Guidelines of the Doctorate Degree Plan in the Macro-area of Science and Technology
The doctorates of the Macro-area of Science and Technology are based on the following academic activity:
- Interdisciplinary Activity or Activity from Ateneo
- Attendance of colloquiums of the Macro-area
- Participation in schools of the Macro-area
- Specific Courses for the Doctorate Degree
- Advanced Courses from the Undergraduate Program
- Attendance of department seminars
- Academic and Professional Sojourns at other universities, research facilities, laboratories, and companies, for the of the doctorate thesis and for placement in the professional world
- Doctorate Thesis
Doctorate Activity, proposed by the advisor and approved by the faculty, corresponds to an annual total of 60 credits, normally :
a) In the first year, from a minimum of 12 to a maximum of 48 credits for activity from numbers 1-7 above, the remaining credits (12-48) for preparation of the doctorate thesis
b) In the second year, 12-24 credits from 1-7 and the remaining credits (36-48) for the thesis
c) In the third year, up to 12 credits from 1-7 and at least 48 credits for the thesis
1. The credits related to the interdisciplinary activity amount to 10 credits.
2. Interdisciplinary colloquiums of the Macro-area: Approximately every month, the macro-area organizes conferences given by experts, internal or external, on subjects pertinent to the doctorates in the Science and Technology Macro-area. Such colloquiums will be directed towards the doctorates in the entire macro-area. Participation in these activities is worth 6 credits.
3. The students are asked to attend at least one summer school for each year of the doctorate program on topics pertinent to their field of study. Attendance at a week-long school is normally worth 6 credits. Regarding this point, students are particularly recommended to consider the schools of their macro-area that will be given by SAF.
4. Each year the faculty entrusts the teaching of specific course work for the doctorate programs to particularly qualified experts from the academic, research, and industrial world. Such courses and seminars are worth 6 credits. If the faculty agrees, these can be inserted into the doctorate degree plan, as well as courses and seminars for doctorate programs from other universities in Italy and abroad.
5. Students are suggested to follow advanced sections of the courses given in the last year of the specialized undergraduate program of the University of Ferrara, each course being evaluated for the same number of credits in both the graduate and undergraduate programs. If the faculty agrees, other courses and seminars from universities in Italy and abroad can be added to the doctorate degree program.
6. Department Seminars: At least once every two weeks, each department organizes specialized seminars given by internal or external experts on actual research topics. A total of about 18 hours during the course of the year is worth 6 credits.
7. Considering that the research groups at the University of Ferrara, in which doctorate candidates develop their theses, are generally involved in international collaboration and that a good part of the experimentation is conducted in national or international laboratories here and abroad, where the ideal equipment is often available, it is recommended that each doctorate student spend, normally, at least three months during the three years of the doctorate at an external scientific institution. With the ultimate goal of placement in the professional world, periods spent in professional environments or at companies that agree to training and the development of professional-level skills are also valued at the same level as sojourns at scientific institutions. An academic or professional sojourn of at least three weeks is worth 6 credits. At the beginning of each year of the doctorate, the student, with the agreement of his or her advisor, proposes a plan of study for the year’s activity to the faculty. At the end of each year of the doctorate, in the meeting for admission to the following year or to the final exam, the faculty verifies that the student has actively participated in the academic activities proposed in the annual plan of study, then evaluates and certifies the credits earned towards the doctorate degree in relation to the proposed plan of study.
For what concerns the organizing of the macro-area’s summer schools, the Doctorate Coordinators of the macro-area establish that every summer school is on topics of interest to at least two of the doctorate programs. Such schools last for one week and will be open to doctorate students from universities in Italy and abroad, with instructors coming from internal and external sources.
It is possible to organize up to two summer schools a year, if the needed financial resources are found. Considering the research activity in course in the pertinent departments, the following are examples of the topics under consideration for the macro-area’s interdisciplinary education:
- Energy Sources and Vectors
- Innovative Materials, Sensors, and Nanotechnology
- Climate, Environment, and Land
- Numerical Models and Computer Science
