Educational Objectives
The PhD in Educational Sciences is an advanced academic qualification awarded after a three-year program, accessible through admission exams. It includes two main tracks: a historical-pedagogical track and an experimental-didactic track. Each track may include a specialized study pathway that explores the theoretical and methodological-operational intersections between pedagogical sciences and specific disciplinary areas of psychological knowledge. This includes a rich interdisciplinary framework where psychology and pedagogy converge both epistemologically and in the design of complex interventions within service settings. Alongside the common educational objectives for both tracks, specific goals are set for each.
Curricula and Research Topics
The PhD program in Pedagogical Sciences offers two tracks: a historical-pedagogical track and an experimental-didactic track. Each track may include a study pathway that explores theoretical and methodological-operational interactions between pedagogical sciences and the specific disciplinary branches of psychological knowledge. This program benefits from the interdisciplinary dialogues that psychology and pedagogy foster both at an epistemological level and in defining complex interventions within educational services. Co-supervision agreements with foreign universities are available, allowing for dual-degree conferral.
The first year includes four focal areas centered on the fundamentals of various disciplinary groups, providing connections between different pedagogical knowledge areas within a broad cultural context, both nationally and internationally. The training program particularly emphasizes research methodology, taking into account its multiple perspectives and interdisciplinary relationships within both pedagogical fields and the wider educational sciences. The first-year research topics, addressed through lectures, workshops, and in-depth seminars on research methodologies, include:
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General and Social Pedagogy, covering philosophy of education, family pedagogy, intercultural pedagogy, adult education.
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History of Pedagogy, including the history of schooling, history of education, history of childhood theories, history of children’s imagination, and children’s literature.
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Didactics and Special Pedagogy, covering teaching and learning methodologies, inclusive education, special educational needs, educational technology, and e-learning.
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Experimental Pedagogy, encompassing theories and strategies for the design and evaluation of educational interventions, educational measurement, and empirical research methodology in education.
To complete the program, additional seminars explore topics of pedagogical relevance from other Educational Sciences (Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, etc.), with particular emphasis on research methodology across these sectors. The research topics also include interdisciplinary connections between the pedagogical and psychological fields.
In the second year, seminars are conducted by foreign professors (including faculty members from international universities) along with methodological workshops focused on supporting students in designing their research and drafting results for scientific dissemination. The goal is to equip students with the most suitable tools for their individualized research path, with a special focus on the international aspects of research. In the second half of the second year, sessions for presenting research projects are organized with faculty members acting as discussants. Based on the methodological feedback provided, students are invited to analyze various research approaches, their limitations, and potential, to progressively refine each project.
The third year is primarily dedicated to conducting personal research under the supervision of a primary tutor and co-tutor for each student, including meetings with faculty from other Italian and foreign universities. Throughout the third year, students participate in seminars and conferences to present their research designs and preliminary findings to the scientific community. The doctoral students, under the guidance of the faculty board, are also responsible for planning and conducting the "Research in Progress" seminar, which is dedicated to presenting doctoral research to an audience of Italian and international academics invited as discussants.
This combination of educational experiences fosters advanced competencies in doctoral graduates, preparing them to assume expert roles in educational and training processes at an advanced level in both academic research and various educational and training institutions and services.
Mandatory Research Training Activities for Doctoral Students in Line with the PhD Program’s Educational Objectives
Seminars by Educational Sciences faculty on various research methodologies (history of pedagogy, pedagogy, didactics, special pedagogy, experimental pedagogy); seminars primarily conducted by foreign faculty experts in the program’s focus areas, including seminars at the Advanced School of Humanities of the University of Bologna; courses and seminars at other national and international universities; participation in educational and training projects. Students also gain direct exposure to innovative and cutting-edge experiences in national and international (especially European) educational fields. Doctoral students are expected to connect their research with activities promoted by the Department of Education’s research centers.
Internationalization Elements of the PhD Program
PhD students in Educational Sciences (particularly scholarship holders) are required to spend at least three months abroad at universities or research centers that are particularly relevant for educational research. Students are encouraged to participate in international research projects and establish agreements with research centers and educational institutions across Europe and beyond, with the supervision of their tutors. Each year, both tracks invite several foreign professors/researchers distinguished in pedagogical and didactic research. Notable internationalization elements include the opportunity for thesis support from European university tutors, the possibility of obtaining the "Doctor Europeaus" certificate or co-tutoring arrangements with foreign universities, and the presence of foreign university professors on the PhD Faculty Board.