Dottorato in Ingegneria

EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

COURSE OFFER AND CFU GRADE

The Doctoral program requires a total of 180 credits, evenly distributed over the three years of the program (60 credits for each year). One credit corresponds to 6 hours of classroom teaching.

The program provides a total of 21 credits, including 13 (equal to 78 hours) of classroom teaching delivered in courses specifically offered by the University of Messina and 8 hours of mandatory supplementary training. Students who are engaged in other activities related to their research or are completing mandatory research periods, as specified in their research project and previously authorized by the Doctoral School, at foreign institutions or companies located outside the Municipality of Messina, may also participate in synchronous online teaching. Only for doctoral students unable to attend online courses, alternative learning activities may be offered, as defined by the professor in charge, upon appropriate request, to assist in earning the mandatory academic credits. To earn the 13 credits of in-person teaching, attendance is required for at least 85% of the total hours of teaching (over 66 hours).

The credits must be earned through in-depth lectures and seminars in the common disciplinary areas (SSD) or individual curricula, supported by language and IT training. Part of the teaching activities will be dedicated to exploring issues related to the valorization and dissemination of results, intellectual property, and open access to research data and products, as well as the management of research and knowledge in European and international research systems.

The remaining credits (159 ECTS) are allocated by the teaching staff to activities related to the specific research of individual doctoral students (117 ECTS), including participation in conferences, seminars, schools, and visits abroad (13 ECTS), and thesis writing (28 ECTS).

• Specifically, the credits are distributed as follows:
• Classroom teaching activities: 13 ECTS
  Mandatory supplementary training activities (linguistics, IT, management, etc.):
  9 ECTS
• Participation in research-related activities chosen by the doctoral student: participation in conferences, meetings; Erasmus or other visits abroad; publications; tutoring; supplementary teaching activities: 13 ECTS
• Individual research activities, to be illustrated and discussed in the annual report for the transition to subsequent years: 117 ECTS
• Thesis writing: 28 ECTS
   

The following criteria will be used to assign credits to activities freely chosen by the doctoral student:

Attendance at a conference, congress, or seminar (0.5 ECTS/day of participation) in accordance with the Resolution of the Scientific Committee of December 23, 2013
Participation in a conference, congress, or seminar as a speaker (1 ECTS/day of participation)
Erasmus or other research stay abroad (1 ECTS/month of stay abroad) in accordance with the Resolution of the Scientific Committee of December 21, 2018
Attendance at specialized courses or certifiable training activities related to the doctoral student's training and research will be evaluated by the Academic Board for the purpose of assigning credits and quantifying them based on the indications provided by the organizer.
The publication of scientific articles in journals, essays in volumes, book chapters, or monographs, for which the date of acceptance of the contribution or publication of the volume will be considered valid, will be evaluated by the faculty council for the purposes of awarding academic credits and quantifying them (from 1 credit for publication in a national or unlisted journal to 5 credits for publication in an ISI or Scopus journal of class Q1 or A).
Student tutoring activities in the Bachelor's and Master's degree programs at the University of Messina, subject to approval from the Faculty Board, may be evaluated for the purposes of awarding and quantifying academic credits (1 credit for every 8 hours; up to a maximum of 5 ECTS per academic year).
Supplementary teaching activities, always within the maximum cumulative limit of 40 hours per year and subject to approval from the Faculty Board, may be evaluated for the purposes of awarding and quantifying academic credits (1 ECTS for every 5 hours of supplementary teaching, up to a maximum of 4 ECTS).

Excess academic credits will not be counted towards reaching the annual
threshold.

The Engineering Doctoral Program Committee approves the teaching activities associated with each year of the program (Activity Plan).

There are no exams or assessments requiring individual instructors to assess their proficiency. Credits for institutional courses are specified in the annual Study Plan and are valid for the year in which the program is attended.

To be admitted to the final exam, students must have produced two scientific publications (journal article, conference proceedings article, monograph), or have submitted at least two papers for peer review.

The official language is Italian, however, courses may be held in English if foreign students are present.

The course schedule will be published on the Doctoral Program website at https://ingegneria.phd.unime.it/it in the Calendar section.

In order to comply with current legislation regarding mandatory training (pursuant to Articles 36 and 37 of Legislative Decree 81/08 and subsequent amendments), PhD students who do not possess other safety certifications issued by the University of Messina are required to participate in the 4-hour General Training Course on Occupational Safety, including a learning assessment test. This course is accessible online at the following address: Servizio Autonomo di Prevenzione e Protezione (Autonomous Prevention and Protection Service) using their institutional credentials (codicefiscale@studenti.unime.it) on the Moodle platform.

Arrangements for choosing a thesis subject

At the same time as the start of the courses, the Teachers' Board assigns each doctoral student a Supervisor, and one or more co-supervisors, at least one of whom is of academic origin, chosen by the College also from outside it, provided that at least one meets the requirements required for members of the College. The supervisor is responsible for following and guiding the doctoral student in the research activity and in the elaboration of the thesis and informing the College about any problems and needs related to the research.

Procedures for admission to the final examination

1. The title of PhD abbreviated as "Dott. Ric." or "PhD," is awarded upon following the passing of the final examination and the positive evaluation by a Board of Examiners of a research thesis that contributes to the advancement of knowledge or methodologies in the chosen field of inquiry.
2. The doctoral thesis shall be written in Italian or English, or in another language, subject to the authorization of the board of teachers and shall be accompanied by an abstract, written in English.
3. By the end of the third academic year of each cycle, the doctoral student must apply for admission to the final examination.
4. The procedure for admission to the final examination is as follows:
5. the thesis, together with the doctoral student's report on the activities carried out during the Doctoral Course and any publications, shall be examined by at least two evaluators, not belonging to the institution granting the doctoral degree and possessing a highly qualified experience, at least one of whom is a professor university faculty member identified by the Supervisor and the Board of Lecturers. The evaluators may belong to foreign or international institutions;
6. within thirty days from the thesis receipt, the evaluators shall render a judgment analytical written opinion, proposing admission to the public discussion or postponement of the discussion of the thesis for a period not exceeding six months. After that period, the thesis, accompanied by a new written opinion rendered by the evaluators, is in any case admitted for discussion.
7. The Board of Teachers, based on the proposal of the evaluators, shall decide on the admission of the thesis to public discussion or postponement of the discussion for the period proposed by the evaluators.

Extension

• For proven reasons that do not allow the submission of the doctoral thesis in the period provided by the duration of the Course, the board of teachers may grant, at the request of the doctoral student, an extension of a maximum duration of twelve months, without further financial burden.
• An extension of the duration of the doctoral course for a period not exceeding twelve months may also be, decided by the Board of Teachers for justified scientific needs, subject to a resolution of the Board of Directors and the-Academic Senate authorizing the corresponding extension of the duration of the scholarship with funds from the university budget.
• The periods of extension and suspension may not in total exceed the duration of eighteen months, without prejudice to specific cases provided for by law.

Evaluation Committee for the final examination

1. The Evaluation Committee is appointed by the Rector, upon the proposal of the Board of Teachers, and shall consist of three members respecting, where possible, the balance of gender. In any case, at least two-thirds of the Commission shall be composed of individuals not belonging to the administrative seat of the Course and for no more than one-third by members belonging to subjects participating in the doctoral program pursuant to Art. 3, paragraph of these Regulations. In any case, the committee shall be composed of at least two-thirds by components of academic origin chosen from the professors and university researchers pertaining to the disciplinary scientific fields to which the Course refers. There must also be two alternate members capable of guaranteeing, in case of necessity, replacements in full compliance with the prescribed composition.
2. The chairmanship of the Evaluation Committee shall be assumed by the most senior professor in tenure; in case of a tie by the most senior in age.
3. No member of the Evaluation Committee for the final examination for the attainment of the degree of Doctor of Research faculty members who are Supervisor and Co-supervisor or thesis evaluators of one or more PhD students admitted to the final examination, who have been part of the Evaluation Committee of the same Course of Doctorate for the previous cycle and who have been part of the Commission for the selection of access to the course for the same cycle.
4. The Rectoral Decree appointing the Evaluation Committee shall be published on the website of the University. Notice of this publication shall be given to the Coordinator, who will take care of its communication to the members of the Commissions and the doctoral students. The Commissions of selection are required to complete their work within 90 days from the date of the Rector's decree of appointment. Once this deadline has passed, the Commission that has not concluded its work lapses and the Rector shall appoint a new Commission, with the exclusion of the lapsed members.
5. In the case of Doctoral Courses established because of international agreements, the Commission shall be constituted in the manner provided for in the agreements themselves.
6. The reimbursement of mission expenses for external Commissioners will be borne by funds of the Doctoral Program or the Department specifically appropriated.

Final examination and awarding of the title

The final examination for the award of the title consists of a public discussion, having as its theme the doctoral thesis, previously examined, and evaluated as provided for in Article 25 of these Regulations.

At the end of the discussion, the committee shall render a written and reasoned judgment on the thesis, and awards an overall judgment choosing from the following ratings: 'sufficient', 'good', and 'excellent'. When it unanimously recognizes its particular importance scientific, it may award praise.

If the thesis is rejected, it will no longer be possible to discuss it. 

The Evaluation Committee shall draw up a report, including the detailed judgments on the theses submitted by the candidates and the outcome of the interviews, which must be forwarded in original to the competent office of the University.

Within thirty days after the discussion and approval, the final thesis deposited in the University's institutional open-access archive, will be made public and consultable in open-access mode in accordance with the following paragraph 6. Subject to the approval of the Board of Teachers, the following may be made unavailable parts of the thesis in relation to data protected by industrial secrecy under the relevant regulations in force. In accordance with the CRUI guidelines, there may be an embargo.

The issuance of the certification of the achievement of the degree in accordance with the regulations in force is subject to the filing, by the interested party, of the final thesis in the University's institutional open-access archive, which will guarantee its preservation and public accessibility; it will be the responsibility of the University to make the deposit in accordance with the law at the National Libraries of Rome and Florence as well as, within 30 days of the discussion and approval of the thesis, in an electronically in the National Registry of PhD and PhD students In a specific open access section.

The educational activities carried out by doctoral students in one or more locations are certified by a document attached to the final diploma (diploma supplement).