The University of Siena (, abbreviation: UNISI), located in

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, holds the distinction of being Italy's first publicly funded university as well as one of the oldest, originally established as ''Studium Senese'' in 1240. As of 2022, it hosts approximately 16,000 students—nearly one-third of

's total population of about 53,000. The university is renowned for its schools of law, medicine, and economics and management.

History

The early ''studium''

The School of Humanities and Philosophy

On December 26, 1240, Ildebrandino Cacciaconti, the then

podestà (), also potestate or podesta in English, was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of central and northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a c ...

of Siena, signed a decree imposing a tax on citizens of Siena who rented rooms to students of the local "''Studium Senese''". The money from this tax went towards paying for the salaries of the ''maestri'' (teachers) of this new studium. The studium was further supported when, in 1252,

Pope Innocent IV Pope Innocent IV (; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universities of Parma and Bolo ...

declared both its teachers and students completely immune from taxes and forced labour levied on their person or property by the city of Siena. Moreover, the commune exempted teachers of law and Latin from military service and teachers of Latin were also excused from their duties as night watchmen. By the early 14th century, there were five teachers of Latin, logic and law and two doctors of natural sciences (medicine). One of the most notable maestri of the School of Medicine was Pietro Ispano (Pope John XXI). Ispano was a philosopher, a personal doctor to

Emperor Frederick II Frederick II (, , , ; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusalem from 1225. He was the son of Emperor Henry VI of the Ho ...

, and in 1276 became

Pope John XXI Pope John XXI (, , ; – 20 May 1277), born Pedro Julião (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 September 1276 to his death in May 1277. He is the only ethnically Portuguese pope in history.Richard P. McBrien, ...

. In 1321, the studium was able to attract a larger number of pupils due to a mass exodus from the prestigious

University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...

when one of its students was sentenced to death by Bologna's magistrates for supposedly kidnapping a young woman. Partly at the instigation of their law lecturer Guglielmo Tolomei, the student body there unleashed a great protest at the Bolognese authority and Siena, supported by funding from the local commune, was able to accommodate the students resigning from the ''Studium Bolognese''.

The university under changing states

The studium of Siena was eventually promoted to the status of "''Studium Generale''" by Charles IV, shortly after his coronation as

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

in 1355. This both placed the teachers and students under the safeguard of the imperial authority (protecting them from the local magistracy) and also meant that the licences (''licentiae docendi'') granted by the university were "''ubique docendi".'' These licences entitled the person receiving them to teach throughout Christendom. The ''Casa della Sapienza'' was built in the early 15th century as a center that combines classrooms and housing for those enrolled in the Studium. It had been proposed by bishop Francesco Mormile in 1392, was completed twenty years later, and its first occupants took up residence in 1416. Room and board in 1416 cost fifty gold florins for a semester. By the mid-14th century, Siena had declined as a power in Tuscany, eclipsed by the rise in power of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, who defeated the

Republic of Siena The Republic of Siena (, ) was a historic state consisting of the city of Siena and its surrounding territory in Tuscany, Central Italy. It existed for over 400 years, from 1125 to 1555. During its existence, it gradually expanded throughout south ...

in 1555. The city authorities, however, successfully asked the

Medici The House of Medici ( , ; ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Cosimo de' Medici and his grandson Lorenzo "the Magnificent" during the first half of the 15th ...

(the hereditary dukes of Florence at the time) to preserve the academy. Francesco and later Grand Duke Ferdinando I, reforms were made with new statutes and new prerogatives. The post of ''Rettore'' (Rector), elected by students and city magistrates, was also instituted. In 1737, the Medici line became extinct and the rule of Tuscany passed to the French

House of Lorraine The House of Lorraine () originated as a cadet branch of the House of Metz. It inherited the Duchy of Lorraine in 1473 after the death without a male heir of Nicholas I, Duke of Lorraine. By the marriage of Francis of Lorraine to Maria Ther ...

. In this period, the Tuscan economist

Sallustio Bandini Sallustio Bandini (19 April 1677 – 8 June 1760) was an Italian archdeacon, economist, and politician. He was an advocate of free trade, and removal of local feudal tariffs and tolls. He wrote an influential piece on this subject, titled ''Disco ...

, seemingly determined to "improve the intellectual stimulation of his native Siena" solicited scholarships from rich patrons for the university and also set up a large library, which he eventually bequeathed to the university. In 1808, when the Napoleonic forces occupied Tuscany, they eliminated the ''Studium Senese'' and the doors of the University were not opened again until after the defeat of Napoleon and the restoration of Ferdinand III as the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

The university in the ''Risorgimento''

During the ''

Risorgimento The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the annexation of various states of the Italian peninsula and its outlying isles to the Kingdom of ...

'', the movement towards the unification of Italy as a single state, Sienese students organised groups which were openly patriotic. They publicly expressed their dissent and, during the April 1848 revolts in Tuscany, three professors, one assistant and fifty-five students formed the ''Compagnia della Guardia Universitaria'' to participate in the battles of Curtatone and of Montanara. The troop's flag is still preserved in the Chancellor's building. All of this passion for the new republic could not but trouble the Grand Duke and in the end he closed down the School of Medicine permitting only Law and Theology to continue After the

Second Italian War of Independence The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Sardinian War, the Austro-Sardinian War, the Franco-Austrian War, or the Italian War of 1859 (Italian: ''Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana''; German: ''Sardinischer Krieg''; French: ...

in 1859 and its aftermath, Tuscany and with it Siena were controlled by the

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia, also referred to as the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica among other names, was a State (polity), country in Southern Europe from the late 13th until the mid-19th century, and from 1297 to 1768 for the Corsican part of ...

, which was to become the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

, now the

Italian Republic Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The Sienese academy eventually recovered from the unrest, thanks to initiatives by the city's private enterprises and a series of legislative acknowledgements that boosted the reputation of the School of

Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

and that of

Obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a su ...

(and consequently the School of Medicine itself) while the old hospital

Santa Maria della Scala Santa Maria della Scala (English: Mary of the Staircase) is a titular church, titular churches of Rome, church in Rome, Italy, located in the Trastevere rione. It is served by friars of the Discalced Carmelite Order. Cardinal Ernest Simoni took p ...

was transformed into General University Hospital. Some time later in 1880, the Law Faculty established the ''Circolo Giuridico'' or Legal Circle, where issues pertaining to law studies were examined in depth through seminars and lectures

The university in modern Italy

In 1892, the Minister of Public Education, Ferdinando Martini, launched a proposal aimed at suppressing the Sienese academy’s activities. Siena perceived this as a declaration of war and was backed immediately by a general tradesmen’s strike, the intervention of all of the town’s institutions and by a genuine uprising of the population – all of which induced the minister to withdraw the project. Having escaped this danger, the town went back to investing its resources in the university setting up new degrees and new faculties. The bank

Monte dei Paschi di Siena Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena S.p.A. (), known as BMPS or just MPS, is an Italian bank. Tracing its history to a mount of piety founded in 1472 () and established in its present form in 1624 (), it is the world's oldest bank, and the fifth l ...

financed the construction of the biology department. The 20th century witnessed the growth of the University of Siena, with the student population escalating from four hundred between the wars to more than 15,000 in the last few years.

Notable alumni and faculty

* Pietro Ispano (c. 1215–1277), Pope John XXI, Professor of Medicine *

Cino da Pistoia Cino da Pistoia (1270 – 1336) was an Italian jurist and poet. He was the university teacher of Bartolus de Saxoferrato and a friend and intellectual influence on Dante Alighieri. Life Cino was born in Pistoia, Tuscany. His full name was ' ...

(1270–1336/37), Professor of Law * Antonio de Venafro (1459–1530), advisor to

Pandolfo Petrucci Pandolfo Petrucci (14 February 1452 – 21 May 1512) was a ruler of the Italian Republic of Siena during the Renaissance. Biography Petrucci was born and raised in Siena, into an aristocratic family of wealthy merchants. When Petrucci was still ...

, Ruler of the

* Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte (1487–1555), Pope

Julius III Pope Julius III (; ; 10 September 1487 – 23 March 1555), born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1550 to his death, in March 1555. After a career as a disting ...

, studied law at Siena * Francesco Accarigi (c. 1557–1622), Professor of Civil Law *

Fabio Chigi Pope Alexander VII (; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death, in May 1667. He began his career as a vice-papal legate, and he held various di ...

, Pope

Alexander VII Pope Alexander VII (; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death, in May 1667. He began his career as a vice-papal legate, and he held various di ...

* Domenico Barduzzi (1847–1929), dermatologist and hydrologist *

Arrigo Solmi Arrigo Solmi (1873–1944) was an Italian legal scholar. He served as the minister of grace and justice between 1934 and 1939 in the cabinet of Benito Mussolini. He was among the pioneers in the establishment of international relations as an a ...

(1873–1944), Minister of Justice in the cabinet of

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

* Virginia Angiola Borrino (1880–1965), Professor of Medicine and the first woman to serve as head of a University Pediatric Ward in Italy *

Piero Calamandrei Piero Calamandrei (21 April 1889 – 27 September 1956) was an Italian author, jurist, soldier, university professor, and politician. He was one of Italy's leading authorities on the law of civil procedure. Early life and education Calamandre ...

(1889–1956), Professor at the Law school in Siena *

Carlo Rosselli Carlo Alberto Rosselli (16 November 18999 June 1937) was an Italian political leader, journalist, historian, philosopher and anti-fascist activist, first in Italy and then abroad. He developed a theory of reformist, non-Marxist socialism inspir ...

(1899–1937), political leader, journalist, historian and anti-fascist activist *

Richard M. Goodwin Richard M. Goodwin (February 24, 1913 – August 13, 1996) was an American mathematician and economist. Background Goodwin was born in New Castle, Indiana. He received his BA and PhD at Harvard and taught there from 1942 until 1950. He fl ...

(1913–1996), Professor, mathematician and economist *

Norberto Bobbio Norberto Bobbio (; 18 October 1909 – 9 January 2004) was an Italian philosopher of law and political sciences and a historian of political thought. He also wrote regularly for the Turin-based daily '' La Stampa''. Bobbio was a social lib ...

(1909–2004), Professor of Philosophy *

Frank Hahn Frank Horace Hahn FBA (26 April 1925 – 29 January 2013) was a British economist whose work focused on general equilibrium theory, monetary theory, Keynesian economics and critique of monetarism. A famous problem of economic theory, the condi ...

(1925–2013), Professor of Economics, Director of the PhD program of the Economics Department * Mauro Barni (1927–2017), Professor of Bioethics, Rector and Mayor of Siena * Jean Blondel (1929–2022), Professor of comparative politics *

Luigi Berlinguer Luigi Berlinguer (; 25 July 1932 – 1 November 2023) was an Italian jurist and politician. He was a professor at the University of Siena, and also served as the minister of university and research and the minister of education. Early life and ...

(1932–2023), Professor of Law, Rector and Minister of Education *

Samuel Bowles Samuel Bowles may refer to: *Samuel Bowles (journalist) (1826–1878), American journalist *Samuel Bowles (economist) Samuel Stebbins Bowles (; born June 1, 1939), is an American economist and professor emeritus at the University of Massachuset ...

(born 1939), American economist, professor of Economics *

Steven Lukes Steven Michael Lukes (born 8 March 1941) is a British political and social theorist. Currently he is a professor of politics and sociology at New York University. He was formerly a professor at the University of Siena, the European University ...

(born 1941), British sociologist *

Antonio Tabucchi Antonio Tabucchi (; 24 September 1943 – 25 March 2012) was an Italian writer and academic who taught Portuguese language and literature at the University of Siena, Italy. Deeply in love with Portugal, he was an expert, critic and translator o ...

(1943–2012), Italian writer, Professor of Portuguese language and literature *

Paul Ginsborg Paul Anthony Ginsborg (18 July 1945 – 11 May 2022) was a British-born Italian historian. In the 1980s, he was Professor at the University of Siena; from 1992, he was Professor of Contemporary European History at the University of Florence. Ed ...

(1945–2022), British historian, Professor of Contemporary History *

Riccardo Francovich Riccardo Francovich (Florence, Italy, 10 June 1946 – Fiesole, Italy, 30 March 2007) was a pioneering Italian archaeologist and expert on medieval Italy. The son of Carlo Francovich, Francovich was a professor of medieval archaeology first ...

(1946–2007), archaeologist and professor of Medieval archaeology * Desiderio Passali (born 1947), former director of the ENT department and professor of otolaryngology *

Silvana Sciarra Silvana Sciarra (born 24 July 1948) is an Italian jurist and academic. She served as a judge of the Constitutional Court of Italy from November 2014 to November 2023 and served as its president from 20 September 2022 to 11 November 2023. Career S ...

(born 1948), former President of the

Constitutional Court of Italy The Constitutional Court of the Italian Republic () is the highest court of Italy in matters of constitutional law. Sometimes, the name ''Consulta'' is used as a metonym for it, because its sessions are held in Palazzo della Consulta in Rome. ...

* Rino Rappuoli (born 1952), Italian Biologist, chief scientist of GSK *

Carlo Cottarelli Carlo Cottarelli (; born 18 August 1954) is an Italian economist and former director of the International Monetary Fund. On 28 May 2018 he was designated Prime Minister of Italy by President Sergio Mattarella, to lead a caretaker government that ...

(born 1954), economist and former director of the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

Gianna Nannini Gianna Nannini (; born 14 June 1954) is an Italian singer and songwriter. Her most notable songs include "America" (1979), "Fotoromanza" (1984), "I maschi" (1987), "Meravigliosa creatura" (1995), "Sei nell'anima" (2006) and "Bello e impossibile ...

(born 1954), Italian pop singer * Emanuele Papi (born 1959), professor of classical archaeologist, director of Italian Archaeological School of Athens *

Yusuf Garaad Omar Yusuf Garaad Omar (, ) (born 26 June 1960 in Mogadishu) is a Somali journalist, diplomat and politician. He previously served as Somalia ambassador to the United Nations and was a senior advisor to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. He was the So ...

(born 1960), journalist and politician *

Antonio Giordano Antonio Giordano (born October 11, 1962) is an Italian-American oncologist, pathologist, geneticist, researcher, and professor. He is the Director of the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine in Philadelphia and a Profess ...

(born 1962), Professor of Pathology * Carlo Bellieni (born 1962), associate professor of Pediatrics, bioethicist * Domenico Prattichizzo (born 1965), Professor of Robotics and Automation *

Luigi Marattin Luigi Marattin (20 February 1979) is an Italian politician and economist. Since 30 July 2020, Marattin has served as president of the 6th Permanent Finance Commission of the Chamber of Deputies (Italy), Chamber of Deputies. Biography Maratti ...

(born 1979), politician and economist

Organization

Since 2012, after the general reform of Italian Universities ("Gelmini Act"), the University is composed of fourteen departments, grouped in four areas: * Biomedical and Medical Sciences ** Department of Medical Biotechnologies ** Department of

Molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, ...

and Developmental

Medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

** Department of

Surgery Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery s ...

and

Neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions, and its disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, ...

* Economics, Law and Political Sciences ** Department of

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

and

Statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a s ...

** Department of

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

** Department of

Political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

and International Sciences ** Department of

Business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

and

* Experimental Sciences ** Department of

Biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

and

** Department of

Information Engineering Information engineering is the engineering discipline that deals with the generation, distribution, analysis, and use of information, data, and knowledge in electrical systems. The field first became identifiable in the early 21st century. Th ...

and

Mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

** Department of

Life Sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, ...

** Department of

Physical Sciences Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together is called the "physical sciences". Definition ...

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

and Environment * Literature, History, Philosophy and the Arts ** Department of

Philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

and

Literary Criticism A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature's ...

** Department of

Social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

and

Cognitive Sciences Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary, scientific study of the mind and its processes. It examines the nature, the tasks, and the functions of cognition (in a broad sense). Mental faculties of concern to cognitive scientists include percep ...

** Department of

History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

and

Cultural Heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...

Each department offers graduate and undergraduate courses. Since 2014 the Department of Economics and Statistics and the Department of Business and Law merged their undergraduate and graduate courses into the School of

and

Management Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...

(SEM). Formerly, the University was composed of nine schools: * The School of

* The School of

Engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

* The School of

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

and

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

* The School of Humanities and Philosophy –

Arezzo Arezzo ( , ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the Province of Arezzo, province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of Above mean sea level, above sea level. As of 2 ...

* The School of

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

* The School of

Mathematical Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

, Physical and

Natural Sciences Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

* The School of

and

* The School of

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

's campus is the city. 15,600 students live among the 53,000 Sienese. The university prides itself on diversity. Recently, the university has returned historical buildings to the city, which are being made into apartments or used by the contradas. The university is responsible for many buildings at risk being saved, turned into institutions of study. The faculties of

and

Literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

, for example, have found space for their departments in the large rooms of what was once the San Niccolò Psychiatric Hospital. Another example is the transformation of the former Convent of Santa Chiara into the first collegiate residence in Italy, reserved for those working towards a European postgraduate degree. The church of San Vigilio serves as university chapel. New university buildings have also been built in the city centre such as the one that houses the Faculty of

and

. The ten university dormitories are located within the historical centre (Fontebranda, Mattioli, Porrione, Sperandie, San Marco), on the outskirts (Acquacalda) and near the extended areas of the university (San Miniato).

Degree Courses

For the academic year 2022–23 the following degree courses were provided (medium of instruction in parentheses) * Biotechnologies, Medicine, Dentistry, Health Professions ** Undergraduate (3 years) *** ''Audioprothesic techniques'' *** ''Biomedical laboratory technique''s *** ''Biotechnologies'' *** ''Cardiocirculatory and cardiovascular perfusion techniques'' *** ''Dental hygiene'' *** ''Dietistic'' *** ''Environment and the workplace prevention techniques'' *** ''Imaging and radiotherapy techniques'' *** ''Midwifery'' *** ''Nursing'' *** ''Orthoptic and ophthalmologic assistance'' *** ''Physiotherapy'' *** ''Speech and language therapy'' ** Graduate (2 years) *** ''Biotechnologies of human reproduction'' *** ''Genetic counsellors'' *** ''Health professions of rehabilitation sciences'' *** ''Medical biotechnologies'' *** ''Nursing and midwifery sciences'' ** Single cycle (6 years) *** ''Dentistry and dental prosthodontics'' *** ''Medicine and surgery'' * Economics, Law, Political Sciences, Social Sciences ** Pre-university (1 year) *** ''Foundation Course of the School of Economics and Management'' ** Undergraduate (3 years) *** ''Communication sciences'' *** ''Economics and banking'' *** ''Economics and business'' *** ''Economics and management'' *** ''Legal services'' *** ''Political sciences'' *** ''Social work'' ** Graduate (2 years) *** ''Communication strategies and techniques'' *** ''Economics'' *** ''Economics and management of financial institutions'' *** ''Economics for the environment and sustainability'' *** ''Finance'' *** ''International accounting and management'' *** ''International studies'' *** ''Language and mind: linguistics and cognitive studies'' *** ''Management and governance'' *** ''Public and cultural diplomacy'' *** ''Sciences of administrations'' *** ''Social sustainability and welfare management'' *** ''Statistics for sample surveys'' ** Single cycle (5 years) *** ''Law'' * Environmental Sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Geology ** Undergraduate (3 years) *** ''

Agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit ...

'' *** ''Biological sciences'' *** ''Chemical sciences'' *** ''Geological sciences'' *** ''Natural and environmental sciences'' ** Graduate (2 years) *** ''Biodiversity, conservation and environmental quality'' *** ''Biology'' *** ''Chemistry'' *** ''Ecotoxicology and

environmental sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

'' *** ''Geological sciences and technologies'' *** ''Health biology'' *** ''Sustainable industrial pharmaceutical biotechnology'' ** Single cycle (5 years) *** ''Pharmaceutical chemistry and technology'' *** ''Pharmacy'' * Physics, Engineering, Mathematics ** Undergraduate (3 years) *** ''Computer and information engineering'' *** ''Engineering management'' *** ''Mathematics'' *** ''Physics and advanced technologies'' ** Graduate (2 years) *** ''Applied mathematics'' *** ''Artificial intelligence and automation engineering'' *** ''Electronics and communications engineering'' *** ''Engineering management'' * Cultural Heritage, Education, Literature, Languages, History, Philosophy ** Undergraduate (3 years) *** ''Education'' *** ''History and cultural heritage'' *** ''Languages for intercultural and business communication'' *** ''Studies in literature and philosophy'' ** Graduate (2 years) *** ''Anthropology and visual studies'' *** ''Archaeology'' *** ''Classics'' *** ''Education sciences and educational consulting for organizations'' *** ''History and philosophy'' *** ''History of art'' *** ''Italian studies'' *** ''Language and mind: linguistics and cognitive studies''

Points of interest

* Orto Botanico dell'Università di Siena, the university's

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

Notes and references

External links

University of Siena Website
*

Bibliography

* de Ridder-Symoens, Hilde: '' A History of the University in Europe, Volume 1: Universities in the Middle Ages.'' Cambridge University Press, 1992 * Waley, Daniel: ''Siena and the Sienese in the thirteenth century.'' Cambridge University Press, 1991 * Wahnbaeck, Till: ''Luxury and Public Happiness: Political Economy in the Italian Enlightenment'' Oxford University Press, 2004 {{DEFAULTSORT:University Of Siena Universities in Tuscany Buildings and structures in Siena 1240 establishments in Europe 13th-century establishments in the Republic of Siena Siena, University of

History

The early ''studium''

The School of Humanities and Philosophy

The university under changing states

The university in the ''Risorgimento''

The university in modern Italy

Notable alumni and faculty

Organization

Degree Courses

Points of interest

See also

Notes and references

External links

Bibliography