free university of bozen-bolzano

General

Bolzano

Free University of Bozen-Bolzano Location Bolzano, Italy Duration2 yearsStart DateOct 2021
Application DeadlineRequest Info * Languages Italian, German, EnglishStudy TypeCampusPaceFull-timeTuition Fees EUR 750 / year *early bird (for EU and non-EU citizens): 1 March – 28 April 2021, noon. Late Application (for EU citizens only): 19 May – 8 July 2021, noon

General

Locations

Free University of Bozen-BolzanoAll Locations Bolzano, ItalyDuration2 yearsEarliest Start Date Oct 2021 Application DeadlineRequest Info*Languages Italian, German, EnglishStudy TypeCampusPaceFull-timeTuition Fees EUR 750 / year *early bird (for EU and non-EU citizens): 1 March – 28 April 2021, noon. Late Application (for EU citizens only): 19 May – 8 July 2021, noon

Introduction

Would you like to learn how to tackle complex decisions in a modern business environment driven by digital technologies, big data, and artificial intelligence? Then this master is exactly what you need!

The Master in Accounting and Finance prepares you for a career as a business manager, consultant, financial specialist, accountant, and auditor.

Our program will enable you to navigate the digital transformation of companies and financial markets. You will acquire the skills to become a successful player in the world of finance. The study program provides technical knowledge in financial reporting and control management, financial risk management, and optimization of investment portfolios, management of corporate risks, and operational and financial restructuring. This knowledge ensures an understanding of corporate dynamics and interpretation of its transformations.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=_7tqouFIrOk

At a Glance

• Degree class: LM-77
• ECTS credits: 120
• Duration of the course: 2 years
• Courses will be taught in: Italian, German and English (trilingual)
• Places available: 50 EU + 5 non-EU
• Campus: Bozen-Bolzano
• Tuition fees: € 750 per year

Structure of the course

The courses offered include disciplines from the fields of accounting, finance, law, management, economics. Students can choose between three study tracks.

The curriculum has a practice-oriented approach that exposes students to best practices of management through case-based teaching, small-scale laboratories, presentations by guest speakers, and simulations of professional tasks of various complexity. The teaching material is developed in cooperation with professionals, as well as with financial organizations or consulting firms.

Double Degree Programs

We have a Double Degree program in collaboration with a prestigious university in the United States, Baruch College. The Double Degree is aimed at a small group of students with excellent academic achievement in the first year and good knowledge of languages. Admitted students can attend the Master of Science in Finance or the Master of Science in Accountancy at Baruch College, City University of New York. At the end of the program, students obtain both the master’s degree (laurea magistrale) awarded by unibz and the corresponding “graduate” degree awarded by Baruch College.

At present, scholarships are available for this program. One of them is funded by the Südtiroler Sparkasse AG, one by the Südtiroler Volksbank AG and one by Bureau Plattner.

Exchange programs and internships

The master program offers exchange programs with many European universities. During the two years of this course, students are required to take an internship – of at least 150 hours – in a local, national or international firm in different sectors (manufacturing, professional services, financial industry) or in a non-profit institution.

International Certifications

The master program is accredited by prestigious associations that issue international professional certificates in the accounting and financial field. The accreditation certifies the excellence of the quality standards of the program and its high orientation towards professional practice. The master program offers students the opportunity to attend courses in preparation for obtaining the following professional certificates:

• Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) – with the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association
• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) – with the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute
• Financial Risk Manager (FRM) – with the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP)
• Certified Management Accountant (CMA) – with the Institute of Management Accounting (IMA)

Interested students will have to take the certification exam provided by the respective association. Reductions in the registration fee for these exams are provided for.

Awards (premi di laurea)

The best graduate of each track of the Master’s program will be awarded the equivalent of a one-year fee of €1350. Students’ ranking will be determined on the average exam grade. The award ceremony takes place during the Degree Ceremony.

Sponsors are Bureau Plattner (for the track: Professional Accounting and Auditing), Südtiroler Sparkasse AG (for the track: Finance and Financial Markets), Rödl & Partner (for the track: Business administration and Consulting).

Career Opportunities

Our graduates aim at the following professional careers:

• Company Manager: junior positions in planning and management control functions, auditing, administrative and accounting management in companies and institutions.
• Business Consultant: Junior business analyst positions.
• Financial Specialist: junior positions of financial analyst, financial portfolio manager, a specialist in the selection of real and financial investments, a specialist in financial risk management with banks, insurance companies, rating agencies, asset and savings management companies, investment funds, funds and companies specializing in private equity, venture capital, alternative, and sovereign investment funds.
• Financial Manager: junior positions in the functions of corporate treasury, corporate risk management, and financial management of companies and financial intermediaries.
• Chartered Accountant and Auditor: an agreement with the Association of Chartered Accountants and Auditors of the Autonomous Province of Bozen-Bolzano facilitates the entry of students enrolled in this master program in Section A of the Register of Chartered Accountants and Auditors, as explained in this video.

This study program also provides access to post-graduate training, such as a Ph.D. program.

Application and Admission

Deadlines

Early Bird Application

• Application: 02/03 – 28/04/2020 (by noon local time)
• Language exams: 15 – 22/04/2020 (registration 31/03 – 07/04/2020)
• Admission procedure and publication of ranking lists: by 18/05/2020
• Payment of the 1st installment of the tuition fees: by 28/05/2020 (by noon local time)
• Enrolment: 15/07 – 16/10/2020 (by noon local time)

Late Application

• Application: 20/05 – 09/07/2020 (by noon local time)
• Language exams: 01 – 02/07/2020, if necessary also on 03/07 (registration 20/05 – 25/06/2020)
• Admission procedure and publication of ranking lists: by 29/07/2020
• Payment of the 1st installment of the tuition fees: by 06/08/2020 (by noon local time)
• Enrolment: 29/07 – 16/10/2020 (by noon local time)

Preparatory courses and Freshers Days

• Preparatory Course “Mathematics for Economists” (recommended): 24/08 – 04/09/2020
• Intensive language courses: 07 – 25/09/2020 (Monday to Friday, 8 h/day)
• Freshers Days: 28 – 29/09/2020

1st semester

• Classes: 28/09 – 23/12/2020
• Exams (extraordinary session): 14 – 23/12/2020
• Holidays: 24/12/2020 – 06/01/2021
• Classes: 07/01 – 16/01/2021
• Exams: 18/01 – 13/02/2021

2nd semester

• Classes: 22/02 – 01/04/2021
• Holidays: 02/04 – 05/04/2021
• Classes: 06/04 – 12/06/2021
• Exams (extraordinary session): 17 – 29/05/2021
• Exams: 14/06 – 10/07/2021

Autumn session

• Exams: 23/08 – 25/09/2021

Available Places

EU citizens and citizens are given parity of treatment

• Early Bird Application: 40
• Late Application: 10

Non-EU citizens (living abroad)

• Early Bird Application: 5

The program will only be offered if a minimum of 15 newly enrolled students is reached.

Entry Requirements

In order to gain admission to this program you need one of the following qualifications:

1. A bachelor degree (*) in one of the following Italian degree classes or an equivalent qualification gained abroad:

• D. 270/04:
  • L-18 Economics and Business Administration
  • L-33 Economics
• D. 509/99:
  • 17 Economics and Business Administration
  • 28 Economic Sciences
• Final degree or university certificate from a School of Economics, according to the regulation in force before M.D. 509/99.

(*) Italian citizens who have obtained their degree abroad must also have a secondary school leaving qualification.

OR

2. A bachelor’s degree in a different class to the ones listed above or an equivalent qualification gained abroad. At least 15 credit points must have been acquired in one or more of the following scientific-disciplinary sectors:

• SECS-P/07 – Accounting
• SECS-P/08 – Business Administration
• SECS-P/09 – Managerial Finance
• SECS-P/11 – Economics and Management of Financial Intermediary
• ING-IND/35 – Industrial Engineering 

If you apply during the second session and do not reach the needed CPs in time, you can enroll to unibz as an external student and sit the following exams:

• 27320 Accounting (preparatory LM77AF) – 8 CPs SECS-P/07
• 27321 Finance (preparatory LM77AF) – 7 CPs SECS-P/09

The cost of the enrolment is € 200 for every single exam.

You can enroll through the following link: https://www.unibz.it/it/applicants/single-subject-courses/ and hand in the requested documents at the Student Secretariat. You will get an account in order to be able to enroll by yourself to the mentioned exams online within the deadline of 20 June 2020. The exams are scheduled to take place on 26 June 2020.

In order to obtain the texts needed for the preparation for the exams, please contact the Faculty Secretariat (elena.borile@unibz.it).

You need to upload the self-declaration about the passed exams in the application portal by the application deadline (see section “Online Application”).

If you have not yet graduated at the time of application:

You can apply if you have acquired at least 140 credit points (ECTS). In this case, you will be admitted conditionally, and you need to submit your diploma by the enrolment deadline.

If you graduate after the enrolment deadline:

You cannot enroll and you will lose your place, which will be offered to the subsequent applicant in the ranking list. In this case, you should not pay the tuition fees to secure your admission. You will be able to submit a late enrolment request and, only if there still are available places, you can enroll by 18 December 2020. 

To be admitted, you must fulfill the language requirements indicated in the section “Language requirements”. 

Concurrent enrolment at several universities or in several study programs at the same university is not allowed.

Language Requirements

The official teaching languages are German, Italian, and English. Therefore, the following language requirements apply, otherwise, you will be excluded from the admission procedure:

Entry-level (to gain admission)

• 1st language: C1
• 2nd language: B2
• 3rd language: no level required

Exit level (to graduate)

• 1st language: C1
• 2nd language: C1
• 3rd language: B1

The levels of the Common European Framework of Reference apply.

Your first language is the language in which you have the highest level of proficiency (C1). Your third language is instead the language in which you are weaker (or in which you are an absolute beginner).

You can upload language certificates to the application portal (in the section “upload language certificates” and/or “enroll for language exams”) after you have created an application in the section “create/manage applications”. The certification is mandatory for the first and second languages, for the third language it is recommended (from B1 onwards).

• In case your final certificate has been awarded by an Italian public institution, you need to submit a self-declaration.
• In case your final certificate has been awarded by a foreign public institution, you need to upload a diploma scanned copy of the original.

You can demonstrate language proficiency through:

1. The main teaching language in your final high school year if German, Italian, or English (recognized as C1) (Ladin upper secondary schools: recognized as B2 in German and Italian).
2. A bachelor or master’s degree in Italian, German or English (recognized as C1). unibz graduates must upload the language certificates obtained and/or declare that they have passed language exams at the unibz Language Centre (B2, B2+ or C1)
3. A recognized language certificate (see the list of recognized certificates: https://www.unibz.it/en/services/language-centre/study-in-three-languages/) If you cannot upload the certificates, you can send them by e-mail as PDF files or deliver them in person to the Language Centre by the application deadline (see “Deadlines” section).
4. Language exams organized by the unibz Language Center. You can register for these exams online through the application portal (in the section “enroll for language exams”) after you have filled out your application in the section “create/manage applications”. The registration periods are indicated in the “Deadlines” section. If you start your application outside a language exam registration period, you must return to the portal during one of the periods indicated above in order to register for an exam. 

Secondary schools in a foreign country/Bi- or multilingual schools

If the foreign language proficiency levels (for German, Italian, or English) are explicitly indicated on the diploma of graduation according to the Common European Framework of Reference (i.e., B1, B2 or C1), and if all four language abilities (reading, listening, speaking, writing) have been assessed, then the indicated levels will be accepted as a proof of proficiency for the second and/or third language.

Please upload your school-leaving certificate to the application portal in the section “upload language certificates” under the respective language. The Language Centre will decide on its recognition.

Third language/Intensive language courses in September

If you have already acquired a language certificate in the third teaching language, please upload it to the portal. If you are not able to certify your language competence in the third language and you are admitted to unibz, you will have to take a placement test. You will receive further information about the test by e-mail. Based on the result of the placement test, you will be assigned to a certain learning path so that you will be able to reach level B1 as soon as possible.

If you are an absolute beginner in the third language, or if you have a level below B1, you may attend a three-week intensive language course during the pre-semester session in September in order to start the learning path.

The dates of the extensive courses are indicated in the “Deadlines” section. Beginner courses (A1) will be offered exclusively during the pre-semester intensive course session in September will no longer be offered during the academic year. Therefore, absolute beginners should start their learning path for the third language by attending the intensive courses in September.

There will be extensive courses (4 hours per week) during the semesters and intensive courses (8 hours per week) during the time between semesters.

The language courses offered by the Language Centre are free of charge and aim to help the students reach the level B1 in the third language after the first study year.

Tuition Fees

The fees amount to €1348.50.

• 1st installment (€748.50)*: includes the provincial tax for the right to study of €148.50 and a revenue stamp of €16.
• 2nd installment (€600): must be paid by 31 March 2021.

Delayed payment of the second installment will result in a fine being levied. If you have not paid the tuition fees, you will be unable to take exams and will not be able to transfer to other universities or other study programs.

If you drop out of a program, interrupt your studies, or are excluded from studies, you are not entitled to reimbursement of the fees.

Exemption from the tuition fees (and the provincial tax) is granted to:

• Students with a disability recognized under article 3, paragraph 1, of Law No 104/1992, or with a disability up to or exceeding 66%: the disability certificate, issued by the health authorities, must be handed in at the beginning of the academic year.
• Foreign students who have been granted a scholarship from the Italian government.

Students who benefit from a scholarship granted by the Autonomous Province of Bozen-Bolzano are entitled to receive a refund of the tuition fees.