Post-Graduate Education

4. This information is updated annually following the indications of the Faculty Board of each Doctoral program.

Art. 2 – Objectives and programs of study

1. A Doctoral program provides the skills needed to carry out high quality research activities in academic and other public or private institutions. The program of study consists in attending advanced courses and carrying out advanced research activities, following the specific recommendations of the Faculty Board of each Doctoral program.

Art. 3 –Organization

1. Each Doctoral program has: (a) a Coordinator, (b) a Faculty Board, (c) a Student Representative.

2. The Faculty Board consists of at least ten professors appointed by the Council of the Faculty or the Academic Department that has submitted the proposal. Every four years the Faculty Board elects a Coordinator from the full-time professors within the Faculty Board.The Faculty Board defines the program of study and supervises the activities of the Doctoral program. It also prepares an annual budget, which specifies compensation for the internal and external instructors, the expenses for seminars, conferences and workshops, and any other program related expenses. The Board can sign agreements with public and private institutions. At the end of each academic year, the Board decides which students should be admitted to the following year of the program, or be allowed to take the final exam. These decisions are based on a detailed report of the student’s activity.

3. The Coordinator is responsible for instruction and for the scientific program. He/she supervises the management of the program, coordinates its activities and handles public relations. The Coordinator authorizes all management activities including expenditures. The Coordinator prepares a detailed annual report about the program (art. 13).

4. The student representative is elected annually from the enrolled students in each Doctoral program. He/she is a non-active participant in the Council meetings of the administrative department where the Doctoral program is located.

Art. 4 – The length of the program

1. The length of a Doctoral program cannot be less than three years for full-time students, or five years for part-time students.

Art. 5 – Admission procedures

1. Applications for admission can be submitted by Italian or foreign citizens who have an undergraduate degree, or will be awarded an undergraduate degree before the date of the Doctoral admission exam. The undergraduate degree can be an Italian Laurea or an equivalent degree, or any other degree that is considered equivalent by the admission committee.

2. Admission to a Doctoral program is based on a candidate’s record and on his/her oral or written exam scores. Candidates are evaluated by a committee appointed by the University Chancellor and composed of the Coordinator of the Doctoral program (or his delegate) and two other professors chosen from the Faculty Board. The Chancellor also appoints two substitute members. At the end of all admission procedures, the committee compiles an overall ranking. If any of the admitted candidates declines their acceptance, another candidate is admitted according to rank.

3. When a Doctoral program is established in partnership with foreign universities, the Committee and the admission procedures are defined by the partnership agreement.

4. The University ensures that the evaluation process is made public.

Art. 6 –Degrees

1. A Doctoral degree is awarded after a final exam, which may only be repeated once. The University certifies the student’s achievement, and guarantees that the evaluation process is made public. Once the degree is awarded, the University takes care of sending a copy of the Doctoral dissertation to the national libraries in Rome and Florence.

2. The Doctoral degree is awarded by the University Chancellor.

3. The Doctoral dissertation can be written in a foreign language withstanding the Faculty Board’s prior authorization.

4. Each Doctoral dissertation is evaluated by a committee nominated by the Faculty Board and appointed by the Chancellor. This Committee is composed of three Italian or foreign professors, only one of which can be from the Faculty Board. For Doctoral programs established through international agreements, the Committee is formed according to the procedures foreseen in the agreement.

5. The Chancellor calls on the evaluation Committee within thirty days of the candidate’s presentation of his/her dissertation. The Committee must conclude its evaluation within the following two months. Committee members can resign, for good reason, subject to University Chancellor’s approval.

6. If the Committee fails to reach a conclusion within a two month period, the Chancellor can appoint a new Committee. If the tardiness is due to the impediment of one or more members, they can be replaced.

Art. 7 – Financial resources

1. In addition to the funds provided by the University, the financial resources available for running a Doctoral program come from 90 percent of the students’ tuition fees and 90 percent of the contributions deriving from non-University funding.

2. The Faculty Board can decide on compensation for external instructors. Internal instructors who teach more than the hours foreseen by the norms of the University can receive compensation if they give prior notification of this. The Faculty Board can also decide on compensation for activities regarding the organization and management of the Doctoral program.

3. Private contracts with qualified experts and scholars can be stipulated, subject to the available budget, for teaching, seminars and conferences. The Faculty Board annually determines student tuition fees and can award tuition waivers (partial or total). In addition, the Board can assign extra scholarships in addition to those foreseen in the original Doctoral program proposal.

Art. 8 – Accounting procedures

1. The University retains 10 percent of the tuition fees, in addition to the insurance fee required from students, and 10 percent of the contributions coming from partnerships with external institutions. The remaining funds are transferred to the account of the department where the Doctoral program has its administrative location.

Art. 9 – Tuition fees

1. Enrolled students must pay the annual tuition fee. Students with scholarships are exempt from this fee. In any case, all enrolled students must pay insurance against accidents and third party liabilities, which is determined annually by the University.

2. Students can be awarded tuition waivers (partial or total), based on merit, by the Faculty Board. If two students have equal merit, the tuition waiver is awarded to the student with most financial need. A partial tuition waiver can also be awarded to a part-time student after his/her first year of study.

Art. 10 - Scholarships

1. Each year at least half of the students enrolled in a Doctoral program must receive a scholarship. Scholarships are awarded by the Faculty Board based on merit. If there are students with equal merit, the scholarship is awarded to the student with most financial need.

2. In general, scholarships are awarded by the Admission Committee after completing the admission procedures. Additional scholarships made available after the first year of study are instead awarded by the Faculty Board.

3. Scholarships can be financed, in part or totally, by the University or other institutions. In the latter case, other institutions must finance at least 50% of the scholarship.

4. Scholarships of doctoral students who spend time abroad can be increased up to 50 % of the normal amount.

5. Doctoral students must attend all program courses and must carry out their research and study activities at approved locations. The Faculty Board can suspend a student’s scholarship and even expel a student who stops his/her study and research activities for more than 30 days.

6. The Faculty Board can expel a student based on performance. Students can interrupt their studies for up to one year for maternity leave or military service, and for up to two years for documented serious illness.

7. In the case of exclusion, withdrawal or decline of a student, the Faculty Board can decide to fill the vacant position with another candidate according to his/her rank on the admission exam.

8. Doctoral students with scholarships can undertake paid activities if the activities are considered compatible with their program of study by the Faculty Board, and if they do not earn more than 13000,00 Euro. If this amount is If earnings exceed this amount, then the student’s scholarship is revoked and the student must also pay the tuition fee.

9. A Doctoral scholarship cannot be combined with other scholarships, except those awarded by national and foreign institutions to conduct research activities abroad.

10. The awarding of a scholarship does not foresee any other obligations on the part of the University.

Art. 11 – Teaching assistantships

1. Teaching activities are an important part of a Doctoral students’ training. Starting in their second year, Doctoral students can act as teaching assistants for courses within their program, ad for masters and undergraduate courses. A student’s teaching activities must be authorized by the coordinator and cannot hinder the student’s research activities. Teaching is not compulsory and it does not influence one’s right to University positions. In principle, teaching assistantships do not involve a compensation, but students who pay tuition fees may receive a tuition waiver.

Art. 12 – Incompatibilities

1. Students enrolled in a Doctoral program can spend no more than 18 months studying at another Italian or foreign university or research institution. There is no such limit in the case of international agreements.

2. Being enrolled in more than one Doctoral program at a time is cause for exclusion.

Art. 13 – Program evaluation

1. By the end of December of each year, each coordinator must submit a report about the program. Taking the previous five years as a reference, the report must include: