Bassi received her laurea (doctorate of philosophy) from the University of Bologna, becoming one of the first women in Europe with a university doctorate.
On 12 May 1732, Laura Bassi was formally awarded her laurea, the doctoral degree of the University of Bologna, in a grand public ceremony held in the Palazzo Pubblico before civic and religious dignitaries, including representatives of the Senate of Bologna. She thereby became only the second documented woman in history to receive a university degree, after Elena Cornaro Piscopia, who had earned a degree in Venice in 1678.
The ceremony was a major civic event, attended by crowds and celebrated with orations praising her intellect. She received her doctorate in philosophy, a broad and prestigious academic distinction covering natural philosophy, logic, and metaphysics — the foundation of what would become her career in physics.
This achievement carried enormous symbolic weight in an era when women were formally excluded from university education throughout most of Europe. Bassi's degree was made possible through the direct intervention and advocacy of powerful patrons, particularly Cardinal Prospero Lambertini, who saw in her a means of showcasing Bologna's intellectual distinction.
Her doctorate opened the door to further unprecedented opportunities: within months she would be appointed to a university professorship, another first for a woman in Europe. Bassi's degree remains a touchstone in the history of women's access to higher education and to the sciences specifically.