- Course code: PHD950
- Credits: 150
- Language: English
Study program affiliation:
PhD Thesis PHD950
Three years (180 ECTS) is the nominal length of work for PHD950, which results in the PhD thesis. The thesis may be a monograph, or consist of several shorter works / articles that are introduced by an extensive introduction that demonstrates the connection between the different works and relate them to an overarching problem or thesis.
The aim of the seminars in this part is to strengthen the quality of the Candidate's research and to provide encouragement and correction Participation in research seminars where one's own and other Candidate's work are discussed, and discussions with an assigned supervisor are mandatory.
PREREQUISITES
To submit the PhD thesis, the Candidate must have passed the required courses within the PhD program (30 ECTS).
COURSE AND TEACHING ACTIVITIES
PhD thesis research seminars are usually scheduled over two days, at the end of April and the beginning of December. Here, papers and PhD projects are discussed in a larger group of PhD students and professors, some of them from other universities. Every second or third year, the seminars are arranged as national PhD thesis research seminars with international lecturers and respondents.
MODES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING
The seminars consist of presentations and responses to papers: The student presents his/her own paper (approx 15 pages), and a professor will act as the main respondent. One fellow PhD student acts as co-respondent and the rest of the seminar group participates and contributes to the discussion. Supervisor(s) are invited to be present, but should not act as main respondents to students they supervise.
Presentation of one's own research and/or responses to other's work given at another university or university college may count as equivalent to attending these seminars..
The main objective of the PhD thesis research seminars is how to design and present a PhD thesis. The student will also learn to act as a respondent, to take part, and to contribute to the discussion in general. The research seminars focus on:
- the development of the PhD research question(s) and its basis in the theory of research
- strategy and design of the PhD project research
- writing the introduction and conclusion chapters, as well as how to do a good analysis of materials.
- the argumentation through the PhD project and PhD thesis, leading to its conclusions, including a description of the relationship between descriptive and normative evaluation
- questions of research ethics
Study requirements
The PhD student shall
- regularly attend seminars and research groups to get a good knowledge of the research community and its working styles.
- present their own written paper at four or more PhD research seminars or in a research group related to their discipline. The paper should typically include a table of contents/plan for the thesis and be introduced orally
- act as a respondent to three other papers in similar seminars or groups
- take part in the evaluation of seminars related to the program, if the seminar is subject to evaluation that term
Final assessment/Exam
Before the submission for the final assessment of the thesis by the evaluation committee, the candidate must complete all other coursework in the program.
PHD950 is passed on the basis of the submitted and approved thesis, as well as an approved trial lecture and a successful public defense of the thesis.
Learning outcome
After having completed the program, the candidate has acquired the
Competence
- to carry out independent research at an international level with the relevant methods, material, and theory and defend the results in a public disputation in which established scholars participate
- to develop and design research projects at an international level
Skills
- the ability to participate in the international scholarly community with their competence and share insights and results with it
- to teach about the research they have conducted and supervise others during a research process
General competence
- to communicate research to peers and the general public and participate in discussions about scholarly topics
Course responsible
