University of Padua

The University of Padua is a public research university in Padua, in Italy's Veneto region. It was founded in 1222 by scholars and students who left Bologna, making it one of Europe's oldest universities. Galileo Galilei held the chair of mathematics from 1592 to 1610. The institution is a comprehensive state university spread through the historic city rather than a single gated campus.

Teaching is organized in schools and departments covering medicine, engineering, law, psychology, agricultural sciences, science, and the humanities. The university hospital, Azienda Ospedale-Università Padova, is the main clinical site. The Botanical Garden, founded in 1545, remains a research and teaching facility. Graduate students also use departmental laboratories across the city.

About 60,000 students enroll, including a substantial graduate population and international students from Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. Faculty number several thousand. Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia received a doctorate here in 1678; later alumni include physician William Harvey, who took a medical degree at Padua, and engineer Federico Faggin.

Graduate study uses the Italian laurea magistrale, medical degrees, and the dottorato di ricerca, with supervision by a faculty advisor and a mix of coursework and thesis research. The academic year generally runs from October to June. Students live in Padua's historic center and surrounding neighborhoods, a compact city about 40 kilometers west of Venice.

In the Grad School Navigator directory, University of Padua lists 1 doctoral program, in earth & environmental sciences. University of Padua holds rank 215 in the GSN Overall University Ranking.