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 relevant fields who wish to qualify for the highest level of education in this/these field(s).

Admission requirements

General conditions for admission appear in UiS's PhD regulations § 2-1: The applicant must have a strong academic background. Admission to a doctoral program normally requires a five-year master's degree (cf. the qualifications framework's second cycle) or equivalent education that the faculty approves as a basis for admission.

In addition, the following requirements apply to admission to the PhD programme in educational sciences and humanities:

• Grade B or better in weighted average from the (last) 2 years of the Master's degree (normally 120 credits)
• The master's thesis (normally 20-60 credits/60-100 pages) must have a grade of B or better

For applicants with education from educational institutions outside Norway, the same requirements for level, scope and grades apply. In addition to formal qualifications, importance will be attached to the quality of the proposed PhD project and relevant academic work.

Applicants who do not meet the formal admission requirements may exceptionally be admitted upon an overall and separate assessment of alternative, comparable basis for admission.

Learning outcomes

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

Knowledge
The candidate will ...

• Have a good insight into the latest research within their specific field within educational science and the humanities, as well as mastering the subject's scientific theory and methods.
• Be able to assess and apply different research methods and analysis strategies within their subject and research field.
• Contribute to the development of new knowledge, theories, methods, interpretations and forms of documentation within their area of ​​expertise.
  

Skills
The candidate will …

• Be able to formulate relevant research questions and to plan and carry out research and professional scientific work.
• Carry out research and professional development work at a high international level.
• Be able to handle complex academic questions, and also to critically analyze and challenge established knowledge and research practices within educational science and the humanities.
  

General competencies
The candidate masters …

• Identifing ethical issues and conduct their research with professional/academic integrity.
• Participating in complex academic and interdisciplinary tasks and projects.
• Disseminating research and development work and participate in academic relevant debates, both nationally and internationally.
• Assessing the need for, initiate and drive innovation.

Career prospects

The doctoral programme in educational sciences and humanities qualifies candidates for research activities at a high academic level, and for other work in society that requires both analytical competence and social understanding and where it is necessary to master scientific methods and insights.

The education leads to the degree Philosophiae Doctor (PhD).

The degree qualifies for further research, teaching, development, supervision and dissemination at universities and university colleges, and at other public and private institutions and organisations.

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 a project plan seminar within three months from the start and completion of the final project and education plan (PhD plan including PhD courses)
2. Annual progress reporting for PhD candidates and PhD supervisors
3. Assessment of the status of the project/research process half-way through the dissertation work, in the form of a mid-way evaluation
4. Evaluation of PhD courses after completion
5. Half-yearly review for improvement of the PhD courses offered by the Faculty
6. Annual PhD program/study plan review
7. Regular evaluation and revision/updating of guidelines, templates and local forms

The PhD course leader summarises the feedback from the participants on the course and writes a report in collaboration with one of the participating PhD students (candidate representative). The PhD administration collects the course reports each semester and summarizes the results. These are presented annually to the doctoral committee at the faculty. These course reports and evaluations form the basis for an annual revision of the PhD portfoplio of courses.

Within the programme, PhD candidates must normally be represented on the committees that work on issues pertaining to the PhD programme. In addition, the doctoral committee at the faculty has a representative for the PhD candidates appointed by UiS DC (the doctoral candidates' interest organization at UiS).

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 education have 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.