The PhD

The PhD program in Public Administration and Innovation for Disability and Social Inclusion, coordinated by the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli,” involves ten other universities across Italy and a research institution (the National Research Council – CNR).

The doctoral program is structured into six “curricula” covering the following areas: Rehabilitation Medicine; Mental Health and Psychological Well-being; Aging; Pedagogy, Didactics, and Special Education; ICT and Bioengineering; and Law. All curricula focus on the management of individuals with disabilities in relation to contextual conditions that pose barriers to independent living and social participation, following a bio-psycho-social approach.

The PhD program aligns with the purpose of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which is to promote, protect, and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. The PhD program has received the endorsement of FISH—the Italian Federation for Overcoming Handicaps. The PhD program has a total duration of 3 years, consisting of a one-year core period followed by a two-year “specialization” period.

Learning objectives

The primary objective of the PhD Program in Public Administration and Innovation for Disability and Social Inclusion is to train researchers and professionals capable of analyzing the issues of disability and social inclusion from multidisciplinary perspectives and of proposing solutions to promote autonomy, independent living, inclusion, and social participation for people with disabilities through a biopsychosocial approach.

The specific objectives of the PhD program are:

1. the training and development of skills among researchers and professionals with expertise in the fields of prevention, diagnosis, rehabilitation, assistive technology, technical-legal consulting, psychological, pedagogical, and educational support, career guidance, and, more generally, the improvement of living conditions for people with disabilities;
2. the training of qualified personnel with specific knowledge and skills in the field of scientific research, to contribute to the advancement of knowledge and the implementation of care and support processes and tools specific to the various thematic areas surrounding people with disabilities, in order to address the current limitations in healthcare, socio-economic, psycho-educational, technological, legislative, and urban planning management in this context;
3. to promote the exchange of information between universities and research centres at national and international level through the mobility of PhD students;
4. to provide the necessary skills to support the development of innovative, collaborative projects aimed at removing barriers to the inclusion and participation of people with disabilities, including participation in national and international research calls;
5. raise the skill levels of professionals engaged in scientific research supporting people with disabilities, both in the academic sphere and in research facilities across the country.

Career opportunities

The PhD programme in Public Administration and Innovation for Disability and Social Inclusion addresses the growing demand for highly qualified research staff from centres operating within both public and private institutions, as well as from the industrial sector involved in technological innovation. The programme plays a leading role in training new university teaching staff in the relevant scientific and disciplinary fields. It contributes to the training of highly qualified professionals with an interdisciplinary background, capable of meeting current needs in the planning, monitoring, evaluation and transfer of the latest knowledge in the field of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, in accordance with the principles of evidence-based medicine and the bio-psycho-social approach to supporting people with disabilities.

The PhD programme aims to train researchers specialising in inclusion processes, who may find employment at research institutions, market research agencies, job centres, associations, foundations, companies and public bodies (health authorities, hospital and community rehabilitation centres, community-based psycho-social planning and intervention centres, educational institutions, judicial institutions, etc.) in the areas of staff selection and recruitment, human resources management, educational intervention and diversity management. The PhD programme also contributes to the training of highly qualified professionals (Level 8 of the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning) for roles such as expert consultants (educational consultants for inclusion in educational, organisational and workplace contexts), managers responsible for monitoring and evaluating inclusion processes, and career counsellors for people with disabilities.

From a legal perspective, the PhD holder will have the opportunity to: pursue a legal career specialising in the protection of people with special needs, carrying out work in both judicial and extrajudicial contexts (either as a self-employed professional or as an employee/consultant for law firms, companies, agencies, etc.); work in public administration as an official in sectors where knowledge of legislation protecting people with disabilities is relevant (e.g. superintendents’ offices, AgID); offer consultancy to associations, third sector organisations and institutions as an expert on the topics explored during the three-year programme; - become a disability manager; - pursuing an academic career within the ‘IUS’ scientific-disciplinary sector and, more generally, engaging in research, including comparative research (e.g. on behalf of research centres dedicated to studies in the field of disability); - working in the field of human resources as a specialist responsible for recruitment and employment relations with people with disabilities. In the healthcare sector, the PhD holder will also be trained to address issues relating to technological and digital innovation, and the development of research lines for innovative projects in telemedicine, teleconsultation and telerehabilitation for to ensure continuity of care between hospitals and the local community, as well as within local care facilities for people with disabilities (community hospitals, care homes, health districts, etc.).

In the field of engineering, PhD graduates from the programme will, thanks to the skills they have developed in highly innovative and market-driven areas such as Artificial Intelligence, augmented and/or immersive reality, as well as the quality of healthcare software, will easily find employment opportunities in industries specialising in the design and implementation of advanced services and systems to support healthcare staff in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of patients with disabilities, as well as in centres and laboratories dedicated to researching new methods, approaches and solutions for healthcare. Finally, the focus on the internationalisation of the training programme promotes the progressive process of integration and the opening of new horizons in the field of scientific research, including in terms of new opportunities for the placement of Italian researchers with a university education consistent with the training objectives of the PhD programme within high-profile basic and clinical research contexts. Furthermore, the participation of the five universities and one research body in Southern Italy is fundamental for the training of qualified personnel to be recruited by companies and Public institutions and public administrations, as well as universities and educational establishments based in southern Italy.

Self-assessment and guidance committee

In order to monitor the overall progress of the doctoral programme, to assess the alignment of its activities with the educational objectives, and to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of the doctoral training process – including in relation to its career prospects and the integration of highly innovative career pathways – the Coordinator shall select, from among the members of each Academic Board of the three active cycles, the members of the Self-Assessment and Steering Committee.-

- Self-assessment Committee:

Prof. Raffaele Picaro (Chair)
Prof. Antinea Ambretti (Secretary)
Prof. Antonio Ammendolia
Prof. Roberto Bianchi
Prof. Paola Palladino
Prof. Simona Signoriello
Dr Michele Cerasuolo (PhD student, cycle 40)

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)