Agreement between PUCRS and Italian institution aims to foster internationalization of teaching
Each and every undergraduate student dreams of the very day they will get their diploma. What if, at the end of their academic program, they could get two diplomas, one of which from an important institution from overseas? This is now a reality at PUCRS’ Law School.
Gabriela Bertol, Professor Ferreira Neto and Mariana Andrade
The Double Degree program in partnership with the Universitá Degli Studi di Parma (UNIPR) makes it possible for PUCRS students to do one year of their undergraduate program there and vice-versa. The goal is to foster the internationalization of teaching, which will ensure that students can have an international experience, expand their horizons and learn about Law from an international perspective.
Since 2017, students Gabriela Bertol and Mariana Bernieri Schiavon de Andrade have been studying in Italy whereas two Italian students are working on their degrees at PUCRS’ Law School. They have been selected for the first edition of the program, which began in 2016, and are expected to return to their home countries in August 2018.
According to Law School Professor Dr Arthur Maria Ferreira Neto, in 2016, PUCRS was approached by the Italian institution. The implementation of a new curriculum structure in both institution’s programs to make courses equivalent have made this partnership possible.
“At the end of the undergraduate course of study, the diplomas will be valid in any European state”, adds Ferreira Neto. PUCRS students awarded with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law at Parma will have to pass the counterpart of the Bar Exam if they want to work as an attorney in Italy. “However, this is less bureaucratic than trying to validate a Brazilian diploma overseas, for instance”, says he.
The Double Degree program has grown in importance because of the partners involved. “This agreement is directly in line with the project of internationalization of the university, which is one of the goals of our strategic plan. Surely, the program earns PUCRS some reputation in Europe. It is a good thing for students and an opportunity to make the university popular overseas”, comments he. In his visit to UNIPR in April, Ferreira Neto was proud to see the popularity of PUCRS in discussions involving faculty from different countries.
A Law School degree in two distinct contexts – Brazil and Italy – is a consequence of the globalization of the profession. “We can’t think of Law strictly as an act or as something that is written in the Constitution”, says he. In his view, although the teaching of law as it is at the university is taking a different perspective, the reasoning, the content and the strategic thinking have a universal dimension.
PUCRS and UNIPR are still working on a new edition of the Double Degree program. Freshman and sophomore students who are proficient in the Portuguese and Italian will be eligible for it.
In February 2010, School of Humanities’ Theology program, set up an international partnership and became the first to offer a double degree program. Students would then earn a degree from PUCRS and Pontificia Università Lateranense (PUL), from Rome (Italy). The diplomas, which are issued by both institutions, are recognized by the Vatican and serve as a requirement for theologists to work on their Master’s or PhD program in Europe.
