Bocconi University


Bocconi University or Università Bocconi is a non-profit private university located in Milan, Italy.
The university offers courses in social sciences, with programs in economics, management, finance, law, political science, data and computer science, and an increasing focus on artificial intelligence.
Bocconi is a founding member of CEMS – The Global Alliance in Management Education. Through its graduate business school, the SDA Bocconi School of Management, the university holds triple accreditation from AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA. SDA Bocconi offers MBA, Executive MBA, DBA, executive education, professional development, and certification programs.

History

Bocconi University was established in 1902 as Italy's first university to offer a degree in economics.
Its founder, Ferdinando Bocconi, created the university in memory of his son Luigi, who died in the Battle of Adwa during the First Italo-Ethiopian War. The university was initially affiliated with the Polytechnic University of Milan's engineering school and adopted a teaching model based on methods used at the École Supérieure of Antwerp.
The university’s first building opened in Largo Notari. In 1941, Bocconi moved to its current main campus in Via Sarfatti 25. Over the decades, the campus has expanded with new facilities, including student residences, research centers, and the business school SDA Bocconi School of Management.
Key milestones include the introduction of new degree programs in law, political science, data science and artificial intelligence, the launch of Italy’s first MBA, the creation of the CEMS alliance, and the completion of the new urban campus designed by SANAA in 2019.

Campus

The university's first building opened in 1902 on Via Statuto, near the Pinacoteca di Brera. Today, the campus is located beside Parco Ravizza, between Via Sarfatti and Viale Bligny, and comprises multiple buildings near Porta Ticinese and the Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio:
  • Sarfatti Building, designed by Giuseppe Pagano, is the oldest building on campus. It houses classrooms, the aula magna, administrative offices, and a restaurant. Its entrance is flanked by two lion statues, which have become the subject of university myths.
  • Pensionato Building, by Giovanni Muzio, contains dormitories, a canteen, large halls, and faculty offices. Its floors are shaped like a symmetrical "L", said to represent laude.
  • SDA Bocconi Building accommodates the SDA Bocconi School of Management and includes the EGEA bookstore. A football pitch lies between this and the Pensionato Building.
  • Leonardo del Vecchio Building , designed by Ignazio Gardella, is ellipsoid in shape and contains classrooms for up to 150 students each. It features a geothermal heat pump system. A statue of Ferdinando Bocconi stands in the foyer.
  • Library Building, also by Giovanni Muzio, stands in Piazza Sraffa alongside the campus chapel and other smaller facilities.
  • Röntgen Building, designed by Grafton Architects, won World Building of the Year at the 2008 World Architecture Festival in Barcelona. It houses the university's departments and research centers, as well as a new aula magna, seminar rooms, and exhibition areas. Its designers, Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, received the 2020 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Several other administrative and research offices are located near Parco Ravizza and Viale Isonzo.

Dormitories

Bocconi provides approximately 1,800 dormitory places for students. Residences include Bocconi, Javotte, Dubini, Spadolini, Isonzo, Bligny, and Castiglioni.

Academics

Undergraduate School

The Bocconi Undergraduate School offers twelve Bachelor of Science programs in English and/or Italian:
  • Economia Aziendale e Management
  • Economia e Management per Arte, Cultura e Comunicazione
  • Economic and Social Sciences
  • Economics and Management for Arts, Culture and Communication
  • Economics, Management and Computer Science
  • International Economics and Finance
  • International Economics and Management
  • International Politics and Government
  • International Politics and Government
  • Mathematical and Computing Sciences for Artificial Intelligence
  • World Bachelor in Business
The university offers double degree programs with Peking University and HEC Paris, and exchange programs with 290 CEMS partner institutions in 55 countries.

Graduate School

The Bocconi Graduate School offers 14 Master of Science programs taught in English, 1 specialized master in English, and 1 in Italian. Bocconi's MSc in Finance was among the first six programs worldwide to partner with the CFA Institute and the first in continental Europe. Its MSc in Management and International Management includes participation in the CEMS Master in International Management, of which Bocconi is a founding member.
MSc programs include: Accounting and Financial Management; Artificial Intelligence; Cyber Risk Strategy and Governance; Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence in Health Sciences; Data Science and Business Analytics; Economic and Social Sciences; Economics and Management in Arts, Culture, Media and Entertainment; Economics and Management of Government and International Organizations; Finance; Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship; International Management; Marketing Management; Politics and Policy Analysis; Transformative Sustainability.
Specialized masters include: Marketing e Comunicazione ; Quantitative Finance and Risk Management.
Double degree programs exist with CEMS partner universities, ESSEC Business School, Fudan University, and Sciences Po.

School of Law

Established in 2006, the Bocconi School of Law consolidated the university's tradition in legal studies under the "A. Sraffa" Institute for Comparative Law. It offers law courses in Italian and English and a summer academy.
Programs include:
  • Giurisprudenza
  • Bachelor in Global Law
  • Master of Arts in Global Law for Organizations, Business Enterprises and Institutions
Specialized masters include: LLM in European Business and Social Law; LLM in Global Tax and Law Governance; LLM in Law of Technology and Automated Systems.
The School of Law also offers a number of double degree programs and exchange programs with 290 partner institutions worldwide.

PhD School

The Bocconi PhD School offers doctoral programs in:
  • Economics and Finance
  • Business Administration and Management
  • Statistics and Computer Science
  • Social and Political Science
  • Mathematics and Applications
  • Legal Studies

    SDA Bocconi

The SDA Bocconi School of Management, founded in 1971, offers MBA programs, executive education, professional certifications, and a Doctor of Business Administration. It holds triple accreditation and publishes Economia & Management, an Italian management review. The school also offers specialized MSc programs in areas such as corporate finance, real estate management, food and beverage, fashion, design, and sports management.

Research and endowment

In 2006, Bocconi's research funding came primarily from the university itself, the European Union, the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, and external sources. In 2011, the European Research Council awarded €5 million to five social sciences and humanities projects led by Bocconi professors.
Bocconi is a member of the Offshoring Research Network, which studies the international relocation of business processes and services.

Departments

Bocconi has departments in: Accounting; Economics; Finance; Management and Technology; Marketing; Decision Sciences; Legal Studies; Policy Analysis and Public Management; and Computing Sciences.
Permanent research centers include the Paolo Baffi Centre, CERGAS, CERTeT, CReSV, CRIOS, Dondena Centre, IEFE, IGIER, and others.

International rankings

Student life

Student publications

Student-run publications include:
  • Tra i Leoni, a campus magazine.
  • Bocconi School of Law Student-Edited Papers, the official law journal.
  • IS@B News, run by the International Student Association.
  • Be OBjective Magazine, a bimonthly magazine on arts and culture.

    Superstitions

A superstition holds that students who pass between the lion statues at the Sarfatti Building entrance will not graduate: "Chi passa tra i Leoni non si laurea alla Bocconi."
From above, the main campus buildings form "30L", the highest possible exam grade: the Roentgen Building forms the "3", the Velodromo the "0", and the main building two "L"s.

Notable people

Alumni