PhD course of study at the Faculty of Science and Technology

Here are some abbreviations that are commonly used at the Faculty of Science and Technology in communication with PhD candidates:

• DUTN = Doctoral Committee at the Faculty of Science and Technology (Doktorgradsutvalget ved Det teknisk-naturvitenskapelige fakultet)
• FS = Felles Studentsystem
• KD = Ministry of Education and Research (Kunnskapsdepartementet)
• NFR = The Research Council of Norway (Norges forskningsråd)
• TekNat and TN = Faculty of Science and Technology (Det teknisk-naturvitenskapelige fakultet)

The purpose of this Agreement is to ensure the completion of PhD education and regulate the rights and obligations of the parties within the framework of laws, regulations and admission decisions, cf. section 2-3 of the Regulations for the Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) degree at the University of Stavanger ("PhD Regulations")

All candidates admitted to the PhD programme in Science and Technology should within 3 months of starting their studies submit a detailed project proposal to the Doctoral Committee at the faculty (DUTN). The proposal should be written using the given template (see below) and be submitted to the PhD administration by email phdtn@uis.no. The administration will forward the project proposal to DUTN for approval. DUTN has regular meetings where they review the received project descriptions.

The plan should contain the following in order to be approved:

• Project title (i.e. working title)
• Candidate name
• Main supervisor
• Co-supervisor(s)
• PhD period (+ funding if external)
• Project background and methods (3-5 pages)
• Progress plan including planned publications and / or presentations
• PhD courses (30 ECTS credits) and study plan, including mobility if applicable, in a Gantt chart
• Risk assessment of the project
• References
• PhD candidate’s and supervisors’ signatures

Project descriptions that are not approved by DUTN are sent back to the candidate and supervisors for revision and re-submission within a new given deadline.

All PhD candidates should be registered in FS. FS registration is required for Studentweb and Canvas access (the LMS system used at UiS) as well as any course and exam enrolments. In order to be added to FS you need to have a Norwegian national ID number, as this is what FS uses as its primary key. Unfortunately, temporary ID-numbers are not accepted. Registration in FS is done after the ABC-agreements are received by the administration.

An overview of all the PhD courses offered at the Faculty of Science and Technology can be found here: https://www.uis.no/en/phd-programmes/courses-phd-in-science-and-technology

Studentweb is the study administration portal used at most higher education institutes in Norway. It allows users to register for courses and exams, view their grades, order grade transcripts and answer questionnaires. It also shows users what information UiS has registered about them in FS and allows them to update this information. Results from courses taken at other higher education institutes in Norway are also visible in Studentweb.

All PhD candidates who have been on the PhD programme longer than 3 months are required by the Regulations for the Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) degree at the University of Stavanger to report their study progress annually. Progress reporting is part of the quality assurance system for the PhD education at UiS.

The progress report is based on the approved PhD project description, and should state any deviations from the plan, including changes in funding, coursework, publication plans, study abroad, possible delays and other factors that might affect the progress of the project.

The reporting is done through a form in Studentweb. The report asks questions about deviations from the project plan, coursework, publication plans, study abroad, possible delays and other factors that might affect the progress of the project. All reporting candidates will receive an email from the administration when the report is ready for access in Studentweb.

The committee will review the submitted reports and inquire about lacking or inadequate reports. In those cases where the progress is too slow in relation to the approved work plan, and this is not due to a legitimate leave of absence from the programme, the doctoral committee, in cooperation with the Head of Department, will seek to identify measures to improve progress. The PhD candidate, the Head of Department and/or supervisor will actively participate in this process.

A lack of, or inadequate, progress reports from the candidate can result in involuntary termination of the candidate’s participation in the doctoral programme, prior to expiry of the period of admission, c.f. § 2-7.

All PhD candidates are required by the Regulations for the Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) degree at the University of Stavanger to have a midterm evaluation during their course of study. The evaluation is conducted either in the third or fourth semester of study and is based on the approved PhD project description. The candidate will present their work for assessment by an evaluation team, consisting of at least two persons appointed by DUTN. The PhD coordinator sends out the invite to the midterm evaluation.

The candidate should normally spend at least three months of study time at a recognised foreign education or research institution where it is possible to work with the research question in the thesis. A stay at an equivalent Norwegian educational or research institution may replace studying abroad if this is deemed to be academically relevant.

The host institution should be found together with the supervisor.

The faculty covers mobility funding for PhD candidates financed by KD (internal candidates employed at UiS). In order to apply for this funding, you should send an application to the PhD coordinator. The application should contain the following:

• Application form – Mobility scholarship
• Invitation letter from host institution
• Recommendation from your supervisor
• Completed budget form

The relevant application forms are found here (intranet).

PhD candidates financed by NFR apply for mobility funding directly from NFR.

Mobility grants paid to KD financed candidates are follow NFR's rates.

Industrial and public sector PhDs apply for mobility funding through their employers.

Thesis submission is done electronically to the PhD administration at the faculty. Contact them for more information and for thesis support documentation. The thesis submission should include the following:

• Digital copy of thesis (PDF)
• Application for assessment of doctoral dissertation
• Co- author statement(s)
• Plagiarism scan report
• Grade transcript of PhD-courses

The faculty will send the thesis to the evaluation committee. The thesis evaluation committee can spend up to 3 months assessing the thesis.

The defence is a presentation of the PhD thesis. The faculty is responsible for organising the public defence of the candidate's thesis.

The defence consists of a trial lecture of a given topic and a presentation of the thesis, both of 45 minutes each.

For more information about the defence, click here.