In the early Middle AgesItalian universities awarded both bachelor's and doctor's degrees. However very few bachelor's degrees from Italian universities are recorded in the later Middle Ages and none after 1500. Students could take the doctoral examination without studying at the university. This was criticised by northern Europeans as taking a degree label=none because they had leapt over the regulations requiring years of study at the university.
Twentieth century
To earn a laureaundergraduate students had to complete four to six years of university courses, and finally complete a thesis. Laureati are customarily addressed as dottore or dottoressa, as are holders of at least a laurea. This is in contrast with the convention in countries where the title of doctor is restricted to holders of a PhD. Until the introduction of the dottorato di ricerca in the mid-1980s, the laurea constituted the highest academic degree obtainable in Italy and gave the holders access to the highest academic positions. Nobel prize winners such as Enrico Fermi, Emilio Segrè, Giulio Natta and Carlo Rubbia held it as their highest degree. The pre-Bologna laurea degree, is now equivalent under Italian law to the new Italian master's degree named Laurea magistrale.
Reforms due to the Bologna process
Spurred by the Bologna process, a major reform was instituted in 1999 to align its programmes with the more universal system of undergraduate and postgraduate studies. This allowed for greater mobility of university students via exchange programmes to other countries such as the United States and Commonwealth nations. The old laurea was split into undergraduate and postgraduate studies, and their programmes have been reformed.
First cycle: ''Laurea''
The new Laurea, a first cycle degree that is equivalent to a bachelor's degree, includes bachelor-level courses, simpler than those of the old laurea, and its normative time to completion is three years. To earn a laurea, the student must complete a thesis, but a less demanding one than required for the old laurea.
Second cycle: ''Laurea magistrale''
The new Laurea magistrale is a second cycle degree equivalent to a master's degree which can be earned in a two-year programme after the laurea and requires an experimental thesis. In some fields the Laurea magistrale a ciclo unico is awarded. This is a five or six year second cycle degree, which does not require a previous first cycle degree for the admission. The Laurea magistrale should not be confused with the Italian Master, which is not a master's degree, but a one-year diploma which guarantees a more practical education but does not give access to further levels of studies. A I level Master is a diploma which can be obtained after a Laurea; a II level Master can be gained after a Laurea magistrale and is useful for pursuing further studies or for professional achievements.
Third cycle: ''Dottorato di ricerca''
The Dottorato di ricerca is a third cycle degree which can be undertaken only after achieving a Laurea magistrale. It was introduced in the mid-1980s and consists of three/four years of PhD-level courses and experimental work, including the final defense of an innovative thesis. The Dottorato has not met with great popularity, as only very few positions were made available because of the lack of funding. Indeed, until 2010, the Italian Republic has never made the dottorato di ricerca a requirement for academic appointments. At the beginning of the 2000s, unfunded positions for dottorato di ricerca have been made available, thus allowing a wider access to such a degree. Other than the PhD, another third-cycle title is the Diploma di Specializzazione, gained after a two-year or a three-to-six year course of study and research. To enrol for a Diploma di Specializzazione, a Laurea magistrale is required. The Diploma di Specializzazione in Professioni legali is required to apply for appointment as a judge, whereas the Specializzazione in a specific medical field is required to be recognized as a Specialist Medical Doctor.
