Ph.D. Program in Mathematics

The goal of the Ph.D. Program in Mathematics (Dottorato di Ricerca in Matematica) is to provide the graduate students with technics and research methodology of modern Mathematics, both in the fields of pure and applied mathematics, to the point of being able to develop tools to become independent both scientifically and culturally in order to produce original and significant results. Since the Doctoral thesis is the main test of having achieved research maturity, we believe that in a three year program the main attention is to be devoted to the research work toward the completion of the thesis.

Once the enrolment is formally completed, each graduate student will be assigned to a tutor. The tutor will guide the student typically until he/she will choose the thesis advisor.

During the first year, the program consists of attending courses that require a final exam. The choice of the courses will be made by the student together with his/her tutor, according to the personal interests and background. During the first year, each student will be required to attend a total of 90 hours, divided in courses of 30 or 15 hours, for a total of 90 credit hours. Some of these courses could be given at the Departments participating in the program, according to a course schedule that will be defined at the beginning of each academic year, avoiding superpositions with the courses taught at the department in Milano.

At the end of the first year each student is expected to have successfully completed all of his/her required courses and have chosen the thesis advisor.

In the following two years, free from the obligation of specifically attending courses, the gradutate student should concentrate the effort in developing knowledge, methodologies in the chosen area of research, possibly attending workshops, seminars, conferences even at the international level, under the guide of the thesis advisor. This time the student is considered to be just sufficient time to be able to obtain original results. The student activity will be periodically monitored by the Board of the Graduate Program, through the help of the advisor, or the tutor, if the former one in not a member of the Board.

All the doctoral thesis will be evaluated by independent referees, typically from foreing well-known university, before the graduate student being admited to the final exam.

For the whole duration of the program, the graduate students will have the opportunity of widen their mathematical knowledge by attending the conferences organized by the Seminario Matematico e Fisico di Milano, and the Lezioni Leonardesche, lectures given by mathematicians of the highest level and prestige.