STUDY PLAN FOR THE PhD PROGRAMME IN INTER-DISCIPLINARY CHILD RESEARCH
The study plan is founded on the Regulations concerning the philosophiae doctor degree (PhD) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), passed by the Board of NTNU on 22 May 2003. The study plan for the PhD Programme in Inter-Disciplinary Child Research for the 2007/2008 academic year was authorized by the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management on 5 February 2007.
The PhD Regulations as well as internal faculty procedures and administrative guidelines that are common to the Faculty’s Study Programmes are to be found on the Faculty’s web pages on research.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAMME (§ 2 in PhD Regulations) The PhD Programme in Inter-Disciplinary Child Research is prescribed as 180 credits (3 years). The final course plan for the PhD Programme is to be shaped in joint consultation between candidate, supervisor and NOSEB depending on the thesis area of research and the candidate’s individual requirements and wishes.
Objective for the PhD Programme in Inter-Disciplinary Child Research The PhD Programme in Inter-Disciplinary Child Research aims to develop the candidate’s qualifications in work that requires an advanced degree of scientific expertise. The most important element of the Programme is an independent piece of research achieving an advanced scientific standard. The candidate is to complete training which is to complement work with the thesis, as well as contributing to the necessary academic requirements. The Programme is to provide the basis for an independent, creative and critical perception of one’s own and others’ research, as well as providing practice in communicating research results in academic and other forums.
ADMISSION (§ 5 in Regulations) The applicant must have a master’s degree or equivalent education within the fields of the Social Sciences or the Humanities.
Applicants from other faculties of relevance to child research may also be considered for admission.
The applicant must have a weighed average grade of master’s or equivalent education with a grade of B or higher. Applicants who are unable to meet these criteria may only be admitted if they can document that they are suitable candidates for education leading to a PhD degree.
Closing dates for application The closing dates for application to the PhD Programme in Inter-Disciplinary Child Research are May 15th and November 15th.
Application Applications for admission are to be made on the application form which is to be found on the the Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management’s website. It is preferred that the PhD plan, including the project description, is composed in consultation with the main supervisor. The application is to be sent to the Department where the candidate and supervisor are connected.
Admission procedure The Faculty will consider applications for admission on recommendation from NOSEB/Doctoral Committee.
The Faculty from where the candidate is to receive her/his main supervision or is affiliated, will consider the application after assessment made by the Department concerned and subsequently the recommendation made by the Programme Committee.
Procedures for admission and the follow-up of incomplete applications are described in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management’s website.
Decision of admission The decision concerning admission is based on a collective evaluation of the application. Admission to a PhD Programme is formalised by a written contract, in accordance with § 6 of the Regulations concerning the philosophiae doctor degree (PhD) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
In the case of the number of applicants exceeding the number of places at NOSEB, applicants will be ranked according to academic qualifications, the quality of the project description and its relevance in relation to NOSEB’s academic field of priority.
PhD PLAN (§ 5.2 in Regulations) The project description is to give an account of which issues are being considered, approaches to problems, as well as the choice of theory and method. The description of the research project is normally to be between 5 and 10 pages.
FUNDING PLAN (§ 5.2 in Regulations) For applicants who are not fully funded through scholarship schemes, it is normally required that 50 % of working hours during participation in the PhD Programme can be used for study, and that a minimum of 1 year can be allocated to full time studies.
SUPERVISION (§§ 5.2 and 8 in Regulations) Work on the PhD thesis constitutes active research under supervision. The supervisor’s total use of time supervising is stipulated to 210 working hours for the entire period. This is equivalent to approx. 70 working hours per year for 3 years. In addition to the contact period stated between candidate and supervisor, this includes preparation, reading, complementary work etc. If a supplementary supervisor is appointed, the number of working hours must be divided between the principal and supplementary supervisor.
Procedures for the appointment and changing of supervisor(s) is described on the Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management’s website.
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT (§§ 5.2 and 7.2 in Regulations) A plan for the meeting of residency requirements is to be presented in the application and in the agreement on supervision. In certain instances, NOSEB may grant dispensation from the residency requirements.
PARTICIPATION IN ACTIVE RESEARCH GROUPS IN NORWAY AND INTERNATIONALLY (§§ 4 and 5.2 in Regulations) Candidates are encouraged to participate in these milieus in order to establish and make use of the contacts with acknowledged researchers nationally and internationally.
ACADEMIC DISSEMINATION (§§ 2.4 and 5.2 in Regulations) All candidates must present their PhD project at conferences, research courses and research seminars at NOSEB.
REPORTING (§ 9 in Regulations) The candidate and supervisor are to deliver separate annual reports on progress, in accordance with § 9 of Regulations concerning the philosophiae doctor degree (PhD) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Procedures for submission and processing of candidate and supervisor reports are to be found on the Faculty’s website.
ORGANIZED ACADEMIC TRAINING (§ 7.3 in Regulations) Objective of organized academic training component
The organized academic training has a prescribed duration of one semester’s full time work. The organized academic training is to complement the work with the thesis, as well as provide scientific and methodological training, so the candidate develops an individual and mature relationship to one’s own and others’ research, and the role of research in a larger context.
Structure and implementation The candidate is to state in her/his application, a plan for the organized academic training component in consultation with the supervisor(s). It is recommended that the organized academic training is completed at an early stage of the Programme. The candidate is responsible for signing up for evaluation in courses within the given deadlines. External courses/subjects that are to be a part of the organized academic training must be approved by NOSEB, in accordance with existing guidelines. Procedures concerning the signing up for courses and approving of external courses/subjects, are described in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management’s website.
The organized academic training component must cover at least 30 credits in total. An application concerning changes in the original approved plan for the organized academic training component is decided by NOSEB on the recommendation of the supervisor.
The organized academic training component consists of three elements:
NOSEB offers lectures in four PhD courses, each 10 credits: BARN8101 Social studies of children and childhood: Research perspectives, BARN8102 Children’s rights, BARN8200 Methodology in child and childhood research, BARN8300 Children and development in the South and BARN8500 Historical Perspectives on Childhood.
In addition, NOSEB offers PhD courses in Child Research at regular intervals, amongst these courses affiliated with larger externally financed research projects.
The Faculty approves each individual plan for the organized academic training component on the recommendation of the supervisor and NOSEB.
THESIS (§ 7.4 in Regulations) Requirements for the thesis and rules for evaluation are given in Regulations concerning the philosophiae doctor degree (PhD) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
If the thesis consists of a number of smaller pieces of work (normally 4-5 articles/chapters in a book), the candidate must be the sole or main author of at least half of them.
FINALIZATION Procedures for submission, appointment of an evaluation committee, the committee’s report and assessment of the thesis, revision for new assessment, trial lecture and public defence, as well as conferment of the PhD degree are described in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management’s website.
