The list of courses active in the 2023-2024 academic year is available here.
At the beginning of the study and research activity, the Teaching Board appoints a supervisor for each student and, if necessary, one or more co-supervisors who are responsible for their scientific and technical training.
The supervisor and co-supervisors ensure that students enrolled in the Ph.D. course become active members of their research group. They support the publication of students’ scientific results in international scientific journals or conference proceedings relevant to the research topic and their participation in scientific conferences and schools. Students have a personal research fund that can be used for short-term mobility (participation in conferences, workshops, doctoral schools, visits to other universities or laboratories) and the purchase of instrumentation, equipment, books, and consumable materials specifically related to the research project.
During the Ph.D. program, students are required to acquire a minimum number of training credits (CF), each of which corresponds to a predefined amount of working hours. CFs are assigned as follows:
- Structured training activity;
- Research activities (following a positive evaluation of the student at the end of each year);
- Ph.D. thesis writing.
The structured training activities include attending classes offered by the host institution or other universities and research institutions of the DRIM Doctoral course or participating in national or international doctoral schools. In addition, supervisors of students with a non-technological background or whose research project requires knowledge of topics never addressed before may suggest they follow introductory courses at the host campus.
At the end of their studies, Ph.D. candidates admitted to the final exam must submit a thesis written in English, evaluated by at least two external reviewers with international expertise related to the curricula of the DRIM Ph.D. program. First, the reviewers assess the quality and scientific relevance of the thesis work. Then, they can propose the admission of the candidates to the final exam or, in the case of significant modification requests, the postponement of the exam for up to 6 months, during which the candidates need to review their work.
The final exam consists of a public defense of the thesis. At the end of the defense, the examining board expresses a written and motivated judgment on the thesis, and when it unanimously recognizes particular scientific relevance, it can award honors.
