The online application form is the only way for students holding a foreign first level degree to submit their documents for admission to Communication Engineering.

Any official document provided by the University which issued your first-level degree stating that the program you graduated from used English as the medium of instruction.

The deadline is not set by us. Please contact the Italian Embassy in your country as early as possible. Be aware of early deadlines (typically early spring).

Any official document provided by the University which issued your first-level degree stating that your Bachelor is expected within the deadline set by the Italian Embassy in your country.

You can convert your documents to pdf using any available tool. For example, there are many web sites that offer free online conversion to pdf from almost any format.

No. We do not accept applications by email.

It is the top final ranking or grade of the Bachelor degree issued to the best students.

The transcript is a copy of the student's permanent academic record. The transcript must contain a list of all the exams passed, the corresponding grades earned and the workload required by each course. It must also specify the units used to described the involved quantities, specifically the grade points, the passing thresholds, the classroom hours and the credits assigned. Students can request their University to issue a transcript record of their career.

The GPA, or cumulative GPA, is the average of all the grade points received by a student in his/her university career. The range of GPA values must be specified by its maximum possible value. See GPA for more information.

It is the official nominal duration (in years) of your first-level University degree. Do not confuse it with the actual time you needed to complete your University studies.

In case your application is successful, the address entered by the student here will appear in the pre-enrollment statement for the Italian Embassy. It is very important to check its correctness to avoid possible problems with the Embassy.

The Master of Science in Communication Engineering is designed for candidates from different academic backgrounds and aims to provide a thorough grounding in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). A complete list of the courses is available at the course web page.

Elective courses can be chosen by the student from a list of optional courses, as opposed to a required course which the student must take.

One credit is defined as approximately 25 hours of student average workload, including at least 7 hours in the classroom.

Both written and oral examinations are possible, dependening on the course. A written exam is generally based on problems. A course may also include assignments such as projects, homework and written reports.

The Department is located in the University Campus. Most instructors have their offices in building 2 in the campus area. The central offices are in the city center. The registry office for registration and payments is in the campus area.

The reference email addresses for any information are comm.eng@unipr.it and seging@unipr.it. After your pre-registration at the Italian Embassy has been completed, the former must be used for further information on the course program. The latter must be used for information on the final steps of your onsite application process.

We accept pre-applications submitted before the deadline indicated in the web site. Onsite registrations are accepted from the second half of July to mid September. Classes usually start in the last week of September, so students must plan to be in Parma well ahead to have time to settle logistically BEFORE the beginning of classes. More precise calendar dates can be found at the course web page.

All courses are taught in English.

We require a typical internationally recognized English language proficiency certification, such as IELST, TOEFL, TOEIC, Cambridge Exam, etc., with a level of at least B2 according to CEFR. Alternatively, some official evidence that the student achieved the Bachelor degree in a program that used English as the medium of instruction must be provided. Conversion tables between various certification systems are available online, e.g., at this link.

No. The admission procedures are detailed at the course web page.

No, the English requirement must be satisfied before onsite registration.

Yes. We suggest to contact comm.eng@unipr.it in advance to arrange for a meeting. The best time to visit the University is during the open days. For more information, visit www.unipr.it.

The closest international airports to Parma are Milano "Linate", Milano "Malpensa", Bologna "G. Marconi" and Bergamo "Orio al Serio". Parma can be easily reched from the airport by train. You can reach our department from the railway station by bus (number 7, 14, 21 or "campus express").

Please visit the services and facilities reference page and read the welcome package document.

You can contact the University Welcome Office for further information and assistance. Some examples are available here.

Non-EU citizens need a visa issued by the Italian Embassy in their country and a valid passport. To live in Italy with a study visa, non-EU citizens have to apply for a residence permit ("Permesso di soggiorno") within 8 days of their arrival. Detailed information can be found at the foreign ministry web site.

No, there is no pre-application fee.

The University of Parma provides qualified assistance to students with disability to provide them equal opportunities to access the benefits, rights and privileges of University services. For more information visit the Disabled students' Office.

Our University is located in a wide campus with several sport facilities like tennis, football, golf, athletics, swimming, basketball, gym. Students have special discounts to use the sport facilities. For more information visit www.cusparma.it.

At the course web page there is a complete list of all the courses, their contents and relevant information.

The University of Parma, and in particular the Welcome Office (U.O. Internazionalizzazione – AO Accoglienza, Erasmus and International Home), will provide enrolled students with support in finding a suitable accommodation. This support does not affect or prevent the student’s right to access services and support guaranteed by the “Diritto allo Studio” and by the Regional Association for the Right to Higher Studies (Er.Go.). More information can be found at the accommodation web page.
A general notice about accommodation assistance at the University of Parma is available in this pdf.

It is not easy to quantify. However, as a general guideline, the rent for a student room starts from about 250 euros/month (excluding bills), a meal in the University canteen is about 5 euros, Internet is about 30 euros/month, the 1-year bus ticket is 185 euros. More information are available at the cost of living reference page.

We recommend to review fundamental concepts in:

• Probability, random variables and stochastic processes
• Signals, systems and Fourier transform methods
• Fundamentals of communication systems
• Fundamentals of electromagnetism.

Examples of classical books you can use are the following:

• A. Papoulis, Probability, random variables and stochastic processes, McGraw-Hill
• A. B. Carlson and Paul B. Crilly, Communication systems, McGraw Hill
• A. V. Oppenheim and A. S. Willsky, Signals and Systems, Pearson
• A. V. Oppenheim and R. Schafer, Discrete Time Signal Processing, Pearson
• F. T. Ulaby, Fundamentals of Applied Electromagnetics, Pearson
• J. D. Kraus and R. J. Marhefka, Antenna for All Applications, McGraw Hill.

As a light primer, one can read the following Wikipedia pages:

• Fundamentals of Math
  Vector space, Matrix, Calculus, Vector calculus, Taylor series
• Probability, random variables and stochastic processes
  Probability theory, Random variable, Probability distribution, Independence (probability theory), Expected value, Variance, Covariance, Central Limit theorem, Stochastic process, Law of total probability, Bayes' theorem, Autocorrelation, Power spectral density
• Signals, systems and Fourier transform methods
  Signal (electrical engineering), Linear time-invariant theory, Fourier transform, Convolution
• Fundamentals of communication systems
  Modulation, Telecommunication, Matched filter, Intersymbol interference, Bandwidth (signal processing), Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem, Nyquist ISI criterion, bit error rate
• Fundamentals of electromagnetism
  Electric field, Magnetic field, Classical electromagnetism, Wave

We also suggest to follow online courses on the above topics at MIT and at khanacademy.

Non-EU citizens not living in Italy must submit a pre-enrollment application to the Italian Embassy in their country. The following documents are typically required by the Embassy:

• pre-enrollment statement that you received from the University of Parma (two copies);
• Application Form A (two copies) that can be downloaded by the candidate from this website;
• two passport-sized photographs;
• Official certificate issued by your Academic Institution for students who already completed graduation or a provisional certificate for the current year completion (previous years are not accepted);
• an official transcript issued by your Academic Institution containing the list of all exams that you passed (with grade, credits, lecture-hours and relevant definitions).

Some useful details for the application are:

• The address of our University is: Department of Ingegneria e Architettura, Università di Parma, Parco area delle scienze 181/A, 43124, Parma (Italy);
• The academic year you can enroll to is 2018/2019;
• The two-year program is a Master of Science in Communication Engineering (Italian name: Laurea Magistrale in Communication Engineering);
• Since the Master of Science in Communication Engineering uses English as the medium of instruction, you do not need to provide any certificate about your knowledge of Italian language;
• Your English proficiency must be certified with a level at least B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Alternatively, you must provide a certificate from the Institution which issued your Bachelor degree stating that the program used English as the medium of instruction;
• The pre-enrollment application deadline varies across embassies and countries. Please note that the procedure may take a long time, hence we recommend to check carefully for early deadlines and apply as soon as you have received the pre-enrollment statement.

The Italian Embassy or Consulate will certify the originality of all the documents issued by the Institution which granted your first-level Bachelor degree, release a relevant "Declaration of Value", authenticate your photo and submit your application to the University of Parma. The Embassy will also be responsible to issue an entry student visa for Italy.

After completing the previous steps, you can finalize your enrollment at the University of Parma by following the procedure at the UniPr webiste.

If you are interested in benefits, you can check the Er.Go reference page.

Er.Go. calls for applications will be published in July. Information about how to apply are available here.

The declaration of value (DOV) is an official document issued by the Italian Embassy in the country of the applicant. The DOV certifies an academic or professional qualification obtained in an institution belonging to an educational system other than the Italian one. For instance, the DOV certifies the legal status and the duration of the study program and the institution in which the applicant obtained the Bachelor.

We cannot give such a permission. As far as we are concerned, you can apply for visa without the DOV.

You need to submit a DOV when you finalize your enrollment at the registry office (segreteria studenti) in Parma, provided all the documents certified by the Embassy are identical to those submitted in the online pre-application form. As far as we are concerned, you can apply for visa without the DOV. Please, note that getting the DOV may take a few weeks, hence we highly recommend applicants to allocate sufficient time.

EU students, as well non-EU students with a valid residence permit, may use the online application form as well. However, if accepted, they can apply directly at the University office with the pre-enrollment statement.

Full or partial exemption for the University taxes is possible. For more information please visit the scholarships reference page.

No, we do not accept students starting at the second semester.

The academic year is divided in two semesters. The first semester runs from the end of September to the end of December. The second semester runs from the end of February to the end of May. Exams take place in the remaining months.

We strongly recommend all students to attend classes from the very first lecture. Past experience shows clearly that students who missed the first lectures experienced very significant problems and delay in their university career and often failed to achieve their final degree. Independent study is a key enabler of student learning if used as a complement to active lecture attendance, but it is largely insufficient on its own. Active participation in lectures is a necessary condition for effective learning as, in particular, the students have the opportunity to understand key points and benefit from interaction with the instructor and other students. This is extremely important for all the students, but even more so for foreign students who must get acquainted to a new study system, method and environment.

We strongly suggest that you reach Parma by the end of August 2018. Once settled in Parma and completed your onsite registration, you may contact us for best suggestions on how to best undertake your academic career.

Yes, provided you will receive your Bachelor degree before the deadline set by the Italian Embassy in your country. A certification from your University or by a reference professor is mandatory. Your pre-application is processed and, if successful, it is accepted with a conditional pre-enrollment statement.

No, you need to start a new application process.

This depends on your nationality and immigration status. More information are available at the foreign ministry web site.

Candidates holding first level degrees in areas other than Communication Engineering can apply as well, especially from other Engineering areas, Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science, provided they have the necessary background in:

• Probability, random variables and stochastic processes
• Signals, systems and Fourier transform methods
• Fundamentals of communication systems
• Fundamentals of Electromagnetism.

We generally require a Bachelor of Science or equivalent degree. The detailed requirements are specified by the course regulations (Regolamento Didattico).

The entry requirements are set by the course regulations (Regolamento Didattico). As a general guideline, specific entry requirements are:

• Secondary School Diploma obtained after at least 12 years of education
• Bachelor of Science or equivalent
• At least 30 European ECTS credits (1 credit = 25 hours of student workload, including at least 7 hours in the classroom) of study in Math, Chemistry, Physics, Probability Theory, Geometry
• At least 36 credits in Electronics, Electromagnetic Fields, Telecommunications, Computer Science, Robotics
• At least 12 credits in Electrical Engineering, Mechanics, Economics, Bio Engineering.

See also the section "admission procedures" at the course web page.