Courses

The PhD programme is structured across three levels:

1. attendance of taught courses, mainly during the first two years, including both foundational subjects and topics related to the research activities of the Academic Board;
2. involvement in research projects and participation in Schools, Workshops, and Conferences, which help broaden and refine the doctoral students’ research skills;
3. preparation of the PhD thesis under the supervision of academic staff specialising in the research areas chosen by the doctoral students (third year).

Students will take part in specialised seminars and will have the opportunity to undertake study visits at other universities, both in Italy and abroad, which have agreed to host them, or to carry out internships with companies, public institutions, or research centres.

The training programme requires the attainment of 180 ECTS credits over the three years, distributed among taught courses, individual study and research activities, participation in workshops, seminars, and national and international schools, as well as tutoring, supplementary teaching, and third mission activities. For taught courses, 1 ECTS credit corresponds to 6 hours of lectures.

The Academic Board offers doctoral students a wide range of courses covering the scientific areas relevant to the three curricula; more than half of the PhD courses include a final assessment, typically in the form of a seminar. The indicative distribution of credits across the various activities is as follows:

First and Second Year

• PhD courses: 18 ECTS
• Seminars and participation in workshops and schools: 8 ECTS
• Tutoring, supplementary teaching, and third mission activities: 4 ECTS
• Individual study and research: 30 ECTS

Third Year

• Seminars and participation in workshops and schools: 8 ECTS
• Tutoring, supplementary teaching, and third mission activities: 4 ECTS
• Individual study and research: 18 ECTS
• Preparation of the PhD thesis: 30 ECTS

During the first and second years, doctoral students choose courses from those offered, taking into account their curriculum and the topics of their research project; they may also select courses delivered at national or international schools (for example CIME, CISM, Summer Schools).

Each doctoral student is assigned a supervisor and/or one or more co-supervisors by the Academic Board.

Below you can view the courses delivered in recent years.