The Phd is a postgraduate academic degree corresponding to the third cycle (and highest level) of higher education. It was introduced in the Italian university system in 1980. Since 2013 ANVUR verifies that PhD courses meet specific requirements by using indicators established ex ante focusing on the quality of the PhD Steering Committee and of the Scientific Coordinator, the teaching activities, the financial sustainability, the availability of scholarships, the research infrastructures and the overall coherence of the research project.
The Post-graduate Schools confer the title of “specialista”, which is a precondition for obtaining the licence to practice professional activities in several sectors (such as medicine). Medical Programmes represent a special kind of Post-graduate Schools. Following the new system of accreditation introduced in 2017 in the health field, ANVUR has the task of assessing the quality of the Schools’ Steering Committee on the basis of quality indicators.
The Institutes for the training of psychotherapists, to which graduates in Psyhcology or Medicine can access, issue diplomas equivalent to those issued by -Universities. The Ministerial Decree no. 509/1998 assigns to ANVUR the task of assessing the adequacy of facilities, equipment and resources of teaching staff.