Erasmus and mobility programmes

I am currently the Erasmus+ and International Mobility Programmes Coordinator for the BSc and MSc in Mathematics of the University of Florence. If you are a potential, current or past (outgoing or incoming) exchange student in the BSc or MSc programmes in Mathematics at the University of Florence, please read this page carefully before getting in touch with me with enquiries about Erasmus or other national/international mobility programmes. There are information and guidelines for all exchange students (first section), for outgoing students only (second section), and for incoming students only (third section). In my experience, most students’ questions are answered here or in the pages linked below.

Guidelines for all EXCHANGE STUDENTS

  • A complete information page about Erasmus and other national/international mobility programmes is available at the official UniFi website in both English and Italian. More information specifically for students in the School of Science (to which the BSc and MSc programmes in Mathematics belong) can be found on the webpage of the International Office of the School of Science.
  • VERY IMPORTANT: I am available to answer queries and help students only with matters related to teaching and education. For administrative questions, you must contact the International Office of the School of Science (outgoing students should write to Chiara Coppola at relint(AT)scienze.unifi.it; incoming students should write to Beatrice Ferranti at incoming(AT)scienze.unifi.it). For example, to ask whether an exam can be recognised by UniFi once you return from your mobility period, ask me. To ask about application procedures, forms, language requirements, or deadlines, contact the International Office.
  • When writing to me, please clearly state what you wish to do and what your questions are. Vague enquires like “I’m not sure what exams to take during my exchange period at UniFi, what would you suggest?” will not receive a reply.

Information for OUTGOING STUDENTS ONLY

  • A dedicated information page for outgoing students enrolled in the BSc and MSc programmes in Mathematics is available here.
  • VERY IMPORTANT: Potential outgoing students wishing to apply for any exchange programme must contact me before applying to discuss the learning agreement. Students who fail to do so often end up not finding suitable courses at the host institution that can be recognised by UniFi and, therefore, are much more likely to cancel their mobility period.
    When writing to me, please include the group of exams you intend to take during your mobility period (together with their syllabi and/or links from the host institution) and the group of exams you plan to replace at UniFi.
  • MAIN MOBILITY PROGRAMMES:
    • Erasmus for study: study period at a European university (only exams can be recognised!).
      Application period: usually between February and March, for mobility in the next academic year.
    • Erasmus for traineeship: internship or thesis-related work at a European university or company.
      Application period: usually between March and April, for mobility in the next academic year.
    • Extra-EU international mobility: study period, internship or thesis-related work in non-EU countries.
      Application period: usually between February and March, for mobility in the next academic year.
    • Erasmus italiano: study period, internship or thesis-related work at another Italian university.
      Application periods:
      • First call (usually in summer): for mobility during either semester of the next academic year.
      • Second one (usually in autumn): for mobility during the second semester of the current academic year only.
  • DESTINATIONS: The possible host institutions for each mobility programme and for each BSc/MSc degree can be seen on the TURUL platform.
  • DEADLINES: The learning agreement
    • must be filled out, approved by me, and sent to the International Office, no later than start of the mobility period at the latest;
    • can be modified within one month after the start of the mobility period.
  • LEARNING AGREEMENT: I can provide advice on how to complete it. However, final approval is given by the Comitato per la Didattica. General rules for completing the Learning Agreement:
    • Mandatory exams in your study plan (piano di studi) at UniFi need to be replaced by mobility exams with roughly an equivalent content.
    • Elective exams (crediti a scelta) can be replaced by any mobility exam that meets the general criteria set for the BSc/MSc in Mathematics.
    • Courses whose content overlaps significantly with other courses already taken (or to be taken) at UniFi should not be included in the Learning Agreement.
    • As stated on the Erasmus+ website, “[…] there is no need to have one-to-one correspondence between the components followed abroad and the ones replaced at the sending institution. The aim is rather that a group of learning outcomes achieved abroad replaces a group of learning outcomes at the sending institution.” For example, the group Calcolo delle probabilità (6 ECTS) + Statistica (9 ECTS) at UniFi may be replaced with the group Probability and Statistics (8 ECTS) and Statistical Inference (7 ECTS) at the University of Wonderland, provided that the combined learning outcomes are roughly comparable.
    • It is not necessary to amend the Learning Agreement if you plan to take fewer exams than initially planned; it needs to be amended only in case you wish to add or change an exam.
    • There is a minimum number of ECTS credits required per month of mobility in order to maintain your scholarship, which may vary (see the specific call for applications). Usually, a minimum of 2 ECTS per month is required for Erasmus abroad (e.g.: minimum 12 ECTS for a 6-month mobility period) and a minimum of 3 ECTS per month for Erasmus italiano.
  • STUDY PLAN: To include the courses taken (or to be taken) during the mobility period, your study plan (piano di studio) must be filled out by hand, as it is not possible to include courses from other institutions in the online platform.
    For more information, see here and here or get in touch with the person in charge of the piani di studio.

Information for INCOMING STUDENTS ONLY

  • COURSES: The modules of our BSc and MSc programmes can be found in the course catalogue (available both in Italian and English). By clicking on a module, one can view its content, syllabus, assessment method, prerequisites etc.
  • SCHEDULE: The course schedule is available here. In the MSc programme, due to the large number of courses, many have overlapping timetables. This cannot be avoided. Students are advised to choose non-overlapping courses or to study independently some of the content using the teaching material provided by the lecturers.
  • LECTURE PERIODS: The lecture periods can be found here for the BSc in Mathematics and here for the MSc in Mathematics.
  • PREREQUISITES: Mathematics can be very hard to understand without the necessary background knowledge. Please check the prerequisites for each course in the course catalogue; in case of doubt, contact the lecturer. Generally speaking, BSc students are advised to take BSc courses only.
  • LANGUAGE: All courses in both the BSc and MSc programmes are officially in Italian. Some courses (see here) are “English friendly”: they are taught in Italian, but learning materials are available in English, and exams can be taken in English. The official language requirements set by UniFi for exchange students are:
    • Italian level B1 for courses taught in Italian;
    • English level B2 for “English friendly” courses.
  • EXAMS: All exams must be taken in person at UniFi. It is not possible to take exams online or after the end of the mobility period.
    Each course typically offers 6 exam sessions per year: usually 2 in January-February, 2 in June-July, and 2 in August-September. Please consider this when planning your mobility period! For instance, if you arrive at the end of February and leave at the beginning of June, you will likely not be able to take any exams.
  • THESIS: Within the BSc and MSc programmes in Mathematics, it is currently not possible to obtain credits for thesis-related work – only for exams.