Enrolled students
International Desk @ ICEA
The International Desk is a dedicated department-based support desk for international students of the University of Padua.
It can provide support and guidance on the following topics:
- orientation and advising for degree programme choice
- admission and enrolment
- students’ welcome and access to university services
- support throughout the academic career
To contact the International Desk of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering (ICEA), please write to international@dicea.unipd.it.
Important notice for enrolled students: always use your Unipd email address (name.surname@studenti.unipd.it) and specify your student ID number (numero di matricola) and study programme when contacting the International Desk.
Study Plan
Each student will have to compile his or her study plan for the current academic year on Uniweb. The study plan includes all mandatory courses of each academic year as well as elective courses. The procedure to fill in the study plan opens approximately in November of each year and remains open until the end of the academic year, i. e. September of the following year. The study plan can be modified until the student registers for graduation.
There are two types of study plans:
Automatically approved study plan: This type of plan allows the student to choose elective course units (12 credits) only among the educational activities offered by the Department in order to fulfill credit requirements. By clicking on 'Confirm Plan' the plan is registered in the Uniweb profile of the student. This type of study plan is recommended to students.
Proposed study plan: This type of plan allows for including educational activities offered by other Departments/Schools than DICEA. The plan is subject to approval by the relevant Degree Programme Board (CCS - Consiglio del Corso di Studi). In this case, if the course is not directly related to the study program, it is advised to ask for approval of the elective course to the responsible Professor approving the study plan.
Once the study plan has been compiled and approved, the student will be able to register for exams.
A guide to support students in compiling their study plan can be downloaded here.
For any issues with the procedure, please contact the Teaching Secretariat or the International Desk @ ICEA.
Tutoring
Each academic year, tutoring groups are organized for specific subjects to support students in deepening their competencies. These study groups are divided according to department.
In addition, tutor junior can support students by providing information on services of the Department ICEA and the University as well as supporting them in the organization of study groups and tips for managing their studies. More information can be found here.
At ICEA, in addition, tutoring for international students is organized every semester based on the need for specific study fields. Contact the Teaching Office for more information on the courses offered.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees can vary according to the academic discipline. An overview of the tuition fees can be found on the university website. For the Master degree in Environmental Engineering the fees fall under Group B - Scientific. All information about how and when to pay tuition fees can be found on the dedicated Tuition fees page.
Thesis and Graduation
The Master's degree programme in Water and Geological Risk Engineering foresees a thesis project, which consists of the preparation of a paper related to a specific in-depth study of a topic covered in the Master's degree. The student may develop the thesis on the project they developed during the internship, or on a topic proposed by the lecturer or the student themselves.
The thesis project will be guided by a supervisor, a professor from the University of Padua, with whom the student will define the structure of the thesis project and its scope. For the specific research focus of the Professors of the Master’s degree go this page.
In order to graduate, it is necessary to register for it on Uniweb within the deadlines set for each degree period. The procedure involves several steps and requires approval of the thesis title by the thesis advisor. In addition, it is also necessary:
- to have taken all the exams stipulated in your study plan at least fifteen days before the beginning of the graduation call,
- to have paid the tuition fees, and to comply with the dates and manner of delivery of the thesis.
- to pay the tax stamp included in the graduation application to approve your academic records
Please note that once the registration for graduation is completed, the study plan cannot be modified anymore. Students are advised to revise their study plan on time to have it in order when registering for graduation.
The registration period and potential graduation dates, including the procedure on Uniweb are indicated on the dedicated page.
The dates for graduation as well as the turns of each student are published on the Department’s webpage.
Modality to deliver the thesis
Students are requested to upload their thesis on Uniweb. The file of the thesis shall be in format PDF/A and be given the following name: “Last name_first name.pdf”. Once the thesis has been uploaded by the student, the supervisor will approve it to conclude the submission.
Please do not wait to upload the thesis on the last day before the deadline!
Please note that first the student has to register for graduation before being able to upload the thesis document (see above).
How to produce a PDF/A document
Microsoft Office: From the "Save As" menu item, change the default format by selecting the PDF format (*.pdf). To make sure that the selected format is PDF/A, click on the "Options" button and make sure that "PDF/A compliant" is selected. This function is available only in Windows (not MacOS) versions of the operating system.
Open Office: from the "File" menu item click on "Export to PDF". In the PDF Options dialog box select the "PDF/A-1" item and then click on "Export".
For other options on how to create a PDF/A see the guide here (Italian only)
Laboratories
When conducting the thesis, depending on its nature and scope, access to laboratories can be needed. The laboratories of the Department can be viewed under the following link.
Requests for access can be made by contacting the responsible Professors for each laboratory. Students will have to conduct an online safety course first, before being allowed access to the laboratory.
Internship
Please note that for the Master degree in Water and Geological Risk Engineering, an internship is not foreseen in the study plan. Students are welcome to conduct extracurricular internships.
During their academic career, students can conduct an internship to gain a first work experience or explore a field of their interest. A student can activate an internship, following the procedure foreseen by the Internship office.
The internship includes three parties:
- Trainee
- Academic Tutor
- Company Tutor
In order to activate the internship, three essential documents are required:
- The agreement between the University and your host organization
- The Training project
- The General Safety Training course certificate (obligatory for all internships)
In-depth information on internship opportunities, necessary administrative procedures from activating the internship to finalizing it, can be found on the dedicated website.
For specific inquiries, please contact the Career Service.
Mobility Opportunities
Students at the University of Padua have the possibility to conduct a period of two to twelve months abroad to study at a foreign University or to conduct an internship with a company abroad. The University of Padua offers several mobility programs for which students can apply:
- Erasmus+
Please note that the Erasmus+ programme consists of two different streams:
Erasmus+ Studies programme: https://www.unipd.it/en/erasmus-studies-out
Erasmus+ Traineeship programme: https://www.unipd.it/en/erasmus-traineeship-mobility - SEMP - Swiss European Moblity Programme
- Ulisse programme
Apart from these mobility programs, the University of Padua has agreements with many Universities to participate in exchange possibilities. For more information see here.
Please keep in mind the deadlines for applications for each programme and requirements to be fulfilled in order to participate.
Useful services for enrolled students
The University provides several online services to support students in pursuing their studies at UniPD.
Survival Guide for international students
The Survival Guide for international students was created by the International Desk of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering (ICEA). The Guide provides students with an overview of University services, procedures and useful information on your studies at the ICEA, ranging from starting your journey at UniPD to graduation.
Academic calendar
The Academic Calendar provides useful information on the structure of each academic year of the University of Padua, which includes national holidays, suspension of classes, closure of the University. The academic calendar can be found here.
STEM platform
All courses of the master degree can be found on the Departments Stem platform, providing students with materials and important information by Professors on class schedules and exams. Click here and log in with your university credentials.
Uniweb
On Uniweb, you will find your own profile with your personal information as well as your student career. Services offered via the platform include an overview of the tuition fees, compiling your study plan, exam and graduation registration. In addition, further services such as requests for economic benefits. You can log in as well with your university credentials here.
Orari UniPd
In order to have an overview of your classes, i. e. when and where they take place, you can check your class schedule as well as exam schedule on the Orari UniPd website or via app.
More useful services are mentioned in the Survival Guide for International Students as well as on the website of the University of Padua.
Housing
International students can apply for public residences, which are managed by ESU, the regional agency in charge of many student services. Accommodation in those halls of residence is governed by a competition. All the information about requirements and deadlines can be found in the call for publication every year from the end of June. Please check the web page regularly for any updates and further information.
The University of Padua offers, furthermore, a support service in finding accommodation in the private housing market and helps with accommodation related paperworks (contracts, declaration of hospitality, tenancy agreement).
More information about finding accommodation in Rovigo is available here.
University Language Center (CLA)
At the University Language Center (CLA), international students have the chance to learn Italian as well as other languages. The CLA offers for this purpose semester courses or intensive courses - online and in person - as well as opportunities to practice languages with a tandem partner or in communication groups. Information on their language offer are available on their website.
For specific interest in Italian language classes, please inform the International Desk @ ICEA.
Further information
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