Education is compulsory from the age of 6-16. The system is divided into five sections: kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school and university. There are both state and private schools. Secondary schools or Liceo are divided by subject specialisms, such as languages, sciences or the humanities. They offer an academic curriculum and have a final exam that must be passed to go to university. There are also technical schools and art and drawing schools.
In 1999, Italy’s universities changed the structure of their degree courses in line with the Bologna Process, meaning that most bachelor’s degrees now take three years and then Master’s level study two years.
