Structure and Curriculum

Medieval universities were not universities in the modern comprehensive sense but were primarily degree-granting institutions focusing on a narrow range of disciplines.

Faculties and Degrees



  • Faculty of Arts: The foundational course of study covering the trivium (grammar, rhetoric, logic) and quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy).


  • Higher Faculties: Theology, law (canon and civil), and medicine.



Degrees were structured hierarchically:

  • Baccalaureate: Basic degree after arts studies.


  • Licentiate: Permission to teach.


  • Master’s or Doctorate: Higher qualifications usually in theology, law, or medicine.



Governance and Community


Universities functioned as corporations (universitas) with legal rights, often granted charters by popes or kings. Students and masters formed self-governing bodies, resolving disputes internally.

The communities were often multicultural and multilingual, with students and teachers coming from across Europe and beyond. shutdown123

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