The School is characterized by both common teaching activities and courses specific for each curriculum. Each curriculum organizes 1-2 courses  every year, but each student has the possibility to attend courses belonging to other curricula. In this way, each student will have the possibility of choosing among 6-12 courses every year.

Journal Club activities are organized by the curricula and all the students have to critically present in English a recent paper, once a year. In addition, several seminars on specific subjects are organized that take place at the Vallisneri building. Scientific seminars organized by Departments external to the Vallisneri implement the already wide panel of the internal ones. At the end of each year, every student presents in English a brief summary of his/her research activity to the tutor, the PhD school board and to an external reviewer for approval.

Original research results should be presented in the PhD thesis at the end of the third year and, after receiving a positive evaluation by the School Collegiate, discussed in front of a Committee composed by Italian and foreign experts on the thesis topic. The thesis has to be written in English.