SIENA Education - University for Foreigners

The Università per Stranieri di Siena – Siena’s state-run University for Foreigners, is right in the old centre of town. Its special status enables it to carry out teaching and scientific research with a view to spreading Italian langage and culture throughout the world.
The university offers a broad range of activities, aimed both at teachers and students, and issues a degree diploma, a specialised degree diploma and research doctorates, as well as running training courses and specialisation courses for teachers. The university works in close collaboration with the Italian Foreign Affairs and Education ministries.

The Università per Stranieri di Siena contains the following faculties: the Facoltà di Lingua e Cultura Italiana, the Dipartimento di Scienze Umane, the Centro Linguistico, a centre for the certification of Italian as a foreign language and an international relations office.

• The Facoltà di Lingua e Cultura Italiana carries out a number of teaching activities. Since the 2001/2002 academic year it has been running three-year degree courses in Lingua e Cultura Italiana and in Mediazione Linguistica e Culturale. It specialised degree courses produce excellently qualified teachers. Since the 1998/99 academic year the faculty has instituted the Scuola di Specializzazione in Didattica dell’italiano a stranieri. The faculty also runs research doctorate courses with the aim of enabling participants to carry out advanced research activities.
  Faculty dean: Prof.ssa Marina Benedetti
  Tel.: +39 0577.240147 E-mail: facolta@unistrasi.it  Via Pantaneto, 45 – 53100 Siena/Italia
  Tel.: +39 0577.240146-149 Fax: + 39 0577.240148 E-mail: facolta@unistrasi.it 
   
• The Dipartimento di Scienze Umane of the Università per Stranieri di Siena runs two three-year research doctorates: “Linguistica e didattica della lingua italiana a stranieri”, directed by Prof. Massimo Vedovelli; and “Letteratura, storia della lingua e filologia italiana”, directed by Prof. Claudio Ciociola.
• The Centro Linguistico of the Università per Stranieri di Siena teaches Italian as a foreign language and conducts linguistic and glottodidactic research activities, as well as training and updating courses for teachers of Italian to foreigners.
  Director: Prof. Maurizio Trifone Tel.: 0577.240301
  Secretariat: Laura Grassi – Capo Divisione Tel.: 0577.240307 Fax: 0577.42112 E-mail: cluss@unistrasi.it
   
• The Centro per la Certificazione della conoscenza della lingua italiana come lingua straniera issues two different certifications from the Università per Stranieri di Siena: the Cils (Certificazione di italiano come lingua straniera) and the Ditals (Certificazione di competenza in didattica dell’italiano a stranieri).
  Centro Certificazione CILS
  Via Sallustio Bandini, 35 - 53100 Siena/Italia
  Tel.: +39 0577.240467 Fax: +39 0577.240461 E-mail: cils@unistrasi.it
  
  Centro Certificazione DITALS
  Via Pantaneto, 45 - 53100 Siena/Italia
  Tel.: +39 0577.240113 Fax: +39 0577.283163 E-mail: info@unistrasi.it
   
• The Ufficio Relazioni Internazionali of the Università per Stranieri di Siena takes care with the promotion of the university abroad.
  Capo Divisione Promozione e Relazioni Internazionali: Deanna Fineschi
  Via Pantaneto, 45 - 53100 Siena/Italia Tel.: +39 0577.240180 Fax: +39 0577.281030 E-mail: prorelint@unistrasi.it