SOCRATES PROJECT

ECTS

University Regulations

Art. 1

The University of Urbino, through its representative academic bodies, hereby sets itself the priority objective of adopting the European system of credits (ECTS) within its faculties. This implementation will take place in accordance with that established in the European and Italian regulations in force in with regard to this subject and in particular with the following: Law no. 256 of July 14^th, 1993 (ratification and execution of the European Convention with regard to the general equivalence of periods of university study); decision no. 819/95/EC of the European Parliament and the Cabinet of March 14^th 1995 (establishment of the Socrates Project); Article 12 of Law no. 705 of December 9^th, 1985 (regarding organisational and didactic experimentation). This system will be valid as a term of reference for any other acknowledgement of periods of study pursued abroad and which students of the University will undertake as part of specific agreements between said University of Urbino and foreign universities, or as part of other European Community programmes, in accordance with that specified in Article 1.

Art. 2

To this end, the University undertakes to:

• remove all impediments of a teaching, administrative, regulatory or any other nature, which may interfere with the implementation of the ECTS system;
• promote and encourage any measures that may facilitate the implementation of said system within university faculties;
• adopt all administrative measures necessary for the full implementation of the ECTS system;
• ensure that all criteria regarding ECTS system implementation are diffused as widely as possible through the relevant departments and offices.

Art. 3

It will be the exclusive task of the faculties and of their representative academic bodies to establish the criteria for the implementation of the ECTS system with regard to degree courses and to the relevant study and teaching plans used by each faculty. Such implementation shall be based upon the relevant regulations in force in the European Community, Italy, and the University itself.

Art. 4

In order to co-ordinate the different measures and proceedings required for the implementation of the ECTS system, each faculty shall appoint its own ECTS representative.

It will be the task of this representative to:

• co-ordinate ECTS system predisposition within the faculty and direct the issue of the relevant information booklet;
• co-ordinate the ECTS system implementation procedures executed by those in charge of the single (or groups of) Socrates agreements with European universities, who in turn are answerable to the faculty;
• supervise the full implementation of the ECTS system in accordance with that specified in the relevant faculty and university regulations;
• co-ordinate the collection of didactic agreements as referred to in Article 6, which will be applied by the faculty for Socrates students when acknowledging studies completed at foreign universities;
• propose to faculty councils or to other faculty bodies with delegated responsibility, the acknowledgement, equivalence and evaluation of studies pursued abroad by Socrates students according to the methods foreseen for this subject, and to collect proposals on this subject from the teaching staff concerned;
• take part in the university ECTS bodies, collaborating with the university ECTS supervisor as mentioned in Article 5 hereunder.

Art. 5

In order to attain the objectives as mentioned in Articles 1 and 2 and in order to co-ordinate the work of the faculty ECTS representatives, the Chancellor will appoint an ECTS representative for the university.

It will be the task of this representative to:

• supervise the implementation of these regulations within the university and its faculties;
• collaborate with faculty ECTS representatives, offering consulting services and information regarding the full use of the ECTS system within the university;
• collect information on the ECTS system implementation experiences of other Italian and European universities and propose possible study initiatives and meetings to this regard;
• report regularly to the Chancellor on the subject of the progress of ECTS system implementation within the university and its faculties;
• request of faculties and their representative academic bodies that they promptly acknowledge studies pursued abroad by faculty students in the event that any serious delays occur in said acknowledgement process.

When carrying out these tasks, the university representative will use the collaboration of the Socrates and International Relations Offices of the university.

Art. 6

For the acknowledgement of studies pursued abroad in accordance with the ECTS, every student shall:

• comply with the university and faculty regulations foreseen for this subject;
• present to the faculty, within the time limits foreseen, a teaching agreement stating the planned studies to be pursued abroad together with the relevant agreements entered into with the faculty teaching staff concerned;
• present to the dean of the faculty concerned and no more than one month from completion of the course of study, documents which state the nature of the studies completed, the duration of said studies, and the examinations taken. These documents must be accompanied by an application for the acknowledgement of the studies concerned.

Art. 7

The faculties will have the task of acknowledging, as quickly as possible and on the basis of the university and faculty regulations on the subject, the applications of students made in compliance with the above Article 6. In particular, acknowledgement procedures shall in no way delay or impede the study programmes of students with regard to sitting examinations or written tests. In the event that reports are made with regard to any serious delays in the aforementioned acknowledgement procedures, either in the faculties or in the university itself, the ECTS representative will be entitled to report such delays to the Chancellor, in order that he may take action, insofar as it is in his power to do so.

Where necessary, the faculties may proceed, after consulting with the students concerned and in accordance with the regulations in force, to the modification of the study programme in order to achieve full acknowledgement of studies pursued abroad.

In the event that the faculties do not consider the acknowledgement of the studies effected abroad to be possible, they shall give valid reasons on the basis of the relevant standards and regulations in force.

Art. 8

Those students who have fulfilled the obligations as stated in Article 6 and who, in accordance with that foreseen in the relevant standards and regulations, may, in the event of serious delays in the acknowledgement procedures or of failure, without due motive, on the part of a faculty to acknowledge studies completed abroad, submit a document of appeal to the faculty ECTS representative and, at a later date, to the university ECTS representative, in order to obtain the acknowledgement required.

The faculties will be obliged to present their verdicts in the shortest possible time and in any case, no later than 45 days from the time of submission of said appeal.

These same obligations apply to the university ECTS representative in those cases where recourse is made to him or her in accordance with that stated in Article 7.

Art. 9

As well as studies pursued abroad as part of the Socrates Project or other international agreement, as stated in Article 11 with regard to the attendance of seminars and courses and to the passing of relevant examinations, the faculties will, if foreseen in the agreements stipulated with foreign universities as part of European Community projects, be able to acknowledge the following:

• periods for the preparation of a thesis, completed in accordance with prior and written agreements between the faculty supervisor and the member of teaching staff of the foreign university concerned;
• periods of study completed as part of a doctorate course, if foreseen in the regulations in force and in stipulated agreements;
• activities regarding work experience, laboratory experience, or other collateral didactic activities, if foreseen in the relevant syllabus and study programmes followed, and in accordance with the regulations and agreements in force.

Art. 10

The Chancellor, after hearing the university ECTS representative and the departments in charge, and in agreement with the university academic bodies, will ensure that any impediment to a clear indication in the examination and degree certificates issued by this university with regard to examinations and studies completed abroad is removed.

Art. 11

The regulations for the acknowledgement of studies pursued abroad in accordance with the ECTS system are valid for those periods of study spent at foreign universities as part of the Socrates or other similar European Community projects.

These regulations may be applied in cases of study abroad as part of other European Community or international agreements to which the university adheres, in the following cases:

• the procedures foreseen in these regulations are adopted;
• the university, through its representative academic bodies, decides to stipulate agreements to this regard with foreign universities or to take part in similar European Community or international projects on the basis of that foreseen in the standards and regulations in force.