Conferral of the degree

For the conferral of the PhD degree, candidates are required to pass the final examination.

The examination is generally held in person; however, any changes to this arrangement may be decided by the Academic Boards of the PhD programmes.

WHEN

The dates for the final examination are established each year by the Academic Board of each PhD programme within the two sessions, namely: the first session (January – May) and the second session (July – November).

The PhD Office will inform the candidates of the start of the procedure for the conferral of the degree.

If, for justified reasons, the thesis cannot be submitted within the established timeframe, it is possible to request an extension of six months or twelve months by completing the appropriate form and sending it to the PhD Programme Coordinator, the Supervisor, and the PhD Office (segr.dottorati@unimore.it).

Phase 1 – Applying for the PhD Degree

Log in to your reserved area on www.esse3.unimore.it and select Menu → Student Area → Award of Degree.
(Note: consent for online exams is required only if it has not already been given in previous sessions.)
At the end of the online procedure, print the application for the award of degree, sign it, and send it by e-mail to the PhD Course Coordinator, who will then submit it to the Academic Board.
Pay the fee of €32.00 via “Taxes” section in your reserved area on www.esse3.unimore.it.
(This amount corresponds to two virtual revenue stamps of €16.00 each: one for the application and one for the issuance of the diploma.)

Payment Procedure

Log in with your UNIMORE credentials or SPID at www.esse3.unimore.it.
Select: Menu → Student Area → Taxes.
Payment can be made online via the PagoPA system (choosing your Payment Service Provider - PSP), or alternatively by printing the payment notice and paying at banks, ATMs, SISAL, Lottomatica, or ITB outlets.
Through PagoPA, payments are usually processed in Esse3 within the same timeframe as credit card payments.

Attention! During the online submission, the system will require you to enter the following information:

Thesis title in Italian (max 1800 characters, including spaces), even if the thesis is written in English.
Thesis title in English (max 1800 characters, including spaces).
Abstract in Italian (max 3800 characters, including spaces), even if the thesis is written in English.
Abstract in English (max 3800 characters, including spaces).
Thesis language.
Keywords in Italian (5 words, max 20 characters each).
Keywords in English (5 words, max 20 characters each).
Area and scientific sector of the thesis.
Main supervisor (tutor).
Any co-supervisor(s), to be indicated only if officially appointed by the PhD Course Academic Board.
PhD Course Coordinator.

Important: For joint-supervision theses (co-tutelle) written in a language other than Italian or English, replace the Italian sections with the thesis language.

Please note that after the deadline set by the Doctoral Office, any changes to the thesis title or other information must be immediately communicated by e-mail to segr.dottorati@unimore.it, the PhD Course Coordinator, and your supervisor.

During the online procedure, you will also find a button “Registration with AlmaLaurea”, which allows direct access to AlmaLaurea.

Candidates are strongly encouraged to register with AlmaLaurea by accessing it via Esse3 (Menu → Student Area → Award of Degree → Registration with AlmaLaurea) or directly at https://www.almalaurea.it/lau/laureati/curriculum.

Here you can:

Insert or update your Curriculum Vitae (more than 4,000 Italian and international companies and institutions access the AlmaLaurea CV database to recruit qualified staff. Keeping your CV updated increases your chances of being contacted by national and international research and business organizations.)
Participate in the survey for the evaluation of the PhD programs offered by the University, managed by AlmaLaurea, by completing the “PhD Course Evaluation Questionnaire” at https://www.almalaurea.it/lau/laureandi/login_laureandi.

For technical problems during the procedure or questions regarding the survey are available the email supporto.laureati@almalaurea.it or the Toll-free number: 800 720772.

Phase 2 – Submission of the thesis to the reviewers appointed by the Academic Board and designated by the Coordinator

Within the deadlines established by the Academic Board and communicated by the Coordinator, a copy of the thesis (using the attached template, in Italian or English) must be sent by e-mail to the two reviewers assigned to each candidate.

The thesis must be accompanied by:

a summary in English (included within the main body of the thesis);
a report on the activities carried out during the three years of the PhD program;
a report on publications (only if the candidate has published during the PhD program).

IMPORTANT! For theses under co-tutelle agreements, the documents to be sent to reviewers and partners must comply with the specific provisions of the co-tutelle agreement.

Phase 3 – Submission of the thesis to the members of the Examination Committee

After the thesis evaluation, the Academic Board may admit candidates to the final examination. The PhD Office will notify each admitted candidate, via e-mail, of the names of the Examination Committee members, as well as the date, time, and place of the final examination. Once the members have been appointed, candidates must send a copy of their thesis to each of them.

The Coordinator will send the Committee members both the overall assessment formulated by the Academic Board and the reviewers’ reports regarding all candidates.

Phase 4 – Electronic submission of the thesis in Esse3

At the same time as sending the thesis to the members of the Examination Committee (and in any case no later than 5 days before the final examination), each candidate must log in to their personal Esse3 page (www.esse3.unimore.it), select Menu → Student Area → Degree Application → Proceed with the thesis completion process, and upload a copy of the thesis in PDF/A format. The first page must include the following information, as provided in the cover page sent by the PhD Office: surname, name, PhD program, PhD cycle, thesis title, supervisor, and PhD Coordinator.

During the online submission procedure, candidates may request an embargo period. The embargo request will only be valid if the candidate sends the duly completed and signed “Thesis Embargo Form” by e-mail to the PhD Office (segr.dottorati@unimore.it).

The University Library System (SBA - Sistema Bibliotecario di Ateneo) will ensure the preservation and public availability of the digital copy of the thesis deposited in the University’s open access research archive (IRIS), as well as its forwarding to the National Libraries of Florence and Rome.

For further information, please contact the PhD Office: segr.dottorati@unimore.it

Thesis accessibility

In agreement with their supervisor, candidates must indicate in Esse3 ANY RESTRICTIONS to the accessibility of the thesis by selecting one of the following codes from the drop-down menu: