1. FIRST YEAR DELIVERED STUDY PLAN (37th cycle)
The PhD in “Planning, Design and Architecture Technology" has a three year duration and it can be earned by obtaining a total of 180 training credits, i.e. 60 CFU per year.
The CFU articulation during the first year is linked with the educational planning, structured on three Areas of interest characterized by their scope, frequency, and timeline:
Field 1_ Advanced institutional courses, proposed and delivered by the PhD 10 cfu,
Field 2_Seminars and theoretical-methodological and experimental-applicative activities, proposed and delivered by the PhD, 28 cfu
Field 3_Research related activities, organized by the PhD, or proposed by the Department, or autonomously selected by the PhD candidate, 22 cfu
1.1. FIELD 1: Advanced institutional courses, proposed and delivered by the PhD (10 cfu)
The first of the three Fields of the 1st year is set on the participation of the PhD candidates to four types of activities:
1_ a series of lectures delivered by PhD academic staff from the Department, and by special invited guests, with the following object: Methods and Techniques for setting up a Scientific Research; acquisition of bibliographic references, scientific references and case studies construction and development of a PhD Dissertation;
2_ seminar presenting the outcomes of the international workshops developed during the precious years;
3_ two seminars dedicated to the presentation of the PhD Dissertation progress of the 3rd and 2nd year PhD candidates. The PhD candidates of the 1st cycle are required to take part to these seminars according to their individual curriculum [developed throughput the year, following the meeting calendar defined by the curricula scientific representatives];
4_ two final PhD discussion sessions of the 3rd year PhD candidates from different Curricula.
1.2. FIELD 2: Seminars and theoretical-methodological and experimental-applicative activities, proposed and delivered by the PhD (28 cfu)
The second of the three Fields developed during the year is based on two series of activities aimed at earning a total of 28 credits; the latter are reserved to the seminar and experimental training activities that follow.
1.2.1. Theoretical-methodologic seminar: lectures, meetings and critical readings on topic proposed by the PhD (12 cfu)
The first experience corresponds to a seminar with theoretical-methodologic in depth studies aimed at setting up and exposing the PhD candidates to contemporary research and experimentation related key-topics.
Such activities have a training purpose aimed at specialized exploration of the methodologic disciplinary aspect, at the development of a theoretic-methodologic research attitude, and are therefore shared by all the PhD candidates of the cycle, who are invited and encouraged to work and interact transversally in respect to the tree curricula.
In the specific, the 1st year PhD candidates are invited to choose one of the following topics, to carry a research – supported by a bibliographic structure – and to include the results in a critical writing, an essay, within the deadline.
The topics available are alternative options: the PhD candidate is required to select only one topic, and within the latter he is asked to offer a personal interpretative key and an individual topic development, on one part or on a sub-question of the broader topic.
7 method steps
Integral part of the PhD candidate’s task is to apply the following method steps, with the aim of perfecting his/her organizational, relational, and interpersonal skills, in addition to improving his/her capacity and opportunity to develop research and render its results in an essay/paper.:
1_ meeting with the other PhD candidates to collectively divide the topics, following the indications concerning the maximum number of readings allowed for each topic, which will be provided by the PhD coordinator;
2_ developing the research on the topic, with a solid national and international reference frame, both in terms of bibliography and relevant scientific readings, and in terms of design experimentation of the most interesting case studies;
3_ associating to the written contribute a title coherent with the proposed topic outline and representative of the essay contents;
4_ developing the written contribute and organizing it as follows: framing of the topic; development of the topic outline; conclusions and potential further development of the topic (the afore mentioned organization should not be considered strict, it can be further developed in line with the essay contents, but in general terms an introductory and concluding paragraph are required);
5_ building References in line with the selected topic and the articulations of the essay organization and development, placing them at the end of the written contribute; to this respect it’s required to follow rigorously the indications contained in a document provided by the coordinator; such document is aimed at illustrating the "editorial_notes_References";
6_ respecting the format and the provided minimal-maximal dimensions of the text;
7_ submitting an intermediary version of the essay aimed at an immediate confrontation with the academic staff, and successively, by the deadline, developing a final version of the essay.
12 topics
The proposed topics are the following:
Topic n°1
The result and the meaning of Modernity for contemporary research and experimentation in Urban Design, Architecture, and Design
Topic n°2
Designing, Building, Dwelling in the Mediterranean
Topic n°3
The challenges of Green Economy, Circular Economy, Sharing Economy in the contemporary design dimension
Topic n°4
Systemic and Complexity: concepts and approaches for Architecture and Design
Topic n°5
Resilience, Adaptation, and Mitigation strategies to address environmental, ecologic and social emergencies for a more desirable future
Topic n°6
The dimension of 'Crisis' as a characterizing factor for contemporary research and experimentation developments in urban design, architecture and industrial production
Topic n°7
Urban Regeneration as a supporting strategy in contemporary research and experimentation evolution
Topic n°8
Upgrading, Reduction, Reuse contemporary research and experimentation key words
Topic n°9
'Green' Experimenting, Building, and Living: new frontiers for Green City, Green Architecture, and Green Design
Topic n°10
New forms of production and management 'Industry 4.0', its repercussions on city, architecture, and product design
Topic n°11
A new avantgarde: Adaptive systems and bottom–up approach
Topic n°12
The development of Design for social innovation in the evolution of contemporary research and experimentation
1.2.2. Experimental-applicative seminary - international workshop (16 cfu)
The second experience consists in international seminars, with experimental applications organized in the PhD structures, with workshops abroad and in coordination with the other international institutions which welcome the missions composed by PhD candidate groups (to be planned and agreed upon jointly).
The seminars and workshops will be proposed by the PhD coordinator, by the curricula coordinators, and by the Doctoral Committee members who wish to participate, without have recourse to curricula distinction.
The above mentioned activities have an experimental-applicative character, and are aimed at the development of experimental research aptitude, at the identification of the research product and the complex research/project relationship. Hence, they are shared by all the PhD students of the cycle, who are required to conduct both theoretical-methodologic and operative-instrumental-applied activities, working and cooperating transversally with the three curricula also in this case.
1.3. FIELD 3: Research related activities, organized by the PhD, or proposed by the Department, or autonomously selected by the PhD candidate (22 cfu)
The third and last Filed of the year is structured on 6 potential series of activities which the PhD candidates can develop, or with independent initiatives, or activities promoted by the PhD structure or Department, which the PhD candidates will be free to choose.
The 6 potential series of activities which will earn the candidates credits and evaluation, are the following:
1. Collaboration to Teaching activities for the institutional courses of the Sapienza Architecture School (1st, 2nd or 3rd level)
2. Collaboration to Institutional Research Group activities with the Sapienza PDTA Department
3. Publications ad author, co-author, or curator
4. Poster presentations at conferences, speaker at conferences, conventions, national and/or international seminars (excluding the publication in conference proceedings included in the previous point)
5. Participation to conferences and conventions not as speaker
6. Participation to competitions, projects, experimentations
Listed below are some brief descriptive notes of the activities.
In this third Field the effective number of credits assigned to each PhD candidate will be determined by the PhD Coordinator in cooperation with the Curricula Coordinators, following the shared national scientific evaluation parameters, and most of all the approval of the Faculty. The evaluation for each activity package will be assigned by the PhD Coordinator, the Curricula Coordinators and the academic staff and tutors who had direct or indirect contact with the PhD candidates.
1.3.1. Collaboration to Teaching activities for the institutional courses of the Sapienza Architecture School (for each activity 2 to 4 cfu, with an average attribution of 3 cfu)
Credits can be earned for Collaboration to Teaching activities in Courses or Laboratories held by PhD or PDTA Department Academic staff in the Study Courses of the Sapienza University School of Architecture, Università di Roma, from both first (triennial) and second (Master’s degree) Training level, as well as third level (Specialization School), given that the contents are in line with the PhD objectives.
1.3.2. Collaboration to Institutional Research Group activities with the Sapienza PDTA Department (for each activity 2 to 4 cfu)
Credits can be earned for research activities, or collaboration to research, within Laboratories or research and work groups established inside the PDTA Department, functional to the PhD scientific construction and growth.
1.3.3. Publications ad author, co-author, or curator (for each activity 2 to 6 cfu)
For each published article or essay credits can be earned, following criteria such as ranking of the publication and its scientific relevance (e.g.: independent contribute or multiple authors, and in case of the latter allowing the identification of the individual contribute; national or international journals; journals listed as class A or not; scientific journals classified by Anvur or not; journals with or without peer-review; local, national, or international conference proceedings; essay or chapter in a volume of a book series or not, with scientific committee or not, published by a prestigious publishing house recognized nationally or internationally or none of the above; same for the curator of a book or monograph; same for the author of a book or monograph, etc.), and in any case, following the parameters commonly adopted in the scientific forum when evaluating publications.
Important: the PhD candidate should have at least one publication per academic year.
1.3.4. Poster presentations at conferences, speaker at conferences, conventions, national and/or international seminars (for each activity 2 to 4 cfu)
For each conference scholarly presentation or poster credits can be earned following set parameters, which take into account first of all the scientific relevance of the conference (e.g., local, national, or international conference, if the conference includes or not a refereed process to evaluate the presentation proposals and/or posters, etc).
1.3.5. Participation to conferences and conventions not as speaker (for each activity 0,5 cfu, up to a maximum of 6 cfu)
For the participation to conferences not as speaker, a maximum of 0,5 credits per conference can be awarded and, in any case, not more than a total of 6 cfu for this item. The awarding of the above mentioned credits will take into consideration the venue/institution of the conference, the scientific relevance of the conference, and the relevance of the latter to the PhD reference scientific sector.
1.3.6. Participation to competitions, projects, experimentations (for each activity 1 to 6 cfu)
Credits can be earned for the participation to architecture, urban design, and design competitions, and the documented participation to innovative projects. The number of credits will be evaluated according to parameters that take into account the role of the PhD candidate in the competition entry, the prizes and/or recognitions received by the project entry, the type of competition (open competition, competition on invitation, local, national, or international level competition, in one or more phases, etc.).
1.4. Checks and credits to access academic year
The admission to the second year of the PhD is subordinate to the earning of 60 credits (with a maximum 10% waiver, i.e. the earned credits should be at least 54. See the note at the end of the paragraph) which will be awarded by the PhD Coordinator, with approval by the Academic staff Board, and based on the report presented by each PhD candidate. The report lists the activities developed by the candidate in each one of the 6 above mentioned series of activities (points 4.3.1 - 4.3.6.). Whatever is stated in the PhD candidate’s report will need to be proved and supported by documentation.
In exceptional cases the Board can attribute, for each activity, a greater or smaller number of credits, in relation to the quality and the outcomes of the specific activity.
The participation to all the PhD activities of the first two Fields is compulsory; whereas the participation to the activities of the third Field is selected and managed autonomously by the PhD candidate – as far as at least 20 cfu are earned by the candidate during the first year.
N.B.: As previously stated, the candidate can be admitted to the second year even if he/she has some missing credits, up to a maximum of 10% (therefore at least 54 credits are necessary to proceed to the next year, otherwise the candidate is disqualified at the end of the first year). The missing credits (max 6 cfu) must be recovered during the second year (under penalty of exclusion from the PhD at the end of the second year).
1.5. Tutor selection and selection of the PhD Dissertation topic
During the first year the PhD training activities are aimed at guiding the candidate towards a conscious choice of the PhD Dissertation topic.
During the first year each PhD candidate must agree with the PhD Teacher’s Board on the Curriculum, the Supervisor and the PhD Dissertation research field. During the first year the Coordinator of each PhD Curriculum will summon a collegiate meeting with all the academic staff and the PhD candidates of the Curriculum; during the meeting the candidates present the research topics that they wish to develop through their Dissertation.
The topic selection and Supervisor assignment are discussed during meetings reserved to each one of the three Curricula, in light of the proposal illustrated by each PhD candidate.
By the beginning for the second year, in agreement with his/her tutor, each PhD candidate must formalize the research project proposal; the latter should include the research objectives and framework, and the expected results.
2. SECOND YEAR DELIVERED STUDY PLAN
The distribution of CFU during the second year is linked with a planning aimed at completing the PhD training and research development. The planning is structures in three distinct Fields which are different in terms of objectives and timing:
FIELD 1) Seminary activities organized by the Curricula for debate and communication about PhD Dissertations within each Curricula: seminar
6 cfu preparation, clarity, and effectiveness of communication
FIELD 2) Activities linked with the development of the PhD Dissertation, in relation with the quality of the research results’ progress
36 cfu
FIELD 3) Activities linked with training and research, 18 cfu autonomously identified and selected by the PhD candidate
2.1. FIELD 1: Curricula Seminars and/or experimental activities (6 cfu)
The first out of the three Fields that characterize the 2nd year is based on the organization of a seminar activities proposed by the PhD coordinators. Such series of activities is aimed at verifying the PhD candidates’ commitment and his/her ability to communicate the results of the PhD Dissertation research in progress.
Two meetings with regular frequency will be organized during the year. During such meetings each PhD candidate is required to present the PhD dissertation progress to the Curriculum Board, following the procedures indicated in the call: object of such field are in particular the proof of participation to seminars and the effectiveness and clarity of the candidate’s presentation during the latter.
2.2. FIELD 2: Activities linked with the development of individual PhD research (36 cfu)
The PhD dissertation is developed autonomously by the PhD candidate under the guidance of Supervisor/Supervisors and through discussions with the Academic Staff Board of each Curriculum. There can be a single Supervisor or more Supervisors; and there can be one, or more External Experts. The role of the Supervisor/s can be covered in primis by a PhD Academic Staff member, or by PDTA Department Academic staff from the scientific disciplinary field/s present in the Curriculum of the PhD candidate. The role of the External Experts/can be covered by any subject who has expertise in the topics covered by the PhD Dissertation, as long as he/she isn’t part of either the PhD, nor the PDTA Department.
The study and research activities linked with the development of the PhD dissertation during the second year, and the actual quality, originality, and innovation of the results in progress, are at the main subject of the present Field. Moreover, they are essential for the admission of the candidate to the third, and last, year, which will be carefully evaluated by the Board considering the Supervisor/s’ and the Curricula Coordinator’s opinion.
2.3. FIELD 3: Training and research activities organized by the PhD candidate, or proposed by the Department, or independently identified and selected by the PhD candidate (18 cfu)
The third and last Field of the year is structured on 6 potential series of activities which the PhD candidates can develop, or with independent initiatives, or activities promoted by the PhD structure or Department, which the PhD candidates will be free to choose.
The 6 potential series of activities which will earn the candidates credits and evaluation, are the following:
1. Collaboration to Teaching activities for the institutional courses of the Sapienza Architecture School (1st, 2nd or 3rd level)
2. Collaboration to Institutional Research Group activities with the Sapienza PDTA Department
3. Publications ad author, co-author, or curator
4. Poster presentations at conferences, speaker at conferences, conventions, national and/or international seminars (excluding the publication in conference proceedings included in the previous point)
5. Participation to conferences and conventions not as speaker
6. Participation to competitions, projects, experimentations
Listed below are some brief descriptive notes of the activities.
In this third Field the effective number of credits assigned to each PhD candidate will be determined by the PhD Coordinator in cooperation with the Curricula Coordinators, following the shared national scientific evaluation parameters, and most of all the approval of the Faculty. The evaluation for each activity package, following the information reported in the attached table (University Credit attribution to the PhD candidates for activities developed during the 2nd year) will be assigned by the PhD Coordinator, the Curricula Coordinators and the academic staff and tutors who had direct or indirect contact with the PhD candidates.
2.3.1. Collaboration to Teaching activities for the institutional courses of the Sapienza Architecture School (1st, 2nd or 3rd level) (per ciascuna attività da 2 a 4 cfu, con una media di attribuzione di 3 cfu)
Credits can be earned for Collaboration to Teaching activities in Courses or Laboratories held by PhD or PDTA Department Academic staff in the Study Courses of the Sapienza University School of Architecture, Università di Roma, from both first (triennial) and second (Master’s degree) Training level, as well as third level (Specialization School), given that the contents are in line with the PhD objectives.
2.3.2. Collaboration to Institutional Research Group activities with the Sapienza PDTA Department (for each activity 2 to 4 cfu)
Credits can be earned for research activities, or collaboration to research, within Laboratories or research and work groups established inside the PDTA Department, functional to the PhD scientific construction and growth.
2.3.3. Publications as author, co-author, or curator (for each activity 2 to 6 cfu)
For each published article or essay credits can be earned, following criteria such as ranking of the publication and its scientific relevance (e.g.: independent contribute or multiple authors, and in case of the latter allowing the identification of the individual contribute; national or international journals; journals listed as class A or not; scientific journals classified by Anvur or not; journals with or without peer-review; local, national, or international conference proceedings; essay or chapter in a volume of a book series or not, with scientific committee or not, published by a prestigious publishing house recognized nationally or internationally or none of the above; same for the curator of a book or monograph; same for the author of a book or monograph, etc.), and in any case, following the parameters commonly adopted in the scientific forum when evaluating publications.
Important: the PhD candidate should have at least one publication per academic year.
2.3.4. Poster presentations at conferences, speaker at conferences, conventions, national and/or international seminars (for each activity 2 to 4 cfu)
For each conference scholarly presentation or poster credits can be earned following set parameters, which take into account first of all the scientific relevance of the conference (e.g., local, national, or international conference, if the conference includes or not a refereed process to evaluate the presentation proposals and/or posters, etc).
2.3.5. Participation to conferences and conventions not as speaker (for each activity 0,5 cfu, up to a maximum of 6 cfu)
For the participation to conferences not as speaker, a maximum of 0,5 credits per conference can be awarded and, in any case, not more than a total of 6 cfu for this item. The awarding of the above mentioned credits will take into consideration the venue/institution of the conference, the scientific relevance of the conference, and the relevance of the latter to the PhD reference scientific sector.
2.3.6. Participation to competitions, projects, experimentations (for each activity 1 to 6 cfu)
Credits can be earned for the participation to architecture, urban design, and design competitions, and the documented participation to innovative projects. The number of credits will be evaluated according to parameters that take into account the role of the PhD candidate in the competition entry, the prizes and/or recognitions received by the project entry, the type of competition (open competition, competition on invitation, local, national, or international level competition, in one or more phases, etc.).
2.4. Checks and credits to access academic year
The admission to the third year of the PhD is subordinate to the earning of 60 credits (with a maximum 10% waiver, i.e. the earned credits should be at least 54. See the note at the end of the paragraph) which will be awarded by the PhD Coordinator, with approval by the Academic staff Board, and based on the report presented by each PhD candidate. The report lists the activities developed by the candidate in each one of the 6 above mentioned series of activities (points 4.3.1 - 4.3.6.). Whatever is stated in the PhD candidate’s report will need to be proved and supported by documentation.
In exceptional cases the Board can attribute, for each activity, a greater or smaller number of credits, in relation to the quality and the outcomes of the specific activity.
The participation to all the PhD activities of the first two Fields is compulsory; whereas the participation to the activities of the third Field is selected and managed autonomously by the PhD candidate.
N.B.: As previously stated, the candidate can be admitted to the third year even if he/she has some missing credits, up to a maximum of 10% (therefore at least 54 credits are necessary to proceed to the next year, otherwise the candidate is disqualified at the end of the second year). The missing credits (max 6 cfu) must be recovered during the third year.
2.5. PHD Dissertation preparation process and modalities
The PhD dissertation must be developed autonomously by the candidate, under the guidance of the tutor and through discussion with the Academic staff Board. Three meetings will be organized throughput the year with regular frequency; during such meetings the PhD candidate is required to present with a power point and/or written document (each time the requirements will be specified) the dissertation progress to the Academic staff Board; the latter will evaluate the work. One week prior the last of the three meetings, the PhD candidate will present to the Academic staff Board a complete written report.
3. THIRD YEAR DELIVERED STUDY PLAN
3.1. General considerations on 3rd year activities until the admission to the final defense exam
During the third year the PhD candidate is required to take part and work full time on a set of activities: development of the PhD dissertation, reflected in the Field 1 item “seminar activities’” and in the Field 2 item “individual research related activities” (tot. 6+36=44 cfu).
The item in Field 3 (Research and training related activities autonomously selected by the PhD candidate), corresponding to 16 cfu.
It ought to be underlined that the 5 activity categories of the above mentioned Field 3 (also present in the previous chapters) independently developed by the PhD candidate, are utterly encouraged, and their documentation will constitute a commendation for the PhD candidate. In occasion of the dissertation submission to the PhD Coordinator – who, in turn, will forward it to the Externa Referees - the PhD candidate will also have to provide – as per PhD candidates’ Athenaeum Regulation - a full report on all the activities carried out during the PhD program in reference to the three Fields mentioned in the previous chapters.
The CFU offer during the third year is linked to a program aimed at finalizing the PhD candidate’s training and supporting his/her research. The program is structured following three Fields, which are distinguished by their scope and their time frame:
FILED 1) PhD related seminary activities 8 cfu
FILED 2) Research activities linked with the individual PhD dissertation development 36 cfu
FILED 3) Training and research related activities, 16 cfu autonomously identified and selected by the PhD candidate
3.2. FIELD 1: Seminars in connection with the PhD Dissertation (8 cfu)
Such activity is centered on communication and discussion of the PhD dissertation development within seminars. It will take place twice during the year and it encompasses direct debate with Academic staff from the related Curriculum; the latter are programmed and determined by the curriculum coordinator, and distributed in such a way that allows the PhD candidate to meet the final requirements and submit the final PhD dissertation, scheduled for the 31st of October. As explained in Attachment A, the dissertation will undergo an external reviewing process.
3.3. FIELD 2: Research activities in connection with the individual PhD Dissertation advancement (36 cfu)
This field is the most demanding task of the Third year PhD candidate, who develops his/her dissertation under the guidance of his/her Supervisor.
To this account it’s important to consider that the evaluation of the Dissertation is operated by the highly qualified External Referees (as foreseen by the PhD research, art. 12), nominated by the Academic staff Board; the External Referees can come from external institutions and they must be independent from the subjects who issue the PhD title. The two referees express a written analytical PhD dissertation evaluation and propose the admission of the candidate to the public defense, or the postponement of the defense, for no more than six month, if they believe substantial integrations and corrections to the dissertation are needed. After the allowance period expires, the Dissertation is in any case admitted to public Defense, and it must be accompanied by a new written evaluation of the Referees, which takes into account the corrections or integrations of the candidate.
It is also reminded that, based on the outcomes of the evaluations forwarded to the PhD Coordinator by the External Referees themselves and examined by the whole Academic staff Board, the Coordinator will express his/her opinion in relation to the admission of the candidate to Defense session (weather he/she is admitted to the first or the second session). As a matter of fact, art. 4 of the PhD Regulation includes the following statement: “The Board [...] deliberates on the exclusions or suspension of the PhD candidates from activities, and on their final admission”.
When the Board will admit the PhD candidate to the first session of the, it will be required to write a “presentation” of the PhD candidate and send it, together with the Desideration, to the PhD office of Sapienza, before the defense takes place, as stated in art. 12 of the Regulation: “The admission to the final exam, accompanied by the presentation of the Board, must be forwarded to the PhD Research Sector, together with the indication of the selected disciplinary, at least one month prior to the date schedules for the defense”.
Important Note: art. 10, paragraph 4 of the Regulation states that: “In case of unsatisfactory results of the intermediary evaluation steps, in case of unjustified and prolonged absence or extended unavailability, and if the conduct of a PhD candidate is not compatible with the research deontology and with the behavioral rules prescribed by the organizational structure that hosts the PhD – by whoever its services - can deliberate, with justification, the removal of the candidate from the PhD studies”.
Naturally, the above statement is valid throughout the three years, but it’s particularly important for the evaluation of the PhD candidates during the third year. In fact for third year candidates no analytical credit report is required, as it’s the case of the first two years of the PhD. Nevertheless, an equally important evaluation of the PhD activities results operated by the Board – and supported by the opinion of the Supervisors and Curriculum Coordinators – is foreseen. If the activities are found to be unsatisfactory, the Board evaluationr can determine the removal of the candidate from the PDTA PhD Program.
3.4. FIELD 3: Training and research activities, autonomously identified and selected by the PhD candidate (16 cfu)
The third and last Filed of the year is structured on 6 potential series of activities which the PhD candidates can develop, or with independent initiatives, or activities promoted by the PhD structure or Department, which the PhD candidates will be free to choose.
The 6 potential series of activities which will earn the candidates credits and evaluation, are the following:
1. Collaboration to Teaching activities for the institutional courses of the Sapienza Architecture School (1st, 2nd or 3rd level)
2. Collaboration to Institutional Research Group activities with the Sapienza PDTA Department
3. Publications ad author, co-author, or curator
4. Poster presentations at conferences, speaker at conferences, conventions, national and/or international seminars (excluding the publication in conference proceedings included in the previous point)
5. Participation to conferences and conventions not as speaker
6. Participation to competitions, projects, experimentations
Listed below are some brief descriptive notes of the activities.
In this third Field the effective number of credits assigned to each PhD candidate will be determined by the PhD Coordinator in cooperation with the Curricula Coordinators, following the shared national scientific evaluation parameters, and most of all the approval of the Faculty. The evaluation for each activity package, following the information reported in the attached table (University Credit attribution to the PhD candidates for activities developed during the 3rd year) will be assigned by the PhD Coordinator, the Curricula Coordinators and the academic staff and tutors who had direct or indirect contact with the PhD candidates.
3.4.1. Collaboration to Teaching activities for the institutional courses of the School (for each activity 2 to 4 cfu, with an average attribution of 3 cfu)
Credits can be earned for Collaboration to Teaching activities in Courses or Laboratories held by PhD or PDTA Department Academic staff in the Study Courses of the Sapienza University School of Architecture, Università di Roma, from both first (triennial) and second (Master’s degree) Training level, as well as third level (Specialization School), given that the contents are in line with the PhD objectives.
3.4.2. Collaboration to Institutional Research Group activities with the Sapienza PDTA Department (for each activity 2 to 4 cfu)
Credits can be earned for research activities, or collaboration to research, within Laboratories or research and work groups established inside the PDTA Department, functional to the PhD scientific construction and growth.
3.4.3. Publications as author, co-author, or curator (for each activity 2 to 6 cfu)
For each published article or essay credits can be earned, following criteria such as ranking of the publication and its scientific relevance (e.g.: independent contribute or multiple authors, and in case of the latter allowing the identification of the individual contribute; national or international journals; journals listed as class A or not; scientific journals classified by Anvur or not; journals with or without peer-review; local, national, or international conference proceedings; essay or chapter in a volume of a book series or not, with scientific committee or not, published by a prestigious publishing house recognized nationally or internationally or none of the above; same for the curator of a book or monograph; same for the author of a book or monograph, etc.), and in any case, following the parameters commonly adopted in the scientific forum when evaluating publications.
Important: the PhD candidate should have at least one publication per academic year.
3.4.4. Poster presentations at conferences, speaker at conferences, conventions, national and/or international seminars (for each activity 2 to 4 cfu)
For each conference scholarly presentation or poster credits can be earned following set parameters, which take into account first of all the scientific relevance of the conference (e.g., local, national, or international conference, if the conference includes or not a refereed process to evaluate the presentation proposals and/or posters, etc).
3.4.5. Participation to conferences and conventions not as speaker (for each activity 0,5 cfu, up to a maximum of 6 cfu)
For the participation to conferences not as speaker, a maximum of 0,5 credits per conference can be awarded and, in any case, not more than a total of 6 cfu for this item. The awarding of the above mentioned credits will take into consideration the venue/institution of the conference, the scientific relevance of the conference, and the relevance of the latter to the PhD reference scientific sector.
3.4.6. Participation to competitions, projects, experimentations (for each activity 1 to 6 cfu)
Credits can be earned for the participation to architecture, urban design, and design competitions, and the documented participation to innovative projects. The number of credits will be evaluated according to parameters that take into account the role of the PhD candidate in the competition entry, the prizes and/or recognitions received by the project entry, the type of competition (open competition, competition on invitation, local, national, or international level competition, in one or more phases, etc.).
3.5. Final exam admission modalities
Following the first three collegial checks which take place during the year - whereby the progress of the Dissertation is evaluated - the admission to the final exam is then further articulated in two phases:
- by the end of September of the third year the PhD candidate present their Dissertation in front of the entire Academic staff Board, and submit the printed document and the digital file in Pdf;
- within one week from the presentation, the Academic staff Board can make observations on the dissertations;
- by the 31st of October the candidate submits to the PhD Coordinator the final PhD Dissertation and the report on activities developed during the three year research period in Pdf format;
- by the 2nd of November the PhD Coordinator forwards the PhD dissertations and the reports, both in pdf format, using WeTransfer, to the highly qualified External Referees (as foreseen by the PhD research, art. 12), nominated by the Academic staff Board; the External Referees can come from external institutions and they must be independent from the subjects who issue the PhD title. The two referees express a written analytical PhD dissertation evaluation and propose the admission of the candidate to the public defense, or the postponement of the defense, for no more than six month, if they believe substantial integrations and corrections to the dissertation are needed.
- After the allowance period expires, the Dissertation is in any case admitted to public Defense, and it must be accompanied by a new written evaluation of the Referees, which takes into account the corrections or integrations of the candidate.
3.6. Final exam development modalities
Finally, in terms of final exam modalities, the public Defense takes place in front of a commission whose composition is defined by art. 13 of the PhD Regulation. The Defense must take place by the 28th of February following the completion of the third yea, or by the 30th of September following the above date, in case the evaluators postpone some of the Dissertations to a later date. At the conclusion of the Defense, the Dissertation is approved or rejected with a collective written evaluation. The Commission can unanimously assess the Dissertation using one of the following assessments:
Excellent with honors (if the results are particularly relevant from a scientific stand point), Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory (in such case the title will not be conferred)