University in the Colleges
The University in the Colleges project offers students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate degree programs the opportunity to attend high-quality courses, taught at the University Colleges and taught by faculty members external to the University of Pavia, with proven national and international prestige.
These courses are recognized as curricular credits (3 or 6 ECTS credits) that students can include in their study plan as optional, free-choice courses; they are offered intensively (generally over 1 or 2 weeks) and require mandatory attendance.
The entire curriculum is available in the dedicated brochure. Students are free to select any courses they are interested in from those offered as part of the project.
For the 2025/26 academic year, the Department offers the following courses:
University of Pavia coordinator: Professor Thomas Abeli
Location: Collegio Ghislieri
Instructor: Professor Antonella Succurro
Timetable: Second semester
Course language: English
University of Pavia coordinator: Professor Silvio Seno
Location: Collegio Ghislieri
Instructor: Professor Cristian Scapozza
Time: February 2-6, 2026
Course language: English
SSD GEO04
24 hours (3 CFU)
Cristian Scapozza is Professor of Applied Geomorphology at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), where he is head of the Climate Change and Territory Competence Center. He holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Lausanne, directs research projects in alpine geomorphology, Quaternary geology, and geoarchaeology, and coordinates scientific mediation activities on climate change. He is vice president (former president 2020-2022) of the Swiss Society of Geomorphology and a member of the committee of the Swiss Permafrost Observation Network PERMOS.
The course offers an interpretation of climate change that does not only focus on direct observations, but explores it through the lens of the concept of “deep time.” Examining the Earth's climatic past is essential to understanding the origin and evolution of humanity, its relationship with climatic discontinuities, and the path it will choose in terms of the climate of the future. This will enable the development of multi-thematic narrative tools on the relationship between humanity and climate, in a combination of science, history, and art that aims to overcome disciplinary barriers and contribute to a more effective cultural mediation of climate change.
University of Pavia coordinator: Professor Agnese Marchini
Location: Collegio Fraccaro
Instructor: Professor Francesco Tomasinelli
Timetable: Second semester
Course language: Italian
University of Pavia coordinator: Professor Thomas Abeli
Location: Collegio Ghislieri
Instructor: Professor Silvio Buzzi
Time: January 12-16, 2026 - 2:00-6:00 PM
Course language: English
University of Pavia coordinator: Professor Graziano Rossi
Location: Collegio Fraccaro
Instructor: Professor Simone Pedrini
Timetable: First semester
Course language: Italian
University of Pavia coordinator: Professor Claudia Meisina
Location: Collegio Ghislieri
Instructor: Professor Manuela Girotto
Time: June 8-12, 2026
Course language: English
SSD GEO05
24 hours (3 CFU)
Manuela Girotto is Assistant Professor at the Environmental Science and Policy Management Department, University of California, Berkeley (USA). Her research interests include snow hydrology, groundwater, hydrological interactions between natural and anthropogenic processes, land surface modeling, and assimilation of multi-sensor, multi-spectral, and multi-resolution satellite data, as well as the contribution of hydrology to sea level change and land-atmosphere interactions.
The course will introduce students to basic physical principles that are necessary to understand the distribution and dynamics of water near the Earth's surface. It also covers the basics of remote sensing for water observation, including a variety of modern airborne, and satellite instruments used to monitor and analyze hydrological and water resources processes. Additionally, the course features a series of practical, high-cognitive-demand tasks. These hands-on activities are designed to help students apply their knowledge in real-world scenarios, simulating the types of challenges professionals in the field encounter.
University of Pavia coordinator: Professor Thomas Abeli
Location: Collegio Ghislieri
Instructor: Professor Fiona Ruth Hay
Timetable: Second semester
Course language: English
University of Pavia coordinator: Professor Thomas Abeli
Location: Collegio Ghislieri
Instructor: Professor Gian Matteo Baldi
Time: January 20-22 and January 26-28; 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Course language: English