Philosophy, Politics and Cultural Studies - A. Y. 2025/2026

The Master's degree in Philosophy, Politics and Cultural Studies aims to train graduates in the methodologies of social sciences needed for the analysis and interpretation of political and socio-economic phenomena, with the analytical and argumentative techniques typical of the philosophical disciplines and needed to critically evaluate the normative scope of similar phenomena, with the perspective depth fostered by historical studies. Through the combination of these skills, the course of study aims to produce graduates with an open and critical vision of contemporary society, who are capable of developing proposals for intervention and identifying appropriate courses of action, both in terms of practicability and effectiveness, and in light of value-based considerations. The strength of graduates in Philosophy, Politics and Cultural Studies lies in possession of skills (in cultural, social and decision-making terms) necessary to face the challenges of encounters of cultures, and orderly and fair integration in democratic institutions. They can be defined as intercultural experts, i.e. as analysts of migratory phenomena and experts in the definition of integration strategies at every level of associated and institutional life.

This type of skill can be used in different fields: in the public sector, in public administration, as well as in the private and third sectors. Furthermore, they are also indispensable skills in the manufacturing sector where issues of cultural mediation both within the personnel sector and among customers and foreign markets are relevant and require specific sensitivity and knowledge. For this reason, graduates in Philosophy, Politics and Cultural Studies can be employed in public administrations, in healthcare and in the third sector, but also in companies that are looking for figures capable of providing strategic consultancy in relation to cultural mediation with reference both to planning corporate, marketing, communications and human resource management. More specifically, graduates in Philosophy, Politics and Cultural Studies can successfully undertake professional paths: in local, national and international institutions as experts in immigration and integration policies; in public administrations; within companies that operate in the global market and employ culturally diverse personnel; in the information and cultural industry sectors.   The interdisciplinary degree course combines teaching from the degree in Philosophy with that of Political Science.

Compared to the degree in Philosophy, here you also study:

• Political, economic and social sciences
• Comparative and international law

Compared to the degree in Political Science, here you also study:

• Ethics applied to public issues
• Argumentation and communication
• Philosophy and history

In addition, this course teaches:

• Arabic
• Chinese
• IT

• Truly interdisciplinary course combining the knowledge of the Philosophy degree with the knowledge of the Political Science degree.
• Dedicated seminar-based teaching.
• Possibility of new professions linked to the figure of the intercultural expert
• Attainment of the necessary credits for access to teaching in various competition classes
• Many opportunities for internships and apprenticeships also abroad
• Possibility of undertaking Erasmus and Free-Mover programmes.

Possible opportunities following this course include a Master's degree, as well as project and management coordination tasks in the following fields:

• Teaching in state schools; with acquisition of the skills necessary for access to teaching roles in first and second level secondary education institutions in the relevant competitive classes. Roles of the graduate: graduates who have a sufficient number of credits in appropriate sectors and have also acquired the 24 credits required by Ministerial Decree 616/2017 (all present in the educational offer of the Department of Humanistic Studies - DISUM), will be able, according to current legislation, to participate in the competition for first and second level secondary teaching (announced every two years) and  become teachers of Philosophy and Human Sciences (A-18) and Philosophy and History (A-19).
• the publishing and cultural industry. Graduate roles: carry out and coordinate editorial activities; carry out editorial consultancy activities, also as series manager; prepare and revise texts; develop and manage editorial projects; carry out translation, editing and commentary activities on texts in various disciplinary fields; prepare the methods of communicating contents, organising and presenting them on a communicative level based on the different types of readership in question
• cultural and management activities in state archives and other institutions, libraries, museums, superintendencies, cultural centres, foundations, corporate entities. Graduate roles: coordinate, organize and manage, directly or through subordinate staff, the activities of libraries, museums and archives; plan, coordinate and manage cultural projects aimed at promoting classical and Italian languages and literatures, and the cultures of the classical, medieval, modern and contemporary worlds; coordinate and manage projects aimed at research, conservation and valorisation of cultural heritage; coordinate and manage the archiving and cataloguing of documentation on different supports, and work in the e-format conservation of humanistic data assets
• research support activity at organisations and research centres in public and private bodies and institutions, both Italian and foreign. Graduate roles: carry out data retrieval and processing of activities in various humanistic fields, preparation of texts, organisation of cultural, scientific or educational events; work at press and/or intermediate communication centres and public relations services for public bodies or private companies.
• research activity in the humanities at universities and other institutions. Graduate roles: PhD in humanistic disciplines; work as a specialist in humanistic disciplines within research institutes and foundations for consultancy activities, and participation in cultural projects.

The distribution of credits in the various disciplinary fields is constructed in such a way as to allow the acquisition of philological-literary, historical, geographical, historical-artistic and archaeological, communicative and anthropological skills, suitable for the different professional profiles described. The choice between the various disciplinary fields allows you to create personalised profiles. 

Courses and programmes

On the Uniupo - Syllabus website you can consult the syllabuses of the course of the first year (select the academic year of interest from the drop-down menu) or syllabuses of the course of the second year while on the dedicated page of this website you can find more information on compiling the study plan.

Study plans

• Full-time - LM-62 Curriculum: Political Science
• Full-time - LM-78 Curriculum: Philosophy

• Part-time 3 years - LM-62 Curriculum: Political Science
• Part-time 3 years - LM-78 Curriculum: Philosophy

• Part-time 4 years - LM62 Curriculum: Political Science
• Part-time 4 years - LM-78 Curriculum: Philosophy

Didactic Regulations

• Didactic Regulations

The course of study is FREE ACCESS (not subject to programmed numbering). 

You are admitted in law if you have obtained a Bachelor's degree in one of the following classes

• L-5 Philosophy
• L-6 Geography
• L-14 Science of Legal Services
• L 16 Science of Administration and Organisation
• L 18 Science of Economics and Business Management
• L-20 Communication Science
• L-33 Economics
• L-36 Political Science and International Relations
• L-37 Social Science for Cooperation, Development and Peace
• L-39 Social Service
• L-40 Sociology
• L-42 History

If you have obtained a Bachelor's degree in humanities or socio-historical subjects other than those listed, your knowledge and skills will be ascertained during the interview that everyone must undergo to be enrolled. If specific gaps are found, your tutor will provide you with a personal pathway to resolve them.

Knowledge of English at a good level of B2 is expected.

Steps for enrolment

To enrol on the Master of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Cultural Studies course, you must attend the entrance interview, held by lecturers from the course of study, on the dates indicated below.
The interview grants the clearance necessary to formalise enrolment. During the interview the requirements for enrolment and the possession of adequate personal preparation on the basis of previous career experience are assessed. The interview does not focus on disciplinary issues. 
In order to be granted the authorisation, the following self-certifications must be presented at the interview:    

• a printout (obtainable from the website of the university of origin, via the personal page) of the career plan of the previous university course(s), indicating the examinations taken, the relative scientific-disciplinary sectors, the credits obtained and the grade obtained (in thirtieths) for each examination. 
• self-certification form, duly completed and signed (pdf downloadable from this page).

At the interview, the student must also indicate to the Commission the name of the teacher-tutor who will follow him/her through the university course.

Admission interviews for the Master's degree course will be held on fixed dates starting in September.

Teacher-Tutor (Chairman)

Prof. Enrico Biale

Lecturer-tutors 

The Lecturer-tutor has the task of advising, guiding and accompanying you in the compilation of the option forms, as well as throughout your academic career.

Here, the link to the document showing the assignment of LSM tutors for the academic year 2025/2026.
The Tutors are: 

• Silvia Fazzo, 
• Luca Ghisleri, 
• Gabriella Silvestrini, 
• Gianluca Mori,  
• Maria Teresa Monti, 
• Cristina Meini, 
• Iolanda Poma, 
• Anna Elisabetta Galeotti, 
• Enrico Biale

Tutoring

For ongoing guidance and support to students enrolled in the degree course, the teaching staff is assisted by tutors specialised in the various training areas, selected by means of a special call for applications from among the best prepared and most deserving student population.

The University of Eastern Piedmont offers a good range of possibilities for going abroad. Students can enrol in a degree course that offers a dual degree: one Italian and one from the foreign country in which they go to study. Alternatively, it is possible to spend a period abroad with the classic Erasmus+ programme, either to follow courses (Erasmus for study purposes) or to carry out an internship (Erasmus for traineeship purposes). Some prefer "FreeMover" mobility or choose even more flexible programmes, making use of international scholarships.
In particular, the Erasmus and International Students Office handles relations between students (both outgoing and incoming) and those responsible for international activity at the partner universities. This support is strongly reflected not only in the context of the Erasmus+ Call for Study purposes, but also extends to mobility for internship purposes, in particular through support in finding a place to work (to this end, the University website offers a list of predefined internships and useful websites for searching for a host institution, which is constantly updated).
In order to further assist departing students, we try to put them in contact with students who have already had an international mobility experience and/or with incoming international students, so that there can be an exchange of information from a practical-organisational point of view. A useful tool that has been in place for a few years now in all Departments is the Erasmus WIKI, a web page where students can find useful information to better organise their stay abroad. Individual pages have been created for each destination, which are updated from time to time by students returning to Italy.
The Erasmus and International Students Office also deals with the distribution of community and ministerial funds, proceeding with the calculation of the scholarships due and the related reporting for all types of mobility listed above. As regards international mobility agreements, it should be noted that there are currently more than 150 inter-institutional agreements active (and others are still being renewed), 13 international cooperation agreements in Europe and 9 international cooperation agreements in the non-EU area.

As regards incoming students, the Erasmus and International Students Office offers support and assistance to students during the application phase, sending them the contact details of the Student Services, Careers Guidance and Job Placement offices in order to obtain information regarding available accommodation in university residences and the calendar of teaching activities.

Furthermore, the Erasmus and International Students Office continues to collaborate with the ESN Piemonte Orientale association in the organisation of events intended to promote international mobility, such as the Linguistic Tandem, the Welcome Days and the Erasmus Days (which are held in October each year).

The university's internationalisation office activates and manages international cooperation agreements other than those envisaged in the context of Erasmus mobility. These agreements fall within the scope of international teaching activities.To date, 33 international agreements and 8 development cooperation agreements are active.

• To find info on teachers and office hours: UPObook
• To contact the Student Secretariat: UPOrisponde
• If you wish to talk directly to the Secretariat (regarding particularly complex issues): UPOriceve
• If you need support from Student Services for disability/learning problems: UPOrisponde
• If you are looking for information on careers guidance, internships and job placements: jobplacement@uniupo.it

A complete list of contact details can be found here.

During the enrolment period, the PIMs (Punto informativo matricole – Enrolment Info Desks) are available.

The helpdesk “S.O.S.T.A.” (University Orientation and Tutoring Service) is a peer support system, provided with the collaboration of students.

Quality Assurance of teaching is linked to the University's quality policies, and is implemented and monitored by evaluating the management of the educational offer, with a view to continuous improvement. At course level, quality assurance is delegated to the Quality Group and Review Team.

• Composition of the Quality Group and Review Team

Documents relevant to the course quality assurance can be found in this section

Student representatives are part of the governing bodies of the Department and the University and are an important component, contributing to the direction of all its activities.                                                                                                     

The Student Representatives Headquarters in Vercelli is located in room B3 at the Ex-Ospedaletto, viale Garibaldi 98.

• Student Representatives

• Study Plans
• Programmes (select the year from the drop-down menu)
• Education Regulations

To access programmes from A.Y. 2011/2012 to 2001/2002 contact UPO Replies.

This section is dedicated to the relationships between the Degree in Philosophy and Communication and the Interested Social Partners (ISP), i.e. the organisations and institutions potentially interested in the cultural and professional profile of graduates in Humanities

The Interested Partners express the training needs of their company, which include:

• organisations representing the production of goods and services, professions and/or, in the absence of organisations specifically responding to the needs of the project,
• scientific societies/companies, research centres, academic and cultural institutions of national or international importance.

The ISP can provide valuable information regarding the roles that the Bachelor or Master's degree graduate will be asked to perform, thus allowing the corresponding skills to be identified.

The input of the ISP is also significant with regards to later verification of the effectiveness of preparation achieved by bachelor or master's graduates.

Finally, ISPs also play an essential role in carrying out training or professional internships, hosting candidates and assisting them with company tutors.

The minutes of the Department meetings with the PSIs can be found in the “QA” section of the Disum website, tab Social Partners.