University of Bologna

This school is in a place called Italy.

It is very old. It started a long time ago. Many people go there to study.

Students once worked together. They wanted to stay safe. They hired teachers to help them learn.

Some women were the first to study here. One woman even became a teacher.

Today, it is a very big school. Many students learn there every day.

The University of Bologna is in Italy. It is the oldest university in the world. It has been running for a very long time.

Many years ago, students came from far away. They formed groups called nations. These groups helped students stay safe. The students even hired their own teachers. They had a lot of power. They could pick the professors. They could even make professors pay fines if they were late.

This school was a place for great thinkers. A famous man named Copernicus studied here. The school also helped women succeed. Bettisia Gozzadini was one of the first women to get a degree. She even became a teacher. Later, Laura Bassi became a professor of physics. She was the first woman to get a science doctorate.

Today, the school is very large. It has over 90,000 students. It has many buildings in different cities. It also has branches in places like New York and Shanghai.

The University of Bologna is a very famous school in Italy. It is the oldest university in the world that has stayed open without stopping.

This school was the first place to ever give out university degrees. It is known by its motto, Alma Mater Studiorum, which means "Nourishing mother of studies." Today, it is one of the largest schools in Europe. More than 90,000 students study there right now.

Long ago, the university grew in a very interesting way. Students came from many different countries to study there. They formed groups called "nations" to help each other stay safe. These students had a lot of power in the early days. They even hired the teachers themselves. The students could vote on who would be a professor. They could even fine a teacher if they were late to class.

Learning at the university has changed a lot over many centuries. In the beginning, students studied things like law and theology. The school was very important for studying Roman law. Many famous thinkers studied here during the Renaissance. The famous scientist Nicholas Copernicus was one of them.

The university also helped women make history in science. Bettisia Gozzadini earned a law degree in 1237. She became one of the first women to teach at a university.

Another amazing woman was named Laura Bassi. She was a very smart student from a good family. In 1732, she defended her ideas in a public debate. She became the first woman to earn a doctorate in science. She was also the first woman to get paid to teach physics.

People even called her the "Bolognese Minerva" because she was so wise. She helped many people learn about the science of Isaac Newton.

Today, the university is much bigger than it was in the past. It has a main campus in Bologna, but it also has buildings in other Italian cities. These cities include Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna, and Rimini.

The school even has branches in other countries. You can find its branches in New York, Shanghai, Brussels, and Buenos Aires. It has many different departments for subjects like medicine, law, and art. There are even special places like botanical gardens and museums on its grounds.

The University of Bologna, often called Unibo, is a major public research university in Italy. It holds the distinction of being the oldest university in continuous operation in the world. It was also the very first institution to award university degrees. The university uses the Latin motto *Alma Mater Studiorum*, which translates to "Nourishing mother of studies." Today, it serves as a massive center for learning with over 90,000 students.

The university did not start as a single building or a formal school. Instead, it grew from mutual aid societies known as *universitates scholarium*. These were essentially guilds formed by groups of foreign students. These students were organized into "nations" based on their home countries. They formed these groups to protect themselves from local laws. At the time, cities often punished entire groups for the debts or crimes of one person. By joining together, these foreign students gained safety and influence.

This student-led system created a unique way of managing education. The students hired scholars from existing local schools to teach them. They studied subjects like the liberal arts, theology, and notarial law. The students even held significant power over their teachers. An elected council of representatives from every student nation governed the institution. They could hire or fire professors and determine their pay. Students could even use the threat of a strike to demand certain course content. If a professor was late or failed to finish the syllabus, the students could fine them.

While students held much power, professors also organized themselves. They formed committees called *collegia doctorum* within each faculty. These committees allowed professors to set degree requirements and examination fees. Eventually, the city took over the management of the school. The city began paying professors using tax revenues and turned it into a chartered public university. This transition helped move the school from a student-run guild to a formal academic institution.

Historically, the university was a vital center for legal and scientific study. It played a massive role in the development of medieval Roman law. This was largely due to the study of the *Digest*, a central text of Roman law. During the Renaissance, the university was a hub for mathematicians and scientists. The famous astronomer Nicholas Copernicus studied there. In the 18th century, the university expanded its scientific reach. Luigi Ferdinando Marsili helped establish the Observatory of Bologna, the first public astronomical observatory in Italy.

The university has also been a place where women broke significant barriers. In 1237, Bettisia Gozzadini earned a law degree. She later became the first woman to teach at a university. In the 1700s, Laura Bassi achieved even more. After defending her ideas in a public debate in 1732, she earned a doctorate in science. She was the first woman to receive a salaried position as a physics professor. Because of her great intellect, people called her the "Bolognese Minerva."

Modern education at Bologna is highly organized into different levels. Students can earn a three-year *Laurea* degree or a two-year *Laurea specialistica*. Some programs, like medicine and dentistry, require six years of study. After these, students can pursue research doctorates, also known as a PhD. The university is now divided into 11 major schools. These schools cover everything from Engineering and Law to Psychology and Medicine.

Today, the university is a global institution with a very wide reach. While its main campus is in Bologna, it has campuses in Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna, and Rimini. It also maintains international branches in cities like New York, Shanghai, Brussels, and Buenos Aires. The university manages 33 different departments to organize its research. It also houses many museums, libraries, and botanical gardens. This vast network makes it one of the most important academic systems in Europe.