General information

This section contains useful general information for ALPIP candidates:

General aspects of the ALPIP educational offer
Italian university system
European Credit Transfer System - ECTS
Brief introduction to the Politecnico di Torino
Brief introduction to the city of Torino

General aspects of ALPIP educational offer

The ALPIP project is open to students who are either citizens of Latin American countries and/or come from Latin American universities (the academic prerequisites are listed in the specific sections for each degree level). Latin American countries include: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela and other Caribbean countries.

The ALPIP project awards Latin American students scholarships for higher education at the Politecnico di Torino at the following levels:

  • (Master of Science degree):
    ALPIP offers students of Engineering and Architecture the possibility of attaining their Master of Science degree (Laurea specialistica) in Engineering or in Architecture at the Politecnico di Torino.
  • Second level Specializing Master :
    ALPIP offers the possibility of completing a one-year Specializing Master course in the ICT and E-Business sectors.
  • (PhD):
    ALPIP offers the possibility to complete the entire PhD course (three years) in various fields of Engineering and Architecture.

Applications for courses other than those listed above will not be considered within the ALPIP project.

Check the specific sections of the website for details concerning

  • Educational offer
  • Prerequisites
  • How to apply
  • Scholarships
  • Facilities
  • Contacts

Italian University System

In the academic year 2003/2004 the Politecnico di Torino has completed the transition period between the old system and the new one. The new system can be illustrated as follows:

Italian University System

  • the first cycle (Laurea) has a 3-year duration for a total of 180 ECTS. It leads to a title equivalent to a Bachelor of Science degree;
  • the second cycle (Laurea Specialistica) has a 2-year duration for a total of 120 ECTS. It leads to a title equivalent to a Master of Science degree;
  • the third cycle (Dottorato di Ricerca) has a 3-year duration for a total of 180 ECTS. It leads to a title equivalent to a PhD degree;
  • at the conclusion of the first cycle, the Italian system offers the possibility to attend a 1-year course leading to the Master di primo livello degree (I Level Specializing Master) for a minimum of 60 ECTS;
  • at the conclusion of the second cycle, the Italian system offers the possibility to attend a 1-year course leading to Master di secondo livello degree (II Level Specializing Master) for a minimum of 60 ECTS. The Master di secondo livello runs parallel to the first year of the PhD program.

European Credit Transfer System - ECTS

The Italian law has adopted the European Credit Transfer System, which consists in the following features:

  • Workload is expressed in credits; it includes the time spent in attending lectures, laboratory participation and independent study
  • 1 credit corresponds to 25 working hours
  • 1 credit approximately corresponds to 10 hours of lectures or 15 hours of practice or 20 hours of laboratory, the remaining number of hours (to arrive to a total of 25) corresponding to independent study.

Brief introduction to the Politecnico di Torino

In 1859 the Casati Law - a regulation which decrees the importance of a specialized course for engineers – led to the establishment of the Regia Scuola di Applicazione per gli Ingegneri in Torino. The School was located in Valentino Castle, a seventeenth-century stately palace built by the Savoia in the park with the same name along the Po river.
In 1862 the Regio Museo Industriale di Torino was founded in order to complement the activities of the Scuola di Applicazione, which were more theoretical. Beginning from 1906, both institutions joined up into one university called Regio Politecnico di Torino. From that time, the Politecnico commenced its long-standing tradition that led to the decision to move, in 1958, the Engineering School to its current location on corso Duca degli Abruzzi, while the Architecture School remained in Valentino Castle. This decision was taken due to the growing size and increasing importance of each school. This was actually a period of economic boom and the Politecnico became the technical and scientific academic centre where all enterprises could find highly qualified and competent people to employ.
Most recently, the Politecnico has grown through the creation of new campuses located in Mondovì, Aosta, Biella, Ivrea, Alessandria and Vercelli.
In the near future the Politecnico di Torino has several projects, but the one which is going to require most investments and efforts is called Raddoppio, already started; it consists in building new structures dedicated to research, teaching and special activities organised in co-operation with enterprises in the area adjacent to the corso Duca degli Abruzzi campus.

Read more at: www.polito.it/index.en.php

Brief introduction to the city of Torino

Torino is an ancient town, full of history and culture, smart and energetic, active and fascinating. Living in Torino allows one to benefit from a town built for people without losing all the opportunities that a metropolis offers. In Torino there are more than 50 museums; among them being: the Egyptian Museum, that houses the most important collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts outside Cairo; the National Cinema Museum, located inside the Mole Antonelliana, the historic building representing the city of Torino, where the history of cinema - from its origins up to today - is described through a collection of machines, film cameras, prints, posters and more than 5.000 films; the Contemporary Art Museum at Rivoli Castle (one of the recently restored Royal Residences), where it is possible to find modern masterpieces next to antique furniture.
Torino is a sport-loving city: the XX Olympic Winter Games, which took place in February 2006 in Torino and its surrounding mountains; the Universiadi in January 2007; top-level football matches; in spring the most important marathon world champions are in Torino to run the Torino Marathon.
Music lovers can appreciate: the concert season at Lingotto Auditorium, a concert hall designed by Renzo Piano and opened in the early 90s with the Berliner Philarmoniker, impressed by the acoustics of the hall; the fine program of the Unione Musicale and of the Conservatorio; the opera season at the Teatro Regio, one of the most well-known stages in Italy; JVC Newport Jazz Festival, an international festival which takes place in the summer in the wonderful piazza Castello and the Settembre Musica review concerts.
If you are fond of theatre you can choose among the Teatro Stabile prose project, the Colosseo cabaret and the ballet, whose highlight is in the summer during the International Ballet Festival "Vignale Danza".
Great international events find their ideal location in Torino: the Torino Film Festival, an event dedicated to young directors; the Fiera del Libro where important publishers and writers meet each other; and the Salone del Gusto, a week dedicated to food enthusiasts, who can learn how to cook and to appreciate food and wines coming from all over the world.

Read more at: www.comune.torino.it/canaleturismo/en/

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Last modified: 12/02/2008 11:26 am