From Verona to the University of Würzburg

Two semesters in Verona, Italy, two at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) and finally two master's degrees: This is made possible by a cooperation in economics.

Arianna, Emilia, Sabrina and Pietro are currently the first students from Verona to study at the University of Würzburg as part of this double degree program. In Verona they are enrolled in the Master Economics & Data Analysis, at JMU in International Economic Policy. They are in the final phase of their studies and are currently writing their master's theses.

Inspiration from Würzburg

Students from Verona spend the first two semesters at their home university and then complete the last two semesters and the master's thesis in Würzburg. For Würzburg participants, two semesters at JMU frame the two semesters in Verona.

"We had contact in Verona with a student from Würzburg who is doing the double degree and highly recommended it," Pietro says. He and his fellow students saw the program as the perfect opportunity to spend time abroad with added academic value. Arianna even reports that she decided to study in Verona precisely because of the double degree.

All four are enthusiastic about the courses offered as well as the organization and support in Würzburg.

Impressed by the City

For Emilia, Würzburg is already the second stay in Germany as part of her studies: "In my bachelor's degree, I spent a semester in Witten (North Rhine-Westphalia) via Erasmus+, which was somewhat difficult due to the Corona pandemic. But the year in Würzburg more than makes up for that."

Even though the four of them still do a lot together, they quickly found a connection in the varied city of Würzburg and the opportunity to follow their own interests as well: "When you're in one place for a whole year, you can settle in very well and get to know a lot of people," Sabrina elaborates. "Almost every city advertises itself as being young and vibrant, but that really applies to Würzburg," says Arianna.

While Würzburg's diverse gastronomy scores points for her as a vegetarian, Pietro enjoys the wide range of sports available to JMU students.

A Promising Program

The four will stay in Würzburg until September. After submitting their master's thesis, they will have to take an oral exam in Verona before they can graduate with the double degree.

From the Würzburg side, five spots are available each winter semester for the program, which was initiated and developed by JMU Professor Hans Fehr, Chair of Public Finance, and his Verona colleague Professor Claudio Zoli.

Information about the exchange and how to apply can be found by interested students here.