Philosophy at Rome TorVergata

Have you ever considered studying Philosophy? Do you feel like spending one or more years in one of the most fascinating cities in the world and in an attractive academic environment?

Why study Philosophy?

  • While studying Philosophy you will never be asked to put aside your ideas, values, and desires. On the contrary, you will be asked to develop them in a deeper and more rigorous way.
  • Studying Philosophy is the best way to understand the origins of our western culture and therefore to face the problems of interpretation, communication, and encounter between civilisations.
  • The degree courses in Philosophy provide a series of diversified career opportunities, even in a time of widespread economic crisis.
  • If you already have an academic degree, Philosophy will foster personal and cultural skills that are greatly appreciated in any job: creativity, critical thinking, the ability to understand others, and open-mindedness.

Why in Italy? Why in Rome?

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  • There is a characteristic Italian way of teaching Philosophy: a strong accent on its history and on its classical texts, from antiquity to contemporary authors. Italian students are always taught to grasp the complexities of the history of ideas and appreciate where the starting point for new answers might lie; reasoned thought does not always mean having to “reinvent the wheel”.
  • In many Italian high school programmes, Philosophy is a compulsory subject in the last three years. So, even when starting from scratch, the academic study of Philosophy quickly reaches a high level of specialisation. Already in the first years in university it is not uncommon to find an academic depth typical of PhD programmes elsewhere.
  • The degree courses in Philosophy (Bachelor's and Master's) in the Italian university system are the only ones that allow adding other disciplines to your study programme: liberal arts (History, Literature, Art), social studies (Psychology, Economy, Law, Sociology), exact and natural sciences (Logic, Mathematics, Biology, Physics...). In particular, in the Faculty of Humanities and Philosophy you will find all the disciplines for which Italy is best known.
  • Italy is one of the most fascinating countries in the world: for its art treasures, its cultural traditions and its spiritual richness. Then there is Italian food and the Italian climate... For travelling to other Italian cities, Rome is excellently placed, allowing travel in only a few hours Florence, Venice, Naples and many other places well-worth seeing.
  • Rome offers all kinds of opportunities in cultural events, courses, concerts, intercultural and interreligious meetings. It has many museums and galleries. As the cradle of western Christianity, Rome hosts numerous initiatives and events related to one of the key components of modern world. For the very interested or even for the mildly curious, there is no lack of things to discover.
  • Italian is a beautiful and rewarding language: for this reason it is the fourth most studied language in the world. Pronunciation and spelling (one letter, one sound!) make it among the easiest languages to learn. If you can speak another Romance language (Spanish, French, Portuguese), learning Italian is fast and easy. Moreover, Rome is the centre of Latin civilisation and Italian is the modern Romance language nearest to Latin: a unique opportunity to approach one of the main cultural backgrounds of modern world.

Why study at the University of Rome Tor Vergata?

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  • Student feedback demonstrates a high level of satisfaction for the degree courses in Philosophy at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.
  • Beside the regular curricular activities, there are many events (talks, workshops, conferences) in which students can actively take part: usually more than 100 events like this each year.
  • Student-teacher interaction is good, and benefits from small class sizes and a real opportunity for personal dialogue.
  • Tor Vergata lecturers obtained excellent results in the recent process of Evaluation of the Quality of Research, which ranked them in the first places among Italian Universities.
  • The University of Rome Tor Vergata is one of the very few in Italy with a real campus, in which all Faculties and Departments are close together: a great opportunity for you to explore other cultural fields.
  • Philosophy students can attend all the language courses held in the Faculty of Humanities and Philosophy (classical languages included).
  • The University of Rome Tor Vergata lies on the outskirts of the city but is well connected with buses and underground, connecting quickly to the centre of Rome.

Which programmes can I choose from?

  • A Bachelor's Degree (Laurea triennale): a three-year course. To be enrolled you must have a secondary school diploma or other suitable high school qualifications. Lessons are in Italian, but you could be allowed to sit examinations in another language. You can attend only one or two years of the Bachelor's programme: the University will give you a certificate of the examinations passed, allowing you to gain recognition in your country or elsewhere in order to complete your degree.
  • A Master's Degree (Laurea magistrale): a two-year course. To be enrolled you must have a Bachelor's degree (or an equivalent three-year academic degree) and possess the knowledge and the competence required for an advanced study of Philosophy. Lessons are in Italian, but you could be allowed to sit examinations in another language. You can attend only one year of the Master's programme: the University will give you a certificate of the examinations passed, allowing you to gain recognition in your country or elsewhere in order to complete your degree. and possess the knowledge and the competence required for an advanced study of Philosophy. Lessons are in Italian, but you could be allowed to sit examinations in another language. You can attend only one year of the Master's programme: the University will give you a certificate of the examinations passed, allowing you to gain recognition in your country or elsewhere in order to complete your degree.
  • Two Postgraduate courses (Corso di perfezionamento): those is a half-year courses (from January till June). To be enrolled you must have a Master's degree (or an equivalent academic degree) and possess the knowledge and the competence required for an advanced study of Philosophy. Lessons are in Italian, but you could be allowed to take the examinations in another language.
  • A PhD's Degree (Dottorato di ricerca): a three-year course. To be enrolled you must have a Master's degree (or an equivalent academic degree) and be admitted by an Examination Board on the basis of your curriculum vitae, your research programme, an abstract of your Master's thesis, and an oral interview (either in person or via Skype). Six places are available each year.

I would like some more information...

You can send an email to the address filosofiatorvergata@mondodomani.org.