The University
LUMSA (Libera Università degli Studi Maria Ss. Assunta di Roma) is a public non-state Italian university formed on Catholic principles. It is the second oldest university in Rome after Sapienza, and was founded by Luigia Tincani in 1939. LUMSA is accountable to the state university system and awards qualifications equivalent to those issued by state universities.
Professionalism, growth and development are the University’s fundamental principles, along with teaching, employment, research and the student experience.
Student experience
Students are the lifeblood of the university. The teaching staff maintain a direct and ongoing relationship with their students, and programs are designed to deliver specific high-level technical and cultural skills. With around 7.200 students, LUMSA is not just a high profile internationally recognised academic institution, it is also a place for personal development.
University life provides many opportunities for debate and participation, so the close links between humanistic tradition, technological innovation and our Catholic roots are at the very heart of the university.
Teaching
University teaching is distributed across three departments: Law, Economics, Politics and Modern languages - Rome campus; Law - Palermo campus; Social Sciences - Communication, Education and Psychology. With around 400 internationally recognised tutors, the University provides both qualified education for young people and professional development programs for mature students.
Our portfolio also caters for graduates wishing to acquire new skills, with masters and other specialist programs, postgraduate schools, advanced training courses and research doctorates.
Employment
Over the years the University has developed an impressive track record in helping students to find employment. At the end of their programs, students have the opportunity to embark on work placements or internships with leading public or private organizations with which the University has developed mutual relationships.
LUMSA has exploited its long-standing employment-focused tradition by creating the LUMSA Talent Academy a project aimed at creating direct links between our students and the managers of major national and international companies.
LUMSA’s Rome and Palermo campuses are both accredited test centres for major international qualifications in languages. These qualifications include CELI Certificazione Ufficiale della conoscenza della Lingua Italiana (recognised certificate of competence in Italian language).
Research
LUMSA promotes and supports basic and interdisciplinary research through the University Centre for Research and Internationalization (Centro di Ateneo per la ricerca e l’internazionalizzazione - CARI) and the Ethics Committee for Scientific Research (Comitato Etico per la Ricerca Scientifica - ESRB) whose remit is to evaluate and advise on research proposals submitted by scholars working at LUMSA.
These centres support research, seminars and conferences in conjunction with Italian and international colleagues from the most prestigious universities in the world.
LUMSA is a member of the Agency for the Promotion of European Research (Agenzia per la Promozione della Ricerca Europea - APRE), part of the EURAXESS network - Researchers in Motion - and Eduroam (Education Roaming).
Attention to gender equality
In order to generate structural changes in educational organizations and to overcome the gaps between men and women, in line with the recent declaration of the Research and Innovation Directorate of the European Commission, LUMSA University adopted in 2022 its first Gender Equality Plan (GEP).
Provided within the framework of the Horizon Europe program (European Union framework program for research and innovation for the period 2021-2027), the adoption of the Plan is an essential tool for accessing research funding - and with the principle of equal opportunities, described by art. 51 of the Constitution, as amended by the Const. n. 1 of 2003: a principle which in turn is an expression of the fundamental values of the dignity of the person and the defense of the human community, which animate the academic community of LUMSA.
