The duration of the Ph.D. programme is three years.
The first year, spent in Italy, is devoted to classes, mostly in Milan and partly at the other Universities promoting the ESLS Phd Programme or involved in it. After admittance, each student is given a tutor, who will follow her/him during the first year, mentoring her/him on course choice and learning strategies. Before summer, a research progress will be presented and discussed with the faculty, and normally the tutor then becomes the supervisor of the PhD dissertation.
First-year courses include:
1. the general methodological training provided by the NASP Graduate School, including statistics, epistemology and research methodology;
2. a core of courses compulsory for students taking the program;
3. a choice of courses fitting the particular needs and interests of each student, that have to be approved by the tutor and the faculty;
4. training on key professional skills provided by the NASP Graduate School and by NASP Universities.
Learning assessment will include in itinere and final evaluations, through tests, interviews, the preparation of papers and research progress presentations. The annual positive evaluation by the Faculty is a precondition for admission to the second and third year, and for the continuation of the scholarship.
Part of the second year is spent abroad through exchange programs at universities and research centres involved in the Ph.D. programme. It is devoted to the attendance of in-depth courses and advanced seminars, to the definition of the research project, and to the drafting of preliminary papers.
The third year is entirely devoted to thesis preparation under the supervision of one or more members of the Faculty, and possibly foreign supervisors.
The language used in the classes is English. English is strongly recommended also for the dissertation, although Italian can be admitted.
