Educational program

Home institution: University of Ferrara according to the International Consortium Agreement between University of Ferrara (DA) and Polis University of Tirana (Albania)
Department: Architecture DA
Coordinator: Prof. Theo Zaffagnini
Internationalization: Teaching in consortium with Polis University, Tirana (ALB) and Associate Partners Slovak University of Technology/Institute of Management, Bratislava (SLK) and University of Minho, Guimaraes (POR).

Since 2019 there is also an active scientific collaboration between the DA/UniFe IDAUP and Focchi SpA (Focchi Group), a leading company in the design, fabrication and installation of facades with high technological content (See Curr. Architecture/topic 1.6).

Duration: 3 years
Method of admission: qualifications and interview
Study abroad stays: 3 to 6 months in the three-year period

Final title: Double doctoral degree awarded by University of Ferrara and Polis University of Tirana
Curriculum: Architecture, Urban planning

Educational Program:

At the beginning of each year, the Doctoral student presents to the Academic Board an individual scientific-teaching plan related to the training and research activities planned for that year, courses to be followed and to be chosen, among those activated specifically for the Doctoral course, among those activated at the Departments of the University of Ferrara, of the agreed partners or elsewhere (Summer Schools, Workshops, etc.).
The three-year course requires the achievement of 180 total training credits, the conduct of research abroad for an indicative period of 3 - 6 months outside the Partner sites, a minimum number of publications produced by PhD students in the three-year period and an English language certification (level C1 ESOL) by the beginning of the third year.

The Doctoral Program is divided into three academic years as follows:

Year I: consists of 60 CFUs organized in theoretical studies aimed at further enriching the scientific training obtained in the previous academic programs through the scientific offerings of the University of Ferrara and Polis University and any other consortium partners, and finally, initiating work with the thesis.
The 60 ECTS of organized theoretical studies must be delivered according to the following scheme:

The 60 ECTS of organized theoretical studies are to be delivered according to the following scheme:

• 20 ECTS conducted by Ferrara University - for all doctoral students;(first year)
• 20 ECTS conducted by POLIS University - for all doctoral students;(first year)
• 20 ECTS conducted for each student by the respective home institution or any of the categories explained below (IUSS - POLIS).(first year)

The PhD student will also have to attend seminars organized by the teaching and research groups of the Ferrara Department of Architecture (DA), Polis University, or other associated partners of the consortium or other seminars expressly established for the PhD [activities provided by the University Institute for Higher Studies IUSS - Ferrara 1391 for the achievement of complementary competencies/skills], as well as participate in conferences and workshops of particular scientific and educational relevance by including them in their course of study. The planned workshops must be conducted and attended during the first year of the course. Any exceptions of carrying out these activities in the second year of the course may be granted exceptionally for proven needs upon formal application of the PhD student to the Academic Board.

Years II and III: 60 CFU each, are devoted mainly to research for thesis preparation although year II may be spent making up for mandatory training periods not taken in the first year. The student regularly participates in international and national scientific events in his or her field of interest and other related fields deemed useful for his or her education. English language proficiency must be demonstrated by the third year, duly certified by a minimum level of CEFR C1. By the end of October of each academic year, the student must submit to the Course Coordinator a scientific-didactic report on all the educational and research activities carried out during the year. The student must present the activities carried out during the year in a written report to the Academic Board (A.B.). The contents of the written report must be submitted to the A.B. on the specified date and time. A positive evaluation by the A.B. is a necessary condition for admission to the following year. In the event of a negative evaluation, the A.B. may decide to exclude the student from the doctoral course or to admit the student to the following year under certain conditions, inviting the student to attend a specific program agreed upon with the Academic Board.

The Course sees the activation of two curricula:

1) Architecture

The Curriculum aim is to identify and explore strategies capable of creating the necessary synergies between design requirements, processes and production needs, ranging from technologies based on the use of the most innovative materials, to industrial design up to applications in the restoration and redevelopment of existing buildings; all according to logics of maximum environmental sustainability with particular attention to the issues of Green policies (design and supply chain of the construction sector), Digital Innovation, and energy efficiency of both buildings, components and industrial production cycles.

2) Urban Planning Curriculum

The issues of "public space" are addressed with reference to the evolution and changes in the socio-economic and environmental context. Here the role of the discipline as a tool for critiquing, reading and designing urban and territorial transformations in the perspective of sustainable development will be explored in depth, with an interdisciplinary approach oriented towards international comparison. The methodological perspective of research and teaching is multidisciplinary and is based on the objective of training scholars with a strong specialization, but able to understand and interact with the different components of multidisciplinarity, and of urban design understood as a complex procedure.