The University of Naples Federico II lives up to its history and prestige. Besides the stunning architecture of its historical palaces and its location in the very heart of Naples’ historic centre, it has a competitive educational offer. My course of study is International Relations, a Master’s degree course provided entirely in English. The professors are Italian and some may struggle with the language, nevertheless they are extremely competent and real scholars in their subjects. The course covers many aspects of the international relations and students have the opportunity to choose between two different curricula: one focused on law and diplomacy; the other more focused on economic and financial aspects. During my course we have also had some distinguished guests who had a class or a seminar. In my experience my thesis supervisor has been really helpful, kind, and always available to have a dialogue and open to listen to my ideas and necessities.

There is however some room for improvement:
The courses require some level of practice that is now scarce. Theoretically speaking the preparation the course gives is excellent, but some form of practical experience is needed to let the students get to know better how the job market and job environments work.
The students’ needs are often disregarded both by the teaching and administrative bodies, and it is sometimes difficult to get help with the huge bureaucracy related to the university (this is actually a really Italian problem). As mentioned above the buildings are architecturally magnificent but need maintenance in some areas and classrooms.

The overall review is positive with needs for improvement and attention to the students’ requests.