The PhD Program in Education in the Contemporary Society (ESC), established with this name in the a.y. 2017/2018 (XXXIII cycle), and until the XXXII cycle called PhD Program in Education and Communication Sciences, has as its research object the educational challenges posed by the transformations taking place in contemporary life.

Research in this field involves multiple disciplines and methods: the PhD Program is configured as a course of advanced training that prepares researchers capable of analysing formative, educational, didactic and learning processes, interpreting the challenges and transformations of these processes, offering theoretically, empirically and epistemologically grounded answers and solutions.

Contact: dottorato.educazione@unimib.it

Video presentation of the ESC PhD Program made by doctoral students

CAPTED-NEXT is composed of research fellows and PhD students engaged in research topics fundamental to the mission of the CAPTED Departmental Research Center. The group is based on collaboration and intergenerational dialogue, exemplifying the Center's commitment to building an interdisciplinary scientific community based on peer-education processes, aimed at giving young researchers the opportunity to significantly contribute to the debate on the socio-educational and cultural implications of the digital transition.

ESCILO, the internal newsletter dedicated to doctoral students in Education in the Contemporary Society (ESC), is designed to reflect the diversity, strengths and shared goals of doctoral students, contributing to the creation of an authentic research community. ESCILO is produced and maintained autonomously by ESC Doctoral Students.

What is ESCILO?

ESCILO is designed to keep all doctoral students informed, connected and engaged with key updates, opportunities and resources that are relevant to their academic journey in the ESC programme. Each issue will therefore be packed with important information on upcoming events, recent events, research resources (e.g. reading recommendations) and potential collaboration opportunities within our network.

Why ESCILO?

ESCILO's goal is to make it easier for all PhD students to access information that can support their academic and professional development, while promoting a more collaborative environment in a horizontal sense. Whether sharing calls for papers/interest, upcoming conferences, potential funding sources or interesting articles/books, it is hoped that ESCILO will become a valuable resource and a space to share insights and ideas.

To promote the development of skills in the conception and design of scientific initiatives, ESC encourages doctoral students to organise thematic seminars or symposia.

P2P reflective meetings are peer-to-peer exchanges and discussions within each ESC doctoral cycle, facilitated by an ESC alumnus. The meetings aim to promote peer-to-peer exchange and scholarly interaction with a view to building a research community, fostering the autonomy of ESC students and protecting their well-being.

Normally there are at least three peer-to-peer reflective meetings per year, for each doctoral cycle. The dates of the meetings can be found in the Didactic Calendar.

Peer-to-peer meetings were introduced for the first time in 2024, in response to the need expressed by doctoral students to have moments of exchange divided by cycle, in order to consolidate exchange processes and fruitful crossovers between different research projects.

Three meetings per year are compulsory for all PhD students in active cycles (years I, II, III). One week before each monitoring meeting, each student is required to fill in an online questionnaire (intermediate evaluation) to update the coordination group on the progress of research, teaching, mobility, publications, etc. The form also requires the uploading of the abstract (in English) of your research project, following a shared format.

The dates of the monitoring meetings are visible on the teaching calendar.

The ESC Doctorate trains doctoral students for academic careers and roles in public and private enterprises, combining research and innovation in a lifelong learning perspective. Doctoral students develop transversal, analytical and design skills to apply research in educational, school, social and business contexts, with roles ranging from research and innovation to consultancy, coordination and project management. To this end, the ESC actively collaborates with public and private companies, resulting in doctoral projects in collaboration with companies, in high apprenticeship and PNRR co-funded. The latter in particular combine the objectives of the ESC doctorate with those of the PNRR, with a view to promoting sustainable environmental, digital and social transitions.

Ongoing collaborations since the 37th cycle of ESC PhD

The public and private companies with which the ESC Doctorate has collaborated since the 37th cycle are:

• Alpha-1 Foundation (Kids Program)
• Associazione Centro Iniziativa Democratica degli Insegnanti (CIDI) - Milano
• Associazione L’abilità Onlus
• Casa di Riposo Fondazione Fratelli Enrico e Antonio Nobili Onlus - Viganò Brianza
• Comune di Torino - Servizi educativi
• Il Cardo cooperativa sociale
• La Vecchia Quercia cooperativa sociale
• Fondazione Accademia Carrara - Bergamo
• Fondazione AVSI
• Gruppo Spaggiari Parma - Rivista Bambini
• INDIRE - Istituto Nazionale Documentazione Innovazione Ricerca Educativa
• Itinerari Paralleli impresa sociale SRL
• ONG Nove - Caring Humans Onlus
• Operari SRL
• PNRR MUSA
• PNRR Partenariato esteso
• PRO.GES. cooperativa sociale
• Roha
• SOS Villaggi dei bambini Italia Onlus
• Specchio Magico cooperativa Onlus
• UNHCR Niger

The Department of Human Sciences for Education “Riccardo Massa” was established in 1999 by Riccardo Massa, a distinguished educator and philosopher of education. From its inception, the Department has been characterized by its multidisciplinary approach.

Education and training, in their many forms, constitute the core focus of the Department’s research, teaching, and third mission activities. These complex phenomena require a multidisciplinary lens to ensure a nuanced understanding that avoids oversimplification. This approach integrates different disciplines, scientific traditions, and epistemological perspectives.

This complexity is reflected in the diverse research areas within the Department, spanning traditional “educational sciences” – including pedagogy, psychology, philosophy, and sociology – as well as anthropology, geography, history, Italian literature, linguistics, Arabic and Oriental languages, organizational studies, and select artistic disciplines. Here the human sciences critically engage with educational and formative phenomena, exploring their cultural, social, historical, pedagogical, material, organizational, and expressive dimensions from multiple angles.

The aim is to foster not only a multidisciplinary context but also an interdisciplinary one, as highlighted by the Excellence project 2023–2027 of the Department. The Department’s long-term goal is to enhance and support dialogue among disciplines, constructing a knowledge base “for” education and training. This knowledge serves both the professional profiles developed through the Department's academic programs and the broader community, offering critically aware research and sophisticated tools for intervention across various sectors, including schools, the third sector (e.g., associations, educational, social, and healthcare services), and businesses, at both national and international levels.

The Department's complexity is also evident in its size (as of December 2023: 100 faculty members and researchers, 18 research fellows, and 110 doctoral scholarships) and in its mission areas:

• Teaching
• Research
• Third Mission

In addition, the Department offers three PhD programs:  

• Cultural and Social Anthropology  
• Education in Contemporary Society  
• Intangible Heritage in Socio-Cultural Innovation  

These are complemented by a range of other Postgraduate programmes and training activities.