, in Piacenza.
Population & Size of City
According to the comune di Piacenza it is estimated that it has a population of 102,902 people spread across 118.2 km². This gives the city a population density of 870.4/km² (in comparison Rome city centre is 2,145/km²).
Where in City (Parma to Piacenza)
Surprisingly while the course is offered in Parma University, the course location is in a different small town called Piacenza. It seems that all lectures and clerkships will take place in this scenic town instead of at the main campus of the university located in the heart of Parma.
Accommodation
ER.GO provides student housing with over 600 rooms in 6 halls of residence located in different areas of Parma, usually at a short distance from the University departments.
Accommodation facilities which have not been assigned, and hence remain vacant, become available to incoming students, trainees and researchers temporarily studying and/or working in Parma. You can check for vacant rooms in the “vacancies board” of the halls of residence called Borsino of the Sportello Unico Casa (ER.GO. Housing Office), through which you can also see real-time availability, prices and features and make an online reservation.
Scholarships are mostly to cover accommodation. If you don’t get a dorm, there are no dorms, or if you choose not to go to a dorm, you can get the amount allotted for accommodation in cash, if that makes things easier. Generally these funds are enough to cover housing, though not all living expenses.
Transport Overview
As usual, a staple form of transport in most cities, cycling once again is a fantastic option. It is often safer and opens up a lot more shortcuts. There also is this new line they called Metro bus; which runs across all the main sites every 10 minutes, on all weekdays from Monday to Friday.
Different Activities
Piacenza itself is situated reasonably close to a fair number of outdoor activity opportunities. Following the river, take a walk through gorgeous scenic nature so close to your home; or hop right in and go rafting or kayaking. Parma to Milan is less than one hour by train. Regional trains are relatively cheap too for day trips.