The CFU system

The credit system in education is a standard used by universities to measure and assess students’ work and effort during their study courses. According to this approach, each activity is valued by a given number of CFU, where 1 CFU corresponds to 25 hours of workload.  
To accomplish the Doctorate course and obtain the PhD title, a minimum of 180 CFU must be acquired, with some constraints for each activity to guarantee the right balance among the various research and educational activities.  
All the activities are gradually annotated online by the student in the “booklet” (libretto dei dottorandi), which is validated by the tutor and approved by the Doctoral Board at the end of each year.  
Details on credit assignment for the various activities are reported in the file attached below (available soon).

Research activity

Research activity is the most important and significant part of the course, corresponding to 160 CFU (40 CFU on first year, 50 CFU on second year and 70 CFU on third year). It consists in the development of an original research project, in the context of one of the scientific themes indicated in the call, under the guidance of a tutor (sometimes supported by one or more co-tutors), assigned by the Doctoral Board.  
The activity is usually carried out in the laboratories of DCCI, DIFI, DIFAR and IIT, which have adequate financial resources and infrastructures to carry out the high-level research requested by the Doctorate program. In some cases, the research is performed in other research institutions (e.g. CNR) or private companies. In addition, at least six months are usually spent abroad at highly qualified research institutions.  
The research activity also includes the dissemination of the results, through presentations at national and international conferences (up to 10 CFU), publications or patents (up to 16 CFU).  
The research activity is supervised by the tutor(s) and annually evaluated by the Doctoral Board, through a written report and an oral presentation of the results.

Educational activity

The educational activity is aimed at providing high-level knowledge and skills, both to support the specific research project and to enrich the cultural background with interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary aspects. Within the limits of credits for each activity, the student freely chooses the study plan, according to personal needs and interests. The educational offer includes:

Type-A Courses (1-5 CFU)  
Courses delivered by Italian and foreign experts from academia, research centers or industry on topics of relevance. Each course corresponds to 0.5 CFU (4-6 h).

Type-B Courses (8-18 CFU)  
Specific courses activated for the STCM Doctorate, in alternate years, usually attended in the first two years. Each course corresponds to 2-3 CFU (14-21 h) and it includes a final exam. Courses (with exam) provided by other doctorates are also allowed upon approval.

Type-C Courses (0-4 CFU)* 
1-CFU courses offered by the STCM Doctorate every year to overcome specific cultural gaps, usually attended in the first year, with a final exam.

PhD schools (4-8 CFU)  
National or international schools for PhD students. Each school is valued 1-4 CFU depending on its duration.

Seminars (2-4 CFU)  
Short talks delivered by Italian and foreign experts from academia, research centers or industry on various topics. Seminars and webinars proposed by the student are also accepted, upon approval. Each seminar corresponds to 0.2 CFU.

note: * formerly Type-F courses.

The Educational Offer 2024/25 is reported in the files attached below.

Other activities

Students are encouraged to be involved in activities for the development of soft skills (up to 10 CFU), such as:

• teaching activities, including laboratory, class and PCTO* tutoring (up to 6 CFU)
• co-supervision of Master and Bachelor students (up to 2 CFU)
• dissemination activities and organization of events (up to 4 CFU)

note: * Percorsi per le Competenze Trasversali e per l’Orientamento.

National and international mobility

All students are strongly encouraged to participate in PhD Schools, Workshops and Conferences, as well as to spend a period in a different research laboratory in Italy or abroad. The mobility is financially supported by a specific budget (10% of the bursary) to be used mainly to cover the expenses for the attendance at Schools, Workshops and Conferences. In addition, during periods abroad the bursary is increased by 50% up to 18 months over 3 years. The national and international mobility is valued by 1 CFU / month.

Authorizations

Every mobility (in Italy or abroad, regardless of the duration) must be authorized in advance by the coordinator and follow the UWEB-MISSIONI procedure.  
Please, refer to the Regulation of the STCM Doctorate for detailed information.

IRIS platform

Research products (articles, book chapters, patents and congress presentations) must be inserted into the IRIS platform, with the proper code, and they will be automatically imported into the booklet as “research outputs”.

Admission to the following year

The overall activity of the PhD students is assessed by the Doctoral Board at the end of each year, to deliberate the admission to the following year or, for 3rd-year students, to the external review. The evaluation procedure is based on:

• tutor’s assessment
• scientific report
• oral presentation
• booklet

In the case of research involving collaborations with other researchers, a clear evidence of the specific contribution to the overall research has to be provided. Details on how to prepare the report and the presentation are reported in the file attached below (available soon).