Master in Architectural Composition at University of Genoa
Two-year English-taught LM-4 architecture master in Genoa built around design studios, with history, conservation, sustainability and city design. Entry needs an architecture degree, a portfolio and B2 English.
Master
2 years
Genoa
English
University of Genoa
Architectural Composition is a two-year, 120 CFU master's degree (class LM-4) taught in English at the University of Genoa. Entry needs an architecture bachelor's (class L-17) or a degree allowing recognition of 108 essential L-17 credits, a portfolio and English at B2. In 2026/27, visa applicants also needed a 70% CGPA. Fees follow family income, so it can be tuition-free for eligible students.
Entry requirements
Detailed entry requirements
Genoa's Architectural Composition master asks for an architecture bachelor's (class L-17) or an Italian or foreign degree that allows recognition of 108 essential L-17 credits, a portfolio and English at B2, with personal preparation assessed from your documents. Visa applicants in 2026/27 also needed a CGPA of at least 70%. Reviewed 8 October 2026. [1]
Degree requirement
You need one of these qualifications: [1]
- An Italian bachelor's in Architectural Science (class L-17).
- An Italian degree in class 04, Architectural Science and Building Engineering, that allows recognition of 108 credits of essential training activities for class L-17.
- An Italian or foreign degree that allows recognition of the 108 credits of essential training activities for class L-17, as set by Ministerial Decree 1648 of 19 December 2023.
- A five-year single-cycle Italian degree in architecture (class 4/S or LM-4), only to obtain a second degree.
Graduates who only partly meet the requirements can be assigned a bridge career of up to 40 credits of individual courses. If you finish it within the enrolment deadlines, you enrol that year; otherwise you enrol the following year and repeat pre-enrolment. [1] For 2026/27 visa applicants, the qualification also had to be a university degree of at least three years. [2]
What this means for your transcript
Italian CFU and the credits on a foreign transcript are not the same unit, and Genoa compares your subjects with an Italian architecture bachelor's, not just your total. As a guide, based on the rule above:
- Usually a fit: a B.Arch, the degree closest to an Italian architecture bachelor's.
- Check carefully: a B.Tech or B.E. in Civil Engineering, a B.Planning or a B.Des in interior or spatial design. These share some subjects but may cover fewer of the essential architecture credits.
- Often short: a B.Sc., BCA, B.Com, BBA or BA, where few subjects match an architecture bachelor's.
Your grades matter too. In 2026/27, visa applicants needed a CGPA of at least 70%, which is 7.0 on a 10-point scale. [2]
English and Italian
English at CEFR level B2 or higher, shown in one of these ways: [1]
- A certificate recognised as valid by UniGe CLAT.
- A statement from the university of your previous degree that English was the medium of instruction.
- A certificate from that university that you passed an English exam at B2 or higher, taken in person.
The regulations do not list specific test scores. Italian is not required to apply. [1][2] Once enrolled, foreign students whose previous degree was not taught in Italian take an Italian language course in the first year, worth 4 credits. An A2 Italian certificate obtained from May 2023 can be recognised instead, but online language courses are not accepted. [1]
Portfolio and personal preparation
A committee of the degree board assesses your curricular requirements and personal preparation from the documents you upload on UniGeApply and at UniGe pre-enrolment. The regulations do not set a written test or an interview. [1] For 2026/27, the visa applicants' selection for this course listed no remote interview or test and a minimum CGPA of 70%. [2]
The portfolio is mandatory. At pre-enrolment it holds a maximum of three completed projects in A4 format, in a file of up to 10 MB. [1] On UniGeApply, the portfolio file can be up to 5 MB. [2]
2026/27 deadlines
For 2026/27, non-EU visa applicants applied on UniGeApply from 26 November 2025 to 20 March 2026, and outcomes were due by 22 May 2026. [3] Accepted students could apply on Universitaly from 4 May 2026. [4] Applicants still finishing their bachelor's had to graduate by 15 August 2026. [2]
For 2027/28, UniGe expects the visa applicants' session to open in November 2026. The next call sets the exact dates. [4] Missing a UniGeApply, Universitaly or UniGe portal deadline leads to exclusion. [1]
Documents and non-EU steps
The UniGeApply pre-evaluation for this course asks for: [2]
- Your CV.
- Your bachelor's degree certificate, final or provisional, or a letter from your university with your expected degree date and your CGPA so far.
- Your transcript of records with exams, credits and grades.
- Your portfolio.
- Your English B2 certificate or medium of instruction certificate.
Documents in languages other than Italian, English, French, Spanish or Portuguese need a translation. You can apply for up to two courses. [2] For 2026/27, visa applicants could submit up to two applications. [3]
After a positive outcome, you apply on Universitaly, where you choose one university and one course. Once UniGe forwards that application to the embassy, you pre-enrol on the UniGe portal, uploading a CV of up to four A4 pages, your degree certificate with transcript, your portfolio and your English certificate, and then confirm pre-enrolment by the deadline. Final enrolment takes place after you arrive in Italy. [1][4]
Sources and verification
Checked by the ApplyAZ admissions team against the university's official documents listed below. Entry rules can change with each new call, and we re-check them before every application.
- University of Genoa, Polytechnic School, Department of Architecture and Design. Degree regulations, Master's degree in Architectural Composition (LM-4), 2026/2027 cohort. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- University of Genoa. UniGeApply international admissions selection, academic year 2026/27: students with a foreign qualification applying to master's degrees taught in English. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- University of Genoa. UniGeApply: application windows, fees and next steps for international applicants, academic year 2026/27. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- University of Genoa. Enrolment for non-EU students with residence abroad and a foreign qualification (visa applicants), academic year 2026/27. Reviewed 8 October 2026.
- University of Genoa, Architectural Composition programme page, course 11930, academic year 2025/26 (language, campus, teaching model and career outlets). Reviewed 8 October 2026.
About the programme
Architectural Composition is a two-year, 120 CFU master's degree (laurea magistrale, class LM-4) taught in English at the University of Genoa. It started in 2022/23 and belongs to the Department of Architecture and Design (DAD) of the Polytechnic School. [1] Teaching is in person at the school in Genoa's historic centre, in the medieval Sant'Agostino complex. [5]
The course aims to prepare the intellectual and professional figure of the European architect, and its main teaching model is the design workshop. It suits architecture graduates who want to deepen design and composition in an international, English-speaking setting. [1][5]
What you will study
The 2026/27 cohort follows a single study plan. Units include: [1]
- Architecture Studio 1 (15 CFU): design studio, architectural theory and typological analysis.
- Architecture Studios 2, 3 and 4 (10 CFU each): design studio with architectural theory.
- History of Contemporary Architecture (8 CFU): methods and perspectives, and works, architects and paradigms from 1945 to today.
- Principles of Conservation (5 CFU) and Structural Morphology (5 CFU).
- Cost Analysis (8 CFU): economic evaluation and the economic and social sustainability of projects.
- Principles of Sustainability (8 CFU): sustainability technology and techniques.
- Project of the City (10 CFU): component design and urban responsive design.
- Renewable Sources and Technical Plant Design (5 CFU).
The plan also includes a 6 CFU internship, 4 CFU of other training activities, 8 elective CFU and an 8 CFU thesis. [1]
How the programme is taught
Lectures, exercises and workshops are all in English. In the workshops, attendance is checked: you need at least 70% attendance to sit the exam, and each instructor has at most 50 students. The year runs in two semesters, each with at least 12 weeks of lectures and at least 4 weeks of exams, and exams are held in person. [1]
Foreign students, unless their previous degree was taught in Italian, use the 4 credits of other training activities for an Italian language course in the first year. The degree ends with the public defence of an original thesis written in English, and credits earned abroad add up to 2 points to the final mark. [1]
Career paths
According to the course page, the degree prepares students to enter international firms as architects who direct projects and work alongside other specialists. [5]
Fees and scholarships
Your fees follow UniGe's fee rules for the year you enrol, and eligible students can be exempt, so this programme can be tuition-free for eligible students. Tuition is paid only after you arrive in Italy. [4] Liguria's right-to-study agency, ALiSEO, runs a separate regional scholarship with its own income limits. Eligible students can apply, and ALiSEO decides the awards.
How to apply from outside the EU
Non-EU applicants living abroad with a foreign degree first apply for pre-evaluation on UniGe's UniGeApply portal, in the session for visa applicants. [1] For 2026/27, Architectural Composition asked for a CV, degree certificate, transcript, portfolio and English certificate, with a minimum CGPA of 70% and no remote interview. The session closed on 20 March 2026. [2][3]
After a positive outcome, you apply on Universitaly for the study visa, then pre-enrol and confirm pre-enrolment on the UniGe portal. Final enrolment takes place after you arrive in Italy. For 2027/28, UniGe expects the visa applicants' session to open in November 2026. [1][4]
How ApplyAZ helps
ApplyAZ is an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities. We can include this programme in a shortlist of 20 to 30 English-taught programmes that fit your profile, so your plan never rests on a single application.
For eligible students who start with us, a named person owns each stage, from A to Z:
- We check your transcript against Genoa's entry rules for this programme.
- We write your CV and a tailored statement of purpose.
- We prepare and submit your UniGeApply pre-evaluation with your portfolio, Universitaly visa application and UniGe pre-enrolment.
- We help you declare your family income for reduced fees and file your ALiSEO Liguria scholarship application at the right time and in the right format.
- We prepare your visa file.
With operations in all 20 Italian regions, we follow each region's scholarship rules and deadlines as they change. The university decides admission, the region decides the scholarship and the consulate decides the visa, so no one can promise an outcome. You pay in milestones, and every service you pay for is either delivered or its fee is refunded (terms apply).
Programmes at Italian public universities can be tuition-free for eligible students. Check if you are eligible and book a one-to-one consultation session with one of our Italy experts, or see how ApplyAZ works.
Questions and answers
What bachelor's degree do I need for Genoa's Architectural Composition master?
An Italian Architectural Science bachelor's (class L-17), or an Italian or foreign degree that allows recognition of the 108 credits of essential L-17 training activities. Graduates who only partly meet this can be given a bridge career of up to 40 credits. [1]
Is there an entrance exam or interview?
No written test. A committee assesses your requirements and personal preparation from your documents, including your CV, transcript and a portfolio of up to three projects. In 2026/27, visa applicants had no remote interview or test. [1][2]
What English level is required? Do I need IELTS?
English at CEFR B2. UniGe accepts a certificate it recognises, a statement that your previous degree was taught in English, or a certificate of an in-person B2 English exam at your previous university. The regulations do not list specific test scores. [1]
What CGPA do I need?
For 2026/27, the UniGeApply selection for visa applicants set a minimum CGPA of 70% for Architectural Composition. On a 10-point scale that is 7.0, and we check how your university's grading converts before you apply. [2]
When is the deadline for non-EU students?
For 2026/27, visa applicants applied on UniGeApply from 26 November 2025 to 20 March 2026. The 2027/28 session is expected to open in November 2026, and the next call sets the dates. [3][4]
Can I apply before I graduate?
Yes. For 2026/27, the UniGeApply selection accepted bachelor's degrees still in progress if completed by 15 August 2026, with a letter from your university giving the expected date and your CGPA so far. [2]
I have a B.Tech in Civil Engineering or a B.Planning. Can I apply?
Possibly, but check carefully. The rule counts the essential credits of an Italian architecture bachelor's, so engineering or planning degrees often cover only part of them. If you are close, the board can assign a bridge career of up to 40 credits. [1]
Do I need to speak Italian?
No Italian is needed to apply. Once enrolled, foreign students take a 4-credit Italian language course in the first year, unless their previous degree was taught in Italian. An A2 certificate obtained from May 2023 can be recognised instead. [1][2]
Can someone handle my whole application to Architectural Composition at Genoa?
Yes. ApplyAZ, an Italy-based consultancy that works only with public universities, checks your transcript against Genoa's rules for this programme, handles the application and Universitaly pre-enrolment, helps you file the ALiSEO Liguria scholarship application at the right time and in the right format, and prepares your visa file, for eligible students. Start by checking your eligibility.
I'm applying from India. What is the route into Architectural Composition?
An Indian B.Arch is the closest match, as long as its subjects allow recognition of the 108 essential credits of an Italian architecture bachelor's (class L-17). You also need a portfolio, English at B2 and, in 2026/27, a CGPA of at least 70%. The steps are UniGeApply pre-evaluation, the Universitaly visa application and UniGe pre-enrolment. [1][2] Indian students apply for the type D study visa at the Italian embassy or consulate that covers their state, such as New Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru.
Is the route different from Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka?
No. The academic rules for Architectural Composition are the same whatever your nationality. Applicants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka follow the same steps as India: UniGeApply pre-evaluation, Universitaly application and UniGe pre-enrolment, then a type D study visa from the Italian mission for their country of residence. Read our guide for students in Dhaka.
I live in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain. Where do I apply for the visa?
At the Italian embassy or consulate responsible for the country where you legally live, after Universitaly pre-enrolment. The academic rules for Architectural Composition are the same whatever your nationality, and Gulf residents follow the same steps: UniGeApply pre-evaluation, Universitaly application and UniGe pre-enrolment. Read our guides for Dubai, Riyadh and Doha.
I studied or live in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. What is the route?
The academic rules for Architectural Composition are the same whatever your nationality, and your degree is assessed like any other foreign qualification. Non-EU applicants who live abroad follow the same route: UniGeApply pre-evaluation, Universitaly application and UniGe pre-enrolment, then a type D study visa from the Italian mission for where they live. Read our guides for students in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
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