Doctorate in Liturgy

1. Pupils who have completed all the examinations and taken the Licence thesis interview with an overall final grade of not less than 9/10 points are enrolled in Cycle III. The aim of Cycle III is to provide the Candidate with a personalised programme and the opportunity to create a solid foundation for the Doctoral Thesis.

2. The programme includes a seminar in the first semester and two (2) courses of your choice in the second semester, among those offered in the current academic year that have not already been supported and in agreement with the Dean.

3. For this reason, the Candidate, after having discussed and chosen with the Moderator the theme of the Doctoral thesis and the area in which this theme is located, shall present the Written Proposal for the Third Cycle to the Dean, which must contain three essential elements:
a. the description of the theme of the the thesis,
b. the configuration of the area,
c. the bibliography for the study of the area (no less than 15 titles).
 The Headmaster with his Council, having seen the written Proposal for the III Cycle, appoints the Lauream Commission, composed of the Moderator, a First Censor and a third Professor who could become Second Censor, once the III Cycle of the Candidate is concluded.

4. The Lauream Committee, convened and presided over by the Headmaster or his delegate, if the cultural characteristics of the written Proposal for the III Cycle are judged satisfactory, approves it and establishes the courses that the Candidate will have to attend with a final exam (the comparative liturgy course is always obligatory for everyone) and the languages that he will eventually have to learn. The Candidate, therefore, in the course of the year for the III Cycle, must:
a. attend the doctoral seminar (with final examination),
b. to attend any other courses at PIL or in other faculties also of other Universities (with final exam),
c. learn any assigned languages (with a learning testimony),
d. read the bibliography of the Proposal,
e. draft a written paper, not less than 50 pp. and not more than 100 pp., under the supervision of the Moderator and the First Censor.

5. At the end of the year for the Third Cycle, the Candidate must have successfully completed the courses assigned to him/her, demonstrate knowledge of any foreign languages indicated to him/her, read the bibliography and completed the written paper. Within two months from the delivery of the written paper, the Lauream Commission, convened by the Moderator, establishes the point of the paper as the theme for the Lectio coram. The date of the Lectio is established by the Dean, who will personally (or through his delegate) communicate the point of the paper 72 hours before the day of the Lectio. The Lectio is to be given in front of the Lauream Commission, presided over by the Dean or his delegate, and does not last more than 45 minutes. The discussion between the members of the Commission and the candidate follows for another 45'. The total duration of the examination is 90'.

6. After the discussion, the Commission withdraws, assesses the result of the three tests (the paper, the Lectio and the discussion) and expresses the judgement of suitability of the Candidate for the Doctoral Thesis. This judgement is immediately communicated to the Candidate by the Dean together with the Lauream Committee (which thus closes its task). From this moment on, the Candidate can deliver the Thesis Proposal (Thesis outline, Bibliography, Methodology and Research Purpose) to the Dean who, with his Council, will give a favourable opinion. Moderator and First Censor are the same who composed the Lauream Commission. At the delivery of the Doctoral Thesis, the Dean and his Council appoint the second Censor (who may also be the third professor of the Commission).

7. All the students who have started the Licentiate course since the academic year 1999-2000 belong to the new Third Cycle system.

8. Students who, having attended and passed the exams of all the prescribed courses, wish to submit their doctoral thesis after the end of the III Cycle, are required to enrol as out-of-course students (see the list of "School Fees").