PHD PROGRAMME

The Ph.D. programme is offered both in the full time (3 years) and the executive format (4 years).

It is composed of three different educational components.

• the main courses (30 ECTS) include: methodological courses on aspects relating to theoretical and applied research in management, economics and industrial engineering;

• seminars having the aim of introducing students to state-of-the-art research in specific fields relating to the above subjects.

Elective courses and teaching in specific activities (25 ECTS) are studies customised according to the students’ specific research interests. Their aim is to expand students’ scientific knowledge of specific topics and introduce them to the international research network by presenting their research work at international conferences.

The preparation of a Ph.D. thesis (125 ECTS) is eventually the qualifying activity of the Ph.D. programme. It allows students to develop leading-edge research competencies and to produce an original scientific contribution on a topic of significance for scientific debate and of interest for the business world.

The Ph.D. thesis is an original contribution to the advancement of knowledge in the candidate’s research field. The research will be supervised by members of the doctoral faculty, who will provide guidance to the candidate in setting out and arranging the everyday activities involved in the thesis development. The thesis can be edited in the form of a monograph or a collection of papers.

At the conclusion of the PhD studies, the Faculty Board evaluates the candidates. Candidates who receive a positive evaluation submit their theses to two external reviewers for refereeing. If the evaluation provided by the reviewers is positive (or after the revisions required by the external reviewers), the candidates may defend the thesis in front of a Committee composed of three members (at least two of which must be external experts).

The resulting thesis needs to be coherent with the research lines developed in the Department where the PhD programme is developed.

Each course lasts approximately one week and is composed of classroom lessons, individual study and group work.  

At the end of each year, the candidate will present the progress of the research project in front of a committee and will discuss it with a Discussant from the PhD Faculty.

All courses are taught in English.

DONWLOAD

Schedule of courses 2017-2018

Schedule of courses 2018-2019

Schedule of courses 2019-2020

Outline of the PhD Programme (XXXIV Cycle)

STATUS OF APPLICATIONS: OPEN – Please check all the details in the tab “How to apply”

In order to be admitted to the PhD programme, students must hold a University Master of Science degree (or equivalent). The most relevant background university studies are those in the fields of economics, management and industrial engineering. However, students who hold degrees in other technical and scientific disciplines or in social sciences may also be admitted to the programme.

To be admitted to the Doctorate Programme in Management Engineering applicants must apply through a competitive selection process.
The application period runs once a year from mid-April until the end of May.
A ranking of selected candidates will be published on the Politecnico di Milano Ph.D. School website at the end of July and the new Ph.D academic year starts at the beginning of November.

Knowledge of English is required; to this end, applicants are required to submit one of the certificates listed below no later than end of October, if not already submitted at the closing date of the call. Failure to submit certificates within the established closing date for enrolment irrevocably results in the loss of the right to enrolment.
Below is a list of the certifications accepted by the Politecnico di Milano and the corresponding levels:

The said certification is valid regardless of the date when it was awarded.

Citizens of Countries in which English is an official language are not required to certify their knowledge of English; the same applies to applicants who have been awarded or will be awarded academic qualifications by an institute in which all teaching activity is carried out in English.
These applicants must attach official documents to their application; in particular, where all courses are carried out in English, this needs to be certified by the corresponding academic institute.

Please see more information on admission criteria here

Insights on the Application process

Admission to the PhD programme in Management Engineering (DRIG) is limited to a predetermined number of students according to the scholarships available in the programme. This ensures the optimal development of each student while enriching the group’s learning and investigation process.

The “assisted consultation procedure” we provide in this website, aims to help you getting awareness of the scholarships available and of the on-line application you have to fulfil in order to submit your candidature.

The candidature may apply to different types of scholarship, both provided by DRIG, classified as:

• Generic Scholarship
  • Elective Research in Management Engineering
  • Oriented Research in Management Engineering
• Topic Scholarship (also including interdisciplinary scholarships).

The “assisted consultation procedure” consists of 5 steps, integrating the information that can be consulted both in the PhD School website homepage and in this website.

European Doctorate in Industrial Management (EDIM)

In partnership with the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM), Politecnico di Milano runs the European Doctorate in Industrial Management (EDIM), which awards a double PhD.

The EDIM-program enrolls top-class international PhD-candidates who will work with coordinated set of research issues at the three partner universities. A significant feature of the program is the combination of international structure and international focus, together with its explicit approach on non-technical managerial issues, deeply embedded in the context of technology, engineering, and industry.

The program is developed by a consortium of three leading engineering universities in Europe. As the number one engineering university of their respective nations, KTH, UPM and Polimi have an obligation to be at the forefront in training future leaders of European industry to become successful in a globalized business environment.  

The EDIM program is underpinned by the challenges that industries, academia as well as policy face as a consequence of globalization. It is based on the need to adopt a systematic research on the nature, conditions and logics shaping the new global industrial landscape from a managerial point of view.

For further information, please visit the EDIM website

Martina Sani

martina.sani@polimi.it