Università degli Studi di Napoli L'Orientale
University in Napoli, Italy
The Università degli Studi di Napoli L'Orientale (University of Naples "L'Orientale") is a university in Naples, Italy, specialising in languages, cultures and international studies. It traces its origins to the Chinese College founded in Naples in 1732 by the missionary Matteo Ripa, and describes itself as the oldest school of Oriental Studies in Europe.
According to the university, it offers 6 bachelor's degree programmes, 9 master's programmes and three PhD programmes. Bachelor's fields include:
- American and Latin American studies
- Archaeology
- Comparative studies
- Eastern and African cultures
- Political science and international relations
- Translation studies
Double degree agreements let students earn a second degree from a partner university, for example INALCO in Paris for International Relations or Kobe University in Japan for Relations and Institutions of Africa and Asia. The CLAOR language centre and the university hold certification exams such as CILS (Italian as a foreign language) and HSK (Chinese), and L'Orientale runs a master's in teaching Italian as a second language (2026-27). The website has a dedicated section for international students.
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Programmes
Bachelor's degree programmes in these fields:
- American and Latin American Studies
- Archaeology
- Comparative Studies
- Eastern and African Cultures, including Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (double degree with Shenyang University, China)
- Political Sciences and International Relations
- Translation Studies
Graduate programmes
Master's programmes in archaeology, Asian and African studies, comparative literature, European and American studies, Italian studies, international relations, Mediterranean studies and specialised translation. International Relations has double degrees with INALCO (France) and Universidad Nacional de Rosario (Argentina); Relations and Institutions of Africa and Asia with John Cabot University, Kobe University and Universitas Gadjah Mada.
PhD programmes: Asian, African and Mediterranean Studies; International Studies; Literary, Linguistic and Comparative Studies. There is also a master's in teaching Italian as a second language (Didattica dell'Italiano L2, 2026-27).