[WNC-LM] Master Degree in Neuroscience (26)
Single courses
Students who are at least twenty years old and are interested, for cultural reasons or scientific update, in attending teaching activities at the University of Pisa, can enrol in single courses activated within the Master's degree course in Neuroscience.
More information and the application process can be found on this page.
PN: By Resolution No. 12/2025, AOO “BIO” prot. 705/2025 dated 04/02/2025, the Course of Study Council has established that any request for enrollment in Single Courses for educational activities offered by the Master's Degree in Neuroscience must be submitted to the opinion of the relevant collegial body.
Therefore, the Student will be able to attend classes and take exams ONLY after receiving the authorization.
In case of denial, the student will not be allowed to attend lectures and take exams.
Students are asked NOT to write emails requesting a response which will be provided ONLY after the decision of the Course of Study Council.
Course changes and Transfers: candidates with bachelor's degree title obtained in italy
INBOUND TRANSFER OR COURSE CHANGE
For candidates with a Bachelor's degree title obtained in Italy, admissions to the MSc in Neuroscience through inbound course change (change from a degree course held at the University of Pisa to the MSc in Neuroscience held at the University of Pisa) or through inbound transfer (transfer from a degree course held at another university to the MSc in Neuroscience held at the University of Pisa) are free.
Information about the relevant procedure is available on this webpage
P.N. No pre-evaluation is made for the purpose of credits recognition. The evaluation can be made exclusively by the competent body, which is the Course of Study Council, which will take into consideration not only credits and scientific disciplinary sectors of each exam for which recognition is requested but also the program carried out. Further details are provided by the Teaching Regulations of the relevant course of study.
After submitting the request for course change/transfer, candidates who meet curricular requirements will be officially invited to participate in the admission test consisting in an interview. The interview will be performed remotely by members of the Admission Committee, who will ask questions around the fundamentals outlined in the syllabus-Admission test.
The interview will be held in English. Please do not send email messages enquiring about the interview. Date and time of the interview will be notified to the candidate by the programme tutor. Eligible candidates will be officially invited to the interview typically within 30 days from the date of request for course change/transfer.
Course changes and Transfers: candidates with bachelor's degree title obtained abroad
INBOUND TRANSFER OR COURSE CHANGE
For candidates with a Bachelor's degree title obtained abroad, admissions to the MSc in Neuroscience through inbound course change (change from a degree course held at the University of Pisa to the MSc in Neuroscience held at the University of Pisa) or through inbound transfer (transfer from a degree course held at another Italian university to the MSc in Neuroscience held at the University of Pisa) are limited.
| Master’s degree programme of origin | Master’s degree programme of destination | Course change/transfer between two degree courses within the same enrollment year |
| MSc held in Italian/English held at the University of Pisa or another Italian University. | Neuroscience | Course change/Transfer is ONLY allowed in the event that the student has already participated in the admission call and has already received the admission letter for the MSc in Neuroscience relative to the same enrollment’s academic year.
The student shall comply with the procedure provided on this webpages: course changes / transfers If the student does not have an admission letter for the MSc in Neuroscience relative to the same enrollment’s academic year, course change/transfer will ONLY be allowed starting from the following academic year. Thus, the Student shall participate in the admission call following the procedure available on this webpage |
| Master’s degree programme of origin | Master’s degree programme of destination | Course change/transfer from two degree courses within diverse enrolment years |
| MSc held in Italian/English held at the University of Pisa or another Italian University. | Neurocience | The student shall participate in the admission call following the procedure available on this webpage |
After submitting the request for course change/transfer, candidates who meet curricular requirements will be officially invited to participate in the admission test consisting in an interview. The interview will be performed remotely by members of the Admission Committee, who will ask questions around the fundamentals outlined in the syllabus-Admission test.
The interview will be held in English. Please do not send email messages enquiring about the interview. Date and time of the interview will be notified to the candidate by the programme tutor. Eligible candidates will be officially invited to the interview typically within 30 days from the date of request for course change/transfer.
Admission procedure for candidates with qualifications obtained in Italy
Written by Bernardo- Application submission on AmmissioniLM portal
For candidates with qualifications obtained in Italy, there are no specific calls for selection.
Applicants are required to submit their application according to university procedure
Only applicants who meet curricular requirements will be recognized eligible for admission test.
Applicants shall already possess the required bachelor's degree title at the time of application on the AmmissioniLM portal.
P.N.: Applicants with degree title obtained in Italy must enclose to the application their exams transcript mentioning the Scientific Disciplinary Sectors (SDS) for each exam. Missing this information, the Applicant shall provide a self-declaration of scientific disciplinary sectors. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in the applicant's exclusion from the selection process.
- Admission test (interview)
After application submission, eligible candidates will be officially invited to participate in the admission test consisting in an interview.
The interview will be performed remotely (on Microsoft Teams) by members of the Admission Committee, who will ask questions around the fundamentals outlined in the syllabus-Admission test.
The interview will be held in English.
Please do not send email messages enquiring about the interview. Date and time of the interview will be notified to the candidate by the programme tutor.
Eligible candidates will be officially invited to the interview typically within 30 days from the date of application submission on AmmissioniLM portal.
- Results of admission test
Candidates can monitor the result of their intereview by accessing AdmissioniLM portal.
The outcomes of the admission test may be one of the followings:
- admission to the MSc, or
- non admission to the MSc, or
- admission under condition: in case of educational deficit, admitted students will be advised about specific teaching activities to compensate the lack of ECTS credits in specific disciplines.
- Enrollment to the MSc
Candidates who succesfully pass the asmission test are admitted to the Master's degree course.
Admitted candidates are required to complete the enrollment according to the procedure described on this webpage.
Upon completion of the enrollment procedure the student will receive an email message confirming the enrollment to the MSc.
***Candidates shall apply for admission to the MSc ONLY after obtaining the bachelor's degree title.***
Check of Candidate's possession of curricular requirements and admission test will be handled ONLY after Candidate's application submission.
NO EXCEPTIONS ARE ALLOWED
P.N.: Prevaluation of a prior career
No pre-evaluation is made for the purpose of credits recognition relative to exams taken within a previous career (neither for career shortening - "abbreviazione di carriera", nor for course change or transfer from another Italian university). The evaluation can be made exclusively by the competent body, which is the Course of Study Council, that will take into consideration not only credits and scientific disciplinary sectors of each exam for which recognition is requested, but also the program carried out. Further details are provided by the Teaching Regulations of the relevant course of study.
Laboratory access for the activities scheduled in the Master’s degree programme is restricted to students who have obtained the Certificazione di sicurezza in laboratorio.
| Graduate students enrolled from a.y. 2019/2020 onwards in bachelor’s degree courses held at the Department of Biology of the University of Pisa — i.e. Biological Sciences; Biotechnologies, Natural and Environmental Sciences | Have already obtained the Certificazione di sicurezza in laboratorio. Those students are therefore required to log in to Alice portal, select their bachelor’s degree and download the certificate Iscrizioni con esami e date from the area Segreteria – Certificati. Moreover students must print the certificate and show it to the teacher each time he/she accesses the laboratory. |
| Graduate students in bachelor’s degree courses held at another Department of the University of Pisa or at another University who have already obtained the Certificazione di sicurezza in laboratorio | Must send their request for recognition of the activity to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. enclosing the A form duly filled in, a copy of the certificate and programme of the activities held, specifying number of hours (minimum 8 hours) . Certificates for activities carried out for less than 8 hours will not been considered valid for the recognition. In case the request for recognition will be accepted, the activity SALUTE E SICUREZZA IN LABORATORIO (378FF, 1 CFU, grade ID) will be recorded in the student’s university career. Should the CFU be recorded as supernumerary, this will not cause any problem to the student’s university career. Students are required to log in to Alice portal, select their bachelor’s degree and download the certificate Iscrizioni con esami e date from the section Segreteria – Certificati. Moreover students must print the certificate and show it to the teacher each time he/she accesses the laboratory. |
| Graduate students in bachelor’s degree courses held at another University, who do not have any "certificazione di sicurezza in laboratorio" and gratuate students enrolled before a.y. 2019/2020 in bachelor’s degree courses held at the Department of Biology of the University of Pisa — Scienze biologiche, Biotecnologie, Scienze naturali ed ambientali | Are required to carefully read the manual "Lab Biosafety Manual 3rd edition", from section I to section VII, and successfully pass the final test. The test consists of 30 questions and it is a single-choice crossword test. The test is passed with a minimum score of 18/30. Students must contact Prof. Marco Verani in order to apply for the test. |
| Gratuate students enrolled before a.y. 2019/2020 in bachelor’s degree courses held at the Department of Biology of the University of Pisa — Scienze biologiche, Biotecnologie, Scienze naturali ed ambientali | If they have already taken the "Health and Safety in the Laboratory" course and have a record in the paper booklet, they can report this by writing to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
In case the request for recognition will be accepted, the activity SALUTE E SICUREZZA IN LABORATORIO (378FF, 1 CFU, grade ID) will be recorded in the student’s university career. Should the CFU be recorded as supernumerary, this will not cause any problem to the student’s university career. Students are required to log in to Alice portal, select their bachelor’s degree and download the certificate Iscrizioni con esami e date from the section Segreteria – Certificati. Moreover students must print the certificate and show it to the teacher each time he/she accesses the laboratory.
*** All students who do not have the “certificazione di sicurezza in laboratorio” are neither authorized to attend laboratory activities in presence nor they can attend off-site lectures and field trips. Therefore they cannot take the relevant exams***
STUDENTS WHO HAVE NOT YET TAKEN/PASSED THE TEST SHOULD CONTACT PROF. MARCO VERANI
Until the academic year 2023/2024 ( included): VALUTAMI
Programmes of the courses and syllabi of the exams are available on the ESAMI portal, please make sure to select correct accademic year.
From the academic year 2024/2025 ( included) onward: COURSE CATALOGUE
Programmes of the courses and syllabi of the exams are available on the Course catalogue, please make sure to select correct accademic year.
List of email contacts, phone numbers and other information about teachers can be found on Unimap.
*** Guideline to the University of Pisa websites portals ***
Tutors and student representatives
Contact information of Tutors and student representatives can be found on this page.
Student worker/parent status.
All information is available on this page.
Student-athlete: dual career
All information is available on this page.
Class Attendance
While recommended, class attendance for all bachelor's and master's degree courses related to the Department of Biology is NOT mandatory. Laboratories, on the other hand, require compulsory attendance (for information contact the lecturer in charge of the teaching).
Out-of-course student
A student is off-course if he or she has been enrolled in the same degree program for a number of years longer than the normal duration of the course: for more than three years for a bachelor's degree program, for more than two years for a non-single-cycle master's degree program.
Out-of-course students may participate in the reserved examination appointments.
Supernumerary exams on the electronic transcript (Alice portal)
If the student has complied with the provisions of the Regulations of his or her degree program and year of matriculation (in terms of propedeuticity, free-choice exams, regularity in the payment of fees), any exams recorded in the career as supernumerary are NOT a problem. The situation will be regularized at the time of applying for the degree.
Fees, ISEE, Scholarships (DSU)
The Teaching Unit does not deal with issues related to student contribution, ISEE or scholarships granted by the Regional Right to Study Company.
Undergraduate fees and renewal of enrollment.
Prevaluation (incoming) of a past career
No pre-evaluation is made on the possible recognition of exams taken as part of a previous career (either by abbreviation, course transfer or transfer from another university). The evaluation can be made exclusively by the course council, the body competent in this matter, which will take into consideration not only the CFU and the SSD of each exam for which recognition is requested but also the program carried out. The student can make up his or her own mind by consulting the Teaching Regulations of the course of study to which he or she intends to enter.
Prevaluation (outgoing) of a career for transfer to another degree program within the University
No pre-evaluation is carried out on the possible recognition of examinations for transfer to another degree program, either if it pertains to the Department of Biology or if it pertains to another department. The student can make up his or her own mind by consulting the Didactic Regulations of the degree course to which he or she intends to transfer or, in the case of a degree course afferent to another Department, by writing to the appropriate office.
Informal didactic prevalence for equivalence
For the purpose of informal didactic pre-evaluation, it is necessary to submit the necessary documentation as requested on this page. It should be noted that the outcome of the substantive evaluation by the Course Council, the competent body in this matter, may differ from that of the informal didactic prevalence.
Issuance of certificates
In application of Law 183/2011, certificates issued by the University of Pisa cannot be produced to public administration bodies or private managers of public services. If it becomes necessary to attest acts or facts relating to one's university career to a public body or private managers of public services, the student is required to submit a self-certification, which replaces the certificate for all legal purposes. More information is available on this page.
Awarding of diplomas
All information is available on the following page.
USID: Office of Services for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities or DSA
The USID is concerned with removing obstacles between students and university life, seeking to improve the possibility of active participation in all its activities and facilities.
A student who has the right to do so may ask the USID Office for permission to have technical and computer aids or a longer time to conduct an examination. The student is required to send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and in Cc to the holder of the teaching for which he/she intends to take the examination test, requesting the aforementioned authorization and specifying the mode(s) of testing envisaged for the exam itself.
It will be the responsibility of the USID Office to notify the teacher of the mode(s) by which the examination will be administered.
It will be the student's responsibility to notify the lecturer, prior to the conduct of the examination, of the grant(s) and/or major time granted and to wait for the lecturer's approval.
For any further clarifications, Prof. Michela Ori, the Department's contact person for the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities or DSA, can be contacted.
Training pathway to become teachers in secondary and junior high school
All information is available on the following page. For the PF60, PF30 and PF36 pathways, you are advised to keep an eye on the same page, which will be updated as new ministerial regulations come into effect.
COVID-19 UPDATES ON DIDACTIC ACTIVITIES FOR THE FIRST SEMESTER 2021/22
Written by BernardoDue to the Coronavirus emergency, lessons and didactic activities will be organized differently for the first semester of a.y. 2021/22
Here you will find updates regarding services provided by the Department, where to find further informations on the course and who to refer to.
Access to the course: the oral test required to access the course will be held exclusively online with Microsoft teams. For further information regarding the content of the test and how to apply please visit the page “Admission to the course”.
Teaching method: for the first semester, in compliance with the safety regulations and distancing rules, all lessons will be held in person. Through the App “Teaching Agenda” students will be able to select the courses to be attended in the first semester. All students are required to make their selection by the Wednesdays prior to the starting week of each course. The app allows students to book their “in presence” attendance every two weeks. Lessons will contemporarily be also provided online. The lessons will be provided according to the timetable available “here”.
Access to university facilities: From September 1st, 2021, to be able to access all university spaces, in accordance with the provisions of D.L. 111 of 6.08.2021, university students must be in possession and exhibit the Green certification COVID-19 (so-called Green Pass). Naturally, subjects exempted from the vaccination campaign in possession of suitable medical certification are excluded from the observance of this obligation. More information on control methods will be provided later.
Tutoring: to smooth the entrance in the university's environment for a.y. 2021/22, a tutoring service will be activated in september, especially for freshmen students, in order to help them settle in and facilitate access to informations regarding the university and online teaching. For further informations please visit "Tutoring". For the moment, tutor are available at these contact details.
Laboratories and field lessons: these activities will be in-presence, in the respectd of specific regulations, with students’ shifts. Each professor will provide further information regarding the logistics and scheduling.
Exams sessione November and december 2021- As decided by the University boards, the exams sessions for november and december 2021 will be held in preferebly in presence, if adequate space is available. It will however be possible to request online exams for disabled students or students who are not able to reach the University's facility due to medical conditions or to due to emergency regulations matters. In this case, students will be required to fill an official declaration, which will soon be available online.
Didactic office: at the moment in- presence front office is suspended. If you need any information or to book an online appointment please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For further details please visit the “official webisite of the Course”
Students admitted to Master's Degree course in Neuroscience can benefit from a wide range of scholarships.
TUITION FEES EXEMPTION FOR MERIT
Students can apply for the scholarship provided by the Agenzia Regionale Diritto allo Studio Universitario. DSU is the agency for the University Study Right of the Tuscany Regional Council (Regione Toscana).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) offers grants in favor of foreign citizens* and Italian citizens living abroad (IRE)** in order to foster international cooperation in cultural, scientific and technological fields, to promote Italian language and culture and to support Italy’s economic system in the world (according to Law 288/55 and its subsequent changes and additions). Grants are offered to complete study courses and research/training programs in public or legally recognized Italian educational institutions. Scholarships are available to attend academic courses on the Italian territory only.
This section presents the documents related to analysis, Students' self-evaluations and reviews regarding the Master's Degree course.
Evaluations of the Course are submitted by the Students through anonymous surveys.
The documents available are SUA-CdS (Single Annual Form) on the Master's Degree Course and Review documents issued by the Department AQ Comitee (Quality Guarantee Office).
| Documents | 2017 |
| Review documents AQ | |
| Sua-CdS (Single Annual Form) |
Notice: the review document is issued every year and containes information and data related to the previous academic year (e.g. 2017 = A.Y. 2015-16).
Students' evaluation
From A.Y. 2013-14, the evaluation of the Course and of the individual teaching modules are issued in an aggregated form:
| Documents | ||
| Students' evaluation referred to A.Y. 2016-17 | PDF* | Organization/Services** |
| Students' evaluation referred to A.Y. 2017-18 | PDF* | Organization/Services |
| Students' evaluation referred to A.Y. 2018-19 | PDF# | Organization/Services** |
*The evaluations of the individual modules are available as a PDF File of the Master Course.
** Evaluations of the organization are not available for A.Y. 2016-17 and 2018-19.
# The evaluation for A.Y. 2018-19 (aggregated data) includes the board resolution deliberated by the Aggregate Council of Study Programs in Biological Sciences on the 01.10.2019 and the analysis carried out by the coordinator the Master Degree.
Commissioners
The guidelines for the second cycle degree courses ( Master's Degree ) establish, for each thesis, the presence of two thesis examiners. They are teachers who will organize an interview with the candidate and verify his / her knowledge of the scientific background of the thesis and his / her critical participation to the research activities.
The designation of the thesis commissioners is made about 4 months before the Master's Degree final exam. Only in the case of a Type A Internship, subtype 2 (thesis prepared in laboratories in Pisa - Universities or CNR - with a supervisor not belonging to the Study Courses in Biology) one of the two thesis examiners is proposed by the supervisor and will act as a tutor during all phases of the work.
At least 4 months before the Master's Degree final exam, the candidate must send an application for the designation of the thesis examiners (download) to the Didactic Office. The application should provide the title of thesis, tutors' name, a brief summary of the thesis (1 copy- to be contained within a typewritten page).
Deadlines of the Didactic Unit for the designation of the thesis examiners
Within 15 days, the Final Exam Committee will nominate the two thesis examiners. The candidate is invited to contact the thesis commissioners to organize preliminary meetings with them before the final interview.
The candidate will send a semi-final version of the thesis (consisting of a preliminary introduction, detailed methods and results, preliminary discussion with conclusions, and main bibliographic references) to the thesis commissioners at least 10 days before the meeting for the final interview (40 - 20 days before the Master's Degree final exam).
During the interview, the candidate will illustrate the research topic, the aim of the thesis and the experimental approaches, discuss the results and demonstrate his / her knowledge of basic biological aspects of the investigated topics. The thesis examiners will express their judgment on the thesis and propose possible changes. The thesis examiners will provide an evaluation, related to their area of interest, of the candidate using the criteria reported in the form Thesis examiners score; such criteria refer to the general educational objectives as reported in the guidelines of the second cycle degree courses (Master's Degree). The evaluations must be sent to the Didactic Office within 20 days before the session of the Master's degree final exams. In case of no document delivery to the Didactic Office, the candidate will be excluded from the final exam.
Commissioners's assignment:
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Correlatori-SESSIONE 19-23 ottobre 2020 Correlatori-SESSIONE 21-25 settembre 2020 Correlatori- SESSIONE 25-29 maggio 2020 Correlatori- SESSIONE 6-10 aprile 2020 Correlatori-SESSIONE10-14 febbraio 2020 |
For informations regarding the Final Exam, procedures and deadlines please visit Thesis: General info
NEWS - COVID-19 EMERGENCY
Given the complementary instructions provided with D.R. of 31.08.2020 #ioripartosicuro, it will possible to activate or reactivate in presence activities, in compliance with the Anti-contagion protocol provided by the University.
Access to any scientific laboratory will have to be authorized by the Course Board, after specific verification from the student's tutor of the possibility of in person activity. The intern will have to provide the ordinary documents to start an internship as described below and will also be required to submit the following documents related to the sanitary emergency:
- Internship in a University's Facility: The students will have to provide a declaration signed by the tutor/supervisor stating in which lab the internship will take place and the specific dates (beginning and ending). In the case of occasional presence outside of the University's facilities, the tutor will have to activate a mission, in accordance with the Dean of the Department, in complaince with the Anti-contagion protocol provided by the University and according to the instructions given by the Administrative Office of the Department. In the case of an external tutor, the authorization must be given also by the president of the course.
- Internships in an external facility: it is necessary to submit a declaration from the Hosting Institution regarding Security protocol on Covid 19 as follows "Hosting Institution Declaration" (updated on the 29/09/2020) and a copy of the Safety Protocol for Covid 19 or Internal Regulations on the matter.
- Internships at Scuola Normale : The University of Pisa and Scuola Normale Superiore have signed an agreement to handle the attendance in the facilities during the sanitary emergency. Consequntly, all students carrying out internships or traineeship in the labs of the Scuola Normale Superiore will have to fill in and submit these documents.
- Internship carried out abroad: it is possible to activate traineeships organized within the Erasmus programme, University's programmes or approved by the Course Board. In case of a traineeship abroad, students must submit the ordinary documents provided below and the special docuentations required here: Documents required for mobility activities. Except for students activating a mobility project with the Erasmus programmes, all students must activate a sanitary insurance regardless for the country in which the mobility will take place.
Notice: for students carrying out their internship in medical facilities of the University of Pisa.
Students, interested in activating a type 1 or type 2 Intenrship in one of the medical facilities of the University of Pisa, will be able to do so:
- if they have already been vaccinated;
- if one of the tutors will submit the following declaration " Activitis will take place in environment neither hosting Covid patientes nor containing potentially infected materials" .
Students will have to submit the proof of vaccination or their tutor's declaration while presenting the documents for the internship or forwarding them to Cristina Mela.
____________________________________________________________________________________
The experimental work for a second cycle degree (Master's Degree) thesis can be done in a University department, in a public or private company, structure or laboratory, both in Italy or abroad.
For a general overview on the topic, please visit Thesis: General Info
Following information to activate a master's degree "internship for thesis".
Once the intern has chosen the thesis topic, the student will inform the Didactic Unit, Ms Cristina Mela, in regards to the name of the tutor, the topic of the thesis, the facility where the internship will be held and the duration, by providing the following documents.
Internship A Subtype 1 - The supervisor is either a member of the Study Courses in Biology, a teacher of the Master Degree in Neuroscience or a member of the Department of Biology:
- Download Subtype 1 Form, necessary for the beginning of thesis internship. It must be signed by the supervisor only;
Internship A Subtype 2 - The supervisor does not belong to the Study Courses of Biology and the thesis activities are performed in laboratories of the Scuola Sant'Anna or of the CNR in Pisa:
- Download Subtype 2 Form, necessary for beginning of thesis internship. It must be counter-signed by an Academic Tutor belonging to the Study Courses of Biology or the Department of Biology or in any case by a teacher of the Master Degree in Neuroscience, who will play the role of co-supervisor. The form must also be filled in with the role of the supervisor within the hosting structure. In the case the supervisor is not officially enrolled in the hosting structure, he/she will be designated as “second supervisor” and another officially enrolled supervisor will be chosen;
Internship A Subtype 3 - The supervisor does not belong to the Study Courses of Biology and the thesis activities are performed in laboratories external to Pisa University or Pisa CNR:
- Download Subtype 3 Form, necessary for beginning of thesis internship;
- Download Acceptance From to be completed by the hosting structure for acceptance.
- Dowload Approval Form, the internship must be approved by the Board of the Teachers of the Master Degree and by the Council of the Study Course. The thesis must be counter-signed by an official member of the Study Courses of Biology or of the Department of Biology or in any case by a teacher of the Master Degree in Neuroscience, who will be the supervisor of the student. In the form, the role covered by the supervisor in the hosting structure must be indicated. This supervisor will be designated as the “second supervisor” and the official teacher of the Study Courses of Biology will be indicated as the supervisor.
Please be advised that thesis internship, independently of the chosen modality, must be approved by the Council of the aggregated Study Courses or by the President of the Study Course, prior to its beginning. After about 20 days from the submission of their application, students may check whether their internship has been approved.
At the end of the internship experience, the supervisor must complete the Evaluation Form on the student and send it to Mrs Cristina Mela- Didactic Unit
( Download Form) .
FINALIZING PROCEDURE BOTH FOR "INTERNSHIP FOR THESIS" AND FOR "TRAINEESHIP"
Questionnaire on thesis internship
The student should download and fill in the questionnaire on thesis internship (download form). Additionally the student should send the following forms to the professors designed as supervisor :
- Internal Supervisor (download form) and/or
- Supervisor not belonging to the Study Courses in Biology- external supervisor(download form).
The student should provide the Didactic Office, Ms Cristina Mela, with the Internship Evaluation Form, the Internal Supervisor form and the possible external supervisor form at the end of the internship period or in any case at least 15 days before the final examination.
Approved Internships for thesis:
Re-approved internships
More...
What is the Master's Thesis?
The Master's Thesis is a sperimental work generally known as " internship for thesis"
The experimental work for a second cycle degree (Master's Degree) thesis can be done in a University department, in a public or private company, structure or laboratory, both in Italy or abroad.
The internship can also comprehend for 24/25 ECTS (to be checked in each year's regulation). The choice to add the traineeship is advised for students in need of acquisition of ECTS for example for scholarships.
Traineeship are regulated by specific rules, please visit Traineeship.
Each ECTS for thesis has a workload of 25 hours.
What is the Master's final exam?
The Master Degree Final exam, consists in the discussion of a written essay, in front of an official Evaluating Committee composed of a defined number of members as established in the didactic guidelines of the University.
The elaboration of a thesis includes:
- presentation of a biological question through an analysis of the scientific literature;
- planning of an experimental or theoretic approach for the study of the biological question;
- execution of the experimental plan and critical discussion of the results.
As established in the Guidelines of the Master Degree, the Evaluating Committee for the Laurea Magistrale exam is composed by 5 - 7 members, with some permanent members with voting right (the president and 1 - 3 commissioners), the student’s supervisor (in the case of more supervisors, only one of them has voting right), and the two thesis examiners (with voting right); other members without voting right can also be part of the Committee.
A list of 8 permanent members of the Evaluating Committee for the Laurea Magistrale exam (from which the president and the other commissioners are nominated) is set each year by the Aggregated Council following the proposal of the Master Degree Committee and remains in office from 1st June to 31st May of the following year.
The Evaluating Committee for the Laurea Magistrale exam scrutinizes the judgments of the supervisor and of the thesis examiners. The supervisor, on the basis of his evaluation of the candidate’s abilities in preparing and discussing the thesis, proposes a final grade for the Laurea Magistrale exam; the two thesis examiners express their opinion about the adequacy of the proposed grade on the basis of their evaluation of the candidate’s activities. Then, the candidate’s CV is read and the members of the Committee proceed to a secret scrutiny vote.
Who are the Commissioners?
The guidelines for the second cycle degree courses (Lauree Magistrali) establish, for each thesis, the presence of two thesis examiners. They are teachers who organize an interview with the candidate and verify his / her knowledge of the scientific background of the thesis and his / her critical participation to the research activities. The designation of the thesis examiners is made about 4 months before the Laurea Magistrale exam.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR THE DRAFTING OF THE THESIS
The thesis must be compiled in electronic format: ETD site
At least 15 days before the session of the Master Degree Final exam, the student will deliver to the Didactic Office the thesis frontispiece (from the ETD site) with all the requested signatures (the names of the thesis examiners should not be included).
One week before the session of the Master Degree Final exam, the student will deliver a copy of the thesis in electronic format (pdf) to the Didactic Office, a copy on a digital media to the supervisor and one to each of the thesis examiners. In case of no delivery of such material, during the final exam the supervisor and the thesis examiners will evaluate the thesis on the basis of the material available at that moment.
Suggestions for thesis presentation
Degree Exam's Calendar for 2020 and practical informations
Deadlines for the Students' Office
How is the final grade calculated?
The final grade is determined by the grades obtained in the different disciplines, by the judgments of the supervisor and of the thesis examiners, and by the judgment of the Evaluating Committee for the Laurea Magistrale exam. In the case of Type B thesis, the judgment of the apprenticeship will also be included. Possible supernumerary exams that the candidate wants to exclude from average calculation must be indicated in the online application and in the application presented to the Didactic Unit of the Department of Biology (download form). The grade is expressed as a fraction with denominator 110 (one hundred and ten). For the “cum laude” award, the unanimous vote of the Committee is necessary.
The final grade is determined by the Evaluating Committee for the Laurea Magistrale exam.
The maximum grade is 110/110, possibly with “cum laude” award.
The final grade is the sum of the following:
A) weighted average (in /30) of the grades of the single exams (75%);
B) average of the scores (in /30) of each of the 5 - 7 members of the Evaluating Committee (25%).
The final grade is determined with the following formula with rounding up or down as appropriate:
(A*3+B)*115/120.
The supervisor or the President of the Evaluating Committee may propose the “cum laude” award in the case that the candidate has obtained a grade of 110/110 without rounding up, has obtained 30/30 cum laude in at least 2 fundamental exams of the Laurea Magistrale or has a weighted average of the grades of the single exams of at least 29/30.
As optional credits, Students can freely choose courses offered by any Master’s Degree of Biology and Biotechnology that are not mandatory for their own curriculum, without any further authorization.
The only requirement is that the chosen elective classes must be taught in English.
Here is a list of elective classes available for academic year 2024/25.
Students interested in one or more elective class(es) taught in english must contact directly the Lecturer within one week from the beginning of the lessons. Students may find the email address and phone number of the Lecturers on the search engine of the University of Pisa (UNIMAP).
NOTICE: an elective class will be shown on the timetable of the lessons only if the Teacher has been contacted by the Students who have expressed their interest to participate to the course.
To choose any other course, Students must submit a motivated request following the procedure given on the following page. The form to be used is the “Autorizzazione esami” form.
The form should be sent to the contact person for the degree program in the student secretary's office.
NB: It is necessary to wait for authorization from the Council of the Master’s Degree (we advise to send the request even before starting to attend the course).
COURSES HELD AT THE SCUOLA NORMALE SUPERIORE
Starting from a.y. 2023/2024, it is possible to take courses taught in english at the Scuola Normale Superiore in three different ways:
- take a course as an auditor/hearer (without taking the corresponding exam), with the issuance of a certificate of attendance. In this case, it is NOT necessary to seek prior permission from the Course of study Council;
- taking a course, taking the related examination and requesting its recognition in the career as a supernumerary CFU. In this case, it is NOT necessary to seek prior authorization from the Course of study Council;
- take a course, take the relevant examination and request its recognition in the career exclusively as an activity of the student's choice.
In this case it is necessary to request prior authorization from the Course of study Council.
For the request it is necessary to follow the procedure given on the following page. The form to be used is the “Autorizzazione esami” form.
The form should be sent to the contact person for the degree program in the student secretary's office.
NB: It is necessary to wait for authorization from the Course of study Council before taking the exam.
ONLY after passing the exam, to request recognition in your career as a supernumerary activity or as an elective activity, you must follow the procedure given on the following page.
The form to be used is the “Riconoscimento crediti” form to which the certification produced by the teacher or institution proposes must be attached.
The form should be sent to the contact person for the degree program in the student secretary's office.
PLEASE NOTICE: By resolution No. 42 of 20/10/2023, prot. 5610/2023 - repertory 79/2023, the Aggregate Council in Biological Sciences established that the maximum number of CFU that can be earned at the Scuola Normale Superiore as a choice activity is 6 CFU.
PLEASE NOTICE: Any credits acquired for exams taken without prior authorization from the Course of study Council cannot be recorded in the student’s university career as credits for elective classes.
COURSES HELD AT THE SCUOLA SUPERIORE SANT'ANNA DI PISA
Information is available on this page.
CAREER LABS - CONTAMINATION LAB - SUMMER/WINTER SCHOOL
The Board of Studies provides the following recognitions in the area of free choice:
- Career Labs: no more than 1 CFU is recognized (at least 25 hours of activity)
- Contamination Lab: no more than 1 CFU is recognized (at least 25 hours of activity)
- Summer/winter school: no more than 1 CFU is recognized, regardless of whether the S/W school is fee-based or not (at least 25 hours of activity).
To apply it is necessary to follow the procedure given on the following page.
The form to be used is the “Riconoscimento crediti” form to which the certification produced by the teacher or institution proposes must be attached.
The form should be sent to the contact person for the degree program in the student secretary's office.
PF24 / PF60: percorso formativo 24 CFU / 60 CFU
The Course of study Council does not recognize AFS (Attività Formative Specifiche), carried within PF24/PF60, as part of elective classes (AFS pedagogia, pedagogia speciale e didattica dell’inclusione - 6 CFU (acronym: AFS-ped) s.s.d. M-PED/01; AFS psicologia – 6CFU (acronym: AFS-psi) s.s.d. M-PSI/01; AFS antropologia - 6CFU (acronym: AFS-ant) s.s.d. M-DEA/01; AFS metodologie e tecnologie didattiche – 6CFU (acronym: AFS-met) s.s.d. M-PED/03).
NEWS- COVID EMERGENCY
Given the complementary instruction of D.R. of the 04.05.2020#iosonoprudente, it will be possible to activate or re-activate traineeship at the following conditions.
Only in necessary, a traineeship will be activated or reactivated with in person activity. To do so, the student will have to submit the ordinary documents provided below and, because fo the sanitary emergency, also the following documentation:
- Internal Traineeship: it is necessary for the tutor to declare the laboratory activity as necessary, to specify the lab and the dates of frequency (beginning-ending).
- External Traineeship: it is necessary to submit a declaration from the Hosting Institution regarding Security protocol on Covid 19 as follows "Hosting Institution Declaration" (updated on the 29/09/2020) and a copy of the Safety Protocol for Covid 19 or Internal Regulations on the matter.
- Traineeships at Scuola Normale : The University of Pisa and Scuola Normale Superiore have signed an agreement to handle the attendance in the facilities during the sanitary emergency. Consequently, all students carrying out internships or traineeship in the labs of the Scuola Normale Superiore will have to fill in and submit these documents.
- Traineeship Abroad: it is possible to activate traineeship organized within the Erasmus programme, University's programmes or approved by the Course Board. In case of a traineeship abroad, students must submit the ordinary documents provided below and the special docuentations required here: Documents required for mobility activities. Expect for students activating a mobility project with the Erasmus programmes, all students must activate a sanitary insurance regardless for the country in which the mobility will take place.
Notice: for students carrying out their internship in medical facilities of the University of Pisa.
Students, interested in activating a type 1 or type 2 Intenrship in one of the medical facilities of the University of Pisa, will be able to do so:
- if they have already been vaccinated;
- if one of the tutors will submit the following declaration " Activitis will take place in environment neither hosting Covid patientes nor containing potentially infected materials" .
Students will have to submit the proof of vaccination or their tutor's declaration while presenting the documents for the internship or forwarding them to Cristina Mela.
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The Master's Thesis is a sperimental work generally known as " internship for thesis"
The experimental work for a second cycle degree (Master's Degree) thesis can be done in a University department, in a public or private company, structure or laboratory, both in Italy or abroad.
The internship can also comprehend for 24/25 ECTS (to be checked in each year's regulation). The choice to add the traineeship is advised for students in need of acquisition of ECTS for example for scholarships.
(Regolamento for traineeship - approved with deliberation n.71 of the Accademic Board of the Courses in Biological Sciences on 18.11.2014).
For a general overview on the topic please visiti Thesis: General info
Following the information to activate a traineeship
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If an apprenticeship is involved, the student will organize with an internal tutor both the apprenticeship and the remaining part of thesis internship, which are strictly connected. The internal tutor will therefore be responsible for all the activities and will figure as the thesis supervisor.
Apprenticeships are regulated by official agreements with the structures or companies where the apprenticeship will take place.
Please verify the Operating agreements or contact Mrs Magliocchi Gabriella (050/2211516 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
Students who wish to activate an apprenticeship must fill out the following forms:
Form Activation of Internal Apprenticeship or Activation of External Apprenticeship;
Educational project Form for internal apprenticeship or for external apprenticeship, with signatures;
Educational project Form for abroad apprenticeship .
Both documents must be delivered to Mrs. Cristina Mela (050/2211517 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and will be evaluated by the Council of the Study Course. The Didactic Office will communicate the outcome of the evaluation to the student and will give him / her the Attendance Register that the student will have to fill in and give back at the end of the apprenticeship. The tutor will transmit the evaluations of the apprenticeship to the Didactic Office (Evaluation Form).
The students applying for a Type B thesis internship do not have to submit a form for the beginning of thesis internship. Such form is substituted by the request of an internal or external apprenticeship
The Plan of the Courses is the complete list of all the exams that are activated in each academic year. The disciplines offered as optional exams by the Master's Degree may change each academic year, depending on teaching availability.
Plan of the courses academic year 2022-23
Plan of the courses of the previous academic years:
The programmes of the courses are available in the section 'Programmes of the courses' (please see the side menu), or on this page (link "Programmi") and on the Lecturers' personal web pages (that may be found through the search engine of the University of Pisa, at this page).