Dottorato di ricerca


The dottorato di ricerca is the highest Italian academic degree, the equivalent of a Ph.D.
The term dottore is frequently used in Italy to refer to any person with a university Laurea: thus, a person with a Laurea Magistrale uses the title "dottore magistrale" and a person with a Laurea uses the title of "dottore". Those unfamiliar with the Italian university system or the Italian use of titles should note that a "dottore" or "dottoressa" in an Italian context does not necessarily hold a Ph.D. Holders of the dottorato acquire the title of dottore di ricerca, also abbreviated to "Dott. Ric." or "Ph.D."

History and admission

The dottorato is a relatively recent addition to the Italian academic landscape, having been instituted in 1980.
According to the Bologna Process, Italy fits the framework since the adoption, in 1999, of the so-called 3+2 system. The first degree is the Laurea that can be achieved after three years of studies. Selected students can then complete their studies in the following step: two additional years of specialization which leads to the Laurea Magistrale.
After 1999, the Laurea corresponds to a Bachelor's Degree while the "Laurea Magistrale" corresponds to a Master's Degree. Only the Laurea Magistrale grants access to third cycle programmes, that last 2 to 5 years. However, it is now established that there is just a unique five-year degree Laurea Magistrale a ciclo unico for programmes such as Law, Arts, Music and a few others, and six-years degree for Medicine and Surgery and Dentistry. The title for MA/MSc/MFA/MD/MJur/MEd graduate students is dottore. This title is not to be confused with the PhD and Post-MA graduates, whose title is Dottore di Ricerca.
The Italian Master's Degree should not be confused with Italian "Masters" that are one-year specialistic courses which guarantee a more practical education but do not give access to further levels of studies.

Superior Graduate Schools in Italy

The first institution in Italy to create a doctoral program was Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa in 1927 under the historic name "Diploma di Perfezionamento".
Further, the research doctorates or PhD in Italy were introduced with law and Presidential Decree in 1980, referring to the reform of academic teaching, training and experimentation in organisation and teaching methods.
Hence, the Superior Graduate Schools in Italy , also called Schools of Excellence such as Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa and Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies still keep their reputed historical "Diploma di Perfezionamento" PhD title by law and MIUR .
The Superior Graduate Schools in Italy or Scuola superiore universitaria have “Diplomi di Perfezionamento “, which are equivalent to “Dottorati di Ricerca”.: