PhD in Astronomy

Astrophysics is presently encountering unprecedented development. The theoretical knowledge of matter ranges from the first minutes after the Universe was born (including the questions “how was the Universe born?”), to forecasts about its future.
This development is due to both the extraordinary means which Theoretical Physics is developing and to the equally extraordinary observation instrumentation.
The primary goal of the PhD program in Astronomy consists in “exposing” the graduate student to all the main themes of contemporary Astrophysics, and in selecting one particular subject matter in which a lecturer is working, so that the student can be included in his/her research group.
The program provides the student with a general survey of the subject, and prevents students from making the mistake of thinking, immediately after completing his/her first-degree dissertation, that he/she is already a “specialist” (and thus incapable of understanding the future development of Astrophysics). Another important goal consists in including the student in a research group, thus introducing him/her to the techniques and the processes involved in carrying out scientific research. The third and final goal consists in allowing the PhD student to propose his/her own research subject, and to develop it with the help of the professors in the field.
*Note that many PhD students spend periods of study and research in qualified Institutions and Universities abroad.