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Course objectives

The Phd programme in Historical, Geographical and Anthropological Studies is a post-graduate four-year course of study, research training and advanced research, held at the University of Padua and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. At the end of the Programme, each successful candidate is awarded the title of Doctor of Research, and receives a joint diploma awarded by the Rectors of both Universities.

The aim of this PhD Programme is to enhance the excellence of the historical, anthropological and geographical research of the Universities of Padua and Ca’ Foscari of Venice and to build a pole of attraction for the development and promotion of original and innovative research, enhancing inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches. In this perspective, the PhD Programme has a strong international vocationand encourages Phd students to spend time abroad to study and conduct research activities. In order to achieve this goal, the Programme developed its partnerships with other European Universities through co-tutorship agreements, PhD students’ exchanges, summer and winter schools and other opportunities of exchange with other Universities and research centres in Italy and abroad.

The Departments involved in the Convention are the Department of Historical and Geographic Sciences and The Ancient World – DISSGEA of the University of Padova, the Department of Humanities (DSU) and the Department of Linguistics and Comparative Cultural Studies (DSLCC) of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. Professors from other Italian and international Universities are members of the Programme’s Academic Board.
The Phd programme is developed in three curricula: Historical studies, Geographical studies and Historical-religious and anthropological studies.

Educational activities

The PhD program in Historical, Geographical and Anthropological Studies offers a training pathway that includes advanced seminar activities aimed at developing methodological tools for interdisciplinary research, teaching modules designed to provide specific skills related to the languages and tools of scientific inquiry, and cycles of discipline-specific seminars that allow doctoral candidates to refine their analytical and synthetic abilities in their areas of interest. These activities take place over the four years of the program, with a progressive decrease in coursework and a corresponding increase in responsibility and autonomy for the doctoral candidates.

The program also offers the opportunity to participate in optional activities, both within and outside the institution, and organizes dedicated sessions for discussing and comparing the doctoral candidates’ research projects.

Starting from the 40th cycle a.y. 2024-25, the AVA 3 model (Self-Assessment, Periodic Assessment, Accreditation) will also be applied to the Doctorates, in line with Ministerial Decree 226/2021.

The quality assurance system introduces the credit system also in the training provided by the PhD courses. PhD students have to obtain 60 ECTS each year, for a total of 240 ECTS over the four-year period. For the PhD Programme in Historical, Geographical and Anthropological Studies, the equivalence of 1 ECTS = 6 teaching hours has been introduced.

Research areas

The professional profiles shaped by the PhD program in Historical, Geographical and Anthropological Studies are oriented both toward academic careers and toward positions in the public and private sectors at various territorial levels. Regarding academic opportunities, the prospects for doctoral candidates trained in the three curricula depend on the availability of positions within the historical, geographical, and anthropological disciplines. To date, such academic placement has been consistently successful, enabling graduates of this program to obtain positions as research fellows and postdoctoral researchers, as well as appointments as associate professors, lecturers, and maîtres de conférences at foreign universities. Naturally, future developments will be influenced by changes in national regulations governing access to academic positions.

As for non-academic career paths, the skills acquired by graduates of this PhD program across its three curricula can be applied in research centers, national and international organizations, companies and enterprises, archives and libraries, cultural institutions, the journalistic and broadcasting sectors, and specialized publishing. These professional profiles are characterized by strong interdisciplinary capabilities, flexibility, and particular sensitivity to:
– historical research, including expertise in the organization and management of cultural heritage;
– geographical research, especially regarding environmental and territorial issues and the analysis of phenomena and case studies;
– anthropological research, with attention to social inquiry.

These orientations have led, in recent years, to several of our PhD graduates securing employment as consultants for museum institutions, in public administration, as business consultants, and as entrepreneurs in cultural initiatives.

  Curriculum

• Historical studies
• Geographical studies
• Historical-religious and anthrop

  Other information

• Calls and Admissions
• Administrative information
• The International PhD guide