The University of Cagliari was established in 1606 and is the largest of two universities on the island of Sardinia, which is an autonomous region of Italy.
Until the 18th century the university only offered a small number of disciplines, but following modifications to the statute of the university it was able to expand significantly, building a new main building and adding more faculties.
The University of Cagliari became more research-focused in the following centuries, receiving internationally acclaimed results for the work of its students and professors but severe damage to the university building during the Second World War hindered progress as reconstruction was required for the institution to continue functioning.
Today the university has six main faculties: the Faculty of Biology and Pharmacy, the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, the Faculty of Sciences, the Faculty of Economic Sciences, Law and Political Sciences and the Faculty of Humanities.
The university is comprised of a number of campuses and while most are situated in central Cagliari or close to the sea, a new 73-hectare campus has been built in Monserrato, about 5 km northeast of Cagliari. The new campus holds several faculties as well as a university hospital and other medical facilities.
Among the University of Cagliari’s alumni are Giulia Moi, Member of the European Parliament for the Italian Islands, writer Sergio Atzeni, neuroscientist Erminio Costa and economist Paolo Savona.
