The PhD Program in Oncology, Hematology, and Pathology at the University of Bologna is accredited by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) and has a three-year duration.

Admission to the program takes place annually through a competitive call for applications. PhD positions, with or without scholarship funding, are specified each year in the official call, together with the corresponding research topics.

Each PhD student is assigned a supervisor and a co-supervisor, who are responsible for guiding the student throughout the development of the research project.

PhD students conduct their research in either preclinical or clinical settings, within the facilities identified in agreement with their supervisor.

The primary responsibility of PhD students is the research project, which is complemented by formal training activities. PhD students’ activities are monitored using the Doctoral Credit (DC) system.
The program includes structured training activities delivered in Italian or English (and entirely in English when international PhD students are enrolled).

The activities of the program are overseen by the PhD Board.

Doctoral Credits (DCs) for training and research

Doctoral Credits (DC) measure the workload required of PhD candidates in research activities and research training activities leading to the award of the PhD degree. With regard to research training, one DC is equivalent to one European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credit. PhD candidates are required to obtain 60 DC per year, corresponding to 1,500 hours of activity; each DC corresponds to 25 hours of work (including both formal teaching and independent study). Each PhD Program allocates the total number of DC (180 DC for three-year programs) between research activities and research training activities. The PhD Program in Oncology, Hematology and Pathology has allocated 80% of the credits to research activities (Table A).

The program defines the minimum number of DC to be earned in the following areas:

1. Disciplinary and Multidisciplinary Training

Courses and seminars related to your specific research topic, as well as broader interdisciplinary subjects. Curricular training activities include those specifically designed for the PhD Program in Oncology, Hematology, and Pathology (see the teaching program), as well as relevant courses selected from the University’s degree programs or other PhD programs.

2. Soft Skills Training

Soft skills training, such as research management, scientific communication, innovation, ethics, career development, and knowledge of international funding systems.

3. Extra-Curricular Training

Participation in summer/winter schools, PhD symposia, and other academic events that promote networking and integration into the scientific community (e.g., DIMEC PhD annual meeting Learn&Share).

4. Dissemination Activities

Active participation in conferences, workshops, and congresses as a speaker or poster presenter to share research results.

5. Supplementary Teaching and Tutoring

Opportunities to assist in teaching and tutoring activities, provided they are compatible with research commitments, including the supervision of graduate students’ theses.

This is detailed in Table B.

The PhD program establishes its own criteria for determining the number of DC to assign to specific activities, consistent with its disciplinary practices and university guidelines. It also specifies the recommended number of DC for training, dissemination, and teaching to be achieved annually, ensuring a balanced distribution of these activities relative to research (Table C). The Course has established, for each year of the course, a minimum number of DCs below which the Doctoral student is excluded from the Doctorate.

PhD students, in agreement with their supervisors and co-supervisors, define flexible, specific training and research paths, selecting activities by type and quantity while respecting the program's constraints for each activity and year of study. The correspondence between activity effort and DC earned is detailed in Table D.

Doctoral students may earn Doctoral Credits (DCs) for activities carried out both at the University of Bologna and at other institutions. Periods spent at institutions other than the University may count toward DCs, depending on the type of activity performed (e.g., research, disciplinary training, interdisciplinary training, etc.).

The acquisition of DC is verified during the annual progress evaluation, following rules and procedures set by the PhD program.