Legal Science PhD in Brief

The PhD in Legal Sciences is the highest level of training offered by the Department of Legal Sciences, where training and research are closely intertwined to promote the integration of the various legal specializations, coordinating a sectoral approach with an interdisciplinary and multidimensional perspective.

Each year, at least one scholarship will be awarded to students who have obtained a degree or equivalent qualification abroad, mainly, but not exclusively, in law. The doctorate aims to train legal professionals in the complexity of the legal phenomenon, emphasizing the European and international dimensions from a jurisprudential, historical, and theoretical perspective. At the same time, the doctoral program provides specialized knowledge for those aspiring to pursue scientific research activities, equipping scholars with the tools for in-depth research in various areas of positive law, as well as in the history and philosophy of law.

The program is taught in Italian (foreign doctoral students are required to attend free Italian courses at the University Language Centre) and includes specific training activities structured into lectures, seminars, study conferences, as well as summer and winter schools on various topics related to the scientific disciplines involved. Conferences and cultural initiatives are organized by members of the Faculty Board and by professors from other Italian and foreign universities, as well as by experts. The first year is characterized by particularly intense joint training aimed at highlighting the interdisciplinary interconnections, and in the following years, by tutor-guided training tailored to the research topic chosen by the doctoral student, focusing on the state-of-the-art and the multidimensional development of regulatory and interpretive dynamics, with the possibility of research stays in Italy and abroad. The third year continues with the specialization of the doctoral student with a view to writing the doctoral thesis, but always from a multidisciplinary perspective, marked by a wide range of seminars and conferences offered.

For this reason, the doctoral program is structured into the following four broad interdisciplinary curricula.

PUBLIC LAW CURRICULUM

The Public Law curriculum aims to train scholars and legal practitioners with advanced theoretical skills and a high degree of specialization in issues related to the entire field of public law (with particular reference to administrative law, criminal law from the perspective of the constitutionally required integration of legal and criminal sciences with criminology and other empirical and social sciences, ecclesiastical law, or the relationship between law and religion and criminal procedure and who are able to deal with the issues raised by the constant socio-economic and institutional transformations that affect individual and collective rights and freedoms with the appropriate technical and legal mastery.

Curriculum-related members: Professors G. D’Angelo, G. Grigorita, C. Guacci, L. Kalb, A. Lamberti, E. Lo Monte, F. Schiaffo, A. Torres Gutierrez

INTERNATIONAL-EUROPEAN-COMPARATIVE CURRICULUM

The International-European-Comparative curriculum aims to provide scholars with the tools necessary for in-depth research in various areas of International Law, European Union Law, and Comparative Law. The profound changes taking place in the international community, including the intertwining of competences and tasks shared by national, European and international administrations, the increase in transnational relations between individuals and companies, and the multi-level framework for protecting fundamental human rights, require that legal research topics be explored from a comparative and international-European perspective.

Curriculum-related members: Professors A. Di Stasi, G. Marti, B. Meoli, G.A. Oanta, T. Russo, G. Sciancalepore, M.I. Torres Cazorla

PRIVATE LAW CURRICULUM

The Private Law curriculum aims to train legal professionals who understand the complexity and the European and international dimension of the study of civil and commercial relations, including their civil procedure aspects. The objective is to provide specialized knowledge for those aspiring to future scientific research activities, while also enriching professional skills, laying a solid foundation for the exercise of legal professions, and preparing students for careers in national and international institutions, mediation, consultancy, and other professional roles.

Curriculum-related members: Professors G. Fauceglia, P. Femia, L. Iannicelli, M.L. Moreno-Torres Herrera, S. Sica, C. Troisi

HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, AND LAW CURRICULUM

The History, Philosophy, and Law curriculum offers an advanced training program with a strong interdisciplinary focus, aimed at equipping legal professionals with analytical and speculative skills, with historical and theoretical in-depth perspective, and with a comprehensive understanding of ancient, modern, and contemporary political-legal culture. This research field encompasses Roman law and the political-legal concepts originated in the ancient world and shaped by modern dogmatic traditions; the medieval, modern, and contemporary legal order, as influenced by the interpretive contributions of legal scholars and judges; finally, political philosophy, in its critical and deconstructive aspects, and the philosophy of law, both in its national and supranational dimensions, with particular attention to continental political thought classics.

Curriculum-related members: Professors G. Bisogni, I. Del Bagno, F. F. De Buján, F. Fasolino, F. Lucrezi, F. Mancuso, G. Preterossi, A. Puppo, M. Scognamiglio, A. Tucci

Please click on the sidebar to explore all aspects of the PhD program, including:

• Access modalities
• PhD Board members list (with CV)
• PhD candidates list, together with alumni
• Structure of training program
• Opportunities for internationalization
• Services offered to PhD candidates, with their rights and obligations
• Teaching and study facilities

Reports of stakeholder consultations