It is continually said that in Italy the culture of international trade is scarce, and that our companies are struggling to find young people trained in subjects such as economics, finance, laws and international marketing, and even more young managers ready to go abroad for contract negotiation and employment in foreign offices. Yet in the Italian academic world there are few initiatives in this regard. Apart from a few three-year degrees and a few professorships here and there dedicated to the subject, there is however a Master entirely dedicated to international trade at the University of Padua. We talk about it in this interview with Ferdinando Meacci, professor of Political Economy and President of the master's degree course in International Economics at the University of Padua. He founded and directs the Masters in International Trade – MASCI where he teaches “Basics of International Trade & Finance” and “International Financial Markets”.
FIRST: Prof. Meacci, how does the Master in International Trade – MASCI differ from other similar initiatives? And how is it organised?
MEACCI: The MASCI was born 10 years ago to replace two distinct postgraduate specialization courses activated some time ago at the University of Padua on the juridical and economic aspects of international trade. The MASCI has an annual duration for a total of about 300 hours of frontal teaching, 150 for each of the two Sections of Law and Economics and Finance into which it is divided. Classes are mostly held on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, from February to November each year. Some of the lessons are taught in English. Graduates in Economics, Law, Political Sciences or similar subjects as well as holders of three-year or master's degrees in corresponding classes or holders of equivalent degrees issued by foreign universities are admitted to the selection. Students are assisted in their search for a mandatory internship in companies, associations or entities active in the field of international trade. Students who pass all the intermediate tests, have completed the internship and present a thesis accepted by specific supervisors, receive the Master's Diploma in International Commerce - MASCI. A certain number of university credits (CFU) is recognized to students who intend to enroll in the master's degree in International Economics at the University of Padua. Lessons are held in Italian and in English. The Master is accredited by the Padua Bar Association. Further information can be found on the master's website www.dsi.unipd.it/masci.
FIRST: But is the MASCI a traditional university master's degree or are practical aspects of economics, finance and international law privileged? For example, what background do the teachers have?
MEACCI: Since its inception, the MASCI was conceived for the benefit not only of those who have acquired only basic knowledge in the various degree courses or only knowledge similar to that necessary to operate successfully in the field of international trade, but also of those who already carry out an activity in this field without yet possessing all the useful conceptual tools that only a master's course can give. For this reason, the teachers are chosen both from university professors specialized in the various disciplines of the Master's and from professionals and business consultants, many of whom are also university professors. The interdisciplinarity and practicality of the knowledge acquired by the students give rise to the end-of-course theses o project works with which the students must demonstrate their ability to deal with case studies practical, often in groups and as if they were already in the company, in order to stimulate their ability to work in team.
FIRST: Let's talk about the students: how many are there, how are they divided between males and females, Italians and foreigners, what educational qualifications do they have, do they come from studies or work?
MEACCI: The Master is limited in number (25 students per year). Students are selected on the basis of their academic qualifications and professional experience. They come from all over the world with a prevalence of graduates from South American and Eastern European universities. On average, they are divided in equal proportion between males and females, between Italian citizens and foreign citizens. Almost everyone has previous, however brief, work experience.
FIRST: What are the reasons that drive students to take on such a long, quite expensive (at least for off-site) and certainly demanding Master's?
MEACCI: MASCI enrollment applications come from graduates who have chosen to specialize in this field to make up for unavoidable gaps in the type of academic training or in the type of work previously carried out. The stimulus to get to know each other, to carry out mandatory internships in offices operating in the field in question and to work within homogeneous groups on specific topics allows students to build networks of knowledge that will be useful to them in the job market and in their future careers.
FIRST: Speaking of internships, in which institutions or companies are they organised? And what is the reception of the Veneto entrepreneurial world with respect to these training courses? Are the career opportunities satisfactory?
MEACCI: Internships are identified with the help of our offices and with the free consent of both interested parties. They last a minimum of 300 hours and are offered by a large number of exporting companies, their associations, offices and consulting firms operating in this sector. A list of them is available on the aforementioned website. Our sponsors do not guarantee an employment contract to those who have completed the internship, even successfully. But there are numerous cases of students hired by the same companies that had hosted them and who immediately launched them, on the basis of the languages they knew (including recently Chinese), at their foreign branches or to open new markets even in distant continents (China, Japan, Brazil).
FIRST: You have been directing MASCI for many years. What is your personal assessment of this experience?
MEACCI: MASCI was born even before the university studies reform law regulated this academic qualification. Since then I have directed it with enthusiasm and satisfaction despite the increase in academic commitments in recent years. The aspects that most attract me in this direction are the origin of the students from the most diverse countries, the use of English in teaching and above all the interaction between the organization of the master, the content of its teachings and the collaboration with companies , consultancy firms and organizations operating in the field of international trade.
Attached are the brochure and poster of the next MASCI, which will be held in 2012, and for which registrations are open until 13 December 2011.
Attachments: MASCI locandina1.pdf http://firstonline-data.teleborsa.it/news/files/228.pdf
