Urbino is an important hub when it comes to education. The University, ISIA [industrial design school], Academy of Fine Arts, and schools of all levels mean that the city is full of life and young people, but it is also a safe place, where it is easy to socialize and enjoy life. “A metaphor for civilization and humanity in general”. That is how Carlo Bo saw Urbino; the heart of the Renaissance, where naming the city was the same as naming the university, and vice versa. Around the corner of Piazza Duca Federico is the beating heart of student life, with classrooms, libraries, canteens, the halls of residence, and the Collegi built by De Carlo; these are some of the most important architectural features of the 20th century.
The University of Urbino Carlo Bo was founded in 1506. A tradition for its 14,800 students, which now offers 15 three-year degree courses, 14 advanced degree courses, 5 single-cycle courses, 11 research centers, 22 specialization and higher training courses, 8 first-level masters degrees, and 5-second level degrees, as well as 10 summer and winter schools. There are 6 departments and 14 schools The figures also reflect the quality of the services. Urbino has space for 1,580 students in its university halls of residence and offers almost two thousand bursaries.
The Fine Arts Academy of Urbino was established in 1967. At the time, it was the only institute of its kind in this part of Italy, and was one of the first to be founded in Italy after the experiment of the “Regie Accademie”. The main headquarters are at Via dei Maceri no. 2, in the specially restored ex-Convento dei Carmelitani Scalzi, and now overlooks the Parco della Resistenza, a large green space around the Albornoz Fort. The particular nature of the Academy - a “unique laboratory space” since its very beginnings, has continued to change as a result of the notable growth in its course offers and the increased number of students. Today, the Fine Arts Academy is one of the most qualified institutes in Italy, well known for the expertise of its teaching staff and for the excellent
ISIA Urbino is a graphic design and visual communication school. It is a school with a strong identity which be summarized as workshop-based with local area and regional bonds. ISIA is a place in which to learn social commitment and cultural design practices. The institute was set up in 1962 as a Corso Superiore per Arte Grafica (Higher Education in Graphic Art Programme). It was Albe Steiner who shaped the program’s structure in a lively intellectual climate in which Carlo Bo, Rector of Urbino University, philosopher Livio Schirollo, and architect Giancarlo De Carlo also took part.
