Evolution of (AERO)Space Engineering Studies in Italy in the Past 20 Years

The paper presents the evolution and trends in the Master’s-level studies in aerospace engineering in Italy, looking at the past 20 years. In the year 2000, a major reform of the higher education in engineering took place in Italy, with the introduction of the so-called ‘Bologna system’ and the clear separation of Bachelor’s and Master’s degree studies. With this reform, a relatively high flexibility was given to universities to define their programme structures. The ministerial rules defined only broad subject areas within which courses and credits should be allocated. This reform allowed the diversification of the educational profile within each university and, even more relevant, allowed the creation of mobility across the country between Bachelor’s and Master’s study programmes. The paper will show the basic facts and figures in the six Italian universities participating in the Partnership of a European Group of Aeronautics and Space UniversitieS (PEGASUS) network (Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, Università di Pisa, Università degli Studi di Napoli ‘Federico II’, Sapienza Università di Roma and Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna), elaborating on the impact of the potential workforce for the sector. Data have been collected from the official open data repository of the Italian Ministry of University, supplemented by information provided by the six universities under analysis. The comparative analysis shows two major results: the positive impact of the reform on the overall Italian higher education and, specifically, a greater appreciation of the aerospace curricula proposed in accordance with the new system.