A Superior Graduate School ( Italian: ''Scuola Superiore Universitaria'') is a completely independent institution from a legal point of view, which offers advanced training and

research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

through university-type courses or is dedicated to teaching at graduate or post-doctoral level. The Superior Graduate Schools in Italy,Ricerca Italiana - Scuole di Eccellenza
/ref> the ''Scuola Superiore Universitaria'', are recognized by the

Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (Italy) The Ministry of Education and Merit (in or MIM) is the ministry of the Council of Ministers (Italy), Italian government for the national education system, the Italian universities and research agencies. The current Italian Minister of Public Ed ...

(MIUR) as fully autonomous. Three Superior Graduate Schools have " university status"; three institutes have the status of doctoral colleges, which function at graduate and post-graduate levels; and nine other schools are direct offshoots of universities, lacking independent university status. These state institutions are commonly referred to as ''Scuole di Eccellenza'' ("Schools of Excellence")Scuole di Eccellenza
/ref> The institutions offer recognized national and international titles, including the ''Diploma di Perfezionamento'' (equivalent to a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

), ''Dottorato di Ricerca'' ( "Research Doctorate"), and ''Doctor Philosophiae'' ( Ph.D.).Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) Decree
/ref> Some of these institutions, individually or in co-operation with the universities with which they work, also organize courses leading to

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

s. The oldest and most famous Superior Graduate School in Italy is the

Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa The Scuola Normale Superiore (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pi ...

, founded in 1810 by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

as a branch of the famous ''

École Normale Supérieure École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing i ...

'' in Paris, upon which it was modelled. The Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies also has long history of existence in Italian education, as its origins are in the ''Collegio Medico-Giuridico'' of the

and the ''Conservatorio di Sant'Anna'', an even older educational institution with roots in the fourteenth century.

Superior graduate schools with university status

* Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies * Scuola Superiore Studi Pavia IUSS
Scuola Superiore Meridionale
* Gran Sasso Science Institute

Superior graduate schools with the status of doctoral colleges

* International School for Advanced Studies di Trieste (SISSA) * IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca

Superior graduate schools which are direct offshoots of other universities

* Collegio superiore of the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...

Scuola di studi superiori dell'università degli studi di Torino
of the

University of Turin The University of Turin (Italian language, Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Torino'', UNITO) is a public university, public research university in the city of Turin, in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region of Italy. It is one of the List ...

Scuola superiore dell'università di Siena Santa Chiara
of the University of Siena * Scuola superiore di Catania of the University of Catania *SSAS - Sapienza School for Advanced Studies of Sapienza - University of Rome.
Istituto superiore universitario di formazione interdisciplinare di Lecce (ISUFI)
of the University of Salento
Scuola galileiana di studi superiori di Padova (SGSS)
of the

University of Padua The University of Padua (, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest ...

Collegio Internazionale Ca' Foscari
of the Ca' Foscari University of Venice * European College of Parma
Scuola superiore dell'università di Udine
of the University of Udine
Scuola di Studi Superiori 'Giacomo Leopardi'
of the University of Macerata
Scuola di Studi Superiori 'Carlo Urbani'
of the University of Camerino
Scuola Superiore di Sardegna
of the University of Sassari

Research doctorate or Ph.D.

The first institution in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

to create a doctoral program was

in 1927 under the historic name ''"Diploma di Perfezionamento"''.STATUTO DELLA SCUOLA NORMALE SUPERIORE DI PISA (legge 18 giugno 1986, n. 308)
Further, the ''dottorato di ricerca'' was introduced by law and presidential decree in 1980, in a reform of academic teaching, training and experimentation in organisation and teaching methods. The Superior Graduate Schools in Italy ( Italian: ''Scuola Superiore Universitaria''), also called ''Schools of Excellence'' ( Italian: ''Scuole di Eccellenza'') such as

and Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies keep their historical ''"Diploma di Perfezionamento"'' title by law and MIUR Decree. The Superior Graduate School or Scuola Superiore Universitaria has "Diplomi di Perfezionamento ", which are equivalent to "Dottorati di Ricerca" (PhD).:Università in Italia, Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR)
/ref> * Diplomi di Perfezionamento: Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa - Legge n. 308/1986 * Diplomi di Perfezionamento: Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento "SANT'ANNA", Pisa - Legge N. 41/1987 * Diplomi di Perfezionamento: Alta Scuola Europea di Scienze Religiose Fondazione per le Scienze Religiose Giovanni XXIII, Bologna -D.M. Murst 19.10.1999 * Diplomi di Perfezionamento: Scuola Internazionale di Alti Studi della Cultura Fondazione collegio s. Carlo, Modena - D.M. Murst 4.5.1998 * Diplomi di Perfezionamento: Società Internazionale per lo Studio del Medioevo Latino, Fondazione Ezio Franceschini, Firenze - D.M. 3.4.2001 * Diplomi di Perfezionamento: Istituto Nazionale di Studi sul Rinascimento, Firenze - D.M. 9.10.2001 * Diplomi di Perfezionamento: Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA). Trieste - D.M. Murst 24.2.1993 * Diploma di Doctor Philosophiae (PhD): European University Institute (Istituto Universitario Europeo), Fiesole/Firenze - Legge N. 352/1986 * Diplomi di Perfezionamento: Istituto di scienze farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, Milano - D.M. MIUR 11.11.2008 * Dottorato in Studi Storici: Università degli Studi S. Marino - D.M. Murst 11.6.1990 and scambio Note 16.7.1999 in vigore dal 28.11.2000 * Dottorato in Ingegneria Gestionale: Università degli Studi S. Marino - D.M. Murst 11.6.1990 and scambio Note 16.7.1999 in vigore dal 28.11.2000 * Diplomi di Perfezionamento: Fondazione Internazionale per gli studi superiori di Architettura, Scuola Superiore Europea di Architettura Urbana - Napoli - D.M. MIUR 14 Luglio 2006

References

External links

Scuole di Eccellenza
{{Ita_Uni Graduate schools in Italy