The PhD educational program is defined by the requirements which must be fulfilled by graduate students to achieve the Research Doctorate degree.
The detailed educational program is approved by the Faculty committee governing the PhD program. The current program can be downloaded here: PhD educational program.
The main lines of the program are stable enough and are as follows:
The normal duration of the PhD program is of three years. However,
if the doctoral dissertation requires further work or if there are other
serious reasons, the Rector, with the approval of the PhD program
Faculty
Committee, may authorize postponing the deadline of the dissertation
presentation by one year (not extending the fellowship).
The official language of the program is English. All courses
specifically offered for the PhD program are given in English. The final
dissertation or thesis must be written in English. The intermediate reports
and seminars must be in English.
By the end of each year, every graduate student shall write a report
on his/her study and research activities and normally also present his/her
research activity in a seminar. At the end of every academic year (in October),
the program Faculty Committee will decide on the admission to the subsequent
year and, in the third year, to the final examination.
During the three years, but preferentially in the beginning of the
program, all graduate students will have to perform some coursework and
pass the corresponding exams.
Normally by the end of the first year, each graduate student will have to
define his/her research plan for the final dissertation and choose an
advisor (called "tutor") from within the PhD program faculty (this is an upper
limit; ordinarily the research should start as soon as possible). During the
second year, the Faculty Committee will select two faculty members or external
scientists who will evaluate the candidate progress, together with the advisor.
All graduate students during the three years of the program must have at
least one experience of contact with the international scientific community,
such as a research visit at some research group abroad or attending an
international conference or scientific school.
The results of the research performed during the PhD program must be written down in the doctoral dissertation (or thesis). This dissertation will be the main subject of evaluation in the final examination (or dissertation "defense") for the awarding of the research doctor’s degree. Should the candidate fail the final examination, he/she will be allowed to repeat it once, after one year.
Here is the list of courses offered for the PhD in physics in 2012 (the choice is not limited to these courses, as also courses offered for the Master of Science or for other PhD programs can be chosen). Courses will be activated only if selected by at least two graduate students. Courses selected by a single student can be often converted into "supervised reading".