For general information see also the official regulation of the PhD Program (in .pdf – only in Italian)

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FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

 

 

REQUIREMENTS

  • WHAT requirements must I satisfy to be eligible to apply?
    You need an internationally recognized degree at the Master level or another equivalent academic qualification awarded by a recognized university and granting access to PhD studies (for Italians, this means a second-level degree awarded by an Italian University, i.e. laurea magistrale (LM) or laurea specialistica (LS)). You should also prepare a research proposal and provide two letters of recommendation or send the names of two referees who could provide the letters. For further details, see the call for applications.
  • DO I NEED TO PAY in order to apply?
    Yes; there is an application fee to be sent before the deadline.
  • HOW is the admission procedure organized?
    On the basis of the applications, a short list is drawn up by an Admissions Committee of four professors, one from each of the four Universities and representing each curriculum (candidates have to choose in advance one of the four curricula). Short-listed students are then interviewed. For students abroad, the interview can be conducted by skype.
  • HOW do I choose a Curriculum?
    The different fields of research covered by the Consortium are presented in this site, along with the teaching activities of each curriculum (see the menu under “teaching”). It is advisable to check the relevant interests of the teachers by looking at their web pages to assess their relevance for your research proposal.

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VENUES

  • WHERE are admissions interviews and final examinations held?
    The admission examination will be held at the University that is the administrative coordinator of the Consortium at that time (for the period  2017-2019, this is the University of Genoa). Final examinations are held at the University that was the administrative coordinator at the time of admission.
  • Are there housing facilities and a working SPACE for Ph.D. Students?
    Each university provides working space for Ph.D. Students (common rooms, libraries, spaces in teachers’ offices, seminar rooms, and libraries).
    There are also some housing facilities for students in each of the four universities, although you need to apply in advance to secure a room in such facilities.
  • How do the four Universities coordinate in terms of access to LIBRARIES or online research databases?
    Students admitted under the administration of Genoa will be provided with an account at the University of Genoa (and, in addition, at one of the other three Universities if their University of affiliation is not Genoa) in order to access online libraries (journals and other documents) and have access to internet services, to libraries and lectures. Being enrolled in a University you can also  access the Eduroam Network. The username and password are the same as those you use to access the online services of the University website, and which you used to apply to the PhD program.

– see also the web page on venues and facilities (to be updated)

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FOR CURRENT STUDENTS

 

UNIVERSITIES

  • TO WHICH University do we belong?
    Each Ph.D. student is affiliated with one of the four universities in the Consortium (for scholarship holders the relevant university will be the one that provides the scholarship). However, all students are also attached to the University where the administrative coordination of the program was based at the time of their first enrolment (Torino for the XXIX-XXXII cycle; GENOVA for the XXXIII-XXXV cycle of 1917-1919) and which will serve as the site of the final examinations.
  • WHICH RULES should we follow for what?
    PhD students should follow the rules of the administration of the particular University with which they are affiliated. Given their collaboration with the Consortium, some of these rules are shared by all four Universities, but sometimes there are small differences (see also information for Visiting Students).

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TUTOR, SUPERVISOR, and CONFIRMATION

  • HOW is my tutor chosen?
    Your tutor is chosen upon enrolment to provide a link with the university to which you will be affiliated. The tutor will offer guidance to get you started with your research, to help you to choose a proper supervisor, and to comply with various administrative requirements.
  • HOW is my supervisor chosen?
    Your tutor can also serve as your supervisor, but, depending on your research interest, you may contact any other professor from the board of teachers who is willing to supervise your research. Although you may work informally with a prospective supervisor during the first year, the role of supervisor is formalized only upon passing from the first to the second year (this is meant to allow students the time to clarify their initial project).
  • HOW is my participation in the program confirmed each year? 
    There will be examinations for the passage from the first to the second year and from the second to the third, organized by each curriculum. Passing the examination (typically the discussion of a paper or of the project) is necessary in order to maintain your status as a PhD student.

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CLASSES

  • HOW MANY mandatory classes do we have to attend?
  • You should follow some mandatory classes, common to all curricula: (1) a rolling seminar, and (2) a course in argumentation.  In addition, you should follow some mandatory classes and seminars that are specific to your curriculum. There is a certain variety among curricula, and you are allowed to participate in classes and seminars of other curricula. For information check the teaching pages of each curriculum.
  • WHAT IF I instead wish to attend other activities outside the Consortium?
    You may discuss with the head of your curriculum or with the Coordinator of the Doctorate about participation in alternative classes. This may be conceded if you are abroad or in a very special situation. Classes of the PhD Program are designed to serve as a place for learning how to interact in an academic environment, to discuss your questions and to share answers. They are an integral part of the program.
  • HOW MUCH should I write?
    You should aim to develop your writing skills as much as possible. During the first year, you are expected to write a mandatory essay for the shared class and another for the class specific to your curriculum. The deadlines for the essays will be agreed with each of the class teachers and should be submitted normally within two months of the end of the class. In addition, your tutor or supervisor may ask you to write papers and essays on specific topics as your research develops.
  • WHEN are papers due?
    For the Rolling seminar (first year, mandatory) you have to write a paper on the subject of one of the classes and send it to the teacher within two months of the end of the seminar. Where a reasonable excuse can be given for not meeting this deadline, you may take an agreement with the teacher for a delay. For other papers due for different curricula you should make an agreement with a teacher about the topic and the deadline.

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WRITING

  • WHERE TO PUBLISH?
    You are encouraged, where appropriate, to submit papers to academic journals (your supervisor will provide guidance in this respect). Mandatory papers for the teaching activities are normally not for publication.  For some general information on the problem of publications and ranking of Philosophical Journals see our page on where, what,how to write?
  • WHEN SHOULD I FINISH?
    You should plan to finish writing the final version of your dissertation before the end of the third year. Some scholars advise organising the dissertation into chapters that could be presented partly as individual essays (and eventually submitted as articles to journals). For the final examination, see below.

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FUNDING

  • Is there FUNDING available for going to conferences and workshops, visiting libraries and research centers and other visiting activities useful for my dissertation?
    Yes: starting from the second year you will have a (limited) budget to spend on such activities, following the rules of the University you are attached to. Each year, all students, including those without a scholarship, are granted a sum corresponding to 10% of an annual scholarship. Students in Genoa have this amount from the first year; students of other Universities may ask for help for their research travels (see below).
    – Some universities offer a limited budget already in the first year, on a case-by-case basis (e.g., if your paper has been accepted for a conference or a workshop). There may be a distinction between educational mobility (when you want to follow a seminar or a conference) and a mission (when you go to speak at a conference). You can also ask for a scholarship increase to help your visits abroad (see below at the entry “visiting” and at detailed information for a scholarship increase).
  • WHOM should I ask for funding? 
    You should ask at the University you are attached to; each University has its own procedure. However, in all cases, you will have to fill out a form and submit it to the relevant local office. In some cases the offices will require approval from the Coordinator of the Doctorate. You have to send the requests for short travels (for teaching duties, participating to conferences, and so on) to the Department of your University (each one has different forms) and the request for increase of the scholarship for periods abroad to the Offices of the Doctorate of each University.

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VISITING

  • WHOM should I ask for a visiting period abroad?
    You may look (i) for a co-tutorship or (ii) for a period of study abroad. Case (i) requires a complex procedure to be followed by the offices of the Administrative University (Genoa for cycles 33-35, 2017-2019); in case (ii), the request must be submitted to the university to which you are attached and which provides your scholarship in the first year of the Doctorate (if possible during the first half of the year). Then, the request should be signed by the Coordinator or accompanied by a letter of the Coordinator in case you need an increase of the scholarship for the period of study abroad.
  • HOW LONG can I stay abroad, and HOW MUCH will the scholarship be increased?
    PhD students are strongly encouraged to spend a period abroad in an institution where their specific research field is particularly advanced. PhD students who have a scholarship will have their scholarship increased by 50%. The period abroad may last up to 540 days. The increase of the scholarship may be used also for short periods abroad (e.g. for a Summer School or a Congress).
  • WHEN SHOULD I ASK AND WHEN SHALL I BE PAID?  If the period abroad is less than two months, the increase will be given after the period ends. If the period abroad is longer than two consecutive months, the increased scholarship will be paid during the period abroad. For periods longer than two months, PhD students should put in a request a month before leaving. Upon return from your period abroad, you will have to give the office of your University a signed document from the host institution abroad, indicating your dates of arrival and departure.
  • WHICH PROCEDURES SHOULD I FOLLOW? You need (1) the exact dates of the period spent abroad; (2) a letter of invitation from the host institution with the same dates; (3) approval from the coordinator of the doctorate; and (4) an email confirming your arrival. At the end of the period abroad, you need to have a signed letter confirming the date of leaving; the letter must be given to the offices no later than 15 days after the end of the period abroad (please, check with your respective university – there are some small differences in the procedures – and/or see below)

see also Page on going to Conferences or Visiting Abroad

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FINAL EXAMINATIONS

  • FEES: Is there an further fee to pay?
    There is nothing to pay for final examinations
  • WHEN, WHERE and to WHOM should I submit my final?
    The final version of the dissertation in .pdf should be submitted at the end of the third year to the evaluators – after having been judged by the supervisor and the Steering Committee. If considered insufficient, the Steering Committee may give a permission for a 6-month extension before sending it to the evaluators.  Your supervisor will discuss with you the nomination of the evaluators and the Examination Board.
  • WHEN will the viva examination be? After (if…) the evaluators have approved the dissertation, the examination committee will be officially approved and they will decide a suitable date for the viva examination.
  • For further information, see also  info on final examinations.

 

 

WEB PAGES

      • WEB SPACE: Is there any web space for students?
        Each student will have a web page for presenting his or her career and uploading his or her files
      • WHEN will the web space cease?
        Actually, there is no apparent time limit for keeping you FINO web page. The Consortium is eager to keep in touch with its former students after their PhD and we have included in the web page a specific space for indicating post-doctoral activities. Students will normally build their own professional web pages in the future and we will be happy if they will put a link to their new web pages in that space.
      • HOW do I fill out the personal web page?
        Each student can enter his or her web page and write his or her CV and other information.  To enter their web pages students have to use the address: https://www.finophd.eu/pete  and send their own email (the one present in FINO list of students). They will receive on their email address a redirection to their web page where to give basic information or also upload files and pictures. For more details see https://www.finophd.eu/?page_id=3281


DELEGATES IN THE STEERING COMMITTEE

Each year PhD students elect a delegate in the Steering Committee, so that there are at least three PhD students, one per cohort (or “Cycle”), to present common worries and/or proposals to the Committee. At the moment the delegates are:

  • Luca Stroppa (Cycle 36)
  • Matilde Liberti (Cycle 37)
  • Nicola Ruschena (Cycle 38)

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