The PhD

The PhD programme in Architecture and Cultural Heritage aims to provide postgraduate, third-level training, conferring a qualification certifying that the holder is the author of personal, original research of a high scientific standard.

The title of PhD is awarded after completing three years of training and research and successfully defending the PhD thesis. The PhD qualification, together with the specific cultural skills of the disciplinary areas involved, clarifies its scope of operation: the contemporary territory understood as an overlap of material layers capable of defining its own identity characteristics resulting from the interaction between geographical and natural realities and archaeological, architectural and artistic heritage of an artificial nature, obtained through human intervention.

The territory is a melting pot of complex immaterial networks structured thanks to the existence, as well as the resistance and persistence, of demo-ethno-anthropological characteristics which, over time and as a whole, have contributed to defining a specific linguistic, philosophical and literary activity capable of culturally characterising the territories to which they belong. In a global and consumerist society, the recovery of the material and immaterial values of contemporary territories is a primary objective for reversal.

Learning objectives

The PhD programme in Architecture and Cultural Heritage aims to train researchers capable of critically and interdisciplinarily addressing the transformations of the contemporary territory through:

- the analysis and enhancement of landscapes as a stratification of natural, historical, cultural and artificial elements;

- the study of local identities, born from the interaction between geography and archaeological, architectural and artistic heritage;

- the investigation of intangible networks — traditions, languages, philosophical and literary thought — that contribute to the cultural definition of territories;

- the recovery of material and immaterial values, as a response to the pressures of globalisation and cultural homogenisation;

- the experimentation of innovative design approaches that bring architecture, design and cultural heritage into dialogue, in order to interpret and transform local contexts in a sustainable and identity-based way.

Career opportunities

Preferred outlets are universities, public administrations and private companies.

The PhD programme in ‘Architecture and Cultural Heritage’ aims to train highly qualified scientific professionals who are able to:

• offer support and technology transfer to companies operating in the fields of architecture, design and cultural heritage;
• manage complex systems in monitoring activities for territorial and environmental systems.
• manage issues related to noise pollution and sound perception in both closed and open spaces according to their purpose.
• manage issues related to the rational use of energy in the built environment with reference to energy performance and the use of small-scale distributed energy production systems powered by traditional, renewable and/or similar sources;
• carry out the profession in the field of management, conservation and protection of cultural heritage, in the definition of territorial policies, in the field of use and enhancement of heritage, to conduct and manage archaeological excavations, plan and implement interventions on museums and collections.

Self-assessment and guidance committee

In order to monitor the progress of doctoral activities as a whole, assess the consistency of the activities carried out with the educational objectives, and improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of the doctoral training process, also in relation to its employment opportunities and the integration of highly innovative professional paths, the Coordinator identifies, from among the members of each Teachers' Council of the three active cycles, the members of the Self-Assessment Commission and the Steering Committee.

Currently, the Self-Assessment is composed of:

PhD students' opinions

Every year, Vanvitelli University conducts a survey to gather feedback from PhD students at the end of each academic year, with the aim of gathering information on the various aspects of the research training program and the services and opportunities that accompany it.

• For the I and II year, access to the evaluation questionnaire is via the University’s institutional credentials, and complete anonymity of responses is guaranteed - Go to the teaching evaluation questionnaire

• For the III year, the end-of-course evaluation questionnaire is managed by Alma Laurea and can be accessed once the PhD student has registered, prior to the final examination - Go to the questionnaire

Results

• For the I and II year: PhD Student Opinions (SISVALDIDAT system)
• For the III year: PhD students’ opinions (AlmaLaurea)

In addition, the AlmaLaurea inter-university consortium compiles annual data on behalf of the University regarding PhD graduates’ academic trajectories and employment status after obtaining their degree.

• Employment status of PhD graduates (AlmaLaurea)