The CM courses are structured in three terms, as detailed below. You can check the weekly schedule along with the seminars here.

The total number of required credits is 34. Attending the lectures of all basic courses of Term 1 is strongly suggested. In order to be admitted to the second year, students must obtain an average mark of 27/30 or better, and a minimum mark of 24/30 in every exam. Students are expected to start their research activity during the Spring of their first year, and a progress report is scheduled in the Fall of the second academic year. 

Term 1 (October-December): contains the CM basic courses, split into smaller modules for a larger flexibility. Each of the courses usually requires a series of small standard problems which should be solved by the students enrolled in the course, with a suitable deadline (for instance, mid January): as an alternative, students might opt for an oral final exam for the course. In case a student has already a reasonable knowledge on the material covered in one of the courses, he can ask for an ad-hoc assignment from the course instructor. (Go to the courses)

Term 2 (January-February): is dedicated to guided “hands-on” problem solving: several assignments will be handed out to the students during the Christmas break, which are supposed to give a first-hand experience on some condensed matter problems and a more in-dept view of the basic theory covered in the first term. All the staff members will propose problem assignments, tutoring the students who decide to take that assignment. Each completed assignment is worth 3 credits (or more, if necessary). Students are encouraged to collaborate in small groups (2-3 persons) on the same assignment. It is foreseen that in the time-span of two months, each student might complete 2 assignments (hence at least 6 credits). (Go to the courses)

Term 3 (March-May): contains a number of advanced courses offered to the students, with different number of credits. These courses are supposed to introduce the students to the research they would like to do, getting a more detailed training on a particular field of interest. (Go to the courses)