Soft skills for PhD students

Scientific research and today's highly specialised job market require not only the subject-specific skills typically taught during a three-year doctoral programme, but also technical and interpersonal skills.

The University of Milan offers a wide range of soft-skills courses, from stand-alone modules to cycles of lectures. These courses are designed to enhance understanding of research results exploitation mechanisms, intellectual property protection, and the ethical implications of research. Additionally, they aim to facilitate participation in European funding programmes. Soft-skills courses are common to all doctoral programmes and offer a valuable chance to develop and apply versatile skills to diverse professional settings, ranging from research and teaching to the third sector.

Doctoral students are required to complete 72 hours of soft skills courses within three years. Soft skills courses are open to doctoral students from all disciplines. The course catalogue includes courses offered by the 4EU+ Alliance.

Starting in 2024, a Skills Week has been implemented, allowing participants to complete the recommended number of hours per year (approximately 24 hours) in just one week. Every year, the University organises three Skills Weeks. Students are required to attend only one Skills Week per year.
The Skills Week organised in June/July is held in English.

All the information regarding soft skills courses taught in 2025 will be published here in the coming weeks. The first Skills Week is scheduled for the end of February.