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TEMPORARY ONLINE ATTENDANCE DUE TO VISA DELAY

If your arrival in Italy is delayed due to visa processing, and you are therefore unable to attend classes in person from the beginning of the semester, please inform the lecturers of your first-semester courses of your expected date of arrival. This is particularly important for courses with mandatory attendance, especially the Studios.

Subject to authorization by the Vice-Rector, lecturers may make alternative teaching arrangements to support students affected by visa delays, including the possibility of attending part of the course remotely.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON SPECIFIC FIRST-YEAR COURSES


23111 - OTHER KNOWLEDGE USEFUL FOR JOB PLACEMENT 2 CFU

From Article 8 of the Degree Programme Regulations (https://www.unipa.it/dipartimenti/architettura/cds/spatialplanning2286/.content/documenti/REGOLAMENTO_SING_2025-26_DEF.pdf):

The Degree Programme may award ECTS credits, within the category “Other Activities pursuant to Article 10”, under “Other Knowledge and Skills Useful for Entering the Labour Market”, for participation in activities such as seminars and workshops organised by external public or private bodies, provided that participation is free of charge.

Before attending this type of activity, students must obtain explicit authorisation from the Degree Programme Council, which will assess whether the activity is consistent with the topics and learning objectives of the Master’s Degree Programme.

Alternatively, rather than requiring individual students to submit a request, the Degree Programme Council may grant prior approval for the recognition of ECTS credits for courses or activities organised by external bodies when these are considered relevant to students enrolled in the Programme.

After attending an externally organised course or activity—whether previously approved by the Degree Programme Council or authorised following an individual request—the student must provide proof of attendance and a brief report when submitting the request for ECTS credit recognition.

To obtain the 2 ECTS credits required in the Study Plan under “Other Knowledge and Skills Useful for Entering the Labour Market”, students must submit evidence of eligible activities corresponding to a total of 2 ECTS credits.

More specifically:
•    1 ECTS credit is awarded for seminars lasting one day;
•    2 ECTS credits are awarded for seminars lasting more than one day or for activities involving active student participation, such as workshops, electronic town meetings, etc.

The required 2 ECTS credits may also be obtained by extending an internship or traineeship period, subject to prior authorisation.

Other learning activities, such as civil service or volunteering, may also be recognised where the award of ECTS credits is provided for by applicable legislation, regulations, or resolutions adopted by academic bodies.
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Summary of the main operational instructions

1.    Chose and propose an activity: the student can chose and propose to the coordinator (filippo.schilleci@unipa.it) and the secretary (vincenza.garofalo@unipa.it) an activity that he/she wants to attend. If the activity has already been advertised in the Course’s News section, it is automatically considered eligible for recognition. Activities eligible for ECTS recognition include seminars, lecture series, workshops and conferences; language, IT and digital training; transversal skills development; career guidance; and other activities consistent with the learning objectives of the Degree Programme.
2.    Attend one or more activities that have already been approved until you have earned a total of 2 CFU. Remember to have your attendance certified by the organisers.
3.    Send the documentation certifying completion of the activity to didattica.darch@unipa.it. The documentation and the request for credit recognition must be submitted at least three days before the date of the examination session.
4.    Register for the specific examination session dedicated to the recognition of the corresponding ECTS credits.

IMPORTANT! Course credit recognition can only be granted if the submitted documentation certifies a total of 2 ECTS credits. If only one certificate attesting 1 ECTS credit is uploaded, the student will be required to repeat the procedure at the next examination session by submitting, at the same time, all the documentation necessary to demonstrate the completion of the full 2 ECTS credits required for recognition.

Attiv. form. a scelta dello studente (consigliate) 8.0 CFU

From Article 9 of the Degree Programme Regulations (https://www.unipa.it/dipartimenti/architettura/cds/spatialplanning2286/.content/documenti/REGOLAMENTO_SING_2025-26_DEF.pdf):

Starting from the first year, students may request to include in their study plan courses selected from those offered by degree programmes at the University of Palermo other than their own, or by other Italian or international universities.

Courses (both free-choice and elective courses) must be added to the study plan by the student through the Student Portal, within the designated first- and second-semester periods established in the University Academic Calendar, following the procedures specified on the relevant UniPa webpage for enrolled students/career management.

The request must normally be approved by the Degree Programme Council, or by a decision of the Degree Programme Coordinator to be ratified at the next available meeting of the Council, no later than 30 days after the request has been submitted.

Courses included in the “Optional Learning Activities” groups listed in the Study Programme Regulations for the Master’s Degree in Spatial Planning will be approved automatically (pre-approved elective courses), without requiring assessment by the Degree Programme Council.

If the student’s choice of courses is made within the framework of an international mobility or cooperation programme, the rules and procedures established for the specific university exchange programme concerned shall apply.
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Summary of the main operational instructions

Please also note that simply enrolling in an individual course through the lecturer’s course page is not sufficient. This procedure only gives students access to the teaching materials made available by the lecturer; it does not add the course to the student’s study plan and therefore does not allow them to register for the corresponding exam.

Changes to the study plan (including the addition of free-choice courses, compulsory elective courses, and extra courses) must be made by students through the Student Portal within the first- and second-semester time windows established in the University Academic Calendar (Calendario didattico di Ateneo: https://www.unipa.it/servizi/segreterie/.content/documenti/avvisi/2026/Decreto_rettorale_calendario_didattico_2026-27.pdf), (e.g. for A.Y 2026/2027 1 settembre - 23 ottobre 2026 and 1 gennaio - 26 marzo 2027) following the procedures specified on the UNIPA website: https://www.unipa.it/target/studenti-iscritti/gestione-carriera/modifica-piano-di-studi/index.html

Specifically, to select compulsory elective courses, students must log in to the Student Portal and access their study plan through the “Exams/Study Plan” menu, or by clicking on the relevant notice displayed on the Portal homepage.

Students must then locate the elective course group and expand it by clicking on the [+] icon. Once the courses included in the group are displayed, they can select the desired course by clicking the “Select” button next to it.

If the course selected is not the one actually intended, students can undo their selection by clicking the “Remove” button.

IMPORTANT!  Students are kindly requested to pay particular attention to the first- and second-semester time windows established in the University Academic Calendar. Students who have missed the relevant deadline due to delays in enrolment caused by visa procedures will have to postpone their course selection until the following academic year. The system does not allow the dates of these time windows to be extended or changed.


IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON SPECIFIC SECOND-YEAR COURSES

21013 - INTERNSHIP AND ORIENTATION TRAINING 
From Article 8 of the Degree Programme Regulations (https://www.unipa.it/dipartimenti/architettura/cds/spatialplanning2286/.content/documenti/REGOLAMENTO_SING_2025-26_DEF.pdf):

The Study Programme curriculum includes a compulsory curricular internship, listed in the Study Plan as “Internship and Orientation Training.”
The curricular internship may be undertaken from the first semester of the second year onwards and must be carried out on a continuous basis. It corresponds to 10 ECTS credits and requires a minimum of 250 hours of activity, based on the ratio of 25 hours per ECTS credit established by the University of Palermo’s General Regulations for Training and Orientation Internships. The internship credits are formally recorded through dedicated examination sessions.

The procedure for the activation and validation of the internship is described on the following webpage:
https://www.unipa.it/dipartimenti/architettura/cds/spatialplanning2286/didattica/tirocini.html

Only in the case of internships to be undertaken at private institutions or professional practices, whether local, national or international, must students obtain prior explicit approval from the Degree Programme Council (CCdL). When submitting their request for approval, students must also provide the necessary documentation to demonstrate that the professional or research profile of the proposed host institution or practice is suitable for providing the trainee with professional skills and competences consistent with the educational objectives of the Degree Programme.

Given the specific international profile of the Degree Programme, internships at international institutions are also strongly encouraged, particularly in the countries of origin of international students.
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Summary of the main operational instructions

For the purpose of completing the internship, students are encouraged to consider the opportunities available through the Erasmus calls, published on the following webpages:

Bando di Mobilità Internazionale dell'Ateneo per studio e traineeship: https://www.unipa.it/mobilita/studenti-unipa-outgoing/bandi-di-ateneo/
The call is generally published in February of each year.

Erasmus+ per Traineeship Autonomo: https://www.unipa.it/mobilita/studenti-unipa-outgoing/erasmustraineeshipautonomo/
Erasmus+ ai fini di Traineeship: https://www.unipa.it/mobilita/studenti-unipa-outgoing/erasmus-ai-fini-di-traineeship/


16047 - THESIS
From Article 16 of the Degree Programme Regulations (https://www.unipa.it/dipartimenti/architettura/cds/spatialplanning2286/.content/documenti/REGOLAMENTO_SING_2025-26_DEF.pdf):

To obtain the Master’s Degree in Spatial Planning, students are required to take a Final Examination, in accordance with the current University Academic Regulations. To be admitted to the Final Examination, all examinations included in the Degree Programme curriculum must be formally recorded no later than 10 calendar days before the beginning of the graduation examination session.

The Final Examination of the Master’s Degree Programme is intended to assess the graduating student’s knowledge and competences in a topic related to the disciplines included in the Degree Programme curriculum. It consists of the presentation and discussion of an original Master’s Thesis, aimed at assessing the level of technical, scientific and professional competence achieved by the student, as well as the discussion of any questions raised by the members of the Examination Committee.

The final thesis must demonstrate originality and may be experimental, theoretical or design-oriented in nature. It must be written in English. Where appropriate to the specific nature of the topic, the thesis may also include a multimedia output. The final thesis may be prepared either individually or jointly by a group of no more than three graduating students.

The requirements for the Final Examination, the procedures for preparing the thesis, and the criteria for the final assessment are specified in the relevant Final Examination Regulations, available at the following link:
https://www.unipa.it/dipartimenti/architettura/cds/spatialplanning2286/regolamenti.html

Further guidance on the preparation of the final thesis will be provided by the Thesis Supervisor, who will agree with the graduating student on its graphic layout and presentation.

The Final Examination is worth 10 ECTS credits.
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Summary of the main operational instructions

Students can choose as a supervisor from all the professors in the Master's program, depending on the topic they want to address. Students will agree on the specific topic with the supervisor they choose.