Relations and Institutions of Asia and Africa

Location: Palazzo Giusso

Coordinator: Prof. Francesca Bellino

Admission: Open. See the admission procedures.

Please note that enrollment via the Esse3 platform requires submitting an application and attending an admission interview.

Language of instruction: Italian

WELCOME DAY: 29 September 2025

The Italian second-cycle degree program in Relations and Institutions of Asia and Africa belongs to Degree Class LM-52 – International Relations, sharing its qualifying learning objectives. To obtain the degree, students must earn 120 ECTS credits.

The program aims to provide specific knowledge and skills related to the political, cultural, and socio-economic issues of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. It combines social and political science competences with the in-depth regional knowledge that characterizes the tradition of the University of Naples “L’Orientale.” This program responds to a demand for professional expertise stemming from significant changes in the international geopolitical order and from the constant emergence — at various levels — of issues connected to the growth and rapid transformation of the countries of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

For detailed program information and the academic regulations, please consult the relevant pages.

The Italian second-cycle degree program in Relations and Institutions of Asia and Africa aims to:

• prepare graduates to work competently and independently in contexts with a strong international dimension, especially in non-Western regions such as the countries of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East;
• provide advanced competences on specific topics related to development, social and political change, and the growing interdependence between the economies, societies, and cultures of the aforementioned regions and the Western world;
• offer multidisciplinary competences that integrate courses from different fields (economics, political science, sociology, history, law, language and cultural studies, etc.), with constant attention to area-specific issues and their connections to the global processes and movements shaping contemporary society;
• encourage the study of relations between different emerging regional areas from both a horizontal perspective (South–South) and a vertical perspective (North–South), through an educational approach particularly suited to meeting the increasing demand for international expertise in Italy. This includes foreign policy-making, Italy’s role in international and supranational organizations, the internationalization of the economy and society, and the formulation of policies on major global issues such as development, environment, equal opportunities, citizenship rights, migration, conflict prevention, among others.

These objectives are pursued through three main areas of learning:

- the first consists of compulsory courses in International Relations, Law, Economics, and Social Sciences, taken mainly in the first year;

- the second comprises a two-year advanced program in an extra-European language such as Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, etc. The choice of the language determines the specialization in the studies of the related regional area and the corresponding area-specific courses, without excluding the possibility of interdisciplinary or interregional approaches;

- the third covers area-specific courses – namely, courses in the scientific-disciplinary sectors L/OR-10, SPS/13, SPS/14, L/OR-23, with a historical-political, socio-economic, and international focus, plus one elective course from a wide selection of disciplines across various fields.

The program is further enriched by:

1. elective courses – allowing students to enhance their regional specialization or strengthen disciplinary knowledge in fields such as economics, political science, or contemporary history, etc.;

2. internships and other training activities – including language study and field research in Italy and abroad, supported by the University’s extensive network of contacts and agreements with foreign universities, particularly in the program’s focus areas. Internships, in particular, develop practical skills, and prepare students for entry into the job market, as well as for adaptability in transnational multicultural contexts;

3. a final dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability, at the end of the program, to apply knowledge and understanding to new research topics.

Graduates will be able to work in contexts such as Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, characterized by a strong international dimension, which explains the course focus on development, social and political change, and growing international interdependence. 

Main career paths include occupations in:

• diplomacy and international or supranational organizations (e.g., Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, European Union, United Nations, and other international organizations); 
• international offices of regional governments and local authorities; 
• international development, peacekeeping, human rights protection, democracy promotion, intercultural mediation, and the promotion of integration and the management of migration flows;
• institutions promoting national and international trade and investments;
• national and foreign companies;
• territorial offices for economic and social internationalization.