Università degli Studi di Milano / University of Milan

Laurea magistrale in Geophysics / Master of Science in Geophysics

The specific objective of the Laurea magistrale (MSs degree) in Geophysics is to train master's doctors who have the ability to:

a) develop and apply mathematical and numerical models of geophysical and environmental systems and processes involving atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere and interior of the Earth;

b) design and carry out geophysical observation and exploration of the planet Earth at different scales, with particular reference to geophysical surveys applied to the environment, cultural heritage, civil and infrastructural engineering, research and exploitation of natural resources;

c) analyze and design activities for the mitigation of natural and environmental risks, also aimed at intervention in the prevention and emergency phases, independently or in working groups together with professionals with other specializations.

In this context, the MSc program aims to provide an in-depth broad-spectrum preparation in geophysics, based on a solid knowledge of physics and geological sciences. This is guaranteed through characterizing activities, which are divided into two exams in the physical disciplines (12 credits), two exams in the geological disciplines (12 credits) and four exams in the geophysical disciplines (24 credits), in order to provide a common in-depth knowledge.

These activities provide the student with an adequate mastery of the scientific method of investigation, strengthening the knowledge acquired in the first level degree courses. The teaching activities in the physical and geological disciplines play a fundamental role to align the preparation of students. In fact, the MSc in Geophysics can be attended by students with a very diversified background: students with a bachelor or first-level academic degree in different courses of the scientific area; students from different universities and from different countries, not only European, but also from other continents. To facilitate the alignment of students' preparation, the more traditional teaching activities in the physical and geological disciplines are accompanied by supplementary tutorial activities, dedicated to sub-groups of students, and almost "personalized".

Akin and integrative activities (3 exams, 18 credits) include exams in the engineering area (geomatics), environmental physics and legal and/or economic/managerial issues. They also include exams of geophysical disciplines, but with a specific focus on the development and use of mathematical models of geophysical processes and methods of geophysical data analysis, also with the use of the most modern techniques of data mining and machine learning. These activities can provide graduates in Geophysics with adequate digital and general skills in STEM disciplines (development and application of data analysis and interpretation techniques), but also with transversal skills very useful for the employability of the graduates and for their ability to adapt to a rapidly evolving world of work.

Through the elective activities (12 credits), the student can acquire more specific skills, in one or more of the following aspects: solid Earth geophysics (dynamics of the lithosphere and the Earth's mantle; seismology); geophysics of the fluid Earth (physics of the atmosphere; transport of contaminants; water circulation in the subsoil and in the seas); applied geophysics (exploration and monitoring of the subsoil, for the characterization of energy, water, mineral resources, cultural and environmental heritage and seismic and hydrogeological risk). Among the elective activities, it is also possible to find course units that are taught, within the framework of specific agreements, by high-quality technical and scientific personnel of institutions and companies outside the university environment and who provide more operational training in the professional field.

All course units include laboratory or field exercises, to complement "theoretical" training with practical activities, especially for the physical-mathematical modelling of phenomena and the geophysical processing and interpretation of data, also through the development of dedicated software. These activities provide the student with advanced operational skills both in laboratory work and in the collection of geophysical data in the field and in physical-mathematical modelling and its applications. These activities are also aimed at encouraging the acquisition of transversal skills, such as critical and innovative thinking, presentation and communication skills, organizational and teamwork skills, self-discipline.

The student completes his/her preparation by carrying out an internship (internal, i.e. at the University laboratories, or external, at external bodies), also aimed at improving transversal skills, and with the preparation of a MSs thesis that will commit the student to work for at least one semester on an argument of basic or applied research.

The student can carry out part of the teaching activities, including the MSc thesis, at foreign universities and research centers, as part of the international mobility programs for students and teachers.

The role of the graduate in Geophysics in a working context concerns the analysis and solution of geophysical problems, as well as scientific research and applicative studies on geophysical aspects concerning the Earth system. This function can be carried out both as an employee within the technical roles of public and private entities, even at a high professional and managerial level, and as a freelancer.

The graduate in Geophysics can carry out development and application activities of mathematical and numerical models of geophysical and environmental systems and processes, which involve atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere and interior of the Earth, and can plan and carry out geophysical observation and exploration activities of the planet Earth at different scales, with particular reference to geophysical investigations with various application fields. The final objectives, both in the public and private sectors, include: the production of data, processed from raw data, which can be obtained from the geophysical instrumentation for measuring the different components of the Earth system and at different spatial and temporal scales; the elaboration, through "forward" models, of forecasts of the evolution in time and space of processes concerning different components of the Earth system.

Graduates in Geophysics can also carry out, independently or in working groups, activities for the mitigation of natural and environmental risks, especially in relation to the hazard linked to seismicity, extreme weather events, environmental contamination. In particular, they can share their skills with professionals who have different backgrounds, such as engineers, geologists, computer scientists, in order to optimize and harmonize activities concerning environmental issues, natural risks, management of natural resources and of the territory, both in the private and public sectors. The refinement of transversal skills (problem solving, team work, coding, etc.) qualifies the graduates in Geophysics also in view of professional opportunities not strictly related to geophysics. Finally, the skills acquired in the operational and management field, combined with the general preparation on the topics central to the MSc degree, can also allow graduates in Geophysics to assume responsibility and coordination functions both in public administration and in the private sector.

Graduates in Geophysics are able to use the most advanced methodologies to examine and describe, with extreme scientific rigor, the physical phenomena and processes that modify the territory, which is a strongly integrated system between the compartments of solid Earth, hydrosphere, cryosphere and atmosphere. They are able to develop the physical-mathematical formulation of phenomena and to implement this formulation in computational codes, through the most efficient and advanced programming languages, computing facilities and data processing systems. Therefore, they are able to develop modelling tools to predict the evolution and effects of these phenomena on the environment, both at global and local scale, in order to minimize any negative impacts on the population and on society. At the same time, graduates in Geophysics are able to measure the different parts of the Earth with the most sophisticated techniques, to monitor changes and to validate the models developed.

The skills of graduates in Geophysics can therefore address a wide range of environmental issues, related to land control, seismic risk, other natural risks, natural resource management and geophysical exploration. These skills may also include the implementation of algorithms and computer codes, so that graduates in Geophysics have complete control of the results of the developed or applied software and this makes them highly competitive in the job market, which nowadays requires important skills both in the field of software development and in the processing of large amounts of data. Graduates in Geophysics bring new skills with a strong technological-algorithmic base to the professions concerning territorial control, renewing and pushing the methodologies for the control of the different components of the Earth and the territory to today's technological frontier.

Graduates in Geophysics can find various immediate professional opportunities: technical roles in bodies or institutions that explicitly deal with geophysics and/or environmental issues, natural risks, management of natural resources; positions for carrying out research and development or technical-scientific activities in companies operating in the fields of geophysical exploration, environmental protection, meteorology, development of instrumentation and software for geophysical modelling and data mining. Graduates in Geophysics can carry out professional consultancy activities in the same areas. Graduates in Geophysics can also continue their studies in doctoral courses, both in Italy and abroad, to start an international career in the academic field, in research institutions or in geological services, or to pursue a career in high-level technical scientific roles, also with responsibility for projects, laboratories and structures, in organizations, institutions and companies.


Admission requirements

The admittance to the MSc in Geophysics requires the possession of curricular requirements relating to the first-level degree, the skills and knowledge acquired in specific scientific-disciplinary sectors, as well as the possession of adequate personal preparation.

The mathematical, physical and computer disciplines constitute the methodological substrate used in the geophysical field. Adequate knowledge of these disciplines is provided by many first-level university courses in science and engineering. Therefore, to be admitted to the MSc in Geophysics, the student must hold a scientific or engineering degree (Laurea), according to the system governed by DM 270/04 or DM 509/99, or other qualification obtained abroad recognized as suitable based on current legislation, which satisfies the following minimum curricular requirements:

at least 60 credits in total, in the following scientific-disciplinary sectors (SSD): physics (FIS/01-08); mathematics (MAT/01- 09); statistics (SECS-S/01-02); computer science (INF/01); information engineering (ING-INF/01-05, 07); chemistry (CHIM/01-07, 12); geosciences (GEO/01-12); civil engineering (ICAR/01-03, 06-09); industrial engineering (ING-IND/01- 07, 09-12, 18-20, 28-30);
of which at least

• 15 credits in scientific-disciplinary sectors of physics and geosciences (FIS/01-08; GEO/01-12);
• 15 credits in scientific disciplinary fields of mathematics and computer science (MAT/01-09 and SECS-S/01-02; INF/ 01 and ING-INF/05).

The applicant must also have an adequate level of knowledge of the English language, comparable with the B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for the knowledge of languages (CEFR).

For all categories of candidates, the adequate personal preparation of applicants and the ability to communicate effectively in English are crucial elements for admission and are verified by the admission commission as specified below. A syllabus illustrating the knowledge of physics, mathematics and computer science required for admission can be downloaded from the following link: https://geophysics.cdl.unimi.it/en/programme/... The admission commission is entrusted with the following tasks: a. Verification of the minimum curricular requirements, which have been indicated above, for candidates holding an Italian qualification;

b. Verification of the correspondence between course units, in terms of credits and educational content, and of the minimum curricular requirements for students holding a qualification issued by a foreign university;

c. Evaluation of the previous study curriculum of the individual applicant and decision on the need for an in-depth interview;

d. Evaluation of the student's personal preparation and adequate knowledge of the English language, through the interview, when deemed necessary;

e. Evaluation of the possible recognition of credits for students who have already obtained a MS degree or a first or second level university master's degree, for which it is therefore possible to plan a short study course;

f. Conclusion of the verification of the adequacy of the student's initial preparation with admission or non-admission; any non-admission must be adequately motivated.

Knowledge of the English language is not assessed if the student holds an official certification, dating back no more than three years before the application, which certifies a knowledge of at least B2 level of the CEFR (see accepted language certificates at https://www.unimi.it/en/study/language-proficiency/placement-tests-and-english-courses/accepted-language-certificates) or if he/she holds a bachelor's degree, or equivalent qualification issued abroad, referring to a study course taught in English.


About University of Milan

Also known as ‘La Statale’, the University of Milan is, relatively speaking, one of Italy’s younger university institutions. It was founded in 1924 thanks to the tenacious efforts of doctor and gynecologist Luigi Mangiagalli, who in creating La Statale, realized his long-held dream of building a university for Lombardy’s regional capital.

Indeed, up until that point, it was the University of Pavia, founded in the fourteenth century and the main education center in northern Italy, that housed the traditional university faculties. Over the centuries, however, the numerous educational institutions and schools of excellence which sprang up in Milan would later be incorporated under the University of Milan. A representative of the Chamber of Deputies in 1902 and later mayor of Milan, Mangiagalli, together with a group of Milanese members of the Association for the Promotion of High Culture, set about creating the city’s very first university. The project finally became a reality when in 1913, the City Council of Milan granted them some land on the eastern fringes of the city, an area that Mangiagalli himself had earmarked as a “Città degli Studi” (“City of Studies”), a name still used today to refer not only to the University but to the entire district in which it is located. Building work began in 1915 and was completed more than a decade later.

Nowadays, the University of Milan offers 130 Bachelor's, Master's and single-cycle Master's degree programs, in 10 study areas, and a wide postgraduate educational offer, so that it can provide interdisciplinary courses to understand and deal with a shifting world.

The network of international agreements allows students to study, embrace research, work on dissertation in one of the many foreign partner universities, in Europe and across the world. The University of Milano is the only Italian member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), ranks highly in key international rankings and has been awarded important funding such as the European Research Council's grants for its high-quality multidisciplinary research. Moreover, it is a member of the 4EU+ Alliance, a group of six European multidisciplinary, research-intensive academia of excellence. The goal is to create an integrated higher-education system together with Paris-Sorbonne, Charles University of Prague, Copenhagen, Heidelberg and Warsaw to build the European University of the future.

Thanks to libraries, databases and online archives, rich library resources, from exam textbooks to prestigious scientific journals, are available at a click for all our students.

The University of Milan has always been focused on ensuring an academic environment that is inclusive and respectful of all differences. Our commitment to promoting equal rights is geared towards the whole academic community − students, professors and technical and administrative staff − and reflects in a wide variety of actions. These include measures adopted by our governing bodies and other academic authorities tasked with overseeing equality matters, as well as initiatives in the areas of research, teaching, scientific dissemination and public engagement.

Many cultural initiatives, the magic of a professional orchestra, sport, inclusion projects, commitment to scientific dissemination, to legality and against violence and discrimination make our University a special place.

The University of Milan supports its students with scholarships, benefits, services, study and work orientation events and interviews, databases, job fairs and a part-time option for working students. This is particularly effective for the links with the city activities. Milan has always embodied fashion, design, and finance, both in Italy and abroad, but it is also a large and bustling university city attracting new students from all over the world every year.