PhD courses:
Teaching of astrophysics at the PhD level is the main focus of our sector, which organizes the courses for theAstrophysics Curriculum
Astroparticle Curriculum (a joint initiative with the High Energy Sector)
Both curricula consist of three to four years of study and research. First year graduate students are asked to attend several courses spanning a period from November to the end of May and to pass some exams. In order to be admitted to the next year the students need to have collected enough credits.
Admissions
The entrance examination consists of a written exam, an oral exam and an evaluation of the student's record to date. The written exam is an essay on general topics in astrophysics. (A previous title was: "Write about a topic of current interest in astrophysics and/or cosmology"). The oral exam is an informal discussion on the essay and related topics. For further details see the PhD Admissions Announcement on the main SISSA pages.Twice a year the sector holds entrance exams, typically in April and October. The deadline for applications is around a month beforehand. The entrance exam is compulsory for applicants from within the EU. Candidates from outside the EU can alternatively be admitted via a pre-selection, based only on their academic record and reference letters. The deadline for the pre-selection is around February of each year. SISSA makes a contribution towards the travel expenses for attending the exam.
Tutors and supervisors
At
the beginning of the first year each student is assigned
a staff member as tutor, who will be the advisor for the
selection
of the exams and will guide the student in the choice of a research
project
for th Ph.D. thesis.
After the completion of the coursework
stage, the student
will start their research work under the supervision of a faculty
member
that may or may not be their previous tutor.
