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PhD programme in Culture and Social Sciences - Supplementary regulations to the Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD)
This is a translation. The Norwegian version is the official one.
Adopted by the board of the Faculty of Social Sciences on 12.06.2006 (Doculive: 200600493-10) in accordance with the Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University of Tromsø, last amended on 23.04.2007 (Doculive: 200600493-21) and on 03.03.2008 (Doculive: 200600493-24).
Point 1: Applicability (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 1)
The doctoral degree programme at the Faculty of Social Sciences aims to culminate in the awarding of a PhD in Culture and Social Sciences within one of the following nine fields of study – each with its own curriculum:
The fields of study were adopted by the University Board on 06.11.2003 (Doculive: 200204846-44)
Point 2: Objective (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 2)
The objectives of the PhD programme in Culture and Social Science is that the candidate shall complete an individual piece of research on a specific field and a scientific dissertation of a high academic level. In addition, the doctoral candidate shall receive advanced instruction on theory and methodology, which provides the necessary academic breadth and insight and sets the discipline in a wider context. The candidate shall also receive training in the dissemination of scientific work.
Point 3: Responsibility for the doctoral degree programme (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 3)
The PhD programme in Culture and Social Sciences is adopted by the faculty board and provided supplementary regulations to the regulations.
Point 4: Contents of the doctoral degree programme (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 4)
The PhD degree is awarded on the basis of:
- A recognised scientific dissertation and a satisfactory defence thereof in a public disputation
- Approved completion of an approved set of courses or instruction or other approved academic instruction or competence
- One approved trial lecture on a stated topic of 45 minutes’ duration
Additional duties at the faculty may apply for PhD candidates employed as Research Fellows with the university as employer (as a university Research Fellow or an externally financed Research Fellow). The rules relating to these duties for Research Fellow do not form part of the curriculum. However, they are available on application to the faculty and are also published on the faculty’s website.
Point 5: Admission requirements to the PhD programme (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 5)
The final dates for applications to the PhD programme in Culture and Social Sciences are April 1 and October 1. Applications in connection with appointments as a Research Fellow at the Faculty of Social Sciences (as a university Research Fellow or an externally financed Research Fellow) are handled gradually. The final date for applications is two months after the date of commencement.
Applicants generally require an average grade of B (or equivalent) for their Master’s degree in order to be admitted.
The PhD project’s academic character (methodology, perspective and theories) determine which discipline the project belongs to. Applicants shall, therefore, apply to the department into which the PhD project’s academic character falls, regardless of whether the applicant’s Master’s degree is in this discipline. The department receiving the application shall assess the application regardless of whether the discipline is associated with another department.
Applicants must have a documented ability to undertake independent work at a high academic level.
Only candidates with a fully funded scholarship or a full-time scientific position with time for their own research are normally admitted. Exceptions may be made for other applicants, who are able to present a satisfactory funding plan for the programme.
Part-time candidates shall devote a minimum 50 percent of their work time to the PhD programme. In such circumstances, the admission period shall be set at up to six years, but such that the total effective time does not exceed three years.
Point 6: The application (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 6)
Applications must be submitted on the official application form. Applications shall be addressed to: The Faculty of Social Sciences, Breivika, 9037 Tromsø, Norway.
Enclosures
Applications shall normally contain the following enclosures:
- Diploma(s) documenting qualification for admission
- A project description not exceeding 10 pages
- Documentation of funding
Other enclosures may include a CV, confirmation of courses requiring approval within the programme’s instruction component and documentation of other relevant education or work experience.
In the event that the applicant wishes to write his/her dissertation in a language other than those approved in point 17, the applicant must also apply for this when applying for admission to the programme.
Project description
Applicants employed in an elementary position shall normally utilise the same project description for their application for admission to a doctoral degree programme as that assessed for the scholarship application. Other applicants for the doctoral degree programme shall also enclose a separate project description. The project description shall not exceed 10 pages and shall include information on the following points:
- The applicant must document a high level of knowledge in the research area, both nationally and internationally.
- The hypothesis must be formulated clearly with well-defined limits. The applicant must show that the project involves an expansion of existing knowledge and/or that the knowledge provides the basis for continuing research in the field.
- The applicant must show that the proposed theories and methods are well suited to answer the hypothesis or that there are good opportunities to further develop the necessary methods and theories. The applicant must describe the analysis methods, including statistical methods necessary to assess the significance of the research findings.
- Assessments concerning research ethics
- The applicant must show that the project may be completed within a fixed time
Point 7: Admissions Committee (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 7)
Decisions on admission are made by the Doctoral Degree Committee at the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Point 8: Decisions concerning admission (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 8)
Applications are received by the faculty and forwarded to the department. The department in question determines whether the applicant meets the admission requirements, assesses the project plan and recommends academic supervisor(s).
A final decision is made by the faculty’s Doctoral Degree Committee following a recommendation from the department in question.
Point 9: Admission to courses in the instruction component (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 9)
Point 10: The contract (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 10)
The contract should be drawn up and signed as soon as possible after admission.
The Doctoral Degree Committee determines the duration of the doctoral degree programme for the applicant following advice from the relevant department. The decision about the contract period is included in the contract for admission. The faculty, in consultation with the applicant, determines when the contract period shall commence.
Point 11: Right to study (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 11)
Point 12: Leave of absence (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 12)
Point 13: Doctoral degree programme (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 13)
The doctoral degree programme comprises the following elements:
- Instruction component equivalent to one semester (30 credits)
- Work on doctoral dissertation equivalent to two and a half years.
Point 14: Instruction component (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 14)
The aim of the instruction component is to further develop the academic and scientific training the PhD candidate has received earlier in his/her studies. The instruction component shall act as a support to work on the doctoral dissertation, particularly with respect to clarifying the basics hypotheses and the theoretical and methodical questions which arise, and to provide the candidate experience for ongoing academic work.
Courses which form part of the instruction component shall in the main be at PhD level.
Content and dimension
The instruction component comprises two elements, which are collectively equivalent to one semester’s work (30 credits): Theory/methodology (20 credits) and Philosophy of Science (10 credits). Further, there are requirements concerning the dissemination of scientific work.
The curriculum outlines requirements for theory, methodology and dissemination.
Responsibility for implementation
The faculty has the formal responsibility for tuition options within the instruction component.
Courses, course dimension and structure of the various tuition elements shall be expressed in the form of credits and approved by the Doctoral Degree Committee.
The following requirements apply in order for approval of a course yielding 10 credits:
- The course duration must be a minimum three days
- The course must involve a minimum 20 hours tuition, excluding the presentation of papers by course participants
The chairperson of the Doctoral Degree Committee approves courses which do not yield credits following a recommendation from the department. Courses shall normally be assessed after participation and approval of a paper or course report. Other forms of assessment may also be approved.
The instruction component must be approved by the Doctoral Degree Committee prior to the doctoral dissertation being submitted for assessment.
Point 15: Affiliation with a research community (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 15)
Point 16: Equipment (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 16)
Point 17: Dissertation requirements (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 17)
A dissertation shall be an independent piece of academic research which meets international standards in the discipline within which it is written, with respect to the formulation of hypotheses, precise conceptual definition, methodical, theoretical and empirical basis, documentation and style.
The dissertation may be an independent piece of research or a continuation of a Master’s thesis or equivalent. The dissertation may also be a continuation of another piece of scientific work carried out earlier in association with other examinations.
The dissertation can either be a monograph or a collection of several smaller research papers.
A collection of research papers shall normally consist of at least three articles of normal size. Articles with several authors may be a reason to have more than three articles in the collection of research papers. The PhD candidate’s contribution shall be identified and documented. A declaration from the co-authors shall be attached to articles. In the event that the candidate’s documentation is not sufficiently, the committee may request additional information. The PhD candidate must in a separate part of the dissertation not only summarise, but also explain the connection between the hypotheses and conclusions presented in the in various papers in a combined perspective, and in this manner document the connection in the dissertation. The summary must also explain methodology utilised in the dissertation if this is not explained in the respective research papers. The PhD candidate must be the sole author of the dissertation’s summary. If the dissertation contains earlier published articles the summary must have academic updates, in such a way that the dissertation is entirely updated. The summary will normally be between 40 and 60 pages.
The dissertation shall follow the research ethics regulations and conventions for academic quality assurance of research. With articles by several authors the Vancouver conventions shall be followed. In the event of deviation from the Vancouver conventions the reason for it must be described in the declaration from the co-authors describing the independent research contribution of the PhD candidate.
The dissertation shall be written in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, English, German or French. If the candidate wishes to use a language other than the above-mentioned options, he/she must have made an application concerning this at the time of admission (with reference to Point 6).
Point 18: Work that may not be submitted (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 18)
Point 19: Academic supervision (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 19)
For admissions of PhD candidates with their place of work outside the university, the principle academic supervisor must be employed at the department. For PhD candidates with the university as their place of work, the principle academic supervisor may in special circumstances be employed outside the department, but at the University of Tromsø. In such circumstances, an internal co-supervisor shall also be named who can assess the dissertation before it is submitted for assessment.
Point 20: Public availability (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 20)
Point 21: Quality assurance and reporting (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 21)
The Faculty of Social Sciences has formulated a system for quality assurance of the PhD programme in Culture and Social Sciences. This system shall include measures to reveal insufficient progress in doctoral work and inadequacies in academic supervision, as well as routines for handling any such deficiencies that might arise. The PhD candidate and the academic supervisor shall each submit an annual progress report by February 1. With this report as the basis, the head of department shall hold an annual review meeting with the PhD candidate. A quality assurance system for PhD studies at the Faculty of social Sciences has been developed. Visit: http://uit.no/svfak/forskning/10
Point 22: Voluntary termination of contract (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 22)
Point 23: Termination of contract (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 23)
Point 24: Application for assessment for degree (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 24)
An application for assessment of a doctoral dissertation shall be directed to the Faculty of Social Sciences. Five copies of the dissertation in standard form – printed or pdf (electronic) – must accompany the application. The application shall contain documentation of completion and approval of the instruction component of the doctoral degree programme.
If the dissertation is found worthy of public defence, a minimum of 50 additional copies of the dissertation shall be provided. On submission of the doctoral dissertation, the PhD candidate shall submit a brief summary to the university’s Department of Communication to be utilised for preparation of a media release.
Point 25: Appointment of Dissertation Committee (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 25)
The relevant department shall nominate a Dissertation committee comprising minimum three members. Reasoning of the recommendation must be provided. The proposal is then handled by the Doctoral Degree Committee.
Point 26: Withdrawal and reworking (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 26)
Point 27: Obligation to provide information (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 27)
Point 28: Deadlines (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 28)
Point 29: The report of the Dissertation Committee (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 29)
Point 30: Procedure with unanimous committee (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 30)
The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences may approve a committee recommendation that unanimously concludes the dissertation is worthy of public defence. In the event that the Dean finds that an error has been made concerning whether the dissertation is worthy of public defence, the matter shall be handled by the faculty board.
Point 31: Procedure with a non-unanimous committee (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 31)
The PhD candidate shall be informed about the proceedings undertaken by the faculty board or the Dean.
Point 32: Re-submission PhD Regulations (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 32)
Point 33: The trial lecture (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 33)
The candidate shall hold one trial lecture on a given topic.
After the dissertation has been approved for public defence, but before such public defence, the PhD candidates shall hold a trial lecture. The trial lecture shall be assessed both on the academic content and the PhD candidate’s ability to disseminate information. The aim of the trial lecture is that the PhD candidate shall document his/her ability to disseminate research-based knowledge.
Point 34: Defending the dissertation (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 34)
The defence shall be led by the Dean/University College Rector or his/her representative. The leader of the defence shall give a brief presentation of the procedure completed thus far, including submission of the dissertation, the Committee report and the trial lecture. The first opposing speaker explains the objective and the findings of the scientific research, and commences the discussion. The second opposing speaker concludes the defence.
Point 35: Awarding the degree, diploma and transcript (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 35)
Point 36: Appeal of application and admission proceedings (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 36)
Point 37: Appeal of decision regarding approval of courses and instruction (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 37)
Point 38: Appeal of decision regarding application for assessment or non-approval of dissertation, trial lecture or defence (with reference to PhD Regulations Section 38)
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