ECTS credits acquisition

The PhD in Information Technologies provides teaching and research training activities, with a three- year training course, which entails an overall study commitment evaluable in 180 University Training Credits (CFU) and which ends with the presentation of the Doctoral thesis. Recall that 1 CFU corresponds to an average commitment of 25 working hours and that the average year of work of 1500 hours corresponds to 60 CFU. The didactic activities consist of teaching courses and seminars enjoyed by PhD students as students and in didactic training activities. Each PhD student should acquire at least 20 CFU within the three years of the PhD course. The following types of courses are recognized by the PhD in Information Technologies:

 - Courses organized by the SDIA (SDIA stands for Scuola di Dottorato in Ingegneria e Architettura, the school which encompasses all PhDs in Engineering and Architecture of the University of Parma). These courses aim at teaching soft skills. They include an advanced language course and a course which cover different topics such as how to present a patent idea, how to write down a research project, and so on. - Advanced doctoral courses (ADC) organized by the PhD in Information Technology These are advanced courses related to the specific research topics investigated within the PhD in Information Technologies. 

- External university courses (EUC) These are university courses not directly organized by the SDIA or by the PhD in Information Technologies. They allow to acquire advanced knowledge in the scientific fields of interest of the PhD. External university teachings include: 

1) advanced courses foreseen in the educational offer of the master's degree and second level master's courses at the University of Parma 

2) advanced courses provided in the educational offer of the master's and second level master's degree courses of other Italian or foreign universities, 

3) courses from other schools / doctoral courses at the University of Parma or other Italian or foreign universities. 

- Other external courses, short courses (EC) Credits can be recognized for 

1) summer schools and doctoral student schools organized, in Italy or abroad, by research bodies or cultural associations (disciplinary coordination groups, professional associations, ...) 

2) tutorials, short courses offered at national or international conferences, 

3) training courses for the use of particularly complex equipment, software, technologies 

4) managerial training courses provided by public and private bodies 

5) advanced online courses Please, note that each PhD student should acquire at least 6 CFU from SDIA courses and ADC courses.