One year ago I finished my Ph.D. in Architecture and Urban Planning.
To be more precise, the name of the Ph.D. course was Spatial Planning and Urban Development (aka S.P.U.D.). It was at Politecnico di Milano in Leonardo.
Before even going through the causes that brought me to the Ph.D. and the reasons why you should or you should not take that path, I think it is crucial to answering some basic questions about the program that are necessary to understand if this is your way or not.
Ready? Let’s go!
1. In Italy, the Ph.D. program lasts 3 years. Yes, not a year or six months. Three years. This is the time that you need to accomplish the thesis and to eventually conclude all the papers.
2. If you are late, you can ask for extensions. You can get six months (then it will be three years and a half) or one year (four years), according to your necessities and the decision of the board of professors. I have seen people having deep struggles and going for the fifth year, but I wish you to not get to that point.
3. In foreign countries, it could be 4 or 5 years (please check yours on the website of the uni you are applying to).
3. In Italy, you can get -or not- a scholarship. This depends on several factors (degree marks, thesis theme submitted and so on). What is important is that you will only get the scholarship for three years. This means that if you are asking for an extension (six months/one year) of the three years, you will not be paid for the extra amount of time.
4. You can spend a period abroad. It can be one/three/six months or one year. The good thing is that you might get extra money during that time. This means that you will get up to 50% extra on the monthly paycheck for all the months you are outside your country. Please check with the Ph.D. office if this is correct for your program.
5. If you want extra money (or you don’t have a scholarship) you can try having sponsorship by other foundations. For instance, I applied (and won) a scholarship from DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). The scholarship is given according to the relevance of your thesis. In my case, they also decided the amount of money per month.
6. In Italy, money would come in the middle/at the end of the month. Although it is called “scholarship” it isn’t. You will not get your money by the first of the month.
7. You can work while doing the Ph.D. I’m not sure if there is a maximum of money per year you can earn. Ask the Ph.D. office for this. I did (I was not paid during that period though – yes, Italy sucks) and I think it was a really good thing to keep the practice while focusing on something so theoretical.
8. You can be assistant for a professor/course while doing the Ph.D. This will also be an extra job, meaning that you will get extra money for doing this. The paycheck is really low (in Italy) and really depends on the course you are following.
9. You can give up. At any time. If you are not feeling like continuing, you can quit the program. I have been told for a really long time that, as a scholarship awarded, I would have given the money back. This is not true. Of course, if you are in the third year and you are about to finish, it’s really not nice to give up at that point and run with the money!
Guys, I hope that this is interesting for all those that want to apply this year.
Please, if you have done your PhD out of Italy and you find differences with what it is written here, let me know. I’ll be more than happy to update the article.
If you need some more info (example: how much did you get monthly?) please write me on my Instagram or Facebook page or down here!
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