Initially established as Mount Saint Joseph Junior College of Women, the University of Brescia is now a recognised research-oriented public university with the Alps mountains forming its background. The city, too, is of great architectural significance and houses the former monastery of San Salvatore which made it a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010. The University of Brescia is divided into three Schools, namely, Medicine and Surgery, Engineering and Economics and Business which witness a total of 14,206 students every year. It actively strives for progress in regionally and nationally by using the cultural and scientific ideals that are a cornerstone of the university. Among its uniquely designed courses is the specialized science and technology graduate program, and the doctorate degree in technology for health. It is also part of the pan-European Erasmus exchange programme with partner universities significantly increasing its international appeal. In order to familiarise international students with the Italian language and to provide them necessary language support, the university hosts the "Italian for foreigners" course. Further, the campus’s repository of student amenities include a huge sports-cum-cultural centre with facilities such as volleyball, pilates and five-a-side football, dedicated centres of research, state-of-the-art libraries and multimedia spaces amongst others.