Ph.D. rules

NOTE: For any clarification regarding the rules below, please first contact your Ph.D. supervisor(s), which should be informed about the procedures related to the instructions below, discussed at least yearly during the meeting of the Board of Teachers. In case of need, we will provide support.

The Doctoral Program adopts the system of Research Training Credits (CFRs). Doctoral students must accumulate 180 CFRs in the three years according to the R.D. No. 460 of 9/12/2005. The 180 CFRs are divided as follows:

 

30 CFR of didactic activities
Earned by attending Ph.D. specific lectures, courses offered within the Master Degree Course of Physics, or other courses of interest, as well as national and international schools, mentoring, third mission activities. Credits of this type must be earned within the second year.

• Didactic Activities Plan. At the beginning of the first year, doctoral students are required to submit a teaching plan for approval by the Board of Lecturers. As of Cycle XXXII, the criteria for evaluating teaching activities have been revised (CFR minutes of the Board of Lecturers meetings of 23/1/2017 and 17/09/2024) in order to harmonize mobility requests with doctoral students’ didactic activities.

• Tutoring. Tutoring duties are assigned by the Board of Lecturers after consultation with the Director of the Physics Department and the Coordinator of the CdS in Physics. The Doctoral Program has introduced a maximum number of hours of tutoring, which is in compliance with the University Regulations (art. 12, par. 4). In particular, doctoral students may, as an integral part of the training project and after approval by the College, carry out tutoring activities in undergraduate and graduate courses, including paid ones, within the limit of sixty (60) hours per academic year (CFR minutes of the meeting of the Board of Teachers of 27.11.2023). As of the 2024/2025 academic year, there will be no obligation for doctoral students to provide free tutoring. Paid tutoring activities up to a maximum of 40 hours (in the three-year period) will result in the acquisition of CFRs according to the 1 CFR/4h criterion. Any additional hours, again within the limit of 60h/year, will NOT result in additional CFRs if paid, while will correspond to 1.5 CFR/4h if performed for free.

• Didattica integrativaAdditional Didactic Activities. As of the academic year 2023/24, tutoring activities will be formally separated from integrative didactic activities. For this second activity (integrative teaching and didactic), the University Doctoral Regulations set a limit of 40 hours/academic year. These will allow earning CFRs according to the 1 CFR/4h criterion.

• Third mission (max 10 CFRs). Third mission (max. 10 CFRs). As far as third mission activities are concerned, the doctoral student must present a certificate signed by the person in charge of the activity, indicating the days and hours of actual commitment. As a general rule, 1 CFR will be granted for every 8/12 hours of activity (frontal/simulative laboratory, including the hours needed to setup the activities), with a maximum of 3 CFRs per activity; the CFRs accrued for this type of activity cannot exceed 10 CFRs (out of the total of 30 CFRs expected). The following is a non-exhaustive list of approved activities:

• • International Day for Women and Girls in Science
  • RadioLab: Measuring radioactivity in the environment
  • Art&Science: Bringing science to life through the language of art
  • Asimov Prize: Reviewing popular science books
  • Lab2Go: upgrading school laboratories
  • Masterclasses in Matter Physics, Applied Physics and Particle Physics
  • Sharper – European Researchers’ Night
  • Pint of Science
  • AggiornaMenti
  • Physics lab in the classroom
  • Faculty Open Days

Summary of credit allocation rules:

• • Lectures: Lectures and seminars specifically tailored for Ph.D. students: 4h=1CFR; Master Degree courses: 8h=1 CFR.
  • Attendance of Physics Colloquia: 0.5 CFR.
  • Participation in national/international schools: One actual day at a national/international school corresponds to 1 CFR.
  • Beginning with Cycle XXXII, conference attendance will also contribute to the accumulation of CFRs with the same criteria as for schools, up to a maximum of 5 CFRs.
  • Tutoring/Integrative Didactic Activities: 1 CFR/4h if paid, with the limit of 40h/year; 1.5 CFR/4h if free, with limit of 60h/year.
  • Third mission activities (max. 10 CFRs): 1 CFR for every 8 (frontal)/12 (laboratory or equivalent) hours of activities, including the time needed for preparation of the related material, for a maximum of 3 CFRs per activity.

 

150 CFR for research

Research credits may be earned as follows:

• Year-end seminar (45-63 CFR). A scientific committee assesses the quality of the seminar and assigns a grade (sufficient: 13 CFR, fair: 15 CFR, good: 17 CFR, very good: 19 CFR, excellent: 21 CFR).
• Scholarly activity: 75-100 CFR, evaluated according to the following criteria:
  • Articles published in peer-reviewed journals: 35 CFR/article.
  • Internal peer-reviewed reports and articles published in conference proceedings: 10 CFR/article.
  • Other (internal presentations, etc.): 5 CFR.
  • Oral presentations at congresses: 20 CFR.
  • Poster presentations at congresses: 5 CFR.

• Language Certificate
  
  • English language proficiency level C1 is also required.