Doctoral Courses Regulation (in force until XXXVII Cycle)
Issued by Rectoral Decree n. 694 dated 01.07.2013 and subsequent amendments and additions.
Doctoral Courses Regulation
Art.1 - PRINCIPALS
1. The doctoral programs offered by Università Politecnica delle Marche are designed to equip students with the necessary skills to undertake outstanding research in the public and private sectors or work as highly-qualified professionals in a wide range of other not research-related fields. Univpm doctoral programs also make a positive contribution to the development of the Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the European Research Area (ERA).
2. For a better coordination and management of the activities common to Doctoral Programs, these can be combined to form Doctoral Schools.
3. Doctoral Programs last for three academic years. They start in November 1st and end in October 31st of the last academic year.
Art. 2 – ACCREDITATION
1. Doctoral Programs shall be accredited by MIUR (the Ministry of Education and Research) prior authorization of ANVUR (the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of University and Research Systems). Accredited Doctoral Programs are enacted every year with a Rector’s Decree.
2. The accreditation of doctoral programs shall be proposed by at least one of the University’s academic departments, research centres, or doctoral schools - if any -, after they have consulted with the Evaluation Committee and the Academic Senate and received the approval of the Administrative Board. The University shall submit the application for the accreditation of the approved doctoral programs to the Ministry of Education (MIUR). Doctoral programs can also be organized in partnership with Italian and non-Italian universities, public or private research centres and companies, according to art. 5 below.
3. The accreditation lasts for five years. Each year the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of University and Research Systems (ANVUR) shall check that doctoral programs comply with the accreditation standards, as provided for in art. 3, paragraphs e, g, h, l, m, thereby considering the outcomes of the analyses carried out by the Evaluation Committee. Should one or more of the above-mentioned standards not be met, the accreditation will be cancelled, and the new cycle of doctoral programs suspended with immediate effect.
4. Accredited doctoral programs shall last for not less than three consecutive cycles.
5. The number of scholarships that will be awarded in one accredited doctoral cycle may differ from that of the following cycles of the same program. Yet, it shall never exceed the limit set. Likewise, the number of positions available may differ from one cycle to the next, without prejudice for the subsequent evaluation.
6. The university can also apply for the accreditation of single courses of doctoral specialization areas (curricula).
Art. 3 – APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR THE ACCREDITATION OF DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
The application for the accreditation of doctoral programs shall include the following information:
a. the name of the doctoral program and, when provided, of the specialization areas (curricula) included;
b. the subjects and the macro-areas they belong to, in compliance with Ministerial Decree n.855 of 30th October 2015;
c. the name of any partner universities and public or private institutions, and their contribution to the study and research activities of the doctoral program;
d. the objectives of the doctoral program;
e. the activities to be carried out, including those common to two or more doctoral programs, that require either a subject-specific or an interdisciplinary approach, promote information technology training and foreign language learning, and that may be relevant for research and intellectual property;
f. the number of positions for which the accreditation is requested. This number can be changed, even during the accreditation lifecycle, by submitting a request to Anvur stating the reasons for the change;
g. the number of the scholarships awarded, which shall be not less than 4, considering that the scholarships the university can allocate shall amount averagely to at least 6 for each course, thereby including other funds of an at least equivalent amount;
h. the names of the members of the Academic Board, which shall be constituted of at least 16 members, including one coordinator and 12 Full or Associate professors of the macro-areas that are relevant for the doctoral program’s objectives;
i. a list of the internationally most outstanding scientific works published by the members of the Academic Board which can be of relevance for the study areas of the program. If wished, the top-five publications of the list can be visually highlighted;
l. the amount of funds that will be allocated for the scholarships and the research activities doctoral students will undertake;
m. the facilities of the University doctoral students can have access to, including laboratories, libraries, databases and computers;
n. terms and conditions of the selection.
Art. 4 – DOCTORAL SCHOOLS
1. The Academic Boards of more than one Doctoral Program can submit their proposal for a new Doctoral School to the Academic Senate, according to the above-mentioned art. 1.
No particular restrictions are to be observed for doctoral programs to join a Doctoral School.
The Academic Boards of the Doctoral School Programs shall observe the rules and regulations of the Doctoral School they belong to.
1- bis. Doctoral Schools shall manage and coordinate the activities common to Doctoral Programs. More specifically, Doctoral Schools shall:
• promote and organize study and research activities relevant to doctoral programs, increase the opportunities for mobility, encourage international and inter-institutional cooperation, promote learning and training across disciplines, as well as knowledge and technology transfer programs that can support the cultural development of doctoral students even in areas not directly related to the field of research of the doctoral program chosen;
• define the procedures to administer and arrange the entrance tests and the teaching plans, as proposed by the Academic Board;
• allocate the scholarships and funds set aside by the University for doctoral programs and doctorate-related activities according to the provisions on transparency in force;
• express their opinion on the extra-ordinary doctoral activities proposed by the Academic Board.
2. The governing bodies of doctoral schools are the School Council and the Director.
3. Members of the School Council shall include:
• the Coordinators of the doctoral programs;
• one out of every 10 professors, appointed by the Academic Board in its first session or, if doctoral programs include curricula, one professor for each curriculum;
• one member of the doctoral student’s representative associations for each doctoral program. Students’ representatives shall be elected by doctoral schools’ students amongst those who regularly attend meetings on and are familiar with the educational, scientific and organizational issues of the doctoral schools.
4. The Director shall be appointed by the School Council in its first session from amongst its full-time Full Professors or, should there not be any, Associate Professors. The Director can appoint a Deputy Director from amongst the professor members of the School Council, who in case of vacancy in the office of the Director or of his/her absence or disability, shall be designated to act in his/her place. The Director cannot hold office as Doctoral Program Coordinator.
5. The School Council and the Director shall hold office throughout the accreditation period of the doctoral program. Their term of office is renewable.
6. Upon request of one of the Academic Boards the School Council can decide to include a doctoral program in one of the already existing doctoral schools.
7. The School Council can approve a body of rules that defines the procedures for the organization, coordination and management of the activities included in more than one doctoral program.
ART. 5 – DOCTORATES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UNIVERSITIES AND/OR OTHER PUBLIC OR PRIVATE BODIES
ART. 5 – DOCTORATES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UNIVERSITIES AND/OR OTHER PUBLIC OR PRIVATE BODIES
1. Doctoral programs delivered in collaboration with other universities or national, international, public, private, research centres meeting the requirements as culturally and scientifically highly-qualified, duly-equipped and -staffed research centres shall have their administrative headquarters in the university that has been elected to award the doctoral degree.
2. The parties referred to in the afore-mentioned paragraph 1 shall agree upon the following:
a. doctoral cycles will last for at least three years;
b. doctoral programs shall comply with the standards required for the accreditation, as provided for in the above-mentioned art. 3. In this respect the parties shall specify in the agreement the teaching and financial resources allocated and the facilities made available for the courses. The parties shall also agree upon the allocation of at least three scholarships for each doctoral cycle, or of at least as many scholarships as defined in art. 3, point 1, letter g for doctoral programs provided in collaboration with international institutions, which shall be granted according to the provisions set forth in par. 4 below.
3. The agreement referred to in the above-mentioned par. 2 may award double, multiple or joint academic degrees.
4. According to the principle of reciprocity, if the agreement has been signed with international universities or research centres, the parties shall agree upon the following:
a. the study and research activities will be shared by both parties;
b. the expenses will be equally shared by both parties;
c. the financial resources and scholarships will be allocated and administered according to the provisions set forth in the afore-mentioned par. 2;
d. the terms and conditions for the exchange and mobility of teachers and doctoral students;
e. the terms and conditions for the appointment of the members of the Selection Board and Examining Board for the entrance and final exams respectively;
f. the members of the Academic Board.
5. The University's faculties and departments can submit to the Administrative Board, after consultation with the Academic Senate, the proposal for a new doctoral program that will be delivered in partnership with another University that shall act as the administrative seat.
6. The proposals referred to in the above-mentioned par. 5 shall contain:
a. the name of the doctoral program;
b. the subjects and related macro-areas;
c. the buildings and facilities in which the activities of the program shall take place;
d. the teaching and financial resources allocated by the University, the number of scholarships that will be granted (not less than 3), and the financial resources allocated for research activities that shall not be less than 10% of the amount allocated for the scholarships;
e. the members of the Academic Board, and their assent for the Rector to issue the authorization for the University’s professors to work in a doctoral program administered and managed by another university;
f. the list of the internationally most outstanding scientific works published by the members of the Academic Board in the last five years which can be of relevance to the study areas of the program.
ART. 6 – DOCTORATE AND COMPANIES
1. If the University has obtained the accreditation of a doctoral program organized in partnership with companies that undertake research and development activities, in compliance with art. 4, par. 4, of law n. 210 of 3 July 1998, the University shall act as the administrative seat of the program and award the academic degree.
2. The University may also organize industrial doctoral programs and award a part of the positions to the employees of the partner companies who work on highly-qualifying activities. Candidates shall be admitted to the program after due selection.
3. The partnership agreements concluded between the parties referred to in the above-mentioned paragraphs 1 and 2 shall contain the following information:
a. the conditions and terms according to which the students shall perform their research activities at the company;
b. the workload assigned to the company’s workers selected, and the duration of the program.
4. The University can organize doctoral apprenticeship programs in partnership with companies and public bodies, according to art. 5 of the Legislative Decree n. 167 of 14 September 2011.
5. The apprenticeship contracts and the positions provided for in the agreements referred to in the above-mentioned paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be considered equivalent to doctoral scholarships, if they are needed to reach the minimum number of the scholarships necessary to start the program.
ART. 7 – DOCTORAL CONSORTIA
1. The accreditation of doctoral programs can also be applied for by:
• consortia of universities that include at least one Italian university. In this case, double, multiple or joint degrees can be awarded;
• consortia of universities that include at least one Italian university, and highly-qualifying public or private research centres from different countries. The Italian university shall act as the administrative seat of the consortium and award the academic degree.
2. The application for the accreditation shall contain the requirements specified in art. 3.
3. Doctoral consortia shall include not more than 4 universities or research institutions, except for duly justified exceptional cases.
4. Proposals for the organization of a doctoral consortium or for joining an already existing consortium can be submitted by one or more faculties, departments or doctoral schools of the University. The proposal shall be approved by the Administrative Board after consultation with the Academic Senate.
5. If the University acts as the administrative seat of a consortium, it shall fulfill all the administrative assignments required for the organization of the doctoral program in compliance with these regulations.
ART. 8 – GOVERNING BODIES OF THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM
1. Governing bodies of the doctoral programs are the Academic Board and the Coordinator.
2. The members of the Academic Board shall include Full and Associate professors, senior researchers, research managers from public research centers - or persons holding similar offices -, and highly-qualified experts, even if not having the roles of the accredited subjects. In any case the number of the members of the Board shall not be higher than the total number of the members of the University. The Academic Board shall also include two representatives of the doctoral students, elected among those who are enrolled in the program and regularly attend meetings on and are familiar with the educational and organizational issues of the program.
3. The Coordinator shall be a full-time full professor of the University or, should there not be any, an Associate professor.
4. The Coordinator and the members of the Academic Board shall be proposed by the department or by the doctoral School along with the doctoral program, and subsequently appointed by the Academic Board.
5. The members of the Academic Board cannot be simultaneously engaged in another doctoral program because, in respect of the minimum number referred to in the above-mentioned art. 3, they can only be counted in once at a national level.
6. Professors and researchers from other Universities, who are members of the Academic Board of a doctoral program administered by this University, need to be authorized thereto by the University which they come from.
7. The Academic Board shall:
a. organize and implement the doctoral program;
b. assess by 15 October of each year the research activities carried out by the students, in order to propose them to the Rector for admission to the following year, possibly confirming the scholarship for scholarship beneficiaries, or non-admission;
c. present an annual report to the academic bodies and to the Evaluation Committee to ascertain if the accreditation standards as in art. 3, point 1, let. e, g, h, l,m are being met
d. propose at least six members for the Selection Board that will be appointed for the admission exam. Three of the members shall be full and three alternates, listed in order of priority, in compliance with art. 10 below;
e. propose by October 31st of each year:
• at least two doctoral thesis evaluators (referees), in compliance with art. 15 below;
• the members of the Examining Board that will award the degree. Three of the members shall be full and three alternates, listed in order of priority, in compliance with art.17 below;
• at least two referees from universities of two different non-Italian EU-countries, who shall award the additional certification of "Doctor Europaeus", as in art. 19 below.
8. The certified teaching and tutoring activities carried out by the professors and researchers of the doctoral programs fulfill the institutional obligations set forth in art. 6 of Law n. 240 of 30 December 2010. If the activities are performed for a doctoral program of another university, the above-mentioned obligations are fulfilled only if the doctoral program is governed by the terms of a regular agreement, and if the activities have been authorized by the university.
ART. 9 – ADMISSION TO THE DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
1. Eligible for the admission to the doctoral programs are all candidates who, with no limits of citizenship, are in possession of a master’s degree, or a four-year master’s degree of the old university system, awarded by an Italian university, or an equivalent qualification awarded by a non-Italian university, even if in cooperation with other universities. The above-mentioned requirements shall have been awarded before the deadline of the call or by 31 October of the same year in which the call will be published.
2. Admission to the doctoral programs takes place through a public selection which must be concluded by September 30 of each year, according to the provisions set forth in par. 7 below.
3. The selection shall include the assessment of the candidates’ academic qualifications, a written test, internationally recognized tests, and / or an oral test. The tests aim at assessing the candidates’ preparation, their aptitude for scientific research, and their knowledge of one or more foreign languages.
4. The call may offer positions for students graduated in non-Italian universities or scholarship holders from non-Italian countries. The selection shall include tests and the assessment of the candidates’ qualifications. A separate shortlist shall be produced. The call may also offer positions for scholarship holders of other international mobility programs, selected by other universities or institutions.
5. The positions referred to in the above-mentioned paragraph 4, if not assigned, may be made available to candidates applying for the ordinary positions.
6. A separate call may be published for doctoral programs organized in partnership with companies as referred to in par. 1 and 2 of the above-mentioned art. 6. In this case, the deadline for the submission of the applications, the start date of the program, and the organization of the teaching activities may be different.
7. The call shall be written in Italian and English and shall be published on the websites of the University, the European Euraxess and of MIUR.
8. The call shall contain the following information for each doctoral program:
a. the number of positions provided for in the accreditation
b. the number of positions to be allocated for European and international joint projects; in this case the admission and organizational procedures may be different, according to the characteristics of each single project, provided they are activated within the accredited doctoral programs (Art. 8, par. 5 of Ministerial Decree No. 45 of 8th February 2013);
c. the number of scholarships or other forms of financial support drawn on research funds or other financial resources of the University, such as research grants pursuant art. 22 of Law n. 240/10, that can be awarded to the selected candidates for at least 3 years;
d. the number of scholarships, if any, that can be awarded to graduate students from non-Italian universities;
e. the amount of the tuition fee to be paid for the admission to and attendance of the courses, and the terms and conditions to be observed to apply for fee exemption;
f. the schedule of the selection tests.
9. The scholarships may be increased after the publication of the call and before the beginning of the selection if additional funds are allocated by public or private subjects through a duly concluded agreement, or by other bodies of the university through a specific deliberation. The additional scholarship amount shall be published on the University website. The agreement shall include a guarantee. Agreements with public bodies that do not provide for a guarantee shall be concluded only if authorized by the Academic Board.
10. The shortlists of the selected candidates for each course shall be published in compliance with the current legislation.
11. The highest ranked candidates shall be admitted to the places available. In case of late acceptance, non-acceptance, withdrawal or revocation by any of the admitted candidates, the next-ranked candidate in the shortlist shall be admitted by December 20.
12. If a candidate has been placed in more than one shortlist, he/she can enroll in only one of the doctoral programs he/she has resulted eligible for.
13 Scholarships shall be allocated to the highest ranked candidates in the shortlist. If two or more candidates have the same score, the financial situation of the candidates shall apply, according to the current legislation in force.
14. The scholarships which are co-financed with funds from external institutions shall be allocated considering the options expressed by the candidates. The candidates’ options shall be duly approved by the Course Coordinator, thereby considering the position of the candidates in the shortlist and the research field chosen by the candidates.
15. Students who have attended a doctoral program at another Italian or non-Italian university for at least one year may be admitted to the doctoral programs administered by the University. Candidates shall be admitted after the Academic Board has verified that the activity carried out by the candidate is consistent with the program. The admitted candidates shall not exceed the maximum number of positions set. The University shall notify to the university, which the candidate comes from, the candidate’s admission to the doctoral program.
ART. 10 – THE SELECTION BOARDS FOR THE ADMISSION TO THE PROGRAMS
1. Each Selection Board for the admission to the doctoral programs is composed by at least three members elected amongst the professors and researchers of the university, who are also members of the Academic Board, or from other Universities, working in macro-sectors related to the objectives of the doctoral program. Up to two more Italian or non-Italian highly-qualified experts from Universities and public and private research centers can be elected as members of the Selection Boards.
2. The Selection Boards shall be appointed with Rector’s decree. They shall complete the selections by September 30th of each year.
3. The Selection Boards shall deliberate on the eligibility of the academic qualifications obtained abroad, solely for the purpose of the admission to the doctorate.
4. At the end of the selections, the Selection Boards shall draw up a merit-based shortlist for each curriculum of the doctoral programs. Shortlists shall be approved with a Rector’s decree.
ART. 11 - SCHOLARSHIPS
1. Scholarship shall be paid in monthly installments. Scholarships shall be confirmed for the following year only if the student has successfully carried out the activities planned, according to the evaluation made by the Academic Board.
2. Doctoral scholarships shall not be awarded if the student is at the same time benefiting from research grants or other scholarships, unless they have been granted by national or foreign institutions to carry out doctoral research abroad.
3. The amount of the scholarships shall be not lower than the amount specified in the Ministerial Decree of 18 June 2008, published in the G.U. (Official Journal) n. 241 of 14 October 2008, unless otherwise provided for by the Administrative Board.
4. The scholarship includes separately-managed INPS social security contributions, two thirds of which are to be paid by the university and one third by the scholarship beneficiary, according to art. 2, paragraph 26, of law n. 335 of 8 August 1995.
5. The amount of the scholarship shall be increased by 50% for stays abroad authorized by the Academic Board, if funds are available. These stays shall not be shorter than 30 days nor longer than 18 months. The additional scholarship amount shall not be granted for periods of study and research in the students’ home country to doctoral students graduated in non-Italian universities, for whom the University has allocated the scholarships specified in art. 9, par. 9d.
6. The request for the above-mentioned additional scholarship amount shall be submitted to the Rector by the Course Coordinator, along with a declaration stating that the student’s mobility is part of his/her study and research plan.
7. By November 15th of each year the Course Coordinator shall inform the University Administration of any event or circumstance that may result in a temporary or permanent suspension of the scholarships to the beneficiaries.
8. Should the doctoral program in its first academic year begin later than scheduled, the part of the scholarship that should have been paid upon the scheduled beginning of the program shall be credited upon payment of the following installments, after a declaration is released by the Coordinator stating that the research work that had lagged behind has been duly carried out.
9. Doctoral scholarship holders shall not apply for a doctoral scholarship a second time. The same shall apply to holders of a partial scholarship, unless otherwise deliberated (and motivated) by the academic bodies. In this case the already received amount shall be withheld from the scholarship.
ART. 12 - FEES FOR THE ACCESS TO AND ATTENDANCE OF DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
1. The amount of the tuition fees for the admission to and attendance of doctoral programs and the procedures to apply for fee exemptions are deliberated each year by the University Administration, after consultation with the Academic Senate, in compliance with the legislation in force on the Right to Education. The amount of the tuition fees to be paid shall be published in the call.
2. Tuition fees shall be paid by all doctoral students, except for those having the requirements for fee exemption, and those having been granted scholarships by other institutions for whom the exemption from the payment of fees has been specifically provided for.
3. The afore-mentioned tuition fees shall be returned if the student withdraws from the doctoral program before its official beginning.
ART. 13 - RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS
1. Doctoral students are classified as university students. They shall attend the courses and carry out their study and research activities in the facilities arranged for this purpose, as specified by the Academic Board. At the end of each year, doctoral students shall submit a report to the Academic Board on the activities they have carried out. The report will help to determine if the scholarship should be granted to the student also for the following year or not.
2. A doctoral program requires a full-time commitment. The students under an apprenticeship contract or the employees of companies as referred to in art. 5 above shall observe the obligations specified in the respective contracts or agreements.
3. Students shall not be contemporarily enrolled in a doctoral program and in a university study course, as per Ministerial Decree n. 270 of 22 October 2004 and subsequent amendments and additions.
4. From the second year of the doctoral program, the university shall set aside a part of its financial resources for research activities that will have to be performed by doctoral students in Italy and abroad. The amount allocated for the above-mentioned activities can vary according to the course and shall not be lower than 10% of the scholarship.
5. The activities listed below can be performed by doctoral students with no need for an increase of the scholarship, prior authorization by the Academic Board:
a. tutoring activities for students of undergraduate and master's degree courses;
b. integrated teaching activities, up to 40 hours for each academic year, free of charge. If the integrated teaching activity takes place at one of the partner universities, it shall be authorized by the Academic Senate, prior approval of the Academic Board.
Doctoral students can also perform the following activities, prior authorization by the Academic Board:
practical and professional internships, provided they are so arranged as to enable the students to carry out their doctoral program activities successfully and in due time;
activities under temporary employment contracts;
activities as research fellows;
paid activities, provided that that do not prevent the students from successfully accomplishing the program-related study and research activities. More specifically, scholarship holders shall only undertake paid activities that can help them to acquire the skills included in the objectives of the doctoral program; in the case of students not holding a scholarship and undertaking a paid activity that may be deemed incompatible with the doctoral program, it is important to consider that declaring the incompatibility of the activity with the doctoral program may result in a violation of the constitutional rights, such as the right to education for economically disadvantaged outstanding students.
Students who have been granted and those who have not been granted a scholarship shall submit the Academic Board their application for authorization to undertake the above-mentioned activities possibly along with a declaration of their tutor stating the compatibility of the working activities with the doctoral program. The Academic Board shall deliberate accordingly, and, if necessary, expel the student from the doctoral program. The decisions of the Academic Board shall be transmitted to the Rector for further processing.
6. Civil servants admitted to doctoral programs can apply for leave from work for the ordinary duration of the course, as provided for in the collective bargaining agreements, whereas civil servants employed under public law contract can apply for extraordinary study leave. The ordinary and the extraordinary leave shall be granted, with or without scholarships, only if they do not interfere with the needs of the employer, in compliance with art. 2 of Law, n. 476/13.08.84 and subsequent amendments and additions, and if the above-mentioned students enroll in a doctoral program for the first time.
7. Doctoral students in Medicine can undertake clinical placement activities under the supervision and responsibility of the Director of the clinical placement provider, which shall in addition provide an insurance that will cover the students undertaking the placement.
8. The enrollment in the doctoral program can be suspended in the following cases:
a. pregnancy and maternity, according to the provisions of Legislative Decree n. 151 of 26 March 2001 and subsequent amendments and additions, and the Decree of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of 12 July 2007;
b. severe and prolonged illness;
c. civilian service;
d. admission to Active Internship (Tirocinio Formativo Attivo - TFA) pursuant to art. 15 of the Ministerial Decree n. 249 of 10 September 2010.
Doctoral students who have been granted a leave longer than 2 months shall extend their course of study of as many months as their leave consisted of. The payment of the scholarship for scholarship holders shall be resumed, unless, if the scholarship has been granted by an external body, it has been agreed that scholarship payments cannot be extended beyond the term of three years.
9. Doctoral students can permanently withdraw from the doctoral program any time during the three years’ duration of the program. In this case, the performed activities will be officially registered, after the Academic Board has certified that the student attended the activities and paid the annual fee due for the admittance to and attendance of the course. Students can also decide to relinquish their scholarship. In this case, students will maintain their status as students as in point 1. above, but the payment of the scholarship will be suspended. The relinquished scholarship or the not yet accrued part of it may be granted to the first ranked shortlisted candidate among the admitted candidates with no scholarship.
10. In the event of unjustified absence of the student or non-fulfillment of the obligations, including the non-completion of the activities planned by the end of each year, the Academic Board shall send the Rector a motivated proposal for the expulsion of the student from the program, and subsequent loss of the students’ right to use the scholarship, if granted.
11. The University shall provide an accidents and civil liability insurance policy for all doctoral students. The insurance policy shall cover them for the whole duration of the program and only for the doctoral program related activities.
12. Inventions produced by doctoral students during and as a result of the doctoral program they are enrolled in shall be governed by the University Regulations on patents and intellectual property.
ART. 14 - DOCTORAL COURSES AND MEDICAL SCHOOLS
1. If the students enrolled in the last year of one of the University’s medical schools have been admitted to a doctoral program of the University, they can attend both at the same time, provided that:
a. the attendance of the doctoral program will not interfere with the activities of the medical school. This shall be certified with duly released authorization by the School Council;
b. students will not receive the doctoral scholarship in the first year of their joint attendance.
2. If students want to reduce the doctoral program to two years, this shall be authorized by the Academic Board prior assessment of the research activities carried out during the medical school certified by the School Council.
ART . 15 – ACADEMIC TITLE AND FINAL EXAM
1. The academic title of “Ph.D." is awarded to the student by the Rector after a positively assessed thesis defense. The thesis work shall be a significant contribution to the knowledge of the research field chosen. It shall be written in Italian or English, or any other language prior authorization by the Academic Board, and assessed by at least two highly qualified teachers, called referees, selected by the Academic Board from amongst professors and researchers of national and international universities, who have not worked in the doctoral program.
2. By October 31 of the last year of the doctoral program, the Academic Board shall assess the research activities carried out by the students in the same year and propose them for admission to the final exam, thereby considering the candidates’ performance during the whole doctoral program and gives notice thereof to the administration offices and to the students themselves.
3. By November 30 the doctoral students proposed for admission to the final exam shall:
a. send the Rector their application on legal paper along with a report on the activities carried out in the three years of the doctoral program and on any works published;
b. submit their thesis to the Phd office that shall then forward it to the referees.
4. The referees shall write an analytical assessment report by January 15 that shall be sent to the Academic Board and to the student. The report shall also specify if the candidate has been proposed for admission to thesis defense or if the thesis defense shall be postponed for further revision. The date of the thesis defense shall not be postponed for more than six months. After this period the candidate shall be admitted to public thesis defense with a newly-written assessment by the referees.
5. Doctoral students shall submit or send to the Rector the following documents:
- the assessment report of the evaluators;
- the doctoral thesis along with a summary thereof in Italian and English, if the student has been admitted to thesis defense.
The above-mentioned documents shall be presented not later than 15th February.
6. If thesis defense needs to be postponed, the thesis shall be submitted or sent to the Rector within the following six months.
ART. 16 – OPEN ARCHIVE
1. Before the final examination takes place, the students shall deposit their thesis, along with a short abstract thereof in Italian and English, in the open access University Archive, which shall preserve it, make it available for public access and send it to the legal deposit national libraries of Rome and Florence.
2. Students may request, prior authorization by the Academic Board, that access to their thesis shall be restricted for up to 18 months, to prevent the unauthorized use of industrial and intellectual property rights.
ART. 17 – EXAMINING BOARD FOR THE FINAL EXAM
1. The Examining Boards for the final exam of each doctoral program are made up of at least three members, elected from amongst tenured university professors and researchers working in macro-sectors relevant for the objectives of the doctoral program. Two of them shall be tenured professors and researchers from Italian or non-Italian universities that have not worked for the doctoral program. The two above-mentioned members of the Examining Board shall not be members of the Academic Board. If doctoral programs include more than one specialization area (curriculum), the Examining Board can include one or two additional members for each curriculum that shall be appointed from amongst Italian or non-Italian, public or private research institutions.
2. The members of the Examining Boards of doctoral programs resulting from international agreements shall be selected according to the provisions set forth in the related agreements.
3. The Examining Boards are appointed by Rector’s decree. They shall complete their works by March 31 and if the examiners have asked to postpone the thesis defense to not later than six months, by the end of the current academic year.
4. The Examining Boards that will not conclude their works by the above-mentioned terms shall fall from office. In this case, the Rector shall appoint another Examining Board.
5. The Examining Boards shall lay down the terms and conditions in which the final examination shall take place, as specified in art. 18 below.
ART. 18 - FINAL EXAM
1. The final exam for doctoral students consists in a public defense of the dissertation, that shall take place on the date notified to the interested parties with at least 15 days’ notice.
2. The final exam shall take place either:
- personally in front of the members of the Examining Board;
- or online. In this case at least one of the members of the Examining Board shall fulfil all the administrative procedures that will ensure that the decision will be the result of collective deliberation. The above-mentioned member of the Examination Board shall therefore sign the exam report containing the assessment for each candidate and forward it to the other members of the Examining Board by fax or certified e-mail soon after the examination has taken place.
3. Soon after the thesis defense has taken place, the Examining Board shall approve or reject the thesis, writing the reasons for their decision, and consider thereby the following rating scale: excellent, good, fair, satisfactory, fail. The Examination Board may decide to award unanimously a doctorate cum laude to students presenting theses of scientific relevance (according to Ministerial Decree n. 45 of 8 February 2013, article 8, paragraph 6, last sentence).
4. If the candidate is unable to sit the final exam on the scheduled date because of illness or other unforeseen adverse circumstances, he / she may ask the President of the Examination Board to change the date of the final exam, and submit a doctor’s certificate or statement, giving the reasons why the candidate will not be able to take the exam at the due date. The Rector, upon the proposal of the President of the Examining Board and after having checked the doctor’s certificate or statement submitted by the candidate, shall set a new date for the candidate’s final examination within 60 days from the end of the interfering occurrence.
ART. 19 – EUROPEAN DOCTORATE AND JOINT DOCTORAL PROGRAMMES (CO-TUTELLE)
1. To expand the internationalization of its doctoral programs the University can award, upon proposal of its Academic Board, the additional certification of "Doctor Europaeus", provided that the following four conditions are met:
• The doctoral thesis shall result from a period of extensive research of at least 3 months spent in one of the countries adhering to the “Bologna Process”;
• The doctoral thesis shall be positively assessed by at least two examiners (referees) from universities of two different non-Italian EU-Countries. The examiners (referees) shall be appointed by the Academic Board. The examiners’ reports on the thesis will be attached to the final exam report;
• at least one of the members of the Examining Board shall come from a foreign university;
• the doctoral thesis shall be discussed in a language other than Italian.
2. As a result of the ongoing process of Internationalization of study courses, students who have attended a joint doctoral program, preferably from the first year, shall be awarded a doctoral degree which is officially recognized in the countries where the degree-awarding institutions are located, as provided for in the agreement that shall be concluded by the two partner institutions.
ART. 20 – TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS
Pursuant to Ministerial Decree n. 45 of 8 February 2013, these regulations shall enter into force on the day after the enacting Rector’s Decree has been issued. The provisions of the University regulations issued with Rector’s Decree no. 903 of 22nd May 2006 and subsequent amendments and additions and n. 598 of 16th May 2007 shall apply to the doctoral cycles currently held. Any matters not provided for in these regulations shall be governed by the provisions set forth in art. 4 of Law n. 210 of 3rd July 1998, in art. 19 of Law n. 240 of 30th December 2010, and of Ministerial Decree n. 45 of 8th February 2013, published in the Official Journal (Gazzetta Ufficiale) n. 104 of 6 May 2013.
(1) Amendment, as approved with Rector’s Decree n. 714 of 10.09.2015
