Massimo SARGIACOMO Professor of Public Sector Accounting & Management

1. PhD in Italy: Targets and Organization Massimo SARGIACOMO Professor of Public Sector Accounting & Management Department of Management and Business Administration University “G.d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara

2. Agenda • Introduction • Brief PhD history until 1998 • Overview of the 1998 Reform • 2013 PhD reform • Job placement, satisfaction, etc. • Conclusion and future trends

3. Introduction • PhD programs have undergone a deep changing over time in order to meet the UE international standards and best practices; • the latest reform launched by the Decree of Education, University and Research Ministry, 8th of February 2013, introduced new rules about “central” assessments; • New procedures to validate PhD programs, new criteria for their establishments and the assessment of their locations (university sites) .

4. Brief PhD history: until 1998 (1/2) • First “foundation”: D.P.R. n. 382, 11th of November, 1980 which considered PhD as training course to the research activities. • Location/site: School or Department identified by a national planning program. • Professors qualification based on contribution of their publications in the academic community. • Nevertheless, at that time there was neither a quality-scale which assessed the publications levels, nor a research assessment exercise;

5. Brief PhD history: until 1998 (2/2) • PhD qualification: useful only to carry on an academic carrier in the Italian Universities. • PhD qualification required to apply for academic job and get a lecturer/assistant professor position. • PhD awarded to candidates who achieved notable research outputs included in a final (written or graphic) academic defense. • PhD duration: 3 years. • Allowing final exams to those who earned a Master Degree for at least 4 years without having to apply for PhD.

6. Brief overview of 1998 reform (1/2) • PhD qualification: used to perform research duties and activities not only in the Italian Universities and Research Centers, • but also in companies, public authorities, etc. • Abolishment of the possibility for scholars to defend their thesis without “physically attending” the 3-year PhD courses. • Emphasizing also the teaching role in the Doctoral courses in order to get a PhD qualification.

7. Brief overview of 1998 reform (2/2) • PhD as a qualification not only “academic” . • One of requisites for site/location validation : partnership with Italian or foreign firms, public authorities, research centers, etc. in order to provide a better work experience to the doctoral candidates. • PhD candidates involved also in the teaching tutorship for the undergraduate and graduate courses.

9. Job Placement of UdA-PhDs (2003)

10. Job Placement of UdA-PhDs (2003)

11. PhD Satisfaction Evaluation

12. Total State appropriations to Public Universities: 1994-2013 Names of the Ministers of Education (€ 000.000) Source: Sargiacomo, Il Centro, 17 February 2012

13. PhD Italian reform 2013: effects • Requisites and criteria very tight in terms of professor qualifications and scholarship, thus reducing the PhD programs over time. • From 2003 to 2009: around 2.100/2.200 operating PhD courses. • 2012/2013 years: significant decreasing up to 1.557 • 2013/2014: further reduction up to 919.

14. PhD reform (2013): PhD courses - 59% Source: ANVUR Report on University System - 2013

15. PhD courses by Macro-Area Source: ANVUR Report on University System - 2013

16. PhD Reform 2013: PhD courses qualifications – a.a. 2014-2015 (1/2) • Doctoral boards: no less than 16 academics (included lecturers/assistant professor up to 25% maximum) and research areas consistent with the training objectives. • Members of Doctoral Boards: reported publications at an international level in the different doctoral research areas (mainly, in the last five years….) • Strong emphasis on members’ “A” publications • ANVUR journal rating “not always” coincides with the academia journal rating • Average number of scholarships: 4 to 6 for each course.

17. PhD Reform 2013: PhD courses qualifications – a.a. 2014-2015 (2/2) • Sufficient and adequate available funds to financially support scholarship and research activities during the PhD courses. • Certified and specific equipments for study and research activities of PhD candidates (e.g., scientific laboratory, library, data base, Scopus, ISI, etc.). • Training and learning activities, languages and IT improvement courses.

18. New and “converted” courses Reform 2013

20. PhDs Job placement in Italy (2009) Source: ISTAT Report - 2010

21. PhDs Job placement in Italy (2009) Source: ISTAT Report - 2010

22. PhDs employed by position (2009) % Source: ISTAT Report - 2010

23. PhDs Satisfaction (2009) Source: ISTAT Report - 2010

24. PhDs working abroad by Area (2009) Source: ISTAT Report - 2010

25. Conclusions and future trends (1/3) • The PhD candidate in Italy is still the “ugly duckling”! • There is the immediate need to recognize the PhD candidate as an effective “worker” and not just a figure “stuck at a crossroads” between “student” and “worker”; • UE good practices consider PhD “student” as a “researcher in the making”, expert and professional in the University according to the European Charter for Researchers.; • UE requires that PhD students, Italian as well, must be hired by an employment contract, thus not maintaining only a “student status”.

26. Conclusions and future trends (2/3) • The Italian University System is fated to collapse, if the Italian Government will not invest more funds to bear and develop research activities and the University system as a whole. • Shifting of “paradigm” from prior erroneous view «One can’t eat by culture. One doesn’t live of culture, I’m gonna go to the buvette to get a sandwich and starting off with “The Divine Comedy”» (Tremonti, Minister of Treasury, Statement, fall 2010).

27. Conclusions and future trends (3/3) ….. If Italy does not invest on research and education…

28. So…. What is Italian Government going to do? Time is over!!!