PhD Studies
At the Faculty of Social Sciences you can get a PhD degree in thirteen different disciplines!
PhD studies are the highest formal education available. It provides training to become independent and critically minded researchers, and prepares for work with research and development issues inside or outside the university.
A PhD involves a total of four years of full-time study, forming a total of 240 ECTS credits. A programme consists of both courses and thesis, of which the doctoral thesis is to account for at least 120 credits.
Admitted PhD Candidates normally get a salaried position as doctoral candidate (doktorandtjänst). This means that they will be employed as staff members and will get a salary whilst undertaking the PhD studies. In return the doctoral candidate provides some departmental and teaching duties, but no more than 20% of a full-time position.
All vacant positions for PhD candidates are publicly announced. Applications are accepted only following a vacancy announcement.
Vacancies for docotoral students at Lund university
Admission
Admission to the PhD programme requires one year of studies at the advanced level, and normally a total of three semesters of study of the discipline in question, including a half-semester thesis.
The application procedures vary from one department to another. For details and for application instructions, follow the links to the subjects.
The PhD programmes start in September. In October each year there is a common introduction during two days for newly admitted PhD candidates at the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Thesis work and courses
The doctoral thesis should be based on independent research and should be of a high scholarly standard. The thesis can take the form of a monograph or a compilation thesis in which different articles are gathered, together with a summarising chapter.
All PhD candidates will be appointed a main supervisor and an assistant supervisor. The main supervisor and the assistant supervisor have the task of helping the doctoral candidate move the work forward from the idea stage to the finalised manuscript.
The course component includes methodology courses as well as thematic courses, chosen for their relevance to the thesis work. Courses are offered both at the departments and at faculty level. PhD candidates are also encouraged to take courses at other universities, in Sweden or abroad.
Faculty PhD-courses
The Ph D Candidate as a Teacher and as a Researcher
As a doctoral candidate you are also part of the department’s group of lecturers and will be teaching and taking care of administrative tasks. The director of studies at the department will consult with you early on to find out where your teaching interests lie. Before you are given any tasks as an educator, you will be given a chance to go on a course equivalent to at least two weeks’ training in teaching and learning in higher education.
The departments’ researchers gather regularly to discuss and comment on one another’s production, or to listen to invited speakers. PhD candidates are expected to participate in the seminar activity as much as possible in order to enrich the research environment.
Last modified11 Mar 2013