Scholarships

An internally financed Ph.D. position can be proposed by professors at Politecnico di Milano and financed with funds coming from an Italian Ministry in percentage greater than 50% (internally financed PhD position). 

An externally financed Ph.D. position can be proposed by professors at Politecnico di Milano and financed by their own research funds in which an external company or a public institution (e.g. CNR, IIT, EC, etc.) is involved. 

Politecnico di Milano also issues a number of interdisciplinary scholarships every year to support research on topics involving two different doctoral programmes. Recipients of interdisciplinary scholarships are advised by one supervisor for each involved doctoral programme.

The topics of these scholarships are pre-defined.

An executive Ph.D. position can be proposed by Professors at Politecnico di Milano and financed by a private company for one of its employees. 

The Faculty Board evaluate the candidate. In case of positive evaluation, the Department Council (or the Ph.D. school in case of framework programs) approves the agreement and the Ph.D. secretariat enrolls the Ph.D. student without a public call. The usual Ph.D. duration is 4 years (possibly 3 years with regular evaluation by the Faculty Board). The contribution for the Ph.D. programme from the company is decided by the Faculty Board or by the Department. 

There is no deadline for proposing an executive Ph.D. position. The Ph.D. student will be enrolled after Ph.D. approval in the first available slot (February, May or November). More information can be found in the Executive Ph.D. page. 

The International agreements offer the candidates the opportunity to develop their Ph.D. career in collaboration with international universities and research centers. 

A Double doctorate awards two doctoral degrees. Each institution involved issues the diploma independently, upon completion of the requirements set out in the agreement. In order to earn the double qualification, candidates are required to carry out additional work with regard to the normal curriculum, in the form of additional research and/or extra courses. Generally, the duration of a double doctoral degree is at least four years (7 semesters in specifically motivated cases). Double doctorate agreements shall specify whether the specific path involves a single or two final defenses. 

A Joint doctorate is a doctoral path designed by two institutions. The Ph.D. student prepares a single Ph.D. thesis and earns a joint diploma, signed and stamped by both institutions. The agreement includes a template of the diploma to be awarded. The doctoral path must last a minimum of 3 years. The degree certificate shall indicate the equivalence of the diploma with an accredited title of a Politecnico di Milano Ph.D. programme. In joint doctoral paths, the Home University is the institution that selects the candidate and where they are first enrolled. The Host University is the institution enrolling the candidate at a later stage, after having assessed their eligibility. The Ph.D. thesis is co-supervised by professors from both institutions, with a final exam conducted in accordance with the regulations of both institutions. The final defense is unique for joint doctorates. 

Double and joint doctorates are usually promoted by professors at Politecnico di Milano and established by the institutional office at Politecnico di Milano. 

More information can be found in the Double and Joint Ph.D. page.

Additional thematic scholarships may be (totally or partially) financed by  special supporting programs, such as the “Programma Operativo Nazionale (PON) – Ricerca e Innovazione” (supported by React-EU), or the “Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR)” (supported by NextGenerationEU). Such scholarships may have additional requirements. Be sure to check the available information.

Every year a few extra Ph.D. positions are reserved without scholarship.