Educational Sciences and Humanities - PhD

Name of the course of study 

The Norwegian name of the course of study is Ph.d. i utdanningsvitenskap og humaniora.

The English name is PhD in Educational Sciences and Humanities.

Degree

A philosophiae doctor (PhD) degree is conferred on the basis of approved completion of the required coursework (the research training component), a PhD thesis, a trial lecture and public defence of the thesis.

Credits

The PhD programme comprises 180 credits. The individual education plan or progress plan must be organised such that the PhD programme can be planned to be completed within the standard time frame of three years (not including any statutory leaves of absence). 

Faculty

The Faculty of Arts and Education

Target group

The study programme is aimed at well-qualified candidates in educational sciences and humanities who wish to qualify for the highest level of education in the field. 

Admission requirements

The general conditions for admission are set out in section 2-1 of the University of Stavanger’s PhD Regulations. In addition, the following requirements apply to admission to the PhD programme in educational sciences and humanities: 

An average weighted grade of B or higher from the (last) two years of the master’s degree

A grade of B or higher on the master’s thesis

In addition to the formal qualifications, importance will be attached to the quality of the proposed PhD project and relevant academic work.

Applicants who do not meet these formal criteria may exceptionally be admitted on an overall and special assessment. Importance will be attached to the academic supervisor’s documented ability to ensure the PhD candidates finish their PhD work.  It must be specified how the department/center intends to follow up the PhD candidate and ensure completion.

Learning outcomes

Having completed and passed the study programme, the candidate will possess the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge
The candidate will ...

• Be well informed about the most up-to-date knowledge in their specific field within educational sciences and humanities and be well versed in the philosophy of science and methods in the discipline.
• Be able to weigh up the use of different methods and analysis strategies in their specific subject area and field of research.
• Be able to contribute to the development of new knowledge, new theories, methods, interpretations and forms of documentation within their subject area.

Skills
The candidate will …

• Be able to formulate research questions and plan research and scientific development.
• Be able to carry out research and academic development work at a high international level.
• Be able to deal with complex academic issues and critically analyse and challenge established knowledge and research practices within educational sciences and humanities.
  

General competencies
The candidate will …

• Be able to identify ethical issues and perform their research with academic integrity.
• Be able to participate in complex academic and/or multidisciplinary work tasks and projects.
• Be able to communicate research and development work and participate in debates in the field in national and international forums.

Be able to assess the need for, initiate and drive innovation.

Career prospects

Relevance for working life 

The objective of the doctoral education in educational sciences and humanities is to qualify candidates to conduct research at a high academic level and perform other types of work in society that requires academic working methods and insights. Successful graduates will be qualified for research, teaching, development, academic supervision and dissemination at universities and university colleges and at other public and private institutions.

Course assessment

Quality assurance and evaluation of the programme

The PhD in educational sciences and humanities is covered by the University’s quality system. 

Compulsory activities to assess the quality and progress of doctoral projects:

1. Assessment of the project description in connection with approval of a revised project and individual education plan (revised PhD plan including PhD courses)
2. Assessment of the status of the project and/or research process half-way through the work on the thesis, in the form of a mid-term evaluation
3. Annual progress reporting
4. Evaluation of a PhD course each time it has been held

The PhD courses are evaluated by the PhD candidates on a regular basis. The PhD administration summarises the feedback from the participants on a course and from the people with academic responsibility for the course and submits a written report to the doctoral committee, addressed to the academic leader. The evaluation forms the basis for annual revision of the portfolio of courses. 

Within the programme, PhD candidates must normally be represented on the committees that work on issues pertaining to the research training programme. In addition, the doctoral committee at the faculty has a representative for the PhD candidates.  

From 2018, the Department of Research and Innovation at the University of Stavanger conducts an annual (online) survey where PhD candidates who have completed their doctoral study are given the opportunity to comment on matters related to general satisfaction, working conditions, academic supervision, research environment, mobility, the research training component and the PhD courses on offer, achievement, motivation, and career plans. The candidates also answer questions on whether they have experienced situations that were challenging in terms of research ethics.

An annual academic report is prepared for the doctoral committee based on these reports, evaluations and assessments. A programme report is written every year.