Learning and Training Activities (Cycle XL and Onwards)

To support the proper implementation of the approved CFU Recognition Rules, the following clarifications apply regarding the planning and registration of learning and training activities by PhD students:

• Ad-hoc Course Registration via ESSE3: Through the online ESSE3 system, PhD students are required to indicate the ad-hoc courses they plan to attend throughout their PhD program. These courses are defined and offered annually by the PhD program and are the only learning activities that can be selected and tracked through the ESSE3 interface.
• Minimum Requirement for Ad-hoc Courses: Over the course of the three-year program, students must acquire at least 10 CFUs through learning activities, which must include a minimum of two ad-hoc courses. The mandatory “Research Methodologies” course (4 CFUs) counts as one of these. These ad-hoc courses are to be selected via the ESSE3 system.
• Minimum Credit Requirement in ESSE3 and Annual Plan Update: When submitting their study plan via the ESSE3 system, PhD students must select a sufficient number of ad-hoc courses to meet the minimum requirement of 10 CFUs over the entire three-year period. The system does not allow submission unless this threshold is met. Students are therefore expected to include, for the current academic year, the courses they actually plan to attend, while they may provisionally select courses for subsequent years, with the understanding that these selections can be revised later. If courses are scheduled for academic years following the student’s current year of enrolment, the plan can be updated online at the time of enrolment in those years. The list of available optional courses may also be revised annually, with new courses added and existing ones removed.
• Other Learning and Training Activities (Outside ESSE3): Any additional learning or training activities, including courses borrowed from master’s or bachelor’s programs, summer schools, seminars, internships, conference participation, periods abroad, etc., must not be recorded in ESSE3. Instead, these activities must be documented using dedicated forms available in the Documents section.
• Submission and Validation of Activities: Forms related to these additional activities must be submitted at the end of each academic year, typically during the annual progress evaluation. The activities will be reviewed and validated by the student’s supervisor and the Reference Group, which will also assign the corresponding CFUs based on the program’s guidelines.

For additional information, you can refer to the Deadlines and CFU Recognition Rules sections.