Programme Structure
SUPERNOVA is organized into two-semester modules:
- The Spring semester (applications from July to October) – Classes between February and June.
- The Fall semester (applications from January to April) – Classes between September and January
Candidates will follow two semesters of classes under SUPERNOVA, instead of only one, under the following circumstances:
- By request of the candidate;
- If the candidate applies for a Math based course and does not pass the face-to-face Mathematics test with a minimum score of 13 out of 20, an additional semester is required to attend Introductory Mathematics, and then proceed to Advanced Mathematics course.
- Under the recommendation of the Admissions Committee;
- If the candidate does not pass the required courses after completing the first semester.
Candidates who need a longer adjustment period will likely have to complete two semesters in SUPERNOVA. The student will only be able to enroll in the second semester after the settlement of the enrollment fee and final payment. For more information, please check the fees page.
SUPERNOVA offers semester courses taught by highly specialized academics from six different Schools at NOVA University:
The subjects are the following:
The simple completion of SUPERNOVA with success might not guarantee direct access to one of the available Undergraduate Programs at NOVA or its partner Universities, for students who are citizens of the European Union, and therefore do not comply with the International Student Special Regime (a regimen designed specifically for candidates from outside the EU). Those interested in assessing directly the bachelors through SUPERNOVA must check this website at the desired institution and look into the Degree’s admission procedures.
In particular, some of the Schools at NOVA and partner Universities guarantee special immediate admission conditions for SUPERNOVA students. Specifically, for this purpose, candidates at the end of the SUPERNOVA must fulfil the following:
- Pass to all disciplines chosen from the SUPERNOVA study plan. The Programme’s study plan includes the following mandatory components and the disciplines required by each School mentioned in condition 3:
- Attend and pass Club of Ideas, available in Portuguese and English, candidates can choose according to their fluency in the language; and
- Compulsory English language course, except for candidates who are native speakers or can certify level B2 or above according to the CEFR (1 hour per day); or
- Compulsory Portuguese language course, except for candidates who are native speakers or can certify level B2 or above according to the CEFR (1 hour per day).
- Have a minimum attendance rate of 80% in all SUPERNOVA enrolled classes.
- Comply with the specific criteria for progression to the Bachelor’s Program they intend to enter (all disciplines below refer to the offer available to SUPERNOVA
- Natural Sciences and Hard Engineering (Combination of two of the following subjects, depending on the degree chosen)
- Pass Mathematics;
- Pass Principles of Physics or Principles of Chemistry;
- Biology
- Digital Technology
- Pass Advanced Mathematics;
- Pass Foundational Aspects of Data or Foundational Aspects of Information
- Pass Physics (in the case of Computer Science)
- Social Sciences and Humanities
- Pass Introduction to Methods of Social Sciences
- Pass Introduction to Law and Democracy
- Life Sciences
- Pass Biology; and
- Pass Principles of Chemistry or Physics
- Law
- Pass Law and Democracy with at least a 60% grade
- Pass Introduction to Methods of Social Sciences
- Economics and Management
- Pass Advanced Mathematics with a minimum grade of 13/20;
- Pass Principles of Microeconomics
At the end of SUPERNOVA, if students with international student status meet all the requirements mentioned above, they will be guaranteed admission to all NOVA Schools.
Students who wish to study at NOVA FCSH, NSL, NMS, and NOVA FCT will have to formalize their application with each one, complying with the schedule available on each one’s website. Students who wish to study at NOVA SBE and NOVA IMS will be automatically enrolled through an internal process.
The academic year in Portugal usually starts in September and ends in June, so all students who complete the fall edition of SUPERNOVA (September-January) will be able to attend the undergraduate courses they have chosen, but only as external students. Their undergraduate program will only officially begin in September when the academic year starts in Portugal. NOVA SBE is the only school that has a special admission that allows students to start studying the first year of the undergraduate program in February
If the students do not meet the above requirements, they can apply directly to a NOVA School like any other candidate under the International Student Special Regime. In this case, they will have to pass the school’s specific admission tests and start a new application process that does not guarantee immediate admission. However, at this stage, the frequency of the SUPERNOVA will give a positive weight during the analysis of the application.
All students wishing to repeat the program must do so through the face-to-face version of SUPERNOVA.
