CFU Guidelines – PhD students XXXVII Cycle and following

CFU distribution over the 3-year program; minimum total required upon graduation: 180 CFU

	1 year	2 year	3 year
Learning Activities UNIMORE PhD Courses Min. 15 CFU * Basic Training Max. 12 CFU	30-50
Scientific-Research Activities	40-80
THESIS	20	40	50
Total	60	60	60

Each year, PhD students must earn 60 CFU, distributed across Learning Activities, Scientific Activities, and Thesis Activities.

 

LEARNING Activities (CFU = University Educational Credit):

• Doctorate School Learning Activities: 1 hour = 0.25 CFU.
• Bachelor's and Master's Courses: These courses at UNIMORE or other universities count as Basic Training; CFU align with the official course credits.
• Internal Seminars: 1 hour = 0.20 CFU 
• Courses, Schools, or Seminars at External Universities: CFU per external course or seminar are either assigned by the hosting institution or awarded on the basis of the hours attended as reported above.
• Attendance in scientific congresses (without presenting or being in the author list of a oral presentation/poster): 1 CFU National; 2 CFUs for international
• Teaching Assistantship (Didattica Integrativa):  0.1CFU/1 hour, with a cap of 40 hours per year. Appointed by the PhD school on request from professors, these roles involve graduate students assisting academic staff. Alternatively, students can apply for a funded TA role through the “Tutorato Fondo Sostegno Giovani” program (more info here); however, credits are not awarded for this and must be approved by the PhD school board.

Note: Learning Activities must be completed within the first two years of the program.

Minimum Credits at UNIMORE: At least 12 CFU must be earned through UNIMORE courses, either through the M3ES School or other PhD programs.

For PhD students with joint supervision, where UNIMORE is the primary institution, at least 8 CFU must be from UNIMORE.

For joint supervision students based abroad, there is no requirement to complete UNIMORE courses.

Basic Training Credit Limit: A maximum of 12 out of 180 total CFU may be earned from Basic Training.

SCIENTIFIC Activities:

Congress Participation:

• Oral or poster contribution at a congress/meeting NOT PRESENTED by the PhD Student:  1 CFU for national; 2 CFU for international.
• Poster contribution at a congress/meeting the PhD Student is the presenting author: 2 CFU for national; 3 CFU for international.
• Oral contribution at a congress/meeting the PhD Student is the presenting author: 3 CFU for national; 4 CFU for international.
• Student-Led Seminar: 2 CFU per seminar for local/national, 3 CFU per seminar for international

Congress Organization: 

• Organization of workshop/congress: 2 CFU each for local (department, unimore),  3 CFU each for national, 4 CFU each for international. The student should be part of the organizing committee.

Publications:

• ISI journal publication: 8 CFU.
• Peer-reviewed conference proceedings and other publications (not isi journals): 4CFU
• Book chapters: 4 CFU.
• Patent Filings: National: 4 CFU for pending; 8 CFU for granted. International: 8 CFU for pending; 12 CFU for granted.

Research Periods:

• Abroad (minimum 10 days per trip): 1 CFU every 10 days, up to a maximum of 27 CFU.
• In a company or national research center: 0.5 CFU every 10 days, up to a maximum of 13,5 CFU.

 

Additional Requirements and Procedures:

• Overseas Research: PhD students are required to complete a minimum of 6 months or 180 days of research at a university or research institution outside Italy. Periods must be at least 10 days to be eligible for CFU credits. Activities longer than 2 days, including fieldwork and conference attendance, are also counted as “days outside UNIMORE.”

 

Additional credits:

Activities such as leading seminars at schools or other public events can be reviewed for CFU credits by the Commission for Education.

 

Credit Assignment:

Activity Report Submission: All CFU assignments require an activity report signed by the student’s tutor and approved by the Commission for Education. Documentation, such as certificates of attendance, may be required. The activity report will be assigned as an “attività/activity” in the M3ES PHD STUDENTS team in TEAMS.