Bachelor in
Are you interested in how people live their lives? Do topics like human rights and social justice appeal to you? Can you imagine a professional activity in which you support people and contribute to social change and cohesion? Then the BA in Social Work is the right choice for you.
Social issues are at the centre of current challenges societies must face. Demographic developments, increasing inequalities and changing social needs of people in different life situations and with diverse experiences require social policies as well as participatory and integrated forms of support and intervention in lifeworld and local contexts. By developing appropriate solutions and services, social work and social policy contribute to the sustainable shaping of the foundations of social cohesion and development.
The border region of South Tyrol provides an ideal context for a multilingual social work education programme with a strong European and international orientation. Professors from different European regions represent different academic and professional perspectives and traditions.
Bachelor class: L-39
ECTS credits: 180
Duration of the course: 3 years
Courses will be taught in: Italian, German and English (trilingual)
Places available: 30 EU + 4 non-EU
Campus: Brixen-Bressanone
Tuition fees: ca. € 1350 per year
The curriculum combines a broad and foundational undergraduate study programme with practice-oriented training to develop knowledge, competences, and attitudes for professional activities in different fields of social work practice. Special attention is paid to the reflexive connection of theory and practice, the development of innovative approaches and a strong research orientation.
Courses on theories, ethics, and methods of social work, together with courses of social policy, form an important core area of the curriculum. In addition, a variety of courses in sociology, psychology, law, anthropology, and pedagogy provide the necessary foundations for understanding human behaviour and personal development in cultural and social contexts.
Special attention is paid to inter- and transnational social work, the critical analysis of social policy contexts, the development of innovative and low-threshold services, and processes of eco-social transformation.
Degree Course director: Prof. Livia Taverna
Student Representative in the Course Council: Anete Jirgensone
The degree programme is characterised by a strong practical orientation. Numerous cooperations with services in the local and national context as well as abroad enable accompanied placements in various fields of social work practice.
Various exchange programmes and agreements with universities in Europe and beyond are available for study experiences abroad.
Social workers advise and support people in different life situations in coping with their everyday life and promote their social inclusion and participation. They work with individuals, families and groups in quite different practice fields.
Key areas of social work are in child, youth and family welfare as well as in services for older people, people with disabilities, addictions, or mental health problems. In addition, social workers support people with experiences of refuge and migration, violence, or exploitation, as well as people who are affected by unemployment, homelessness, and precarious housing. They also work in probation services, women's shelters, hospitals, counselling services and social cooperatives.
Other career opportunities can be found in the accompaniment of volunteers and self-help initiatives, in community work, the management of social services, social planning and policy making, projects of eco-social transformation and international development cooperation.
The Open Day for high school students and interested people, starting from 9:00 am. Discover our bachelors and ask questions to our lecturers and to students that have been through your very same situation.
Living in South Tyrol, Housing, Scholarships, Single Subject Courses and more
Everything you need to know as a degree-seeking applicant or as an incoming exchange student
You can find all you need to know in order to apply and gain admission to this study programme by browsing through the information below.
Application: 01/03 - 07/05/2024 (by noon local time)
Language exams (online): 18/03/2024 (registration: 01 - 10/03/2024) and 17 - 18 - 19 and 22 - 23/04/2024 (registration: 25/03 - 09/04/2024)
Admission exam: 15/05/2024
Publication of ranking lists: by 28/05/2024
Payment of the 1st instalment of the tuition fees: by 06/06/2024 (by noon local time)
Enrolment: from 12/07 - 06/08/2024 (by noon local time)
Application: 29/05 - 10/07/2024 (by noon local time)
Language exams (online): 24 - 29/06/2024 (registration: 29/05 - 16/06/2024)
Admission exam: 18/07/2024
Publication of ranking lists: by 30/07/2024
Payment of the 1st instalment of the tuition fees: by 06/08/2024 (by noon local time)
Enrolment: from publication of the ranking list until 06/08/2024 (by noon local time)
Application: 20-30/08/2024 (by noon local time)
Language exams: Language exams are not offered by unibz. For the English language it is still possible to obtain certificates from external certifying bodies/institutes within the application deadline, such as LanguageCert or TOEFL iBT Home Edition (you must choose the type of exam that tests all skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking). Should you not get the actual certificate in time, the "Statement of Results" will be recognised.
Admission exam: 09/09/2024
Publication of ranking lists: by 11/09/2024
Payment of the 1st instalment of the tuition fees: by 17/09/2024 (by noon local time)
Enrolment: from publication of the ranking list until 17/09/2024 (by noon local time)
Intensive language courses: 02 - 20/09/2024 (Monday to Friday, 6 h/day)
Freshers Days: 01- 02/10/2024
Classes: 30/09 - 23/12/2024
Holidays: 24/12/2024 - 06/01/2025
Classes: 07/01 - 25/01/2025
Exams: 27/01 - 15/02/2025
Classes: 03/03 - 17/04/2025
Holidays: 18- 21/04/2025
Classes: 22/04 - 14/06/2025
Exams: 16/06 - 12/07/2025
Exams: 25/08 - 27/09/2025
EU citizens and citizens given parity of treatment
Early Bird Application: 20
Late Application: 10
Non-EU citizens (living abroad)
Early Bird Application: 4
The programme will only be offered if a minimum of 12 newly enrolled students is reached.
To gain admission to the programme you need one of the following qualifications:
Foreign school leaving certificates are considered equivalent if obtained after 12 years of education. In this case, you furthermore must have attended at least the last two years in the foreign school system (e.g. Irish Leaving Certificate: it is not enough to attend one year and obtain the foreign certificate).
The Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research has set specific admission requirements for holders of certain certificates (e.g. American high school diplomas, British and Greek certificates). For more information: apply@unibz.it (Advisory Service).
To be admitted, you must fulfil the language requirements indicated in the section “Language requirements”.
According to national regulations, simultaneous enrolment in a maximum of 2 programmes is possible (however, the two programmes must not belong to the same class, e.g., L-18/L-18 and must differ for at least 2/3 of the course contents).
The official teaching languages are German, Italian and English. Therefore, the following language requirements apply, otherwise you will be excluded from the admission procedure:
Entry level (to gain admission)
1st language: B2
2nd language: B2
3rd language: no level required
From the 2nd semester of the first year
3rd language: a B1 level in the third language is a minimum requirement for taking the curricular examinations in that specific language.
Exit level (to graduate)
1st language: C1
2nd language: C1
3rd language: B2
The levels of the Common European Framework of Reference apply.
Your first language is the language in which you have the highest level of proficiency (B2 or C1). Your third language is instead the language in which you are weaker (or in which you are an absolute beginner).
You can demonstrate your language proficiency in the application portal (in the section “upload language certificates” and/or “enrol for language exams”) after you have created an application in the section “create/manage applications”. The certification is mandatory for the first and second language, for the third language it is recommended (from B1 onwards).
You can demonstrate language proficiency through:
Please note that you can only register for B2 level exams.
For information on studying in three languages also visit the following page.
Secondary schools in a foreign country/Bi- or multilingual schools
If the foreign language proficiency levels (for German, Italian, or English) are explicitly indicated on the diploma of graduation according to the Common European Framework of Reference (i.e., B1, B2 or C1), and if all four language abilities (reading, listening, speaking, writing) have been assessed, then the indicated levels will be accepted as a proof of proficiency for the second and/or third language.
Please upload your school-leaving certificate to the application portal in the section “upload language certificates” under the respective language. The Language Centre will decide on its recognition.
Third language/Intensive language courses in September
If you have already acquired a language certificate in the third teaching language, please upload it to the portal. If you are not able to certify your language competence in the third language and you are admitted to unibz, you will have to take a placement test. You will receive further information about the test by e-mail. Based on the result of the placement test, you will be assigned to a certain learning path so that you will be able to reach level B2 as soon as possible.
If you are an absolute beginner in the third language, or if you have a level below B2, you may attend a three-week intensive language course during the pre-semester session in September in order to start the learning path.
The dates of the extensive courses are indicated in the “Deadlines” section. Beginner courses (A1) will be offered exclusively during the pre-semester intensive course session in September will no longer be offered during the academic year. Therefore, absolute beginners should start their learning path for the third language by attending the intensive courses in September.
There will be extensive courses (4 hours per week) during the semesters and intensive courses (8 hours per week) during the time between semesters.
The language courses offered by the Language Centre are free of charge and aim to help the students reach the following target levels in the third language:
Your application must be submitted online through the Application Portal. The deadlines are indicated in the “Deadlines” section.
Please note: Mendacious declarations will be criminally prosecuted and will result in the automatic exclusion from the ranking list.
You might apply for more than one study programme. If you are excluded in the first session, you might apply again in the second one.
Considered as equivalent are:
Only one application period is offered. After the deadline it is not possible to apply anymore. Application fee: € 50. The fee is an administration fee and is non-refundable.
Once the ranking list has been published, if you have gained admission, secure it by paying the first instalment and then start your visa application on the Universitaly portal. The application on Universitaly is mandatory, otherwise you will not be allowed to enrol. On Universitaly you can apply for one study programme only.
The admission procedure is based on the following criteria:
In the event of equal scores, the younger applicant will have priority.
In the application portal, you shall:
(*) If you omit to indicate the final grades of the penultimate year of secondary school, the Admission Committee assigns you a final grade equal to the passing grade of the school year you have not provided a certificate for.
If you have attended a school whose system differs substantially from the Italian system and you do not have the reports with the final grades of the third last and/or penultimate year of study of your secondary school, the Admission Committee reserves the right to evaluate the possible final reports of the secondary school that refer to years different from the penultimate or third last. If applicants are already in possession of a university degree, the Admission Committee will consider the average grades of the university exams.
The Admission Committee will only evaluate the documents uploaded in the portal by the application deadline. The ranking lists with the admitted students will be published here and are only valid for the respective academic year.
If you have been admitted to more than one study programme, you can secure your admission for a maximum of 2 programmes by paying the designated rate twice.
1. Choose the study programme and pay the fees (to secure your admission) in the application portal.
The deadlines are indicated in the “Deadlines” section.
If you do not meet this deadline, you will automatically be excluded and the next applicant in the ranking list will be admitted.
For EU citizens and citizens given parity of treatment only: any remaining places of the early bird application, will be offered in the late application.
Please note that you do not gain full student status by only paying the tuition fees. This status will only be acquired upon enrolment. If you have secured your admission, there will be no refund of the tuition fees unless you do not pass your secondary school final exam or, in the event of non-EU applicants living abroad, you do not receive the documents necessary for enrolment from the Italian authorities in your country.
2. Enrol online in the application portal.
The deadlines are indicated in the “Deadlines” section.
Enrolment is recommended as early as possible, so you have the possibility to upload incomplete documents before the deadline.
If you do not meet the enrolment deadline, you will be excluded and the next applicant in the ranking list will be admitted.
If you have gained your secondary school qualification in Austria or Germany or if you have a European Baccalaureate, you must upload the secondary school diploma.
If you have gained your secondary school qualification abroad in one of the Countries that are signatories to the Lisbon Convention (except Austria and Germany) or if you have a Diploma of the International Baccalaureate, you must upload:
If you have gained your secondary school qualification abroad in a country that is not a signatory to the Lisbon Convention, you must upload:
unibz performs the necessary checks on your foreign qualification and in case of doubt reserves the right to request additional documents.
Please note that if you do not possess a valid admission qualification, you can be excluded with Rector’s decree even after enrolment.
If you are a non-EU citizen living abroad:
Once you are eligible for admission (check the ranking lists) and have also applied on Universitaly, the Italian Authorities in your own country will issue you the entry visa for studies/university. This will allow to enrol for the study programme that you have applied for.
According to Italian law, within 8 working days of your arrival in Italy, you must have applied for the residence permit: as soon as you arrive, get in touch with the Advisory Service and you will be given the necessary information for starting the procedure.
Once you will obtain your residence permit (permesso di soggiorno), you have to hand it in at the Student Office personally or via e-mail.
Students intending to transfer from another Italian University to unibz have to submit to the Student Office - at the beginning of the academic year - a copy of the transfer application presented at the university of provenance.
Fees amount to € 1373
Delayed payment of the second instalment will result in a fine being levied. If you have not paid the tuition fees, you will be unable to take exams and will not be able to transfer to other universities or other study programmes.
If you drop out of a programme, interrupt your studies or are excluded from studies, you are not entitled to reimbursement of the fees.
Exemption from the tuition fees (and the provincial tax) is granted to:
Students who benefit from a scholarship granted by the Autonomous Province of Bozen-Bolzano are entitled to receive a refund of the tuition fees.
Credit points from previous university studies can only be recognised after enrolment if the exams taken at the university of provenance are equivalent in content to those offered at unibz. You can fill out the application after enrolment at your Faculty Secretariat.
The Faculty organises appointments for the preliminary evaluation (Italian and German) of previous university careers.
The Advisory Service provides support regarding your choice of study. In many cases a simple call or a short request is enough to get the relevant information (Tel. +39 0471 012100).