At the end of the third year (usually on 31st October) students stop receiving the scholarship, but can apply for unemployment benefits here.
University guidelines state that students should complete the final exam within 7 months after the end of the PhD programme.
To make sure that the full evaluatory process is completed within this time frame, the PhD Scientific Board adopts the following steps, in line with the latest outstanding legislation:
The deadline for submission of the final version of the dissertation is within three months (usually the end of January, unless students applied for a writing-up extension) from the end of the programme;
The supervisor prepares a report containing an evaluation of the dissertation and a recommendation for the PhD Scientific Board;
The Board assesses whether the dissertation satisfies the quality requirements stated in the National Law, i.e., whether the submitted manuscript contributes to the advancement of knowledge or of the methodologies in the selected field of investigation. The Board may also take complementary aspects into consideration, such as whether the dissertation contains material sufficiently original and well developed to meet the scientific quality levels normally expected in articles published in peer-reviewed international journals with a good or very good reputational standing. It is also expected that the submitted dissertations are edited in a professional manner according to the standards normally found in high quality journals' articles and books; failing to adhere to these editing standards is considered negatively by the Board.
If negatively assessed by the Board, the dissertation is not sent to two external reviewers and the candidate is excluded from defending it in the final exam;
If positively assessed by the Board, the dissertation is then sent to two external reviewers, who have to return their feedback report within a month. They can recommend a list of simple revisions that the candidate can complete within a month, or major revisions that need to be prepared within a six months' period.
The candidates revise the dissertation and submit it again.
They defend it in front of an Examiners' Panel made up of two external reviewers (normally the same ones previously used, but two new ones can be appointed if necessary) and an internal reviewer who cannot be the supervisor or any other person directly involved in the research activity of the candidate during the PhD programme.
At the end of the defence examination (Viva Voce), the Examiners' Panel prepares a final evaluation of the dissertation and, if positive, awards the PhD degree.