The University of Palermo (Italian: Università degli Studi di Palermo) is a public research university based in Palermo, Italy. Founded in 1806, it is among the largest and oldest academic institutions in Sicily, offering programmes at undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level through its network of departments and research centres.
History
The origins of higher education in Palermo date back to 1498, when courses in medicine and law were first taught in the city.[1][2] From the second half of the 16th century, the Jesuits, based at the Collegio Massimo al Cassero, awarded degrees in theology and philosophy.[2]
In 1767 the Jesuits were expelled from the Kingdom of Sicily by Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, and their former seat was transformed into the Regia Accademia.[1] When the Jesuits returned 37 years later, the institution had already taken on a new configuration. Ferdinand I then assigned the Accademia a more suitable location, transferring it to the Convent of the Teatini Fathers next to the Church of St. Giuseppe.[1]
The University of Palermo was officially founded in 1806.[1] After the unification of Italy in 1860, the institution underwent a significant phase of modernization under the influence of chemist Stanislao Cannizzaro and Michele Amari, minister of public education and scholar of Arab studies.[1]
Since 1984 the university’s main administrative seat has been housed in Palazzo Steri, one of Palermo’s most important historical buildings. Nearby lie the Orto Botanico di Palermo, which forms an integral part of the university.[1]
In the academic year 2024/2025, the University of Palermo enrolled 44,629 students, including 8,944 first-year entrants and 766 international students.[3] In the same period, 992 students from degree programmes took part in international mobility schemes.[3]
As of 2024, the academic staff consists of 2,845 teaching and research personnel, including professors, researchers, contract lecturers and research fellows, while non-academic staff amounts to 1,469 employees.[3]
Organization
The University of Palermo is currently organized into sixteen departments, which coordinate teaching and research activities across the institution.[4]
Former Faculty of Engineering (now part of the Department of Engineering)
Former Faculty of Science (now reorganized into several departments)
Art and Architecture building
Casa dei Teatini, historical seat of the University of Palermo
The sixteen departments are:
Department of Architecture
Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics
Department of Culture and Society
Department of Physics and Chemistry “Emilio Segrè”
Department of Law
Department of Engineering
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
Department of Precision Medicine in Medical, Surgical and Critical Care Areas
Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties “G. D’Alessandro”
Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences
Department of Earth and Marine Sciences
Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies
Department of Economic, Business and Statistical Sciences
Department of Political Science and International Relations
Department of Psychological, Pedagogical, Exercise and Training Sciences
Department of Humanities
Journal
The University of Palermo is associated with the annual peer‑reviewed academic journal Mythos. Rivista di Storia delle Religioni, published by Salvatore Sciascia Editore and hosted by the Department of Culture and Society. Founded in 1989, the journal focuses on the history of religions in the ancient Mediterranean and related methodological and historiographical issues. It accepts contributions in Italian, French, English, German and Spanish and is available in open access through the OpenEdition Journals platform.[5][6]
