The poets Dante and Petrarca studied at this university. Called officially "Alma mater studiorum", the university is an institution for students of both sexes, supported by the state. It offers courses in arts, law, medicine, pharmacy, mathematics, engineering, agronomy, veterinary medicine and pedagogy. The Italian semiologist and writer Umberto Eco is the holder of the chair of semiotics at the university. The former prime minister of Italy, Romano Prodi, is a professor in the Department of Economics.