FAQ

LANGUAGE CERTIFICATION

Where I could find the information about the language used for each Master’s degree courses in the partner universities?
You can find all the information in this web page:
OUTGOING STUDENTS
within the section where the announcement files and its appendix are located.

Is it mandatory to have an international language certification?
Yes. There is currently only one exception:
ESC Clermont Ferrand, at which you are required to take the “TOEIC” exam, offered free of charge, as an entry requirement.

For how many years the certifications are considered valid?
Usually in the certification is contained the expiration date, if it is not available, the certification will be valid for two years.

I am a student from MIBE/MEFI/MEGI/MELI, do I need to provide an International certification language?
Yes, is a requirement to be admitted in the Double Degree program.

I speak the language of instruction of the host university as I am mother tongue, do I need to provide the language certification?
No, in that case you have to provide a self-certification in which you indicate that you are mother tongue in a certain language. You can find more information in the announcement file.

What are the valid English certificates to apply?
The most requested international language certifications, in each case you can find a list published in the outgoing students page of the site.

By what date must the English language certification be presented?
In the annex of the announcement that is published every year is included the deadline that each university has established. Also on the side of the Dept. of Economics&Management selection procedure, the deadline is set at the end of June 30 of the year of the selections.

Is the certification from the Language Center of the University of Pavia okay, or is there a need for international certification?
An international certification language is required.

SELECTION PROCESS

How are the candidates selected?
Is it all explained in the announcement published every year in the DD outgoing students webpage.

Is it mandatory to apply for three destinations?
No, but highly suggested. In this way, if you are not selected for your first choice, you may be selected for your second or third choice.

Is there any age constraint to be selected?
No.

At this moment, can we apply for DD, Erasmus Overseas, ISEP, and Louisiana?
Yes, it is possible. In the application selection procedure it is mandatory to indicate which other exchange program the student intends to participate in, but when the student accepts the DD destination, he/she automatically withdraws from the other destinations of the different international exchange programs.

Is there an interview to be done?
Yes.

Do I need to apply to the host university independently as well?
No, it doesn’t. When you are selected for a destination, you are considered a student of the host university. It will be the host university that, after nominations, will contact you giving you application information and so on.

Are the Double Degree and Erasmus + selection process interrelated?
Yes. If you are applying for the Double Degree Program, please apply for the same destinations also in the Erasmus program. Following destinations require that you also have the Erasmus status as a double degree student:

• EM-Strasbourg
• Vaasa
• Hohenheim

In the case I am not selected for the Double Degree program, can I leave with Erasmus?
Yes, if you are selected for an Erasmus destination.

I took an exam close to the announcement deadline and I’m not sure if it will be registered before my information is pulled for the purpose of perfecting the preliminary ranking, how do I go about declaring this and not losing credits?
There is a field within the application process where the student can report these conditions. The committee will proceed to calculate also that exam already taken but not yet registered.

MOTIVATION LETTER

Do we have to write a motivation letter?
Yes, it is requested for DD program.

How should the motivation letter be written?
The letter of motivation should certainly contain some mention of the student’s background and motivation for participating in the exchange program, as well as a detailed analysis of each study plan for each university indicated.
This analysis should be more easily illustrated using a table in which in one column are the exams of the second year of the Italian curriculum and in the other the related, although different, exams that the student will choose to take abroad.

How long should the motivation letter be? Is there a limit?
Yes, no more two-three pages.

Do we have to write something about the internship in the motivation letter?
No, it is not mandatory, but is suggested, since this is another useful motivation matter.

CURRICULUM

In the event that, prior to the start of the DD program, the student still has to take exams from the 1st year of their curriculum, will they be allowed to start DD? And if so, what must the student do to close the gap?

It will be possible to go to study abroad with a maximum gap of no more than 15 credits missing from the first year. In this case, the student will have to fill the gap during the year, either by taking advantage of the periods of suspension of teaching activities, usually for holidays, and then take the missing exams in Pavia, or by using, in agreement with the administrative coordinators of the parties, the tool of distance examsIt is compulsory to complete the first-year exams as soon as possible in order to be recognized as credits of the foreign study plan and to access the second-year courses at the host university.
It is strongly suggested not to start with a gap to fill given the strong competition of the Double Degree program.

In order to participate in the dd, is it mandatory to do both semesters abroad even if there are no lectures in the second semester, only possible curricular internship and thesis writing? If so, could one do the eventual internship in Italy and write the thesis with a professor from the University of Pavia? 

The student must do at least 10 months abroad; if he/she decides to do the internship in Italy, he/she will be forced to return part of the grant; the thesis must be done abroad and graduate abroad first.
Only for Liege will he/she has to look for an Italian writing supervisor and a Belgian reader, but he/she will still have to graduate first in Liege and then in Italy.
For all other cases, one has to look for a foreign thesis advisor and write the thesis abroad, also looking for an Italian reader.

Can I change the study plan during my stay abroad?
Yes, can be changed at the beginning of the exchange year. You have approximately one month and a half from your arrival to change the agreement. Indeed, when you arrive you may discover that some classes overlap or that some courses are not available. Once you have modified it, it has to be signed again by both the coordinator from Pavia and the coordinator from the host university.

Is there a minimum of ECTS that must be included in the foreign curriculum?
Yes. All credits from the 2nd year of the foreign curriculum.

As a MEFI student, attending the finance curriculum, can I apply for SWUFE? Because I’ve seen that the master offered is about Marketing.
Yes, it is possible, the Chinese master program is the same for now. However, it is good practice to get in touch with the Double Degree coordinators to arrange the best study arrangement.

Regarding Freiburg University, we can choose any course from the Master section, right?
No, only the courses contained in the Master in International and European Business, which will be indicated by the Swiss coordinator. Of course optional courses will be available.
See at this link

I’m a Double Degree student, can I carry out two different master thesis abroad and in Italy?
No, you must do the same master’s thesis both abroad and in Italy. Only for students who did their Double Degree exchange experience in EM-Strasbourg and Seville can do a different thesis.

INTERNSHIP

China DD. Do I have the possibility to work/stage?
No.

About Finland, in Vaasa, is it possible to do the internship? Or it is two semesters of study?
Yes, it is possible for International Business master programm.

In which destinations is the internship curricular?

• EM- Strasbourg Business School
• iae School of Management – Université Jean Molin
• HEC Management School – University of Liege – HEC-ULg

How do I manage the activation of an internship with Liege?
When the internship is activated through our procedure that foresees the activation of an agreement with the company the students have a company tutor and an academic tutor from our side and Liege simply confirms the internship by receiving a communication from us, the same in case the students find an internship in Liege, but we can consider the option to ask to activate directy from Liege itself, taking into account however our rules on the duration of the internship.

SCHOLARSHIP

Why I haven’t yet received the scholarship?
probably because you have not yet enrolled in the second year and therefore have not paid the relevant fees, or you have not yet updated your bank details in esse3, or both. These fulfilments must be done as soon as possible, around August, both for DD and DD-Erasmus students.

When will I receive my scholarship and how will it be disbursed?
The grants will be paid in the measure of 80% as soon as we receive the arrival certificate signed and dated by the university that will host you. The remaining 20% at the end of the mobility when we receive the departure certificate signed and dated by the host university.

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