The involved Italian Law : Ministerial Decree DM87/09

All the following information are given according to the Decree DM87/09 . According to the art. 2, comma 2 of DM 87, our Institute applied for “Formative Institution” with a request of ministerial acknowledgement, as fully private school.


Preliminary note on the tuition fees

The University courses tuition fees are strictly connected with the high standard of the courses in terms of technical and didactic services. The University courses tuition fees are higher than the professional courses ones for the reason why all the costs connected with the lecturer’s status and the compulsory relationship students/teacher has a major cost. Besides, there are only 10 available places for each areas also if in the labs there will be always 14 people (10 students, 2 lecturers, 1 assistant, 1 tutor).
We also should consider that respect of the public schools financed by the Italian state, our Institute chase to organize its activity in Florence without using any public fund or Regione Toscana contribution.
The Institute financed its activities only with students payments and only in few cases with some occasional sponsoring fund, which granted some scholarships which cover only a part of the tuition fee. In more than 30 years of activity we help Italian and international occupation without any economic request and in spite of a lot of obstacles and problems arising out from the debates about the integration of public-private institutions.
Our Institute wasn’t supported by any Bank foundation or Cultural Association, as for example it happens for many regional centres and institutions, but in any case we are very satisfied of our works and of our results in terms of enrolled students, in spite of the higher tuition fee, and of the final obtained results in terms of placement. Today, many Palazzo Spinelli students work in the most important Italian and foreign structures and they are our best advertising testimonial.
Anyway, the annual tuition fee can be reduced thanks to the process of validation of the entry credits or for some other Institute reasons. (see facilities).


Admission to the first year of the five year Degree in Restoration
. Available places. Getting through of an admission examination structured in three sessions

According to the art. 2 of the DM 87/09, “the admission at the formative training of Restorer of Cultural Heritage have to be consequent to a preliminary admission exam made of a series of theoretical, practical and aptitude tests, as showed in the Allegato A of the decree.” The exam consist in three sessions: tests of vision and perception, practical test, oral test.
Applicants must be in possession of a diploma of secondary school or an equivalent title issued by a foreign state.

Waiting for the Ministerial authorization, the Institute invites applicants to send a temporary online form of “Request of Admission Evaluation” which can be found at the end of this form. The Institute will later request the copy of a complete didactic and professional documentation which will be evaluated in order to validate the admission at the five year course. Due to the minimum number of available places, 10 for each Area, the Institute scheduled a first applicants selection within the 31st May 2011. The official admission exam is scheduled from 4th to 9th October 2011, while the date of the beginning of the session was fixed on the 15th November 2011.

There are only 30 available places in this Area (10 places are reserved to our students with 3-years diploma).

These are the correct procedures for attending at the five year restoration course :
1. The Institute has fixed a first preliminary selection, to be held within the 31st July 2011.
2. Waiting for the Ministerial authorization, the Institute invites applicants to send a temporary online form of “Request of Admission Evaluation” which can be found at the end of this form. In case of available places, the Institute will ask for the copy of the compulsory documentation which, according to the Italian law, must be submitted to the Evaluation Committee: identity card or passport, a colour passport-size photo, a curriculum vitae, European format, the secondary school study title, others study or professional titles, eventual professional certifications and letters of reference.
3. The Evaluation Committee is made up of the Institute Director, the teacher who act as Course Co-ordinator and the Competences Valuator. Aim of the Committee is to validate and accept the preliminary exams applications and to validate and assign the eventual entry credits. The Institute send to the applicant the minutes of the Evaluation Committee, undersigned by the external member, which includes also the number of the assigned entry credits. The assigned credits can reduce the amount of the duration in terms of hours of the course with the subsequent reduction of the applicant tuition fee.
4. The applicant, after being admitted to the course, must complete his enrolment within the deadline previously fixed by the Institute, sending the Administrative Regulations duly signed, together with the copy of the bank swift of the payment of the first rate of the tuition fee.
5. The official admission exam is scheduled from 4th to 9th October 2011, while the date of the beginning of the session was fixed on the 15th November 2011.


The five year course and the validation of the entry credits of our ex graduated students

Applicants who choose the unique cycle has different motivation respect of those one who choose the triennial training cycle. These two training systems are completely different for various reasons: the different amount of practical session, the study of theoretical issues, the placement occasions, etc. A comparative table of the two systems can be provided on request.
The structure of the five year course, which is made of 300 credits, is the same of all the other Italian degree courses.
SeeD.M. 509/99 e DM 270/04
Each entry credit will grant a reduction of the tuition fee which will be fixed by the Direction on the The credits system (CFU for the five year courses, UF for the professional training courses) is similar. The current university system validates both didactic and professional credits. For this reason, the Institute ex graduated students can apply for the validation of their entry credits, in order to obtain a partial reduction of the amount of the course number of hours and of the course tuition fee.


Admission of the students who gained their triennial diploma at our Institute

Students in possession of a triennial diploma issued by the Institute will have recognised the automatic validation of their entry credits and a subsequent cancellation of the obligation to be involved in the practical study sessions. They will have so, for the first three years, a reduction of the two-thirds of the tuition fee. For these students, which are not obliged to pay the Admission Exams Tax, it will remain compulsory to sustain a preliminary admission test .


Admission of foreign students

The Institute accepts a maximum number of five foreign students for each of the Areas: 3 coming from EU countries , 2 coming from non EU countries.
Lessons are held in Italian. Foreign students must have a knowledge of Italian language which can allow them to take part to the final exams. This knowledge will be checked by the teacher responsible of the entry level procedures.
Students can follow an Italian language course at IIC of his country of origin or in a specialised Italian school of language in Florence obtaining a certificate of average knowledge of Italian language. Our students can also follow a three months course from July to September in one of the schools partner of our Institute.
In order to help foreign students enrolled at our courses the Direction organise in its premises in the month of September an intensive course designed for all the students who want to learn the technical terminology of Art and Restoration.
We remind that for the whole triennium is possible to follow a free afternoon Italian language course.


Intermediate and final exams

In order to be admitted to the final exam, students have to pass all the intermediate tests based on the various study sessions included in the five year study plan. Some integrative parts, can be added on commission requests ((battery tests, close questions, etc.); this is to verify the acquired single knowledge and the acquired skills referred to the various areas of activity: these tests can be considered only an extra addition on the practical tests of simulation. Students can enrich their dissertation with the help of integrated studies and researches.

According to the DM 87/09, art. 6, the exams valid for the issue of the Degree title will be held at the end of the five year training. The date is fixed by the Institute at least 60 days before their beginning.

The Exams Commission is made of 7 members:
• the President, named by the Institute, who grant the correct carrying out of the exams and who is the responsible of the final certification;
• two experts members named by the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage, chosen amongst the superintendence restorers with a five years professional experience;
• two university lecturers named by the Italian Ministry for University and Education;
• two lecturers or non administrative delegates, named by the Institute.

The exam is structured in a two days format:
• the first day is reserved to a ”practical laboratory test” (technical and written tests);
• The second day is reserved to an oral test based on the discussion of a written document.
In case of failure on the first exam session, students can repeat the exam in the successive session.
At the end of the course, after getting through a final exam, which has the same value of a State qualification exam, students obtain the qualification of Restorer of Cultural Heritage, Universities issue the Magisterial Degree as in thee comma 4, fine Arts Academies the secondary level academic Diploma, and the other accredited formative Institutions issue a Qualification Diploma which has the same value of the above mentioned Magisterial Degree (DM 87/09, art. 1, comma 3).


Organization of the of the five year Restoration courses
Criteria and quality level of the formative sessions

Duration (DM87, art.1, comma 1)
These restoration courses are structured in a unique cycle system divided in 300 formative credits which are the same provided by the current University System (CFU).
The reaching of the study title can be so obtained only with the reaching of the pre-fixed number of University Formative Credits (CFU) which are strictly connected to the formative activities included in the different study plans and which are the unit of measurement of the students work required to students in order to reach the pre-fixed goals.
A credit is equivalent to 25 hours of study, including frontal sessions, laboratory, practical works, internships, seminars and meetings, researches and individual work. If for example a session is equivalent to 4 credits, it means that students have to follow a 100 hours course in order to learn the required programme necessary to pass the exam.
The average amount of credits to be obtained in one academic year was fixed in 60 equivalent to 1500 hours. Credits don’t substitute the exam marks, they just represents the measurement of the amount of the work which every student did in order to reach the programmed formative goals provided by any single course. Also other extra activities as for example frontal sessions, laboratory, practical works, internships, seminars and meetings, researches and individual works can add extra credits. The Credit System helps students in his changes inside his didactic training in the same or in a different University and helps students in the the process of acknowledgement and validation of Italian and foreign study titles (ECTS European Credit Transfer System).

Courses activities
The total number of hours, as showed in any single study plan, includes: theoretical sessions, practical laboratory sessions, visits to exhibitions and firms, conferences and visiting professors sessions, seminars, research and documentation external or in the library, internal andst external experiences, sites of restoration, practical internships in Italy and abroad, check intermediate sessions, dissemination of results, placement and orienteering activities.
According to the art. 2, comma 5 of DM87, " Courses can be organised with the presence of some sessions to be held in foreign Institutions having the same level in terms of tuitions." In this sense, the Institute made often some of the sessions in foreign high level Institutions. Due to the regional legislation the organization of practical internships or restoration sites abroad is not very easy, for the reason why they are authorised only in case of particular didactic interest. For this reason the Institute decides, starting from the fourth year of the courses to make some practical internships and activities in Universities involved in the System ECTS.

The percentage of hours of practical activities
According to the art. 2, comma 3 of the DM87, "the total amount of the hours is structured in order to assure a percentage between the 50% and the 65% of the total number of hours and also the final dissertation will be made on the practical-didactic activities of conservation and restoration made in the labs or on the external site on architectural, moveable and decorated cultural heritage artefacts. All the main goals, the areas and the study sessions will be showed, together with the formative credits table, inside the allegato C ."
In the triennial professional courses the Institute has always offered a percentage amongst the70% and the 80% of practical-laboratory activities. In the five year courses we will easily guarantee a minimum percentage of the 60% of the total amount of the hours and also the final dissertation will be made on the practical-didactic activities of conservation and restoration made in the labs or on the external site on architectural, moveable and decorated cultural heritage artefacts

Attendance
According to the art. 2, comma 7 of the DM87, "The courses activities are ruled by the single didactic regulations also if the attendance is compulsory." The Institute academic courses have a full time format. The attendance is compulsory: it is mandatory for the final examinations admittance to have certified at least the 80% of the vocational tuitions and the 50% of the practical internship hours, when scheduled; these percentages are to be calculated without the allowed absence time (certified disease, reasons due to force majeure), which will not be calculated on the total number of absences. The Institute reserves the right to turn away from the courses students who don’t attend to the internal regulation or to the didactic or administrative rules fixed by the Direction. The Institute reserves the right to turn away from the courses students who act bad habits and behaviours inside and outside the Institute premises.

Lecturers
All Institute lecturers have the skills required by the art. 3, comma 1 of the DM8/09 . In this sense more than the 90% of our teachers has a 20 years certified practical experience.

Composition of the Classes
Due to the current Regional legislation it is allowed a maximum number of 10 students for each area. For the practical laboratory sessions laboratory the Institute offers a relationship students/teacher of 5:1. The maximum number of people admitted in the Institute laboratories is 14 (10 students, 2 lecturers, 1 assistant, 1 tutor).

The intervention of restoration in laboratory and in external sites
In order to assure an high quality of teaching, the Institute has always offered to the students the opportunity to work, during the practical laboratory sessions, on various artworks included in the Italian Superintendences lists. A minimum percentage of interventions (almost the 20%) is made on other private original artworks: these interventions are scheduled during the first study year. All the practical laboratory interventions made by our teachers and students, can be considered as true “sponsoring” interventions made in favour of churches and monuments belonging to the city of Florence, and they are so made free of charge, with the payment of only the used materials expenses.
Resumé A2: Restoration of Paintings (1978-2009)


Five year courses study plan
Annual number of hours and formative sessions

The Degree study plan must include all the sessions connected with the Restorer of Cultural Heritage Qualification as in the following regulations Allegato C of DM 87/09.


GENERAL PROCEDURES FOR THE ADMISSION AND THE ENROLMENT AT THE FIRST YEAR OF THE DEGREE COURSE
(Temporary procedures to be used until the Ministerial authorization)

1. Applicant have to send the online admission form “Request of Admission Evaluation” which will be preliminarily submitted to the Evaluation Committee.

2. In few days the Admission Office will inform applicant about the preliminary checking results, admittance or refusal. In case of admittance, applicant have to send copy of the documentation which according to the Italian law must be submitted to the checking of the Evaluation Committee: identity card or passport, a colour passport-size photo, a curriculum vitae, European format, the secondary school study title, others study or professional titles, eventual professional certifications and letters of reference. These documents can be personally consigned or can be sent by post to the Institute secretariat (Via Maggio 13, 50125 Firenze). It can be also sent by fax to the number: (+39 055 217963) or by email (secretarypr@spinelli.it).

3. The Evaluation Committee after checking the received documentation, assign the eventual validation of the entry credits, their economic value and the subsequent reduction of the tuition fee, and send to applicant the Official Minute, the Administrative Regulation, and the invitation to complete the enrolment within a preliminarily arranged date.

4. Admitted applicants must complete at this point their enrolment, by sending by fax (+39 055 217963) the duly signed Administrative Regulation together with the receipt of the bank swift attesting the payment of the first rate of the tuition fee. Payments can be directly made at the Administrative secretary office or by postal order addressed to: Istituto per l'Arte e il Restauro, Via Maggio 13 - 50125 Firenze. Payments can also be made by bank swift addressed to the following Institute bank account: Banca UNICREDIT, Firenze, via Brunelleschi n. 11 (IBAN: IT 15 K 03002 02830 000000880880 - BIC SWIFT: BROMITR10V5). The enrolment will be complete only after the registration of the Administrative Regulation duly signed by the applicant. In case of a negative answer to the Ministerial accreditation request, all the payments made will be fully refunded to applicant. In case of a negative result in the admission exams, the exam tax cannot be reimbursed while the first rate of the tuition fee will be fully refunded.

5. The Secretariat send to enrolled students by e mail the Official Certificate of Enrolment and all the other useful information regarding the beginning of the academic year.