FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

1. What makes this programme worth attending?

The Master’s degree programme in Linguistics of the University of Verona offers a unique educational opportunity on the national scene for various reasons, shortly listed below:

• a fully international programme in linguistics, one of the two international programmes in linguistics offered in Italy;

• a rich array of modules, some compulsory and others to be chosen by the students, who can thus customise their academic experience according to their interests;

• guest teachers from the most important European and extra-European academic institutions;

• lessons taught in English for all the compulsory modules and in other languages for the modules to be chosen by the students, in order to guarantee an authentic multilingual experience;

• a stimulating multicultural environment, with students coming from several world countries;

• a teaching board composed of high-profile researchers, teaching their topics of investigation;

• a careful tutorship aimed at assisting the students with administrative issues and preparation to the exam and/or final thesis.

2. Do I need to know other languages besides English and my mother tongue?

No. Although an intermediate-level competence in another language (among French, German, Spanish or Russian) is welcome due to the presence of language-specific modules to be chosen by the students, there is no strict requirement of a level certificate in other languages besides English, since an English option is always available among the modules which the students have to choose and add to their study plan.

The study of Italian as a second language is strongly encouraged among the international students, who can get credits for language skill certificates in L2 Italian (starting from the B1 level).

3. Do I need any previous knowledge of linguistics?

Yes. Admission to the master’s degree programme is possible for the students who took some preliminary modules in linguistics during their bachelor’s degree programme. The curricula of the international students are evaluated by a committee which checks for basic competence in linguistics on the basis of the students’ transcripts of records. For the Italian students, in particular, the requirement is to have gained at least 6 CFU in linguistics in their bachelor’s (with exams pertaining to SSD L-LIN/01).

4. Do I need a minimum bachelor’s degree grade to be accepted for this master’s degree programme?

No, there is no minimum bachelor’s degree grade for admission.

For international (extra-EU) students: grades (CGPA) and academic curriculum are important for obtaining one of the 3 scholarships reserved to the extra-EU candidates. No minimum grade is required for pre-admission to the course, but pre-admission is subject to evaluation of the candidate titles (CV, transcripts of records, language certificates etc.)

For Italian students with a bachelor’s degree grade below 100/110, a preliminary interview is compulsory. For further info, see this page.

5. Is there a test that I need to pass, in order to be accepted for this master’s degree programme? What about an English language test?

For International Students: No interview/test is required, because you are evaluated in a preliminary phase for pre-admission to the degree programme on the grounds of your CV, transcript of records, language skill certificates, reference letters etc.

For the Italian students: an interview is compulsory if you did NOT graduate in the following degree programmes:

Corsi di laurea in Lettere quadriennale dell'ordinamento ante D.M. 509/99 e di Laurea di primo livello L-05 ex D.M. 509/99 o L-10 D.M. 270/04; Lingue e Letterature straniere quadriennale dell'ordinamento ante D.M. 509/99, e di Laurea di primo livello L-11 ex D.M. 509/99 o L-11 D.M. 270/0); Laurea di primo livello L-14 ex D.M. 509/99 o L-20 D.M. 270/04.

Furthermore, students holding a degree in the above-mentioned bachelor’s programmes are also required to pass a preliminary interview if they got a final grade below 100/110.

An English language test is required if you do not hold a B2 level certificate in English. For further info about the preliminary test, see this page.

6. I don’t know anything about the Italian university system. Who will help me? Is there an international desk for this reason?

The International student desk is at your disposal for queries about the university system, at this address.

For queries about the programme, you may refer to the chairperson of the degree programme (Chiara Melloni) or to the members of the Didactic Committee: Paola Cotticelli, Serena Dal Maso.

ABOUT COURSES AND CLASSES

7. How can I sign up for courses?

There is no need to sign up for courses. When you access the degree programme, you will directly be signed up for the mandatory courses of the study plan. As for the courses to be chosen, it is important to select them and complete the piano di studi (study plan) in order to take part in the exams. To do this, you should use the ESSE3 portal (at this address).

Regarding the modules offered by other degree programmes, you could introduce yourself to the teacher and ask for specific instructions for linguistics’ students, if any, concerning attendance, programme and exam.

8. Is it mandatory to be present in class?

In general, attendance is not compulsory. However, for some modules (laboratories or courses comprising exercises in class) attendance is either compulsory or strongly advised.

9. How can I find the study materials for the courses I have taken?

Study materials are indicated at the webpages of each module.

For most modules, materials are:

• either available at one or more of the University libraries;

• or made available by the teacher through the e-learning platform (Moodle) of the course (there is a direct link to it on the webpage of the modules).

In absence of clear indications or issues with the study materials, you should contact the teacher of the course, especially if you are not attending regularly.

10. What courses can I take to get the credits needed for “further language skills”?

For further language skills, you should attend lessons and get (foreign) language skill certificates in Italian as L2, German, Spanish, French and English at the Center for Foreign Languages (Centro Linguistico di Ateneo, CLA).

Credits can be obtained starting from the B1 level in various language skills, comprising Italian as a second language for the International Students (for instance, 3 ECTS/CFU for a B1 level, and further 3 ECTS/CFU for the B2 level).

11. What about the credits dedicated to “activities to be chosen by the students”?

There are 12 credits of type D in the programme to be gained upon your choice among various modules/activities: these may be obtained passing master’s level exams in disciplines related to the main scientific areas of the course (linguistics, philology, psychology, pedagogy etc.), to be chosen among those available in the piano di studi (study plan) section in ESSE3.

For instance, you may choose two 6-credit-modules, obtaining 12 ECTS/CFU. Otherwise, up to 6 of these type D credits may be obtained through:

• acquisition of competence in further language skills (language skills certifications higher than B1), within a limit of 6 ECTS/CFU;

• certification of a training activity carried out both inside and outside the Department, within a limit of 6 ECTS/CFU (i.e. TOEFL Exam, Teacher trainings, or other courses). These training activities must be pre-approved by the Collegio Didattico.

12. How is the thesis process organised? When can I start working on my thesis? How can I choose a topic to work on? With which professors can I work?

The final exam for the achievement of the title consists in the discussion of a written thesis/dissertation, to which 24 ECTS/CFU are awarded, which focuses on topics related to the course of studies.

The topic should be proposed either by yourself or by your supervisor and should be agreed by both, taking into consideration: your previous knowledge on the topic, your interest/enthusiasm for it, the overall feasibility of the project, the time requested and, in case of experimental projects, the availability of current experimental activity in the research area of your interest.

You may request the assignment of a topic for the thesis after having acquired at least 50 ECTS/CFU credits. The thesis should consist indicatively of about 80-120 pages and must be written in English or Italian (Italian is encouraged for the international students); it may be written in one of the languages of the language-specific linguistics modules (for instance, French or German), being then subject to approval by the supervisor and the Collegio Didattico. The defense can be conducted in English or Italian.

Any professor of the University of Verona may act as supervisor for the attainment of the Master's degree in Linguistics, provided that you passed at least one exam in a discipline of the professor's scientific sector and/or provided that this professor is a member of the Collegio Didattico of the degree programme in Linguistics or of a Collegio Didattico for which s/he holds a course (corso in mutuazione).

ABOUT EXAMS

13. When and how should I apply for the exams? Is there a deadline for the exam registration?

You should apply after completion of the course, starting from the first session available.

Registration for the exams can be done by using the Esse3 platform.

The deadline for registration is indicated for each exam. Generally, you can sign up for the exam or cancel your registration by four working days before the date of the exam.

14. Are books and exams all in English?

Bibliographic references and exams are in English for the compulsory courses and for the optional courses which are taught in English. In this degree programme, there are also modules in Italian, German, French, Spanish, Russian: for these modules, materials and exams are in the respective languages (except German, which is potentially taught in English).

15. In cases where “alternatives” are offered, will there always be an exam in English?

Yes, the programme has been devised so as to always guarantee an English option among the alternatives.

16. What is an “appello”?

An appello is the exam itself. It can be oral or written or both. During the session of exams (which are 3 per academic year), there are two appelli for each module, i.e. two opportunities to take the exam, set at a time distance of at least 15 days from each other. Therefore, students have 6 overall chances per year to pass the exam of a module.

17. What if I fail an exam? How many choices do I have to re-take it?

You can re-take the exam in one future opportunity, during the same session or in the next one. There is no limit to the chances of passing an exam.

Students who fail the exam are encouraged to contact the teacher of the module and the didactic tutors for guidance and tutorship (for further info, see this webpage).

18. How can I find out the results of my exams?

For oral examinations, the grade is communicated to the student at the end of the exam.

For written texts, the results:

• may be published as avvisi (announcements) of the module and/or on the e-learning (Moodle) platform (visit the website of the module and the Moodle platform, if activated). The results are anonymous: only the enrolment number and associated grade are published.

• may be communicated privately to the student by the teacher, either by e-mail or during the office hours.

If you are not satisfied with your grade and you would rather re-take the exam, you have to inform the professor about it immediately after the results are published, and then you may sign up for and sit the exam again in the next appelli.

ABOUT SCHOLARSHIPS/ERASMUS

19. Whom could I talk to if I have questions about my scholarship/benefits?

You may write to the International Office at this e-mail address.

20. Can I apply for Erasmus+ in this master’s degree programme? Which places I can choose from?

Yes, of course! Students are strongly encouraged to have an educational experience abroad through Erasmus+, Worldwide, Short Term Mobility or through any of the international mobility programmes promoted by our University.

All information about Erasmus+ and further programmes are available at this link.

As for Erasmus+, the partner institutions that you may choose are the ones holding student exchange agreements at the master’s level with our University.

ABOUT YOUR FUTURE CAREER

21. What can I do next as a person graduated in linguistics?

As a graduate in linguistics, you will have a high level of knowledge of the theories, methodologies and techniques of language investigation and you will be able to apply them in various areas of work for research, teaching and counselling in the analysis of written and/or spoken materials.

Career opportunities for graduates in linguistics, also projected in an international dimension, include linguistic counselling in several areas, from the drafting and editing of texts to international cooperation activities, to the policies of linguistic integration for immigrants, to the management of multilingualism and also e.g. to the design and evaluation of IT tools for the treatment of linguistic corpora and of verbal communication.

As a graduate in linguistics, you may of course decide to continue your education applying for a PhD programme in linguistics or related areas in Italy or abroad (note that your profile would be well-suited for the international scene), or with a (professional) short-master's.

22. After finishing my master’s degree programme successfully, in which organisations do I have the chance to work?

As a researcher or collaborator with expertise in language science and philology, or as a language-expert collaborator in research institutes and universities:

Public or private research centres, Universities, cultural institutes (in Italy or abroad).

As a linguistic consultant and text drafter/compiler:

Publishing houses, public or private educational institutions operating in a multilingual context, libraries and archives, advertising agencies, insurance agencies.

As a linguistic consultant and text editor:

Italian or foreign institutional foundations, universities and research centres, publishing houses, communication and advertising companies.

As a linguist and philologist:

Italian and foreign academic and research institutes, cultural centres and foundations, cultural institutes in Italy and abroad, libraries.