| University of Genoa | |
| Native Name: | Università di Genova |
| Latin Name: | Genuense Athenaeum |
| Type: | State-supported |
| Administrative Staff: | 1,711 |
| Rector: | Federico Delfino |
| Students: | ~ 40,000 |
| Free Label: | Sports teams |
| Free: | CUS Genova |
| Affiliations: | EUA, CoNiSMA, Consorzio Nettuno |
| Website: | www.unige.it |
| Campus: | Urban |
The University of Genoa, known also with the acronym UniGe (Italian: '''Università di Genova'''), is a public research university. It is one of the largest universities in Italy and it is located in the city of Genoa, on the Italian Riviera in the Liguria region of northwestern Italy. The original university was founded in 1481.
The University of Genoa is organized in several independent campuses located in different city areas:
Of great historical and artistic interest are the buildings in Via Balbi and in particular: the main university premises (via Balbi, 5) designed by the architect Bartolomeo Bianco and built in 1640, Palazzo Balbi Cattaneo (via Balbi, 2), and Palazzo Balbi Senarega (via Balbi, 4). Also of major historical interest is the complex of Albergo dei Poveri (piazza Emanuele Brignole).
The university's botanical garden, the Orto Botanico dell'Università di Genova, occupies one hectare in the city center, just above the university's main building.
University of Genoa also has a number of regional campuses in Savona, Imperia, Ventimiglia and La Spezia. In particular,
Near Ventimiglia, the University of Genoa operates the Hanbury Botanical Garden, a Protected Area and candidate for UNESCO World Heritage status within the "Mediterranean Alps" project.
In the 13th century in Genoa there were already Colleges which conferred degrees in law, theology, medicine and arts.
The College of Theology was established officially in 1471 with a papal bull of Sixtus IV (Francesco della Rovere). Some years after dates the promulgation of a Statute of the College of Medicine by the Council of the Elders in 1481.
In 1569, by a decree of the Senate of Republic of Genoa, the Colleges were incorporated into the schools run by the Jesuits. The Jesuits settled near the old Church of San Girolamo Del Rosso, and enlarged their premises by buying some land on which to house their College and schools. The building, which is now the main university premises, was designed by the architect Bartolomeo Bianco, and began to be used in 1640.
After the suppression of the Society of Jesus in 1773, a special committee reorganized the various courses of study, dividing them in higher education (Canon Law, Philosophy, Civil Law, Theology, Logic and Metaphysics, Physics) and primary education (courses in Rhetoric, Reading and Writing).
After the establishment of the French Empire, which absorbed the Republic of Genoa, higher education was subdivided into different special schools: Law, Medicine, Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Commerce, Language and Literature, Chemistry. The University of Genoa was affiliated to the Imperial University of Paris. It was reinstated as a separate university in 1812.https://books.google.com/books?lr=&q=genoa+university+founded+1812
After the fall of Napoleon, the provisional Government of the Republic appointed a new Committee in charge of higher education, and at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, it was decided that the University of Genoa be entrusted to the Kingdom of Sardinia, enjoying the same privileges as those granted to the University of Turin. The university was closed owing to political disturbances between 1821 and 1823 and again between 1830 and 1835.
In 1870, two first technical institutes of higher education were established: the Royal Naval School and the Royal School of Economic Studies, that in 1936, were absorbed by the Royal University of Genoa, becoming the Faculties of Engineering and Economics respectively.
In the late 20th century, the university expanded rapidly, with new regional campuses. In 1996, some departments were established in Savona within a remodeled Army Barrack area. That campus hosts the Department of Engineering and also courses in Business. New laboratories have been made in Simulation, Logistics & Industrial Engineering, among others.
As of the academic year 2012-2013, the university is headed by a rector and it was divided into 5 schools, comprising a total of 23 departments (one of which is inter-school):
The University of Genoa shares a branch campus of Florida International University in Miami, Florida, United States, in Genoa.[1] The two universities mutually host students of either university's School of Architecture.
In the ranking of Italian universities, the University of Genoa is ranked 13th by ARWU,[5] 18th by QS,[6] and 18th by THE.[7]
The university is ranked 151–200 in Engineering - Civil and Structural in the QS World University Subject Rankings.[8]
Times Higher Education gave the university a rank of 150+ in the Law category in its 2020 list of subjects.[9]
According to Microsoft Academic Search 2016 rankings, the University of Genoa has high-ranking positions among the European universities in multiple computer science fields:
In the academic year 21/22, the university has a student population around 39,766. Of these, 33,920 are students entrolled in bachelor's and master's degree courses; 3,328 are students enrolled in doctorate, master's or specialisation school courses. Finally, 2,518 are students enrolled in other courses. The number of freshmen was 6,293 and the number of graduating students was 5,257.
In 2021, there were 1,307 professors and scientific employees and 1,228 non-scientific employees working for University of Genoa.[13]
Since its foundation, the University of Genoa has awarded 46 gold medals to Italian students and 2 gold medals to international students, namely the Israeli student Khor Hoksari in 1993 and the Albanian student Agasi Bledar in 2021. Since 1992, it has awarded 140 honorary degrees and 1 honorary doctorate. The most recent honorary titles granted are:
| Ivano Fossati | Letterature moderne e spettacolo | 2023 | |
| Pietro Salini | Ingegneria civile | 2022 | |
| Riccardo Muti | Scienze Internazionali e della Cooperazione | 2019 | |
| Giuseppe Tornatore | Scienze Storiche | 2017 | |
| Andrea Camilleri | Letterature moderne e spettacolo | 2016 | |
| Giovanni Maria Flick | Economia e istituzioni finanziarie | 2013 | |
| Mario Rigoni Stern | Scienze Politiche | 2007 |
The University of Genoa has a strong collaboration with the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), since its foundation in 2005.