Università degli Studi di Pavia
Ingegneria Edile-Architettura (LM-4 c.u.) · Italian
Last checked: 26 July 2026
2026/27 admissions at a glance
Ingegneria Edile-Architettura (Pavia) — Pavia
Taught in Italian and English
Official admission notice · Official programme page · Tuition schedule · Checked: 26 July 2026
Programmes and campuses
Each campus is a separately comparable option: seats, and sometimes delivery mode, differ by campus even for the same programme name.
Ingegneria Edile-Architettura (Pavia)
Italian and EnglishPlaces for 2026/27
Total: 87
Marco Polo has its own column; unfilled MP seats roll into non-EU-abroad, confirming it is additional. Quotas explicitly provisional (D.R. 927/2026).
International students & enrolment
Sources
TEST ARCHED results are valid only for the university where the test was taken (CISIA rule). This page states facts published by the university and CISIA; always confirm against the current admission notice before acting.
University Guide
Beyond admission: what this school is like, how it teaches architecture, and what studying here actually involves.
History
Universita degli Studi di Pavia traces its roots to AD 825, when a Frankish royal edict established a higher-education centre at Pavia, and received formal university status in 1361 under Emperor Charles IV. It is among the oldest universities in Europe, with roughly 23,800 students (~11,983 undergraduate, ~9,366 postgraduate), a member of the Coimbra Group. Notable historical faculty include three Nobel laureates (Camillo Golgi, Giulio Natta, Carlo Rubbia); Leonardo da Vinci conducted anatomical studies there around 1511.
Academic reputation
QS World University Rankings 2026: #423 world. THE World University Rankings 2026: #351 world. QS Engineering & Technology subject ranking: #401 (improved from #451 in 2024). No dedicated architecture subject ranking was found for Pavia.
Position in Italian architecture education
A small, selective, engineering-faculty-housed LM-4 c.u., distinct from the larger stand-alone architecture schools -- positions itself as a hybrid "building engineer-architect" track combining structural/technical engineering rigor with architectural design, historically rooted in the Faculty of Engineering.
The architecture school
DICAr -- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Architettura — Cravino campus ("La Nave" Science Campus), Via Ferrata, Pavia
Engineering/architecture-adjacent teaching at Pavia dates to 1771; a 1786 royal decree required aspiring engineers/architects to study at Pavia. Architect Sebastiano Giuseppe Locati joined as professor in 1899, modernising architectural pedagogy. A full, independent Faculty of Engineering was established in 1967-68. Architect Giancarlo De Carlo designed the campus master plan (completed 1974); the faculty moved to its current Cravino location in 1985. DICAr was formed in 2012 by merging three departments into three sections: Architecture and Territory, Hydraulics/Environment/Energy, and Structures and Materials.
DICAr states its aim as 'a qualitative integration of historical-critical training with scientific training,' treating architectural design as a synthesis process, producing a professional competent across the fitting-out, transformation and modification of the physical environment and landscape.
More than 40 faculty and 100+ researchers/postdocs/PhD candidates. The Course of Study holds EUR-ACE (European Accredited Engineer) certification.
Curriculum by programme
Ingegneria Edile-Architettura (Pavia)
Year 1
Subjects: Analisi Matematica; Geometria e Algebra; Diritto Amministrativo; Fisica; Fondamenti di Analisi Matematica 1; Storia dell'Architettura e Laboratorio; Disegno e Fondamenti di Geometria Descrittiva e Laboratorio di Architetture dell'Abitare
Skills developed: Mathematical/physical/chemical foundations, foundational architectural drawing, descriptive geometry, and architectural history
Year 2
Subjects: Informatica; Analisi Matematica 2; Urbanistica e Laboratorio; Storia dell'Architettura Contemporanea e Laboratorio; Architetture dell'Abitare e Laboratorio di Modellazione CAD; Rappresentazione Digitale Avanzata dell'Architettura e Laboratorio
Skills developed: Urban-planning literacy, CAD modelling, digital representation, continued architectural-history grounding
Year 3
Subjects: Fisica Tecnica Ambientale; Costruzioni Idrauliche, Marittime e Idrologia; Architettura Tecnica e Laboratorio; Scienza delle Costruzioni e Laboratorio; Fondamenti di Modellazione BIM per il Settore delle Costruzioni; Composizione Architettonica e Urbana e Laboratorio
Skills developed: Structural mechanics theory, building-services physics, hydraulics, and a dedicated BIM course
Year 4
Subjects: Tecnica e Pianificazione Urbanistica e Laboratorio; Architettura Tecnica 2 e Laboratorio; Tecnica delle Costruzioni; Geotecnica; Sistemi e Componenti per l'Edilizia; Architettura della Citta e Laboratorio
Skills developed: Advanced structural design, foundation/geotechnical engineering, urban-scale design and planning technique
Year 5
Subjects: Tecnica delle Costruzioni 2; Restauro e Laboratorio; Tirocinio; Fondamenti di Economia e Valutazione dei Progetti; Prova Finale; electives (Problemi Strutturali dei Monumenti, Workshop of Architectural and Urban Design (English), Urban and Regional Analysis and Planning (English), Recupero e Conservazione degli Edifici)
Skills developed: Restoration/heritage conservation, real-world internship, project economics/valuation, thesis-level independent design synthesis
Educational characteristics
Design education
Three core 'Architettura e Composizione Architettonica' studios run in Years 2-4 (Composition 1, 2, 3), escalating in complexity, plus an Urban Planning Studio (Y3) and a Year-4 studio integrating planning and construction-process disciplines, and a Year-5 elective menu with further advanced/ecology-focused design studios.
Technical education
A genuinely engineering-grade structural sequence: Meccanica Razionale to Scienza delle Costruzioni to Tecnica delle Costruzioni to Architettura Tecnica 1/2/3, plus dedicated Geotechnical Engineering and Hydraulics courses in Year 5 -- markedly heavier than typical pure-architecture LM-4 tracks.
Historical & cultural education
Two full History of Architecture courses (Y1, Y2, 12 CFU each) plus a mandatory 12-CFU Restoration (Restauro Architettonico) course in Year 4, with further elective deepening in Year 5 (Recupero e Conservazione degli Edifici; Sustainable and Resilient Reuse of Existing Buildings; Digital Documentation and Database of Cultural Heritage). DICAr's DadaLab research/teaching laboratory has run digital-documentation and survey projects at the Certosa di Pavia.
Digital education
'Modelli e Rappresentazione dell'Architettura' (Y2), 'Rilievo dell'Architettura' (Y3, survey), and Year-5 electives 'Artificial Intelligence for Urban Analysis and Modeling,' 'Digital Documentation and Database of Cultural Heritage,' and 'Fotogrammetria, LIDAR e GIS.' No standalone BIM course is named.
Laboratory activities
The programme's quality-assurance text states teaching 'ensures the acquisition of creative skills thanks to numerous laboratory activities included in most of the characterizing and related courses,' with several courses structurally split into lecture plus Laboratorio.
What makes it different
Engineering-architecture hybrid housed in a Civil Engineering department (DICAr), giving unusually strong structural/technical training. International double-degree agreements with Tongji University (Shanghai, since ~2010) and Universitat Jaume I (Castellon, Spain, since ~2016), plus a 'Chinese Italian Joint Campus' ambition involving Tongji faculty teaching in English. A small, highly selective national admission cohort. Pavia's own historic university-town character -- one of Europe's oldest universities.
Is this university right for you?
A good fit if you: want a dual Architect/Engineer qualification, are interested in international double-degree options (Tongji Shanghai, Jaume I Spain), and want a historic, low-cost university town close to Milan.
Less suitable if you: want a dedicated architecture faculty rather than a civil-engineering-housed programme, or want to be based in Milan itself rather than commuting distance from it.
International environment
International students
The overall degree is delivered predominantly in Italian, with English required at B1 minimum for admission. English-taught modules exist within the standard curriculum in later years (English for Engineering, Urban Planning Studio, parts of the Design Studio in Architecture Planning and Building Process, several Year-5 electives).
Exchange programmes
The programme states a 'strong international vocation' with numerous Erasmus exchanges, international workshops and winter/summer schools with European and non-European universities.
Erasmus
An additional mobility scheme, "Erasmus+ Studio Overseas," allows 3-12 months at a non-European partner university.
International partnerships
Double-degree agreements with Tongji University (Shanghai) and Universitat Jaume I (Spain).
Career
Career outcomes
As an LM-4 c.u. graduate, students gain access, after the Esame di Stato, to registration in both the Ordine degli Ingegneri and the Ordine degli Architetti, Pianificatori, Paesaggisti e Conservatori registers. Official outcomes: free professional practice or work within design/engineering firms; direction of works/site management for complex projects; technical expert roles for insurance companies, banks, due-diligence firms; court-appointed technical expert (CTU) roles; public administration, construction companies, product-innovation industries; teaching.
Internships
A "Tirocinio" appears as one of the Year-5 elective options within the 21-CFU free-choice block, not a universally mandatory component.
Professional qualification pathway
The dual-register eligibility (Architect and Engineer) is a structural feature of the LM-4 class, confirmed for Pavia via the programme's own competency-mapping text.
Student life
Living cost level: Low
Third-party sources put average single-room rent in Pavia around EUR280/month versus roughly EUR729/month in Milan, though Pavia rents have risen roughly 20% over six years.
Pavia is roughly 30-40 minutes from Milan by train, allowing easy access to Milan's job/internship market while living in a cheaper, quieter setting.
A small, historic, walkable university town.
Admission at a glance
For exact seats, dates and fees, see the admissions section above — this is a qualitative summary only.
Frequently asked questions
What degree do you earn from Ingegneria Edile-Architettura at Pavia, and how long does it take?
A 5-year, 300-CFU single-cycle Master's degree (class LM-4), combining civil/building engineering with architectural design, delivered by DICAr -- the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture.
Can graduates register as both architects and engineers?
Yes. After passing the Esame di Stato, LM-4 c.u. graduates from Pavia can register with both the Ordine degli Architetti and the Ordine degli Ingegneri -- a dual-register eligibility specific to this degree class.
Does the programme have international opportunities?
Yes -- Erasmus exchanges, English-taught studio modules in later years, and double-degree agreements with Tongji University (Shanghai) and Universitat Jaume I (Spain).
Is Pavia an expensive place to study compared to Milan?
No -- Pavia is a small historic university town roughly 30-40 minutes from Milan by train, with meaningfully lower rents than Milan.
Prepare for the test
Study the same TEST ARCHED syllabus with cards, practice questions and mock exams.
- Research and data verification
- IMATNOTE Team
- Architecture review
- RYU
- Academic year
- 2026/27
- Last verified
- 26 July 2026
Applying from outside the EU? The non-EU application guide covers pre-enrolment, the study visa and qualification recognition. Common questions are answered separately.