Rules and Description of the Selection Process

 

SELECTION PROCESS AND AVAILABLE POSITIONS

To enter the M.Sc. in Bionics Engineering there is a competition that aims to select at most 20 candidates, as follows:                                                  

  1. Up to 10 positions for non-EU applicants exclusively (citizens of countries not belonging to the European Union) and not residing in Italy “non-EU Applicants)
  2. Up to 10 positions for EU applicants and non-EU applicants residing in Italy exclusively (“EU Applicants”).

If fewer than 10 non-EU selected Applicants join the Master Degree Programme, the number of positions available for the EU Applicants will be increased by the equivalent number of positions for non-EU applicants that remain vacant.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY

By the deadlines applicants must fulfil one of the following conditions:

  1. they hold a Bachelor of Science - First Cycle Degree in Biomedical Engineering awarded by University of Pisa.
  2. they hold a Bachelor of Science - First Cycle Degree in Biomedical Engineering awarded by any other University in Italy and their curriculum studiorum includes the following credits (CFU):
  • At least 42 CFU in one or more of the following scientific fields: MAT/02, MAT/03, MAT/05, MAT/06, MAT/07, MAT/08, MAT/09, FIS/01, FIS/02, FIS/03, FIS/07, CHIM/07[1].

If the student completely fulfills this requirement, then he/she can apply and, if selected, will have no didactic “debts”. If the student only partly fulfills this requirement, then he/she will have some debts and, if selected, will be constrained to take additional exams, to reach the required CFU number. If such debts are equal or larger than 40 CFU, then the student does not fulfill the minimum requirements and cannot apply.

  1. they hold a Bachelor of Science - First Cycle Degree in Engineering belonging to class L-8 (Information engineering) or L-9 (Industrial engineering), awarded by any University in Italy and their curriculum studiorum includes the following CFU:
  • At least 42 CFU in one or more of the following scientific fields: MAT/02, MAT/03, MAT/05, MAT/06, MAT/07, MAT/08, MAT/09, FIS/01, FIS/01, FIS/02, FIS/03, FIS/07, CHIM/072;
  • At least 12 CFU in one or more of the following scientific fields: ING-INF/06, ING-IND/34[2];
  • At least 12 CFU in one or more of the following scientific fields: ING-INF/01, ING-INF/05, ING-INF/04, ING-IND/13, ING-IND/14, ING-IND/15[3].

If the student completely fulfills this requirement, then he/she can apply and, if selected, will have no didactic “debts”. If the student only partly fulfills this requirement, then he/she will have some debts and, if selected, will be constrained to take additional exams, to reach the required CFU number. If such debts are equal or larger than 40 CFU, then the student does not fulfill the minimum requirements and cannot apply.

  1. they hold a Bachelor of Science - First Cycle Degree or a Master of Science – Second Cycle Degree in other disciplines and their curriculum studiorum includes the following CFU:
  • At least 42 CFU in one or more of the following scientific fields: MAT/02, MAT/03, MAT/05, MAT/06, MAT/07, MAT/08, MAT/09, FIS/01, FIS/01, FIS/02, FIS/03, FIS/07, CHIM/072;
  • At least 12 CFU in one or more of the following scientific fields: ING-INF/06, ING-IND/343;
  • At least 12 CFU in one or more of the following scientific fields: ING-INF/01, ING-INF/05, ING-INF/04, ING-IND/13, ING-IND/14, ING-IND/154;
  • At least 24 CFU in the scientific fields featuring the Degree Classes L-8 and L-9[4].

If the student completely fulfills this requirement, then he/she can apply and, if selected, will have no didactic “debts”. If the student only partly fulfills this requirement, then he/she will have some debts and, if selected, will be constrained to take additional exams, to reach the required CFU number. If such debts are equal or larger than 40 CFU, then the student does not fulfill the minimum requirements and cannot apply.

  1. they hold a Bachelor of Science or equivalent First Cycle Degree awarded by a foreign University after the completion of at least three-year course of study, in one of the subjects listed in the previous points or equivalent ones. The Selection Committee will decide upon degree equivalence, only for this selection purposes, and on the debts to be assigned to the admitted students. In any case, the admission of candidates holding a degree issued in a non-EU country will be conditional to the check and the legitimacy recognition of the degree, by the relevant Italian diplomatic authorities.

 

For non-EU Applicants, admission is extended also to applicants that have not graduated yet. In this case, a successful application will be conditional upon the subsequent awarding of a degree and the submission of adequate documentation no later than a certain deadline (this year is July 31, 2017).

For EU Applicants, admission is extended also to applicants that have not graduated yet. In this case, a successful application will be conditional upon the subsequent awarding of a degree and the submission of adequate documentation no later than a certain deadline (this year is December 10, 2017).

In addition to the academic degree, applicants must also demonstrate a good knowledge of the English language, corresponding to at least an intermediate level (B1 Level, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). The Selection Committee will verify the candidates’ level of knowledge of the English language during the interview.

 

INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED

In the application form candidates will provide (through a self-declaration):

a) family name, first name, place and date of birth, nationality, gender, marital status;

b) a declaration that the candidate has never been convicted for a criminal offence or that she/he has no pending criminal proceedings;

c) a declaration that the candidate holds an academic degree. Applicants must specify the degree title, the University or educational institute that awarded the degree, the degree course duration, the mark achieved (if applicable), the academic year in which the candidate started his/her undergraduate studies and the graduation date. Candidates who have not graduated yet shall declare the expected graduation date;

d) the Cumulative Grade Point Average;

e) a declaration of knowledge of English language (and other foreign languages, if any) specifying the duration of language studies and the certification(s) obtained;

f) the permanent address and the mailing address (if different), where applicants wish to receive paper communications concerning their application. Applicants shall immediately contact the School if these addresses will change as for the e-mail address, that is compulsory for the application purposes;

g) a valid e-mail address to receive all communications related to the application, as well as a telephone number and a skype id.

 

Non-EU applicants shall also specify in which Italian Embassy or Consulate they intend to submit their pre-enrolment application in case of admission to the Course.

Applicants shall include in the application the following documents (all in pdf format and named as follows):

a) Surname_Name_CV.pdf: a copy of their complete Curriculum Vitae et Studiorum (in English) describing their education pathway, their cultural and professional experiences, prizes, publications, achievements and all other information that might help in the evaluation of the candidate;

b) Surname_Name_Certificate.pdf: a copy of the Degree Certificate (if applicable) and its translation if written in language other than English or Italian;

c) Surname_Name_Transcripts.pdf: the academic transcripts with the full list of courses and grades (in English or Italian). This list shall contain information regarding credits, units (or equivalent) received, the grades received for each class taken, and the date in which the final examination was taken (if applicable). A certified copy of the mentioned information should be provided by the University and attached by the applicant;

d) Surname_Name_Thesis: a short summary (5 pages max) of the Bachelor Thesis, or a short summary (5 pages max) of the ongoing Thesis activity, if this has been not completed, yet;

e) Surname_Name_Passport.pdf: a copy of a valid passport or any other international ID;

f) Surname_Name_English.pdf (not mandatory): if available, a copy of an English Language knowledge certification (at least intermediate B1 level);

g) Surname_Name_Other.pdf (not mandatory): a copy of any other document or information that the applicant deem suitable/useful for his/her evaluation (documents written in languages other than Italian and English must be accompanied by a summary in one of the above languages).

 

THE SELECTION PROCESS: TITLES AND INTERVIEW

Applicant selection will involve, in both sessions, the evaluation of all submitted documents and an interview. The selection process aims to evaluate each applicant’s background and abilities, assessing the potential and the attitude that are required when attending an interdisciplinary and innovative educational programme, such as the M.Sc. in Bionics Engineering.

The final assessment will be on a 100 point scale, of which:

  1. up to 70 points for the evaluation of candidate CV and other titles;
  2. up to 30 points for the interview evaluation.

The evaluation of titles will be focused on the curriculum vitae et studiorum of the candidates and on the other documents submitted by the candidate. Admission to the interview is granted with a score of at least 49/70 points.

For non-EU applicants, the interviews will be held via videoconference (using Skype or similar tools at the Selection Committee’s discretion) at Italian Embassies, Consulates or other locations identified by the Selection Committee in order to assure the fulfilment of the applicants’ identification procedures. If the interview is not attended at Embassies or Consulates, the candidate must exhibit to the Committee members, before starting the interview, the ID submitted in the online application.

For EU applicants, the interviews will be held in Pisa at the School premises. Candidates may ask the Selection Committee to hold the interview through videoconference (using Skype software or similar tools at the Selection Committe’s discretion), in case of proper and justified reasons. In this case, the candidate must exhibit to the Committee members, before starting the interview, the ID submitted in the online application.

A candidate not attending the interview within the scheduled slot assigned will be excluded from the final ranking list.

If the interview is held through videoconference, the candidate is in charge of ensuring the availability of the required hardware (PC, webcam) and software, and a reliable internet connection.

During the interview, the Selection Committee will examine the candidates’ profiles on the basis of the submitted titles, and will verify the existence of a solid background knowledge (see below), as well as the candidate English knowledge level.

Applicants shall obtain at least 21/30 points in order to be included in the final ranking.

An overall final minimum score of 70/100 is therefore necessary to successfully pass the examination and be eligible for admission to the Master Degree Programme.

 

Candidate’s profile: requested capabilities and background

The courses of the Master Degree Programme in Bionics Engineering assume the existence of a solid background knowledge at the methodological and technological level, that typically features the Bachelor Programmes in Biomedical Engineering or equivalent ones.

It is expected that the applicants possess good analysis and synthesis abilities, as well as problem solving skills. During the interview, questions to applicants could concern their thesis activity, as well as their educational/technical pathway. Moreover, questions could be made in the form of problems (even unstructured ones), to test the candidate’s reasoning ability. 

In general, the basic concepts and principles of bioengineering are necessary, in particular concerning:

  • mathematics and physics;
  • basic mechanics,
  • basic electronics;
  • basic knowledge of computer science;
  • chemistry principles.

 


[1] MAT/02 = Algebra;  MAT/03 = Geometry;  MAT/05 = Mathematical analysis;  MAT/06 = Probability and statistics;  MAT/07 = Mathematical physics;  MAT/08 = Numerical analysis;  MAT/09 = Operational research; FIS/01 = Experimental physics;  FIS/02 = Theoretical physics, mathematical models and methods;  FIS/03 = Physics of matter;  FIS/07 = Applied physics;  CHIM/07 = Chemical foundations of technologies

[2] ING-INF/06 = Electronic and computer science bioengineering;  ING-IND/34 = Industrial bioengineering

[3] ING-IND/3 = Flight mechanics;  ING-INF/01 = Electronics;  ING-INF/05 = Information processing systems;  ING-INF/04 = Systems and control engineering;  ING-IND/13 = Applied mechanics;  ING-IND/14 = Mechanical design and machine construction;  ING-IND/15 = Design methods for industrial engineering