Degree Award

Thesis submission and defence

PhD Students are requested to attach a final report including all activities carried out in the course of the PhD Programme and the list of all the publications.

The activity ends with the submission of a Doctoral thesis that must be delivered within a deadline set by the Doctoral Programme Administrative Manager (usually 1 month before the final examination, 2 months before in case of Doctor Europaeus activation).The thesis must be written in English, have original content and demonstrate the student’s ability to carry out research and/or innovation activities at international level. 

Final examination

The final examination consists in the public defence of the thesis in front of an Examination Committee appointed by the University Rector; it must be held within 6 months of the official end of the Programme, except when an extension has been approved. The six-month term can be extended if the referees require a longer deadline to review the thesis.

The Examination Committee consists of a mimimum of three and a maximum of five members chosen from among university professors and researchers of Italian and foreign institutions, specializing in the topics of the thesis. At least two-thirds of the members cannot be employed by the University. In all cases, at least two-thirds of the Examination Committee consists of academic members.
The Committee can be enlarged by a maximum of two high-profile foreign or Italian experts affiliated to public and private institutions.

The Examination Committee provides a final evaluation of the thesis and its discussions resulting in the approval or rejection of the thesis.  If the work of the candidate includes  important scientific results, the Committee can decide to add Summa cum laude to the evaluation.

Diploma  supplement

A complete Diploma Supplement will be attached to the degree certificate, if requested. It will describe the work performed by the candidate to obtain the degree awarded in order to facilitate its recognition and accreditation.

The Diploma Supplement was developed thanks to the European Commission, European Council and Unesco/Cepes initiative so as to overcome the international boundaries of the studies recognition and use. This certificate provides a detailed description of the work performed by the candidate, namely it reports the nature, level, contest and content of the studies and research carried on during the PhD Programme.