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Study Programme - XXIII Cycle
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Programme
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The duration of the PhD
programme is three years. PhD students are studying full
time.
The official language of the programme is
English.
The goal of the programme is to enable
students to conduct independent research in Computer Science.
This includes the ability to efficiently communicate ideas
orally and in writing and to work in teams.
To
successfully complete the programme a student has to do
original research on a selected topic in a manner that
advances the state of the art in an area of Computer
Science.
Given the duration of the programme of three
years, it is of crucial importance for students to focus their
efforts on their research work.
Students are guided in
this task in four ways:
- The programme is divided into four phases, ending at
month 6, 12, 24, and 36 of the programme, respectively.
- For each student the Teaching Body appoints one of its
members as the supervisor.
- Together with their tutor each student sets up a
research and study plan, which defines the research goal and
the steps to achieve it. The latter include subjects where
the student needs to deepen his or her expertise. The
Research and Study Plan is updated continuously, taking into
account both the progress that has been made and new
developments that arise in the area of research during the
course of the PhD work.
- There are four milestones at the end of the four phases
at which students report on their work and the Teaching Body
assesses their progress. The updated Research and Study Plan
is one of the deliverables for each milestone.
The
four phases, the appointment of supervisors, the research
and
study plan, and the assessment at milestones will be
specified in more
detail
below.
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Phases
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- Phase 1 comprises the first six months. During
this period, the student identifies with the support of his
or her supervisor the area of research, a specific topic
within the area, and one or more possible approaches to the
topic. The student acquires the necessary foundations for
carrying out the research, for instance, by way of
attendance of courses or supervised study of literature. The
supervisor will introduce the student into relevant research
activities at the faculty.
- Phase 2 comprises the second half of the first
year. The student spends time both on the acquisition of
skills and on first research steps.
- Phase 3 comprises the second year and is to be
spent on an in-depth exploration of the research topic.
- Phase 4 comprises the third year. The aim is to
complete the research and to document it in a thesis.
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Supervisor
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Within two months after
the end of the selection process, the Teaching
Body assigns
to each PhD student one of its members as the
supervisor.
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Supervised Study
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In order to prepare for
their research work and to acquire academic skills, students
take part in events of supervised study. These events include
courses from other programmes as well as special events
organised to meet the requirements of the doctorate programme.
If a student participates successfully, which is
evidenced by passing an exam, they receive credits. In total,
at least 30 credits must be earned by supervised study, at
least 20 of those during the first year of study and at least
10 during the second year.
Credits can be earned by the
following forms of supervised study:
- Literature studies providing a systematic overview of
the body of literature in a research area.
- Undergraduate and graduate courses at the Free
University of Bozen-Bolzano as well as comparable courses at
other universities.
- Doctoral seminars, where students give research
presentations they prepared under supervision.
- Implementation projects, in which students develop an
innovative software system under supervision.
- Scientific summer schools.
- Conference analyses, where the student prepares under
supervision a report on an important research conference
which they attended.
The number of credits for each
activity as well as the criteria for awarding them are
detailed below |
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Research and Study Plan
(RSP)
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The Research and Study
Plan of a student
- identifies the area of research of the PhD work,
- specifies the research questions to investigate,
- suggests a set of methods to answer those questions,
- identifies subjects that require deepening of expertise
and suitable means of study.
It is expected that the
Research and Study Plan will become more detailed over time
and that it will reflect new developments and
insights.
The description of the area of research
should include
- lists of the relevant journals and conferences as well
as the research groups active in the area
- plans for publications and travel.
The faculty
supports the attendance of conferences and exchanges with
other research groups.
The Research and Study Plan
includes also a set of events by which the student plans to
obtain the necessary credits. A literature study providing an
overview of the student's research area is
mandatory.
After the first six months, each student
submits an initial research and study plan to the teaching
body. At the end of the second and third phase (that is, after
12 and 24 months, respectively), the student submits an
updated version of the Research and Study Plan, which reports
on
- the progress made,
- changes in the research questions and the approach
taken, and
- the steps planned to complete the research work.
At the end of month 36, the student asks for
admission to the Doctoral Exam or submits a request to extend
the period of study |
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Milestones and Deliverables
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- After 6 months: The student submits the initial
research and study plan. Both the supervisor and the
Teaching Body approve the plan. The Teaching Body may
require modifications to the plan.
- After 12 months: The student's progress is
evaluated in an oral exam.
The evaluation committee
consists of the supervisor and an additional examiner who is a
professor or a researcher at an Italian university, or who
holds a comparable position at a university outside Italy, or
at a research institute in or outside of Italy. The second
examiner is nominated by the coordinator of the PhD programme
upon a proposal by the supervisor.
The evaluation is based
on an updated version of the research and study plan, which
includes a report on the research activities of the past year
(see Art. 26 of the Regulations of Doctoral Studies at the
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano).
The exam starts with
a presentation in which the student gives a concise overview
of his or her work. Any member of the teaching body can attend
the exam and ask questions about the presentation.
The
committee writes a report on the outcome of the exam. The
Teaching Body decides about the progression into the second
year on the basis of the report. The decision can be
conditional on modifications of the Research and Study Plan.
- After 24 months: The student's progress is
evaluated in a similar way as after the first year. The
Research and Study Plan must also include an outline of the
planned dissertation.
- After 36 months: The student asks for admission
to the Doctoral Exam. Together with the admission request, a
copy of the thesis is submitted. The Teaching Body decides
on the request after consulting a Thesis Committee, which is
appointed for each candidate.
In case a student is
unable to complete their dissertation for demonstrable
reasons, they may submit a request to extend the period of
study. The Teaching Body gives its opinion on the request and
refers it to the President of the University Council in
accordance with Article 30 of the current Regulations of
Doctoral Studies at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
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Thesis Committee and PhD
Defence
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The teaching body
appoints for each student a Thesis Committee consisting of the
supervisor, a second member of the teaching body, and an
external examiner who is an expert of international standing
in the area of the thesis.
Immediately after the
submission, the thesis is sent to the members of the Thesis
Committee.
Within two months of the submission of the
dissertation, the candidate meets with the Committee to
discuss the thesis. The chairman fixes the date of the meeting
upon agreement with the candidate and the members of the
Committee. All members and PhD students of the faculty may
attend the discussion. The discussion begins with a 30-minute
presentation by the candidate on the topic of his or her work,
followed by at least 30 minutes of discussion with the Thesis
Committee.
After the discussion concludes, the
Committee makes a recommendation which may be to grant
admission to the Doctoral Exam, to extend the period of study,
or to refuse admission to the Doctoral Exam.
The
committee states the detailed reasons for its recommendation
in a written report. The report is signed by all members of
the committee. The decision and the report are imparted to the
Teaching Body.
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Doctoral Exam Commission
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In accordance with
Article 29 and the following of the current Regulations of
Doctoral Studies at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, an
Exam Commission is appointed for the cycle.
The Commission
examines the candidates admitted and decides whether
to
grant the doctorate. |
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Credit Points
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The total number of
credit points needed to complete the degree is
180.
During the first year, at least 20 credit points
must be earned through supervised learning, while 40
additional credit points are granted upon successful
completion of the exam at the end of the year.
During
the second year, at least 10 credit points must be earned
through supervised learning, while 50 additional credit points
are granted upon successful completion of the exam at the end
of the year.
Upon completion of the Doctoral Exam, 60
additional credit points are awarded. |
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Credit Point for Events of
Supervised Learning
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Credit points for
courses within programmes at other Universities in Italy are
awarded according to the regulations of the respective
programmes. For courses taken at universities outside of
Italy, credit points are converted according to Italian
standards. In order to guarantee that the courses attended by
a student are relevant to his PhD work, the supervisor has to
agree with the choice.
For the successful participation
in a summer school, a student receives 4 credit
points.
The study of the research literature is
mandatory during the first year. The candidate earns 8 credit
points for this work.
The faculty organises special PhD
student seminars where the students give presentations. A
student earns 6 credit points for this work.
An
implementation project requires an effort of at least 200
hours. A student earns 8 credit points for this work.
A
conference analysis describes the current state-of-the-art and
trends in an area based on the contributions to a research
conference. A student earns 4 credit points for this
work.
Literature studies, presentations, implementation
projects, and conference reports are assessed by the member of
the Teaching Body under whose guidance the activity was
performed.
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