Criminology

1st year - FORMULATION OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT

By the end of the first year, Ph.D. candidates will deliver: an activity report, the research project for their Ph.D. thesis, and the first draft chapter of the thesis. In particular, they will be required to select a research topic and conduct a detailed literature review, identify knowledge gaps and one or more research issues on which to focus. Ph.D. candidates will be required to defend their research project and topic formulation before the Academic Board, for admission to the second year of the Programme.

2nd year - RESEARCH PROJECT AND SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE

Ph.D. candidates will further advance their research through reports, which will be discussed individually or in a seminar format every two months. By the end of the second year, Ph.D. candidates will have carried out: an activity report, a research project, a draft of the first two chapters of the thesis, and a paper approved by an international peer-reviewed journal. The paper should ideally address the topic of the candidate’s thesis. Ph.D. candidates will be required to defend their research project and paper before the Academic Board for admission to the third year of the Programme.

3rd year - COMPLETION OF THE DOCTORAL THESIS

Ph.D. candidates will carry out their research and complete their Ph.D. thesis. The candidate's progress will be evaluated through periodic meetings. By the end of their third year, candidates must submit an activity report and a draft of their final thesis. The admission to the final examination will follow a procedure designed to ensure the high quality of the thesis and research. The draft thesis will be evaluated by the candidate's advisor and two external referees with expertise in the thesis topic. The thesis must meet the standard of a publishable paper or book. Based on the evaluations of the advisor and external referees, the Academic Board will decide whether to recommend that the candidate submits the thesis to the Examination Commission for the final defence.

FINAL DISCUSSION

The final defence will be held before a commission composed of at least three professors from Italian and foreign universities, two of whom are not members of the Academic Board. The defence, public and entirely in English, will include the presentation of the candidate's research and results followed by questions from the commissioners. The commission will award the title of Ph.D. in Criminology to candidates authoring innovative and high-quality studies at an international level.