COURSE ARTICULATION

The doctorate course lasts three years.

The course provides a common interdisciplinary basis and is therefore divided into the following disciplinary areas:

• Greek and Latin Philology
• Philosophy
• Italianistics and Romance Philology
• Foreign Languages and Literatures
• History
• History of Art and Entertainment

 

CREDITS

The total number of credits to be obtained over the three-year period is 180 CFU.

1 CFU of training activities is equivalent to 6 academic hours of teaching.

The number of annual credits that can be acquired is 60 CFU and is divided into:

1. Disciplinary and interdisciplinary training activities;
2. Scientific training activities (participation in conferences, workshops, internships, seminars, summer schools, etc. offered by the doctorate and/or attended at other Italian and foreign institutions; study stays abroad; seminars on how to participate in funding calls for research projects (ERC, SIR, PRIN, Horizon 2020); publications;
3. Teaching activities (integrative didactics carried out by the PhD student in the courses of the University of Parma, tutoring, exercises, for a maximum of 40 hours per year);
4. Research (thesis work).

 

RESEARCH

During the three-year period at least 120 total research CFU are required for the thesis work.

 

TRAINING ACTIVITY

During the three-year period, at least 20 credits must be obtained in training activities, of which

• at least 10 in interdisciplinary training activities;
• at least 10 in disciplinary training activities.

The acquisition of credits requires participation in the training activity and an evaluation by the teacher responsible for the course/workshop, expressed on the basis of assessment in itinere and/or drafting of a final report.
 

Interdisciplinary training activities require that, during the three-year period, attends at least 1 course in each of the following areas and sub-areas:

• Interdisciplinary course
• Transversal Competence Courses
  • Language skills;
  • Soft Skills;
  • Digital humanities and computer skills.

(e.g.: 1 interdisciplinary course + 1 language skills course + 1 Sofk Skills course + 1 Digital Humanities course)

Interdisciplinary training activities may include the acquisition of credits from 1 disciplinary course (and/or laboratory) related to a research topic different from the one in which the research work of the student is carried out (e.g.: one history course for a student working on a research topic in philosophy).
 

The disciplinary training activities are divided into

• Disciplinary courses on the subject of research;
• Workshops organized by the tutors in collaboration with the students.

The disciplinary training activities may include the acquisition of credits from 1 course (max 6 CFU) borrowed from a Master's degree course relevant to the research field of the student (including courses attended during any research stay abroad and duly certified).

 

TUTOR ALLOCATION AND ANNUAL EVALUATION

After admission to the course, each student is assigned by October a tutor (and possible co-tutor) by the teaching staff, who will act as research supervisor.

At the beginning of the year, the student discusses with the tutor the annual plan of the training activities, and therefore the balance of scientific, didactic and research activities appropriate for the development of the thesis in the current year.

At the end of the year, the student submits to the tutor for approval the annual report of the activities carried out, including an analytical list of these activities, the certifications of suitability achieved, and a summary of the research activity carried out (methodology, objectives, results obtained, etc.). The tutor verifies the consistency of the annual activity carried out with the overall three-year plan of the student's training and research activities. The student then sends the final report signed by the tutor to the PhD coordinator.

Once the final annual report has been obtained, at the end of each year, the board of faculties will carry out a verification test, during which the student will present a report on the activity carried out. The board's judgement of suitability is binding for admission to the following year.

If the annual report of the student/ bones is judged to be suitable, the board of lecturers will recognize the CFU for the annual activity carried out by the student and send it to the PhD office.

 

TYPICAL ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT DURING THE THREE-YEAR PERIOD

The first year student typically takes part in interdisciplinary and disciplinary training, participates in other relevant scientific activities, and defines the topic of research with the support of the tutor.

The second year student typically integrates interdisciplinary and disciplinary training and scientific activities, spends periods of study abroad, participates in national and international conferences and call for papers, with the presentation of papers and communications, and begins to define the writing plan of the thesis.

During the first two years, the student prepares at least 1 scientific publication, as author or co-author, that can be published in an accredited journal or in a volume of similar relevance.

The third year is eminently dedicated to the writing of the thesis.

 

INTERNATIONALISATION

The PhD course encourages international mobility and study abroad during the three-year period. The amount of the grant is increased for any stay abroad for research activities by 50% for a total period not exceeding 18 months.

The website of the University of Parma's PhD courses, and in particular the Regulations of the University of Parma's PhD courses, contain detailed information on how to access international mobility (including the facsimile of the letter of intent and the authorization form, which must be signed by the Director of the DUSIC Department and the Coordinator) and how to qualify for the DoctorEuropaeus title.

It is possible to follow the Doctorate Course in co-direction with a foreign University upon agreement with the tutor and the coordinator and upon drafting of an agreement between the two Universities. The co-tutorship can be activated, subject to the approval of the Board of Teachers, in favour of students enrolled in the first or second year of the course, in order to allow the research program to be carried out at both contracting universities.

Any scientific activity carried out abroad in international mobility is calculated up to a maximum of 5 CFU per month among the "scientific training activities", and is supplementary to the training activity carried out at the University of Parma.

 

DIDACTIC ACTIVITY OF THE STUDENT

The student can carry out teaching activities (optional) up to a maximum of 40 hours per year as per the Regulations of the Doctoral courses of the University of Parma published on the University website (art. 6, paragraph 8); this activity (lectures, seminars, supplementary teaching activities, tutoring for undergraduates) does not include participation in the examination committees and must take place on topics relevant to the research project; this activity must be reported under "other activities" in the final year-end report. The teaching activity can be entrusted to the student with the student's consent. The student can act as tutor of the Department or of the Course of Study with the authorization of the Coordinator.

 

RESEARCH BUDGET

Starting from the second year of the course the student has a budget for research activities (participation in conferences/seminars in Italy and abroad, mobility for research in the archives, etc.) of not less than 10% of the amount of the grant.

 

FINAL JURY AND ACHIEVEMENT OF THE TITLE

Art. 7 of the Regulations of the PhD courses of the University of Parma, and the"final exam" page on the website of the PhD courses of the University of Parma, contain the regulations in force and detailed information on how to present the thesis at the end of the three-year period, the evaluation by external teachers/experts, the formation of the final jury, the final exam and the achievement of the title.