The research doctorate is the third level of university education, following the first-level three-year degree and the second-level master's degree. The PhD Programme has a minimum duration of three years. It provides the skills needed to practice research activities of high qualification at universities, public authorities or private entities.

According to Article 6 of the University Charter (Statuto di Ateneo) PhD students are students in all respects. The PhD Programme requires an exclusive, full-time commitment, with the exception of what is provided for by the University Regulations for PhD Programmes.

A student can be admitted to a PhD Programme only by passing an examination, after having submitted an application within the terms and in the forms provided for by the call for applications, published every year in spring by the University website, the site of the Ministry for University and Research, and the Euraxess site. The University Regulations for PhD Programmes provide specific exceptions to the aforementioned admittance procedure for some types of research doctorates.

The PhD degree is granted to students who pass a final examination, at the end of the PhD Programme. The final examination consists in a thesis discussion.