PhD Course in Philosophy

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Academic year 2025/2026
Faculty of Philosophy
Università "Vita-Salute San Raffaele" di Milano
EQF level: 8
XLI° cicle
Field of study: humanities and literature politics, social sciences and communications
Place of teaching
segrate (MI), italy
Attendance methods
Full time
Teaching
Mix of online and classroom-based mode
Languages in which the course is held
Italian, English
Cost
4920
Duration of the course
Nov 2025 - Oct 2028
Scholarships
4 
Deadline (Expired)
24 June 2025
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Course contents

The PhD course in Philosophy focuses on some macro-areas of research: the area relating to ethics and political philosophy; the area of epistemology, philosophy of science and language; the area of theoretical and aesthetic philosophy; the area of the history of ideas.
In the area of ethical and political questions, the following are of particular interest: a) firstly, theories of moral knowledge and ethical-normative perspectives, declined both by reference to classical positions of the philosophical tradition and in a theoretical sense, also in relation with contemporary empirical research, in the fields of social psychology, evolutionism and cognitive sciences; b) secondly, political obligation, theories of rights and justice, public decisions, multiculturalism, minority rights, issues related to migratory phenomena and gender issues; c) thirdly, the applied issues relating to the main areas of contemporary social life, from those of biomedicine and neurosciences to those of communication, from responsibility for the environment and for climate change to that of companies.
In the area of epistemology, philosophy of mind, science, language and logic, the following are objects of particular interest: a) theories of rational decision and action, theories of intentionality and consciousness and philosophy of perception; b) the relationship between language and communication, with particular reference to pragmatics and its connection with social discrimination and gender issues, as well as the relationship between mental processes and linguistic production and understanding; c) the relationship between classical epistemology and experimental epistemology, social epistemology, the epistemic problems of mathematical knowledge, the philosophical investigation of formal languages, non-classical logics and the foundations of mathematics.
In the area of theoretical and aesthetic philosophy, the following are objects of particular interest: a) firstly, classical ontology and fundamental metaphysical concepts, the problems posed by contemporary nihilism, the metaphysical question about the world and man in the light of current advancement of sciences, post-modern issues; b) secondly, the phenomenology of experience, the existential phenomenology and the phenomenology of psychiatry, the philosophy of the person and questions of social ontology. c) thirdly, the classical reflection on art and forms of doing, from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century, the aesthetics of the sacred, the philosophy of the sublime, the philosophy of the novel and of fashion.
In the area of the history of ideas and philosophy, the following are of interest: a) firstly, the notions of hermeneutics and the history of ideas as a privileged approach to the history of philosophy; b) secondly, the study of Greek metaphysical traditions and the history of their effects in Christian, Jewish and Islamic thought, the relationship between monotheistic faith and "Hellenic" reason, the study of the Renaissance tradition and of Italian philosophy in general; c) thirdly, the themes of secularization, de-Hellenization, political theology and the second axial age.
Priority will be given to research projects that concern topics that are particularly at the center of international philosophical discussion today, those that involve different cultural environments and national traditions, those that bring philosophical knowledge into contact with research carried out from other disciplinary perspectives, linked both to the natural sciences both in the human and social sciences.

The PhD in Philosophy has the following objectives:
• mastery of the different languages and different forms in which the investigation of human reality takes place in Western culture;
• learning cutting-edge research methods in the fields of conceptual analysis, rational argumentation, historical-theoretical research, experimental investigation of cognitive functions;
• the development of a synthetic vision on the objects studied, capable of uniting historically and theoretically aware understanding with the results of empirical studies;
• the ability to know and critically discuss the relevant literature related to the issues studied and the familiarity with the problems currently under discussion in the different study communities at an international level;
• the development of a clear and effective scientific writing ability which allows the production of original and fully usable research contributions in the respective disciplinary fields.

Page of the course on the University's website

Teaching

Place of teaching
segrate (MI), italy
Duration of the course
Nov 2025 - Oct 2028
Number of hours
150 ( 150 hours of learning activities)
Attendance methods
Full time
Compulsory attendance (at least the 80%)
The Course offers, during the 3 years, a extensive educational program of courses and seminars.

he training program of the Ph.D. Course in Philosophy offers specializing courses and seminars, as well as general courses.

Each Ph.D. student will also be required to participate every year (depending on visiting periods abroad and the writing of the dissertation) in the activities (educational seminars, research seminars, workshops and conferences) organized by the Faculty research center that is most directly connected to his or her research projects.

For more details on the Training program a.y. 2024/2025: https://www.unisr.it/en/offerta-formativa/filosofia/post-lauream/dottorato/ricerca-filosofia/offerta-formativa
Teaching
Mix of online and classroom-based mode
Languages in which the course is held
Italian, English

Admission requirements

Type of degree required
2nd Level Degree
Field of study
education, arts and design, humanities and literature, politics, social sciences and communications, psychology, economics
Foreign language skills
English
Degree programme classes
LM-1, 1/S - Cultural anthropology and ethnology, LM-15, 15/S - Philology and classical literature, LM-78, 17/S, 18/S, 96/S - Philosophy, LM-14, 16/S, 40/S - Modern Philology , LM-84, 93/S, 94/S, 97/S, 98/S - History

Admission

Deadline
24 June 2025
Available places
5
Admission
Admission selection
Admission to one of the Curricula of the PhD Course follows a two-stage comparative evaluation procedure: -Evaluation of candidates’ qualification -Interview For the purposes of the final ranking up to 60 points can be given in the first assessment phase to the candidates’ qualifications and up to 40 points can be given instead during the second assessment phase. Candidates with a final score lower than 60% of the total score (100 points) will be considered non-eligible.
Cost
4920 €
Scholarships
4
4 Fellowships are assigned as follows:
- 4 free fellowships, one for each research area.

The yearly amount of the fellowship is €16,243.00, subject to the INPS [Italian Social Security] separate management contribution, according to the regulations in force.
The total fellowship duration is three years. However, it is renewed yearly upon successful completion of the annual examination.
All the PhD students (including those without a fellowship) may apply for a budget for periods of research to be carried out abroad.
Each year, all PhD students are granted a budget amount to at least 10% of the fellowship.

Employment opportunities

Those who complete the Ph.D. in Philosophy have as their natural career path an academic career in the respective fields of philosophical inquiry; the acquisition of a plurality of study methods makes them particularly suited to research on topics of contemporary philosophical discussion, such as inquiry into the history of ideas, ethics and dimensions of the human person, on cognitive processes and the role of language in social life, and on the fundamental concepts of aesthetics and inquiry theoretical inquiry. This training also makes possible their employment in cultural and productive fields in which knowledge of the dynamics of human faculties and the criteria of evaluation and judgment that preside over action is relevant. In this sense, they turn out to be
also concerned the business contexts and those of cultural production, including those aimed at the general public through different types of media, in which the synthesis of content is functional to the effectiveness of the product.

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Notes
There are no specific restrictions regarding the type of degree required to apply. The requirement for admission to a PhD Course is Master’s Degree according to the Italian regulation or a foreign equivalent title recognized by law. For foreign degrees, you must also provide the documentation indicated in the Call. The suitability of the foreign qualification is verified beforehand by the Committee of admission to the PhD Course.
You may also apply under condition of obtaining the required degree by the deadline indicated in the Call.
Other editions of the same course
Academic year edition 2024/2025Academic year edition 2023/2024Academic year edition 2022/2023

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