The specificity of the themes and study paths in Architectural Composition is aimed at investigating the links between thinking and making the project, analyzed within the structural relations between landscape, the city, and the architectural work. The PhD programme looks with particular interest at the "city of the present," viewed — in light of the Venice School’s distinctive tradition of urban studies — as a privileged site for the critical observation of the processes through which built space is transformed.  
For the field of composition, it is central to assume specific architectural works and projects as privileged objects of research, particularly those in which a theoretical dimension of an authorial nature is evident. Through this authorial dimension, architecture brings the theme of responsibility in the compositional act back to the center of its reflection.
In this framework, architectural composition is understood as a discipline aimed at the study and research of the principles and rules underlying design invention. From this perspective, the project is regarded as a specific form of knowledge production: not the application of external or predetermined knowledge, but the domain in which theoretical, historical, and constructive questions are interrogated and reformulated through the analysis of the design process.

To make meaningful progress in the investigation of these compositional principles and rules, it is necessary to conduct a critical analysis of the primary sources and documents of the design process being researched. The enhancement and interpretation of this heritage also rely on the conscious use of tools for critical reflection and representational practices, understood as an integral part of the cognitive process.
In compositional analysis, great importance is attached to the concepts of character and appropriateness, along with the speculative notions of figure, icon, myth, and symbol. These notions make it possible to integrate the historical, typological, morphological, and technical dimensions of architecture and to develop an interpretation of its poetic and emotional qualities, considering the narrative, spatial, figurative, iconic, and symbolic dimensions of architectural invention.

Regarding the practical tools of representation, compositional research presupposes the use of critical redrawing as an instrument of inquiry, essential for reconstructing and visualizing compositional concepts and techniques. Alongside redrawing, the construction of three-dimensional models and the identification of specific representational techniques — capable of making the character of the research object explicit — also play a significant analytical role. These practices are consistently accompanied by observations and critical reflections aimed at situating the analysis within its cultural context.
Research into the compositional principles and techniques of architectural work also implies the ability to bring to light forms and gestures laden with memory and meaning. For this reason, the transmissibility of concepts, principles, forms, values, and techniques plays a central role in disciplinary research.

In its essential aspects, compositional research requires the integration of logical and analytical thought with an understanding of the structures of the imagination. The privileged point of reference for research in this field remains the European traditional sphere of extraordinary historical and theoretical density-placed in comparative dialogue with the experiences of the Mediterranean and Latin America.

The PhD programme, which lasts three years, is structured to accompany doctoral students progressively in the definition, development, and refinement of their research. Throughout each year of the programme, doctoral students present three progress reviews and take part in regular meetings with supervisors and tutors. During the first and second years, research activities may also be carried out at universities or research centers, in Italy or abroad, provided that they are consistent with the doctoral research project.

• The first year is devoted to defining the research topic, establishing the theoretical framework, and initiating analytical work. Admission to the following year is based on the submission and defense of the results achieved.
• The second year is devoted to the further development of the research, with particular attention to its analytical and critical framework and to experimentation with the compositional tools identified. Admission to the third year is subject to evaluating the results achieved and the activities carried out.
• The third year is devoted to the completion and finalization of the doctoral thesis. The Scientific Committee of the field assesses the regularity and quality of the activities carried out over the three-year period, including participation in seminars, conferences, research activities, and disciplinary exchange, and proposes the candidate’s admission to the external evaluation of the thesis prior to the final examination.

Each year, the programme also includes theoretical seminars and conferences on topics relevant to the field, as well as seminar activities devoted to design discussion and critique. These form an integral part of doctoral training and provide opportunities to explore the relationship between theoretical research and design practice in urban and architectural contexts of particular relevance to the modern and contemporary condition.

Overall, The PhD programme aims to provide doctoral students with the necessary skill and knowledge to conduct independent and original research in the field of urban and architectural studies, contributing to the advancement of knowledge in this area.