Regulation
This document covers the principles that regulate the activities of the PhD program, as decided by the Board of Faculties, and the deadlines associated with such activities.
First Year:
Students of the first year will:
- Attend the specialized courses which are organized for the PhD in Data Science. These courses will aim to enhance the knowledge of Data Science towards the final thesis project.
- Attend courses offered by the Master’s Degree in Data Science, the Master courses of the Faculty of Information Engineering, Informatics, and Statistics, and the Master courses related to the fields of application of Data Science in order to enhance their knowledge and their study plan.
- Enhance the specific knowledge in the research field of their interests by attending international schools for PhD students.
- Attend seminars held by Italian and foreign Professors organized by the PhD program or by the Departments and research centers which contribute to the Board of Faculties.
The overall effort of the student for the first year is 30 credits:
- 12 credits for Master courses
- 12 credits for PhD courses
- 6 credits for seminars and international schools.
The number of credits for each activity can be customized according to the needs of the PhD student’s research.
The choice of the thesis’ project will be discussed by the students and the Board of Faculties.
Within 6 months from the starting day of the first year and not later than the end of the first year, students are requested to choose one of the members of the Board of Faculties to be his/her Advisor for the thesis’ project. By the end of the first year, the Board of Faculties will formally decide the name of the students’ advisors who will be chosen among its members, possibly together with an external or internal co-advisor and a third component of the Thesis committee.
The members of the Board of Faculties will be asked to formalize the PhD thesis’ proposals which will be introduced to the students during specific seminars.
The Board of Faculties will appoint a committee for the admission to the second and third years (composed by 3 members of the Board of Faculties);
The committee will verify:
- The attendance of the PhD courses, the courses chosen by the PhD students and the exams which will be passed by the students.
- The study activities and the attendance to the seminars held in the PhD program.
- The research field in which the PhD thesis will be developed.
All exams must be completed by September 30th of the first year.
By October 15th of the first year, students must submit a report about his/her activity. The Board of Faculties will then decide based on the opinion of the admission committee whether the students can be admitted to the second year or not.
Second Year:
Students will attend two PhD courses during their second year. These courses can be possibly replaced by international PhD schools or other PhD activities in case the student is doing his/her abroad.
Students will also attend the seminars organized by the PhD program.
During the second year the PhD student will enhance his/her research and will decide the subject of the thesis in order to attend the necessary activities for the completion of it.
The thesis is an original research about a well-defined subject which is related to the Data Science applications. While doing their research, students can spend a period abroad in Universities, research or academic centers. This period will preferably happen during the second year.
By the month of April of the second year, students are supposed to submit some information about their thesis:
- Research area
- Main problems arisen in the literature
- Thesis type
- Objective of the thesis’ research and possible future works
By October 20th of the second year, students must submit a report about his/her activity. The Board of Lecturers will then decide based on the opinion expressed by the admission committee whether the students can be admitted to the third year or not. Students are also supposed to do hold a seminar about the progress of their research and about the objective to be followed during the third year.
Students must also pass 6 credits by attending two PhD courses or international schools.
Third Year:
Seminars which will be offered by the PhD program will be decided during the third year.
The final PhD exam must take place by February 28 of the year following the one in which the student ends the 3-year course.
By July of the third year: the Board of Faculties will propose the names of the external reviewers.
By October 31st students will prepare a first draft of the thesis in English and will send it to the external reviewers, to the coordinator and to their advisors.
By November 15th the external reviews will be sent to the coordinator.
In case the external reviewers will judge the thesis as inadequate for the final exam, students can be assigned additional 6 months to review their thesis. After that, students will send their reviewed thesis to the external reviewers for a new evaluation. In this last case, the defense will be postponed as well.
The submission and the evaluation of the final version of the thesis will be asked by January 15th of the year following the third one.
Students present the Thesis in a seminar to an internal committee for final evaluation nominated by the Board of Faculties. The admission to the final exam is decided by Board of Faculties, based upon the reports of the External Reviewers, and of Thesis Committee (reports from the advisor and co-advisor), and of the overall assessment, made by the committee for final evaluation, after the presentation.
By February 28th, students will be required to present and discuss the thesis in front of the PhD Awarding Commission, which is empowered to issue the title of Doctor of Research. By this date the students have also to submit the final version of the thesis, in which they incorporate the modifications suggested by the reviewers or by the internal commission.