NEUROBIOLOGY SECTOR
REGULATIONS FOR THE PhD COURSE IN NEUROSCIENCE
Curriculum in NEUROBIOLOGY

 

ART.1 – ADMISSIONS TO THE COURSES

ART.2 - STUDENTS’ OBLIGATIONS

ART.3 – ADMISSION TO THE FOLLOWING YEAR

ART.4 – MAGISTER PHILOSOPHIAE

ART. 5 – PhD COURSE DURATION

ART. 6 – PhD EXAMINATION

ART.7 – DISPENSATIONS

ART.8 – CODE OF CONDUCT

 

 

 

ART.1 – ADMISSIONS TO THE COURSES

 

1. The admissions to the PhD courses in Neuroscience, curriculum in Neurobiology, take place, usually, through a selection based on academic and scientific qualifications and a written and oral examination, according to the School’s Statute. Exceptionally qualified non EU-students can be admitted to the course only through evaluation of their academic and scientific qualifications.

1. For the admissions, candidates must be in possession of the Italian Laurea (Laurea Specialistica, Laurea Magistralis or the old Laurea Quadriennale) in a scientific subject, or of a University degree obtained abroad and considered equivalent (i.e. M.Sc.) by the School Senate, after having received the approval from the Council of the Neurobiology Sector. This degree must have been obtained before the PhD courses official starting date.

 

1. The Admissions Committee for the entrance examination is composed of – in accordance with the School’s Statute - at least three members: two faculty members and one member from another institution (the external Committee member), nominated by the Council of the Neurobiology Sector.

1. The entrance examination is aimed at verifying the candidate’s aptitude for scientific research and his/her level of knowledge of the basics in Neurobiology. For the evaluation, the Committee disposes of 100 points, 10 of which are for the academic and scientific qualifications, 40 for the written examination and 50 for the oral examination.

 

1. The following achievements are considered valid for evaluation:

1. Academic qualifications: i.e. mark from the Laurea Degree, equivalent diplomas, participation in post-degree courses, scholarships;
2. Scientific qualifications: i.e. publications, manuscripts and original scientific results.

 

1. The written examination consists of the discussion of three Neurobiology topics chosen among a list proposed by the Admissions Committee. Are admitted to the oral examination only the candidates that have passed the written test with a score equal or higher than 28/40 points.

The examination can be done in Italian or in English.

1. The oral examination is a discussion on topics of basic neurobiology, on the previous experience of the candidate in relation to his/her academic curriculum (including the thesis project), on the research work carried out so far, on the research interests of the candidate. Also in this case, the exam can be done in Italian or in English. If the candidate decides to do the exam in Italian, he/she will need to prove his/her knowledge of the English language by reading and translating a short scientific text.

 

1. The candidate passes the selection by reaching a score equal or higher than 70/100. At the end of the examinations, a list of the admitted candidates (starting from the highest score) is displayed by the Committee. The Council of the Sector examines the proceedings of the examination presented by the Committee and decides the admissions to the PhD courses.

 

ART.2 - STUDENTS’ OBLIGATIONS

 

1. The teaching activity starts in November and is structured into courses and seminars held by the teaching staff and by external lecturers. Students are expected to attend all suggested courses and if a student is not able to attend a given course he/she is expected to provide a justification to the PhD coordinator. It is up to the professor / lecturer to decide in what the exam for passing his/her course will consists of.

1. Students are required to participate actively in group discussions on specific topics, in internal and external seminars and in the weekly Journal Club.

 

1. At the beginning of each PhD course the students receive information about the available research projects, which constitute the fundamental element of the PhD course.

1. Each new student will start, at the latest within the month of January after the beginning of the PhD course, working on a research project under the supervision of one of the Faculty Members of the Neurobiology Sector. The distribution of the available projects aims at matching the student’s own experience and research interests with the needs of the research programs of the Sector and the structures available. A student refusing all the PhD projects proposed to him/her is inevitably excluded from the PhD program.

 

1. The assignment of a student’s supervisor must be approved by the Council of the Sector.

1. Only under exceptional circumstances a student can ask for a change of his/her supervisor. The change must be approved by the Council of the Sector.

 

ART.3 – ADMISSION TO THE FOLLOWING YEAR

 

1. To be admitted to the following year each student must pass a qualification exam called Progress Report.

1. The Progress Reports are usually held within October 20th of each year. They consist of a presentation of the scientific activity carried out by the student during the last twelve months discussed in front of the Teaching Committee. The Teaching Council will then evaluate the scientific and didactic progress of each student to decide if he/she is eligible to continue the PhD program the following academic year.

 

1. The admission of a student to the following year is deliberated by the Council of the Sector before the end of each academic year. The Teaching Committee decides if, in occasion of the annual Progress Report, the work carried out by each student is of sufficient quality to lead to a future PhD thesis

The admission of a student to the following year, is deliberated by the Council of the Sector before the end of the academic year. The Teaching Committee decides if, in occasion of the annual Progress Report, the work carried out by each student is of sufficient quality to lead to a future PhD thesis.

 

ART.4 – MAGISTER PHILOSOPHIAE

 

1. Under motivated circumstances – and having discussed the issue with the Teaching Committee – the supervisor may suggest that the student sits the examination to obtain a Master (Magister Philosophiae). The request must be approved by the Council of the Sector.
2. In case of approval of the above request the student will present a thesis that will be discussed in front of a Committee nominated by the Council of the Sector. Generally, a student receiving a Master degree does not continue his/her studies to obtain a PhD.

 

ART. 5 – PhD COURSE DURATION

 

1. A student can spend from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 4 years to complete his/her PhD project.

The enrolment of a student to the fourth year must be approved by the Council of the Sector and by the School Senate, which will imply the extension of the scholarship within the possibilities of the School’s budget.

1. Only in exceptional and motivated cases - and following the Council of the Sector’s approval - it is possible for a student to present his/her PhD thesis after the fourth year, even though he/she no longer maintains the status of SISSA student.

 

 

ART. 6 – PhD EXAMINATION

 

1. The Thesis to be defended for the Doctor Philosophiae title should contain original and published results (or results considered suitable for publication by the Teaching Committee) on well-established scientific journals.

 

1. The thesis should contain an abstract (max 500 words), an introduction in which the aim of the research project is clearly identified, a description of the methodology, a clear account of novel data and a systematic discussion followed by the bibliography of the authors cited in the text. In the event in which the amount of publications produced by the student during his PhD course is considered relevant, the Methods and the Results sections of the thesis can be formed directly by those publications.

1. The candidate needs to attach to the thesis the list of publications originated from his research work, together with a statement where it is specified his/her direct and original contribution to each one of them.

 

1. The candidates who intend to take the exam to obtain the title of Doctor Philosophiae should present a written request addressed to the Director of the School at least two months before the established examination date.

1. The Council of the Sector nominates the Committee for the PhD exam. The PhD Examination Committee is composed of 5 examiners, at least two from SISSA and at least two external. One of the external examiners, chosen according to his/her specific scientific competences and complete non-involvement with the candidate and with the supervisor, will be given the task to evaluate the thesis (which he will have received at least two months prior examination). This specific examiner will be also required to indicate corrections to be made to the thesis within a month after reception.

 

1. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure rapid printing and binding of the Thesis. The final version of the Thesis is to be distributed to all the Members of the nominated PhD Examination Committee at least two weeks before the examination date.

1. The exam to obtain the title of Doctor Philosophiae consists in a public seminar followed by a discussion during which the examiners can ascertain the background knowledge in the field of research or in neurobiology in general. The Examination Committee may:

1. approve the Thesis and confer the PhD. In case of an outstanding project, the PhD may be awarded “cum laude”.

Or

1. not approve the Thesis, in which case the student may be invited to withdraw and present the Thesis at the next session, after having implemented his/her work where required.

 

ART.7 – DISPENSATIONS

 

1. In case of serious personal reasons or in case of maternity / paternity leave, students can ask the Council of the Sector for his/her position to be held in a “status quo”, for up to a maximum of 15 months.

 

ART.8 – CODE OF CONDUCT

 

1. Students, like any other member of the SISSA staff, are to respect the Code of Conduct, to safeguard the dignity of female and male employees and students of the School. The Code of Conduct can be found at the following link

http://www.sissa.it/main/?p=statute
where a list of Consultants nominated by the Director is available. These consultants have been selected to help and/or deal with matters related to the Code of Conduct.

2. Students are required to respect the rules of ethic and behaviour also in the lab. These rules are indicated in a document ad hoc prepared by the Council of the Sector and handed in to the newcomers at the beginning of each academic year.