Educational Offer

Educational objectives

The PhD in “Architecture” responds to the growing demand for highly qualified researchers capable of competing at an international level in the formation of knowledge, in order to grasp the productivity of the interrelations between basic skills and experimentation related to the needs of potential and future users. The strong interdisciplinary characterization of Architecture defines complex research areas in which the capacity for autonomous, critical and highly specialized research requires dialogue between skills and knowledge. 

Over the course of three years, the program is divided into areas of collective training and individual learning and research processes for each doctoral student. 

The objectives are included in three areas: 

1. Disciplinary contents of the Doctorate:

• Up-to-date and in-depth knowledge of the general themes that characterise the PhD in Architecture;
• The specific study of the themes characterising the two specific curricula into which the Doctorate is divided (the area of ​​the relationships between theories and projects, and the area of ​​urban regeneration);
• The in-depth study of specific themes that touch on the current international debate in the architectural and urban fields;
• Specific scientifically appropriate interventions within the themes addressed, with possible repercussions on the territory.

2. Interventions relevant to higher education:

• Collaborations with internationally recognized personalities for contributions, master classes and seminars on general or trending topics;
• Internships at research and training institutions, government and land management structures, design and production companies in the construction and infrastructure sector, cultural and creative companies and industries related to cultural heritage;

3. Methodological training on doctoral research:

• Acquire professional writing skills in an academic scientific context;
• Acquire mastery of sources and bibliographical apparatus;
• Control of the methodological aspects necessary to structure the topics in question;
• The ability to transmit the scientific results achieved through appropriate forms of communication and the ability to organize reports and educational interventions;
• The ability to delve deeper into the methods of transmitting specific themes of design disciplines within the scope of didactic communication.
• The ability to conduct field investigations of an analytical-cognitive nature;
• The ability to draft adequate research hypotheses for a PhD course in Architecture.
• In order to achieve these objectives and to provide each PhD student with the opportunity to carry out their activities in the best possible way, the PhD in Architecture is organized according to the system of training credits.

Successful attendance at the Doctoral Course corresponds to 180 total training credits which are normally divided into 60 CFU per year.

The training credits, listed more precisely in the section relating to each year of the course, can be traced back to the following categories:

• training (lectures, conferences, seminars and workshops);
• the drafting of the final papers required by the seminars or workshops;
• meetings and discussions with the Teaching Staff;
• study trips, internships and conferences;
• the publication of research products in scientific volumes or journals;
• internships within Italian and foreign research facilities.

Thanks to the University Doctoral School, the Doctorate in Architecture includes the implementation of teaching activities for linguistic and IT improvement, for research management and knowledge of European and international research systems, for the valorization of research results and intellectual property.

Finally, the aim is to promote the valorisation of research results and guarantee the protection of intellectual property, ensuring open access to the public to research results and related data through the publication of original scientific research results, raw data and metadata, sources, digital graphic and image representations and scientific multimedia materials, in the shortest time and with the least possible number of limitations, according to the “Open Science” and “FAIR Data” principles.

Career and professional opportunities

The PhD in Architecture aims to train researchers with a high scientific profile with a dual theoretical-cultural and experimental-innovative preparation, aimed at certifying: 

- skills that can be used within the University System and Italian and foreign research institutions; 

- strategic skills, recognizable with respect to the needs of the territory, recognized even outside the University System. 

The strong international value of the two curricula: “Architecture, Theory and Design” and “Urban Regeneration”, allows PhD students to acquire broad relational skills in a global context. 

The activities are oriented towards the multi-scalar design of architecture, landscape and city, intersectoral and interdisciplinary, theoretical analysis, study of materials, soft-computing and experimentation of Resilience Building according to the approaches of the Evolutionary Economy and Transition Management strategies. 

In the public sector, researchers can find the right place in institutions and agencies responsible for the government of cities and the territory for building and urban design, territorial and urban planning, energy, environmental sustainability, protection and safety of territories, static safety and the valorization of Cultural Heritage. 

In the private sector they can find a place in the technical-professional and entrepreneurial world in an international dimension for planning and governance activities.

Educational objectives

The dual approach of legal and economic analysis allows for effective interdisciplinarity and to promote the training of professional figures suitable for teaching and research. As regards co-financed scholarships, since there is an international tradition, especially in common law countries, in the economic analysis of law (Economic Analysis of Law), which constitutes one of the bases of the training path aimed at acquiring technical-scientific skills, it will be necessary to guarantee a vision of the economic phenomenon as a whole with reference to the production of the rules that govern "the market", aiming to achieve the efficiency and effectiveness of administrative action. In order to be admitted to the final exam, PhD students must conduct study and research activities for at least three years full time.

As part of the study activities, specific courses organized by the Teaching Board or by the Doctoral School of the Università Mediterranea  or courses, conferences and seminars organized by other institutions must be attended for at least 120 hours in total over the three-year period, subject to authorization by the Teaching Board.

At the beginning of the Course, the Teaching Board assigns each PhD student a tutor to supervise and assist the student throughout the entire course of study. The tutor must belong to the Teaching Board. Each year, each student, in agreement with his/her tutor, presents a training plan that presents, in a synthetic manner, the courses that the student intends to follow and the other activities planned in compliance with the current regulatory legislation.

As a rule, the interdisciplinary and methodological courses organized by the Doctoral School of the Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria are mandatory during the first and second years of the course. Each doctoral student, in agreement with his/her tutor, may instead choose, up to the number of hours required, which courses, among those proposed by the Teaching Board, to attend. The training plan is approved by the Teaching Board and may be amended during the year, upon request of the student and with the approval of the Board, for proven needs. National and international mobility will be encouraged within the Doctorate so that students can conduct experiences in laboratories and research centers of excellence in Italy and abroad.

Career and professional opportunities

The doctorate aims to introduce young graduates to scientific research through multidisciplinary training, as a fundamental moment for possible subsequent teaching and/or research activity, and to acquire the skills of a professional and/or manager in private enterprise and public administration, also integrating for improvement with contemporary masters for public administrations organized by the Department. It aims to contribute to the training of new professional figures with specific skills in the sectors of civil and public law interest that interfere with the implementation of the principles of equal opportunities and non-discrimination, with the needs of protection of the elderly and people with disabilities, as well as, for co-financed doctorates, new professional figures capable of analyzing and evaluating public policies relating to issues of national relevance such as sustainability, technological modernization, energy reconversion, digitalization of the PA

Educational objectives

The Doctoral Program in Civil, Environmental and Industrial Engineering aims to train young researchers with solid methodological and technical-scientific bases who are competitive in the reference sectors at a global level. The educational objective is the transfer of knowledge on specific topics of Civil, Environmental and Industrial Engineering to train highly specialized figures able to address complex research or applicative issues.

The training objectives are aimed at advancing knowledge:

• of basic sciences, technologies and complex systems at the service of the civil, environmental and industrial engineering sector;
• of the design, management, control, safety and monitoring of civil and industrial infrastructures and structures that interact with the environment and the territory;
• of the engineering aspects related to the production of energy from renewable sources, of new advanced materials and in the management and valorization of civil and industrial waste in a circular economy context.

Characterizing elements of the training path are the interdisciplinarity, in particular as a connection between the basic scientific disciplines (mathematics, physics and chemistry) and the areas of Civil, Environmental and Industrial Engineering object of study and research (geotechnical, hydraulic, structural, transport, health-environmental, materials and energy engineering), the attention to new technologies, in particular digital ones, and to the aspects related to the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the innovative solutions object of study, the connection with the reference territory of the Course, internationalization.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the topics, the Doctorate is organized into training paths, with both general and specialized courses, aimed at transferring basic knowledge of each disciplinary area (mainly during the 1st and 2nd year of the course) and at developing specific research topics, the subject of the doctoral theses (in particular during the 2nd and 3rd year). The training will be completed by experiences at the laboratories of the DICEAM Department of the Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria with the possibility of carrying out research periods abroad at prestigious international institutions. In order to be admitted to the final exam, research doctoral students must conduct study and research activities for at least three years full time. As part of the study activities, specific courses organized by the Teaching Board or by the Doctoral School of the Università Mediterranea or courses, conferences and seminars organized by other institutions must be attended for at least 120 hours in total over the three-year period. At the beginning of the Course, the

The Teaching Board assigns each PhD student a tutor to supervise and assist the student throughout the entire course of study. The tutor must belong to the Teaching Board. Each year, each student, in agreement with his/her tutor, presents a training plan that briefly illustrates the courses that the student intends to follow and the other planned activities. As a rule, the interdisciplinary and methodological courses organized by the Doctoral School of the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria are mandatory during the first and second years of the course; each PhD student, in agreement with his/her tutor, may instead choose, up to the number of hours required, which of the courses proposed by the Teaching Board to attend. Study and research activities, including laboratory activities, constitute the majority of the training course. The Training Plan is approved by the Teaching Board and may be amended during the year, upon request of the student and with the approval of the Board, for proven needs. Within the PhD program, national and international mobility will be encouraged so that students can conduct experiences in laboratories and research centers of excellence in Italy and abroad. Training activities common to the curricula will be aimed, in collaboration with the Doctoral School, in particular at an in-depth study of:

1. English language improvement
2. Valorization and dissemination of intellectual property results and open access to research data and products.
3. Management of research and knowledge of European and international research systems.
4. Core principles of ethics, gender equality and integrity.

Career and professional opportunities

The figure formed by the Doctoral Course in Civil, Environmental and Industrial Engineering is characterized by the ability to integrate the specialized skills acquired in the various areas of design, construction and management of structures and infrastructures, environmental monitoring and protection, analysis and prevention of natural and anthropogenic risks, production of materials and energy, innovative industrial technologies, with the characterizing elements of ecological transition, sustainable development, circular economy and the opportunities offered by new technologies.

The professional figure that we intend to train, in addition to holding highly professional positions in production sectors with a strong technological value, will have professional skills and abilities capable of leading research groups operating in the public or private sector.

Therefore, the Doctorate aims to train highly qualified professionals able to fill key positions in public and private research centers, top management positions in Authorities, Public Administrations and Engineering Companies involved in the sectors of design, planning and management of structures and infrastructures, environmental remediation, soil protection, waste management, scraps and raw materials, prevention and management of natural and anthropogenic risks, low environmental impact energy production and management processes, sustainable mobility.

The employment and professional opportunities are many: the PhD in Civil, Environmental and Industrial Engineering will be able to find employment not only in national and international research centers and universities but also in all small, medium and large companies and public administrations that provide for the management, coordination and execution of highly qualified research activities aimed at the development of innovative technologies in all sectors of civil, environmental and industrial engineering.

Furthermore, the entrepreneurial activity of PhD students who achieve highly innovative results during their research will be strongly encouraged, also through the use of academic spin-offs.

Educational objectives

The educational objectives of the Doctorate concern:

• the deepening of the theoretical foundations of the disciplines relating to the scientific-disciplinary sectors of reference for Information Engineering and the related application areas, with particular attention to sustainability aspects;
• the consolidation of basic methodological training in the areas of mathematics, physics, chemistry, statistics, artificial intelligence, with reference to the methods of greatest interest for Information Engineering;
• the critical acquisition of results and perspectives within the specific sector of interest of the PhD student;
• the development of an advanced research topic within the chosen research field, including any unconventional applications of Information and Communication Technologies and other KETs.

Furthermore, the PhD student will develop the ability to:

• plan and carry out experimental and/or numerical tests and checks;
• analyze the technological innovation needs of national and international public and private companies and entities;
• identify funding opportunities;
• plan research and technology transfer projects.

The training activities over the three-year period are divided into the following types:

Mini-courses . Courses, usually lasting 8 or 12 hours, specifically provided by the Doctorate for the basic and specialized training of doctoral students. These courses are both methodological in nature, aimed at providing theoretical and applicative operational tools on sector issues for ICT and related areas (e.g. sustainable energy, agrifood, e-health), and informative in nature, aimed at presenting the doctoral student with the state of the art of the research topic covered and its future developments. The mini-courses are chosen by the doctoral students from a very broad multi-disciplinary training offer, on the basis of a flexible and personalized training plan.

Transversal skills . The acquisition of these skills can take place through the use of transversal teachings offered by the University Doctoral School, to complement the specialist curricula of the doctoral students. The main types of courses concern the knowledge and management of research and European and international research systems as well as the basics of project management; the valorization and dissemination of research results, intellectual property and open science; the principles of ethics, gender equality and integrity; linguistic improvement. Furthermore, doctoral students are required to conduct third mission activities, for example by developing scientific communication skills (e.g., through the creation of scientific posts, including multimedia ones, on social networks; talks at scientific or popular events for a non-expert audience).

External courses . These include attending courses offered by other doctoral programs or national and international research institutions; seminar cycles given by qualified representatives of Universities, Research Institutes, Companies on innovative topics in the ICT field; participation in Doctoral Schools organized by national and international scientific societies in areas of interest of the Doctorate.

Doctoral students dedicate themselves continuously to research, under the guidance of one or more supervisors. This activity includes the independent and/or guided study of reference scientific texts and publications; the provision of seminars; participation in national and international conferences; the acquisition of experimental work skills in the laboratory and/or computer design-simulation; independent research activity aimed at drafting scientific publications and the doctoral thesis. These activities can also be carried out at other research institutions or companies in Italy or abroad.

Expected career and professional opportunities

Over the years, all PhDs in Information Engineering have found employment in universities, research institutions and companies operating in the cultural and scientific fields pertaining to the PhD.

It is noteworthy that a significant percentage of doctors continue to conduct research activities at various Italian and foreign universities and research centers, as Post-docs or even Researchers/Professors.

Equally significant is the percentage of PhDs who occupy senior positions in multinational companies in the ICT sector with a vocation for research (e.g. Nokia-Siemens, Ericsson, STMicroelectronics). Finally, several university spin-offs and start-ups are active at the University, founded and/or based on the skills of PhDs in Information Engineering. Some of these start-ups have distinguished themselves in national competitions (e.g. Confindustria "Best Practices" award) and have received international visibility (e.g. participation in the CES in Las Vegas).

The experience gained with the previous Courses, which have seen the stable inclusion of all the trained people within work environments of their total liking, easily allows us to foresee that the PhD students who are intended to be trained through this new Cycle will be able to choose between various employment possibilities, namely:

1. University Research. It is noted in this regard that many of the PhDs from the Doctorate course in Information Engineering have been hired, as Researchers and then also as Associate Professors, by various Italian Universities or are permanently employed in foreign Universities.
2. National (CNR, CIRA, ENEA, ASI, INFN, CNIT) and international (EURATOM, CERN, AFRL, IPP, ESA) research institutions and consortia.
3. Design, research and development roles in national and international companies in the ICT sector and other KETs. It is worth noting that the industry is constantly looking for personnel with a post-graduate level of specialization updated on the most advanced technologies to be included in the research and development departments.
4. Management of technological innovation in companies, public and private entities operating in the service sector or in innovative start-ups.

Educational objectives

The SAAF doctoral course has as its main objective the development of high-level training courses, dedicated to graduates in scientific and technological disciplines, aimed at providing basic theoretical and practical skills, analytical and experimental methodologies, the ability to solve problems and the ability to communicate scientific results with the aim of improving the efficiency, quality and sustainability of production processes in the agri-food and forestry sectors. These courses are consequential with respect to the second-level master's degree and are designed to be extremely dynamic in order to guarantee the training of professional figures able to respond to the needs of production systems and research demand, proposing solutions in different social and territorial contexts, with particular reference to the Mediterranean area.

The SAAF doctoral course aims primarily to provide solid preparation and training for research, in the various disciplinary areas of expertise, through the acquisition of tools and methodologies typical of the scientific approach and usable in institutions that statutorily carry out basic and/or applied research activities (Universities and Research Centers, public and private).

Furthermore, great attention is paid to the acquisition of functional skills for the performance of professionalism also outside the university system, including public bodies and large, medium and small-sized companies, operating in the agri-food and forestry sectors, potentially interested in the introduction of technological innovations and the application of scientific research results in their company production processes.

The doctoral course aims to stimulate the capacity for critical analysis and intervention also through interdisciplinary activities, carried out in different contexts, both nationally and internationally.

In particular, the doctorate trains researchers capable of:

• independently develop research paths relating to relevant scientific issues;
• develop and propose public and private research projects on a local, national and international scale;
• recognize research needs and their scientific, social and economic relevance;
• transfer knowledge through the presentation of research results in national and international contexts and through the implementation of teaching activities;
• develop networking skills with academic and/or private partners operating in the reference sector;
• apply interdisciplinary approaches deriving from the study of the different components of agri-food and forestry biosystems;
• knowing how to orient oneself towards scientific qualification and productivity, as essential elements for professional opportunities in research institutions or in other professional fields;
• transfer research results to potential public and private stakeholders;
• communicate and disseminate scientific culture at national and international level.

Furthermore, the doctorate aims to enable doctoral students to develop research products in the form of scientific articles aimed at publication in high-profile international journals (indexed on the Web of Science and/or Scopus platforms), book chapters and/or popular articles necessary to disseminate knowledge in a third mission context for the benefit of the reference territory.

Career and professional opportunities

The skills acquired by the SAAF Doctor of Research will allow the inclusion, in addition to public or private research institutions, also in the technical and managerial frameworks of institutions operating in the sectors of primary production and environmental management, as well as in the management of processing companies. The agri-food sector is a driving force for the country's economy with a positive growth trend, characterized by high quality, sustainability and territorial identity. To support quality production, the support of technicians capable of providing answers and solutions to problems and planning research and development projects also within company contexts is essential. In the context of forestry contexts and for land planning, a shared awareness has now been reached that increasingly attributes importance to the so-called "sustainable forest management", also aimed at improving the multifunctionality of forests guaranteed through the support of advances and progress in scientific research.

The PhD student will be able to enter areas that require skills for the production, marketing and technological innovation of food production and distribution processes, as well as for the management and enhancement of forestry and wildlife resources. He/she will find space in private production companies (agri-food production, processing, import-export companies), research institutions, other organizations (Parks, Special and Hospital Companies, Protection Consortia, Certification Bodies), non-governmental organizations aimed at sustainable development and in spin-off activities linked to research institutions. Finally, the training courses will aim to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit in PhD students with a view to encouraging them to create new companies with a high technological innovation content or, in general, to enhance ideas possibly born during the PhD course through their patenting and/or the development of spin-offs and/or startups.