The Graduate Educational Model
The Luiss Graduate School educational model integrates knowledge and competencies to navigate complexity, make informed decisions and respond to constantly evolving contexts.
Developed in close connection with companies, institutions and an international faculty, the Graduate experience combines academic rigor, personalized learning, digital technologies and experiential learning.
Teaching, engagement with the professional world and application in real-world contexts contribute to developing a professional profile equipped to evolve over time and generate impact.
The SMART Educational Framework
The SMART Educational Framework translates the Luiss Graduate School educational model into five principles that guide the design of every programme and learning experience.
| Student-Centricity | Multidisciplinarity | Academic Rigour | Readiness | Tech-Enhancement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Personalized learning pathways tailored to each student’s goals, interests and aspirations. | Integration of knowledge and perspectives across disciplines to understand and address complex challenges. | A strong academic foundation combining rigorous teaching with innovative learning methodologies. | Practical application of knowledge and skills to prepare students to navigate the world of work and its evolving challenges. | Purposeful integration of digital technologies to enrich learning, foster innovation and enhance the educational experience. |
Educational Architecture: the two-year curriculum
The Luiss Graduate School curriculum combines strong disciplinary foundations with progressive specialization, personalized learning and experiential learning.
Throughout the two-year programme, students shape their academic and professional profile through four complementary learning blocks: Build, Explore, Create and Bridge Activities.
Students establish the academic foundations of their chosen discipline while progressively developing advanced knowledge in their area of specialization.
Essentials
The Essentials courses provide the theoretical and methodological foundations of the degree programme, ensuring that all students acquire a rigorous understanding of the discipline’s fundamental concepts, frameworks and analytical approaches. These courses are common to all students enrolled in the same degree programme.
Major
The Major, where offered by the degree programme, provides an advanced specialization pathway through a set of focused, discipline-specific courses, enabling students to develop advanced knowledge and expertise in a selected field.
Students broaden their perspectives and personalize their learning experience by exploring complementary disciplines and developing additional competencies aligned with their interests and career ambitions.
Profile
Elective courses enable students to tailor their academic journey by selecting subjects that complement their main area of study, encouraging interdisciplinary learning and the development of a distinctive professional profile.
The final stage of the educational journey enables students to consolidate and apply the knowledge and competencies developed throughout the programme.
Final Thesis
Students undertake an independent project culminating in the production and discussion of a final thesis. This work demonstrates their mastery of the discipline, their ability to investigate complex issues using appropriate methodologies, and their capacity to produce original academic work independently under faculty supervision.
Field Experience
Internships and other experiential learning activities provide students with the opportunity to apply their academic knowledge in professional environments, gain first-hand experience within organizations and strengthen their transition into the labour market.
Alongside the core curriculum, students enrich their academic experience through a portfolio of activities specifically designed to strengthen professional readiness.
Certificates
Certificates are one of the defining features of the Graduate School educational model. Integrated within the study plan, they allow students to personalize their learning experience by choosing two practice-oriented programmes co-designed and delivered with leading Corporate and Institutional Partners.
Each Certificate combines academic knowledge with real business challenges and direct interaction with professionals, enabling students to develop competencies that extend beyond disciplinary knowledge and prepare them for the evolving demands of the labour market.
The Certificate portfolio is built around three complementary competency dimensions:
- Life Skills: Development of the cognitive, interpersonal and personal competencies required to navigate complexity and lead effectively in dynamic professional environments, including critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, leadership, adaptability, creativity, emotional intelligence and ethical decision-making.
- STEM Readiness: Development of the digital and analytical competencies needed to thrive in technology-driven workplaces, including AI literacy, data literacy, computational thinking, digital fluency, technology awareness and the ability to leverage emerging technologies across professional contexts.
- Career Readiness: Development of the professional competencies required to successfully enter and progress into the labour market, including career planning, personal branding, networking, interview skills, professional communication, workplace readiness and lifelong employability.
Upon successful completion, students receive a blockchain-secured digital Certificate that formally certifies the competencies acquired and can be shared across professional platforms such as LinkedIn, enhancing the visibility and recognition of their skills in the job market.
An educational model designed to shape the leaders of tomorrow
A Progressive Learning Journey
The Graduate experience is designed as a progressive two-year journey, moving from strong disciplinary foundations towards increasing specialization, personalization and professional experience.
During the first year, students consolidate their disciplinary knowledge while beginning to personalize their learning path through the Major, where offered, Certificates and experiential activities.
In the second year, greater emphasis is placed on specialization and individual choice through elective courses, international experiences,internships and research, supporting a natural transition from academic learning to professional practice.
By the end of the programme, students combine advanced disciplinary knowledge with the competencies, experiences and professional network needed to thrive in an international labour market.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Learning at the Luiss Graduate School extends well beyond the classroom.
Throughout their studies, students engage in company projects, challenge-based learning, simulations, corporate collaborations, international experiences, guest lectures and company visits, with opportunities to interact directly with alumni and industry leaders.
By continuously connecting academic knowledge with real-world challenges, students learn to apply, test and refine what they learn, developing the confidence and capabilities to create value from the very beginning of their careers.
Academic Rules
Academic regulations applicable to students enrolled from the 2025–2026 academic year
The Graduate School educational model combines academic rigor, active participation and continuous learning. Students are expected to engage consistently throughout the semester through class participation, continuous assessment and final examinations.
Attendance is a fundamental component of the Graduate learning experience.
Without prejudice to the compulsory attendance requirement laid down by the University’s Academic Regulations, students are considered:
- Attending students: if they actively participate in at least 70% of the lessons.
- Non-compliant students: if attendance falls below the required 70% threshold.
- Exempt from the attendance requirement: in the case of documented health conditions, documented professional commitments (including internships), recognized competitive sports activities or participation in international mobility programmes.
Assessment is designed to evaluate learning throughout the semester as well as the achievement of the course learning outcomes.
For attending students, the final grade consists of two components:
- Continuous Assessment (1/3 of the final grade): Ongoing assessments completed during the semester, which may include individual or group assignments, presentations, projects or other evaluation activities defined by the course instructor. Participation in continuous assessment activities is mandatory and the grades obtained during the semester cannot be declined.
- Final Examination (2/3 of the final grade): The final assessment, which may consist of a written examination, an oral examination or a written examination followed by an oral examination, depending on the course learning objectives. The grade obtained cannot be rejected.
For students who do not meet the attendance requirement or who are formally exempt from attendance, the final grade is based exclusively on a comprehensive final examination, accounting for 100% of the final mark. The examination will cover additional learning outcomes to compensate for the student’s absence from classroom activities. The grade obtained cannot be rejected.
Detailed assessment methods are specified in the syllabus of each course.
For each course, students are offered:
- Two examination sessions: during the exam period immediately following the semester in which the course is taught.
- One examination session in each subsequent exam period (i.e., retake session).
When taking an examination in a retake session, the results of the continuous assessment are no longer valid. The final grade is therefore based entirely (100%) on the final examination and cannot be rejected.
Students may not reject the grade awarded for the continuous assessment and/or the final examination.
However, students may withdraw from an examination before the final grade has been formally communicated, according to the following rules:
- Oral examination: withdrawal is permitted until the examiner communicates the final grade.
- Written examination: withdrawal is permitted throughout the duration of the examination, until the end of the exam.
- Written examination followed by an oral examination: withdrawal is permitted both during the written examination and during the oral examination, provided that the final grade has not yet been communicated. If a student withdraws during the oral examination, the written examination result will not remain valid for future examination sessions.
Students enrolled in years beyond the first during the 2025–2026 academic year will continue to follow the academic regulations applicable to the year of their first enrollment, with the exception of outstanding courses ("debiti formativi"), for which the new regulations will apply if the course or courses are offered in a.y. 2025/2026 or 2026/2027.
Students participating in transfer procedures or international programmes (including Double Degrees and other structured partnerships) will be subject to the regulations applicable to the academic year in which the relevant course is delivered.
