The scope of the programme plan
The nominal period of study for the Ph.D. programme at the Faculty of Educational Sciences is 3 full-time years. The organized training component is included in this. The training component must correspond to at least 30 credits (half a full-time equivalent). In order to meet the requirement of breadth, all candidates must take courses corresponding to 20 credits (compulsory component), while 10 credits may be selected freely, in consultation with the main supervisor, among approved courses. In order to present oneself for the PhD examination, the candidate must have acquired some experience in academic communication corresponding to 1.5 weeks' work within the 30 credits of the training component. The work with the thesis should correspond to 2.5 FTEs.
Basis for the degree
The PhD degree is awarded on the basis of:
- completion of the educational component
- scientific thesis
- Ph.D. examination
The Ph.D. examination consists of a trial lecture and a disputation (public defence of the thesis), cf. Section 2 of the Regulations for the degree Philosophiae doctor (Ph.D.) at the University of Oslo.
Programme Goals
The Ph.D. education at the University of Oslo shall educate independent researchers of high international calibre in accordance with recognized scientific and ethical principles. Doctoral education at the Faculty of Educational Sciences takes place in a research environment comprising a professional community for the candidate. In doctoral education, candidates are responsible for their own academic, professional and personal development. The education shall qualify candidates for research and other work within the field of educational scientific research requiring high levels of scientific insight and analytical thinking. The education will provide the candidate with the expertise to assess the appropriateness and application of various methodologies and processes in research as well as contribute to the development of new knowledge (new theories, methods, interpretations and forms of documentation) within the subject area.
The Ph.D. programme places emphasis on both specialist study and breadth in scientific training. The in-depth orientation will be dealt with through the research work, theoretical and methodological, that is linked to a scientific thesis (the doctoral thesis). The objective of academic breadth is attended to in the training component through compulsory and elective courses. The training component must provide an understanding of central scientific theory and ethics subjects, research methods, and thematic subjects and theories of relevance to the candidate's research topic.
Moreover, research education shall provide practice and insight aimed at generic skills such as application writing/application work, peer reviews, teamwork, research management, academic dissemination and research communication. The interplay between research and personal development contributes to the individual candidate’s acquiring specialized expertise in the field of educational sciences. Research education will qualify the candidate for active participation in and building up, maintaining and further developing research environments and other activities in which there are high demands made to scientific insight and creativity, as well as independent analytical thinking.
Learning outcomes – (qualifications after the programme has been completed)
- Upon completion of the programme, the candidates are at the forefront of their field in terms of knowledge. Successful doctoral candidates have insight into and master key scientific theories and research-related ethical issues, and they have a command of key research methods within the field of educational sciences. They are able to assess the expediency and application of different methods and processes in research and developmental projects.
- The doctoral graduates are able to challenge established and new knowledge and practice within their own academic field, contribute to the development of new knowledge, new theories, methods and interpretations and forms of documentation within the academic area as well as conduct research and other work involving high demands to scientific insight, critical analysis and a high degree of research-related ethical integrity.
- The doctoral graduates are able to formulate academic issues, plan and conduct research and development work at a high international level. They can work with complex academic issues and challenge established knowledge and practice in the field.
- The doctoral graduates are able to guide others in research work within their own specialized field.
- They can identify and discuss relevant ethical issues and carry out their research in accordance with the applicable code of ethics and principles of the National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities (NESH).
- The doctoral graduates can assess the need for, participate in and contribute to professional and interdisciplinary cooperation in the educational sciences as well as the development of innovative measures and projects, both interdisciplinary and within educational sciences field of research.
- The graduates are able to communicate research results through recognized and relevant channels both at home and abroad. They can participate in debates in the subject area and disseminate the relevance of the research for the development of knowledge and society.
- The doctoral graduates can communicate knowledge and research results to diverse audiences, inside and outside academia.
The compulsory part of the programme
The candidates must:
- be trained in scientific ethics, theory of science and scientific method
- submit annual progress reports
- develop up an independent, academic work of international standard
- Complete the training component
- Complete the dissemination requirement
- Complete a mandatory final reading
- Take the PhD examination:
a. hold a trial lecture
b. defend the thesis at a public disputation
All candidates shall, prior to submitting their own research work for assessment, complete a training component of 30 credits as specified below, in addition to having completed an academic dissemination component and a final reading.
Programme admission
Admission application deadline, admission requirements, admission period, notification of admission
Admission application deadline
Applicants for fellowships are considered for admission to programmes related to the fellowship position. Application for admission to programmes from applicants with external funding are assessed by the Faculty on an ongoing basis. The PhD candidate will be affiliated with a research environment at the unit that manages the subject area in question. The application for admission to the PhD programme will be written on a separate form, which may be collected from the Faculty, and sent to the Faculty's administration. The application must state the name of the unit/department for which admission is sought. For applicants to fellowship positions, it is possible to apply for a position before the master's degree is finally awarded, provided the unit opens for this option in the announcement text. Appointments are not made before the required documentation is submitted.. This documentation must be received no later than 3 months after the meeting of the appointments committee.
Scope of prior education
Admission to doctoral programmes normally requires that
1) applicants have at least a 5-year education equivalent to university level in Norway in a relevant academic field, of which at least two years (120 credits/ECTS) are at master's level. This will normally involve a two-year master’s degree or the equivalent that includes a master's thesis with a scope of 30 credits (master's degree in pedagogy/special education, education management, a master's degree from the Lektor Programme (LEP), master's degree in relevant subject).
2) applicants with equivalent or other backgrounds must demonstrate the academic relevance and prerequisites for the subject in the application and any additional documentation requirements that are specified in the announcement. The education must include relevant education in research methods.
If the scope of the applicant’s education at the master's level is less than two years, the Faculty may make an individual assessment at the time of admission. In this assessment, any additional courses at the master's level and/or other activities that are clearly relevant to research (scientific work/production) may form grounds for contingent admission. Reference is made to Admissions, cf. Section 5.1 of the Regulations for the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University of Oslo.
Prior education quality requirements
When assessing the quality of prior education, particular emphasis will be placed on the grades at the master's level, and particularly the master's dissertation/thesis.
Applicants with a grade of A or B according to the ECTS scale from A-E will be qualified for admission to the PhD programme.
Other required prerequisite knowledge
Good English skills are required for all participants in a doctoral programme. Applicants must document this, based on the following tests with the following results or better:
- TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language, with a minimum score of 550 on the Paper-based Test (PBT), or 90 on the Internet-based Test (iBT).
- IELTS - International English Language Testing Service with a score of 6.5.
Exemptions are given in accordance with NOKUT’s guidelines See also UiO’s exemption clauses pertaining to admissions to master’s programmes.
In addition to requirements regarding the scope and quality of prior education, a project proposal or an independent research plan/academic account must be submitted as part of the assessment for admission. See the separate section below for the requirements regarding the project description. As a last point, a funding plan must be submitted that must be confirmed before admission can be granted. In addition, reference is made to other requirements that may be stipulated in the text of the call for applications for a fellowship.
The Faculty has its own supplementary rules for admission. The supplementary rules are intended to specify admission criteria, a required financing plan and other assessment procedures.
Project description/independent research plan requirements
If a project description to be used as a basis for the position and admission, it must be submitted together with the application for admission. The project description must be 8–10 pages long, single-spaced, including the bibliography. The project description must account for the thesis issue, theoretical framework, choice of method, progress plan and information about funding of the project. The plan must be good, and it must be possible to execute the project within the nominal period of study.
When applying for admission to a programme based on research projects or topical approaches under the supervision of a member of the academic staff at the Faculty, the project manager and the supervisor of the project will vouch for quality. Applicants will thus be asked to submit a tentative, independent research plan that demonstrates the applicant's competence enabling them to realize the PhD project. The person who then gets admission (often through appointment to a position) is expected to submit a more specified project description/independent research plan within 3 months after admission The provisions regarding approval of the proposed project or independent research plan will be set by the Faculty. Which of the two options is to be submitted will be specified in the announcement text.
Admission decision
Before the decision regarding admission is finalized, a written contract must be signed regarding admission and supervision, and any agreements with external institutions regarding funding, where applicable. The admission and supervision contract should be signed within four weeks of admission to the PhD programme. The contract must include the topic of the thesis, the contract period, the funding plan, supervision issues, the place of work, and the training component. The contract will contribute towards ensuring the candidate's, supervisor's, Faculty's, and unit's responsibilities, rights and obligations, as well as any commitments to an external funding source.
In connection with the signing of the contract, the unit must ensure that external supervisors are given a copy of the regulations governing the PhD programme, the programme plan for research education, and other relevant provisions associated with ethical guidelines for supervisors at the University of Oslo and the National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities (NESH):
Admission period
The admission period for the PhD programme is three full years of study. Any required duties in addition to this extend the admission period, so that the admission period with 25 % required duties amounts to 4 years.
At the end of the admission period, affiliation with the PhD programme ceases, and the candidate will be discharged. However, the candidate may apply for an extension of the admission period, provided the period of time necessary to complete the thesis work is anticipated to be less than 1 year. An application for extension of the admission period may be submitted based on leaves of absence pursuant to the Ministry's guidelines for appointment to educational posts. Candidates who are discharged from the programme will still be able to apply at a later date to defend the thesis for the degree of PhD under the administration of the Faculty of Educational Sciences, and separate guidelines can be drawn up for completing the work for the PhD degree.
Structure and content, supervision requirements
Programme content
The programme consists of a training component and a thesis. Together with the work on the thesis, the content of the training component will offer the necessary academic specialization and breadth.
Through the research education, candidates are provided access to qualified supervision.
The scope of the programme plan
The PhD degree at the Faculty of Educational Sciences is linked to subject areas that are encompassed at all times in the Faculty's subject portfolio. The PhD programme attends to research education in the programme options Education, Special Needs Education, Subject Didactics.
The quality of the training depends on a good interaction between the candidate's own efforts, academic guidance and the research community to which the candidate belongs.
The research education aims to develop both the professional competence and the more generic skills of the researcher. The Faculty encourages participation at international conferences, cf. in relation to earning credits in the training component, and studying abroad in connection with thesis work. The faculty will also arrange for the candidate to participate in national and international academic activities and networks.
The training component (Section 8 of the Regulations)
The training component must correspond to at least 30 credits, with at least 20 credits taken after admission. The Faculty itself may approve courses and other professional activities conducted outside the University of Oslo for inclusion in the training component.
Each candidate's course plan will be drawn up together with the supervisor from the academic department/unit. In collaboration with the supervisor, the PhD candidate is responsible for taking courses that, combined, meet the requirements of the training component.
The candidates may choose courses offered at the Faculty of Educational Sciences or approved research training courses given at other departments, faculties or universities. This also applies to courses offering training in generic skills.
The Faculty updates the PhD programme's training component each semester. The more permanent courses that run in the autumn and spring will be announced on a general basis. The unit will approve each candidate's training component within the frame of the current elements in the programme plan.
For approval of a course within both the compulsory and the elective components, participation in all teaching will be required, unless otherwise stated in the course description. The course description does not allow valid absence from more than 20% of the teaching period. The course leader is responsible for checking attendance.
The Faculty's Programme Council for Organized Research Training will determine the number of credits, syllabi and the types of documentation that should be linked with courses/lecture series/seminar series etc. in the training component, based on a proposal from the academic unit, course leaders and lecturers.
Framework of the training component
The compulsory components of the training component must not be linked to specific courses, but to topics. Topics are given in groups of 10 credits x 3. This yields the following distribution:
Compulsory topics/subjects
The Research seminar: 2 credits
Philosophy of science 5 credits
Ethics: 3 credits
Methodology: 10 credits
Sum compulsory themes/topics = 20 credits
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sum electives = 10 credits
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Sum training component = 30 credits
Research seminar
Participation in the research seminar is a mandatory part of the research education, and such participation must be carried out during the first two years of the fellowship period. The intention of the research workshops is to provide for closer follow-up of the PhD fellows throughout the first two years, as well as to create frameworks for academic collaboration.
During the first semester, the candidate's project plan will be presented and discussed. During the seminar, candidates will also have prepared a response to at least one project proposal. Mid-term assessment must be conducted before the candidates can have credits approved for the research seminar. The mid-term assessment can be carried out as an integral part of the seminar, but it can also be carried out outside this framework. In addition to their own project presentation, candidates must participate in a minimum of six gatherings during the research seminar, and must have undergone mid-term assessment to get the seminar approved. The supervisor meets when the candidate has a presentation of the project plan/independent research plan. In line with current practice, the mid-term assessment is organized in cooperation with the research education coordinator.
The number and duration of meetings are at least 3 two-hour meetings per semester. The project presentation during the first semester is a key element of the research seminar as it is very important that the fellows relatively quickly develop and specify the project plan for which they were admitted to the programme. Project presentations and mid-term assessments are also key elements of the seminar. In addition, it may be appropriate to address relevant academic topics, or more generic themes, such as conference presentations/poster presentations.
The seminar leader(s) will report participation in the seminar to programme manager after each semester.
Methodology
The candidate must take
- a two-credit course in research design
- a three-credit course in qualitative or quantitative methods
- a 5-credit course in qualitative or quantitative methods
If the candidate chooses 3 credits in qualitative method it is assumed that the candidate will subsequently choose 5 credits in quantitative method. When 3 credits are selected in quantitative method, 5 credits must be selected in qualitative method. This composition of mandatory variants in methods courses will ensure that candidates familiarize themselves with different methodological approaches; at the same time, their preferred approach will be given the most weight. The course in research design will focus on the selection and rationale of research design, and the course should be taken early in the training.
Elective part is more specified:
This part is based on one or more of the specified points below, and must normally be executed after admission to the Ph.D. programme.
|
1. Thematic courses and/or methodological topics in different research fields at the Faculty |
(max. 10 credits) |
|
2. National, international or Nordic research courses.(The Faculty must approve courses taken outside the Faculty) |
(max. 10 credits) |
| 3. Special curriculum (from courses, seminars or literature studies[1) | (max. 3 credits) |
| 4. A stay of at least 4 weeks at a relevant institution to learn methods/theory. | (max. 3 credits) |
|
5. Presentation of findings from own research in international forums/conferences (e.g. presentation of one’s own posters, lectures). 1 credit is awarded for each presentation. |
(max. 3 credits) |
[1] Curriculum + literature without teaching determined in consultation with the supervisor, approved by the researcher's educational coordinator.
Academic dissemination
In order to present oneself for the PhD examination, the candidate must have acquired some experience with academic communication. The requirement of academic dissemination is to be part of the training component. Academic dissemination must meet the prerequisites listed below. The work in the dissemination part must correspond to a lecture or seminar series of 1 hour per week over a period of one semester (approx. The content of the communication part must be approved by the supervisor.
Examples of academic communication that is approved are:
- lecture or seminar series where the supervisor gives the candidate feedback (may be lecture series during required duties)
- popular scientific work (e.g. feature articles, popularized articles, lectures, etc.)
- communication of own research
- communication at international conferences
- point 4 of the elective part of the course component – presentation of findings from own research in faculty research forums, international forums / conferences (e.g. presentation of own posters) may be part of the academic dissemination.
General information on the compulsory and the elective parts
For the compulsory and the elective parts, a candidate generally can apply a maximum of 2 credits from the training component as completed courses without documentation.
Documentation requirements
The documentation requirement will differ for the different courses. The forms of documentation normally include exercises, course assignments, essays, reports, popular scientific / scientific articles, presentation of own papers / prepared oral academic presentations or other academic contribution to courses, oral or written accounts.
The candidate must safeguard and be able to produce documentation of the completed training module. The academic unit is responsible for registering approved training for each PhD candidate.
The quality of the course documentation in the training component must be of high academic calibre.
Participation in the research training course before admission to the PhD programme may be ascribed to the candidate upon admission, following a recommendation by the main supervisor. This also applies to courses organized by institutions outside the Faculty, e.g. abroad. Submission of documentation of the scope, course programme and execution are required for approval.
If examinations taken earlier are used as part of the training component, documentation must be provided that they were taken with an adequate result. Examinations that are older than 2 years on the date of application for admission cannot be part of the training component.
Guide for calculation of credits
Credit calculation is based on the following:
One day (0900–1600) = 6 teaching hours. One-day courses are worth 2 credits with documentation, 0 credits without documentation. Documentation submitted includes work with the literature provided for the course – see the table below. Two-day courses = 1 credit. All documentation will receive 2 credits. This means that a two-day course with documentation is worth 3 credits. If a maximum number of pages of literature is stated, the documentation requirement may be reduced (and vice versa).
The calculation of credits can be related to the advice regarding workload per credit in the international ECTS scale and the national guidelines (Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions), which state that 1 credit normally corresponds to a workload of 25–30 annual class hours.
Based on this, the following guide may serve as a model:
| Days of teaching | All dokumentation | Courses with dokumentation | Courses without documentation |
scope of required reading |
Total number of weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One day course | 2 sp | 2 sp | 0 sp | 200 pages | 1.5 - 2 weeks |
| 2 days = 1 studiepoeng (sp) | 2 sp | 3 sp | 1 sp | 200- 300 pages | 2 weeks |
|
3 -4 days = 2 sp |
2 sp | 4 sp | 1 sp | 300- 400 pages | 3 weeks |
| 5- 6 days = 3 sp | 2 sp | 5 sp | 1 sp | 400- 500 pages | 4 weeks |
| 7- 8 days = 4 sp | 2 sp | 6 sp | 1 sp | 500- 600 pages | 5 week |
Supervision requirements
The work with the thesis must be conducted under individual supervision (see Regulations section 7), and it is the unit's responsibility to ensure that supervisors are appointed for the candidate. The Faculty appoints supervisors. There must always be a main supervisor. The main supervisor should normally be on the staff of UV as Assistant Professor or Professor. The main supervisor has formal responsibility for issues regarding the candidate. In certain cases, the main supervisor may be employed outside the university (external). In such cases, an experienced co-supervisor should be appointed who is a permanent staff member at the Faculty. In such case, the external supervisor and co-supervisor must also share responsibility. When candidates and supervisors sign the Agreement pertaining to admission and guidance, they simultaneously enter into a mutual contract. The main supervisor should normally have experience as a supervisor and experience as supervisor at the master’s degree level, as well as having published internationally regularly after completing their own doctoral degree (the past 5 years). The candidate and supervisors are obliged to have regular contact and mutually to keep each other informed on an ongoing basis of all matters of importance for the provision of supervision. If supervisors or candidates find that one of the parties does not meet the requirements of the Agreement, they shall immediately contact their academic unit.
The reports and written work must be presented to both the external and internal supervisor. The internal supervisor is under an obligation to maintain contact with the candidate, and remain updated on the candidate's study progress. The candidate must be part of the academic environment. The internal supervisor is responsible for integrating the candidate into the academic environment at the department, e.g. through seminars. The academic supervision will take place with consideration of the requirement that the thesis must be an independent scientific research work. On whole, supervision during the admission period amounts to the number of hours that apply at all times, according to own agreements with the academic units or with the Faculty of Educational Sciences. The candidate is not entitled to supervision after the admission period.
This can be summarized as follows:
- all candidates must normally have two supervisors with a doctorate or equivalent competence at professor or assistant professor level
- the candidates must receive individual supervision
- the candidates and supervisors must have regular contact
- the supervisors must give advice and help with discussions and assessment in connection with writing the thesis, see Section 7 of the Regulations for the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University of Oslo
- the supervisors must guide the candidate on issues of research ethics associated with the thesis
- the supervisors must ensure that the PhD candidate participates in an active research environment
Academic environment
Upon admission, PhD candidates will be affiliated with the unit with which they have academic ties. The basic academic unit must ensure that the candidate is affiliated with an active research environment. The Faculty's PhD candidates will be guaranteed an introduction to the research environment/research group and culture by the supervisors. As far as possible, PhD candidates must also be affiliated with the Faculty's research groups.
Thesis
Structure and content of the thesis
The thesis must be an independent, scientific work that meets international standards in terms of academic level, method and ethical requirements.
It must contribute towards developing new academic knowledge (innovative) and be on a professional level that enables it to be published as part of the subject's international scientific literature, cf. Section 10 of the Regulations for the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University of Oslo.
The writing of a dissertation under supervision is intended to provide the candidate with the expertise to identify new relevant issues and conduct research with academic integrity. The thesis may be submitted either in the form of a monograph or in the form of articles that are linked as a whole through an introduction to the work and a summary of the key findings and conclusions - the extended abstract. For more detailed provisions regarding the scope and content of the extended abstract, see the Faculty's Supplementary Rules. For further information concerning requirements to article-based theses, the candidate is referred to the established guidelines for article-based theses along with UiO’s Guidelines for the evaluation of Norwegian doctoral degrees. The Faculty has a separate form for co-author declaration.
The required level of quality of a thesis remains the same, whether it is a monograph or consists of several lesser works (articles). The supervisor must recommend whether the thesis has the qualities required for submission. The candidate is ultimately responsible for the content, and seeing to it that it is submitted, when applicable.
Thesis language
Theses should preferably be written in a Scandinavian language or English. The thesis can also be written in a different language if approval is granted by the Faculty/department/academic unit.
Annual progress reports, cf. Regulations Section 9
With a view to contributing to quality and throughput in research education, candidates and supervisors are separately under an obligation to submit a written report on the progress of the work by 1 December each year. There is a separate form for the progress report, which will provide a basis for assessing the candidate's progress on both their own research work and completion of courses. Procedures can be established for an expanded review of the candidate's status half-way through the Ph.D. programme and upon conclusion of the candidate's research work, albeit within the admission period. Lacking or inadequate reporting by the candidate may provide grounds for termination of the contract before expiry of the contract period.
The progress report shall be submitted to the unit and reviewed by the research education coordinator and research administration. The Programme Council for Organized Research Training reviews the results of the progress reports every year and archives this in the candidate’s folder in UiO’s filing system..
Final Reading
The candidates will conduct a mandatory final reading at which the candidate, supervisor, end-reader and programme coordinator are normally present. Final readings are organized by the academic departments. If the candidate's thesis is not ready for submission and end-reading within the recording period's expiration (possibly an extended recording period), there should be an agreed final reading at which recommendations are made concerning what revisions need to be made before the thesis can be submitted.
Assessment
Evaluation Committee
Reference is made to Section 12 of the Regulations for the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (Ph.D.) at the University of Oslo must be sent to the Faculty. An application to have the doctoral thesis assessed is sent to the Faculty. A qualified evaluation committee will be appointed to assess the thesis and the PhD examination, pursuant to section 13 of the Regulations for the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (Ph.D.) at the University of Oslo.
The evaluation committee will be appointed by the Faculty, following a proposal from the academic unit with which the candidate is affiliated. The committee's recommendation should normally be delivered within three months of the committee members’ having received the thesis. Grounds shall be given for the conclusions in the report and any dissent. The committee's recommendation will be reviewed by the Faculty. The committee's recommendation, unanimous or split, may only conclude with the following options:
a. verdig (accept),
b. ikke verdig (reject).
Reference is further made to the Regulations and the Faculty's Supplementary Rules for the Faculty's Research Training.
Before writing a recommendation, the assessment committee may give the Faculty a justified written recommendation that a candidate should be given the opportunity to revise the thesis on specific points – see Section 14.2 of the Regulations. The Dean will make a final decision regarding such an option in the specific case. The evaluation committee must explicitly state what it wants to have revised, and the frame for this work, which must not be more comprehensive than a specific deadline of up to 6 months. The Faculty will draw up detailed rules for the administration of this deadline.
If the Faculty approves revision before the recommendation is presented, the Faculty will give the doctoral candidate a specific deadline within which to incorporate the changes. The assessment committee will be given a new deadline for the recommendation when the revised version is ready. The committee will make a new and final assessment of whether the revised thesis is worthy of defence for the degree of Ph.D. The committee's recommendation should normally be delivered within three months of the committee members’ having received the thesis. Section 14.2 of the Regulations may only be applied the first time a doctoral work is submitted.
Doctoral examination
If the thesis is found worthy of public defence for the PhD degree, the education will be completed with a trial lecture on an assigned subject, and a disputation.
The trial lecture
Assessment for the Ph.D. degree includes a trial lecture on a set topic.
The trial lecture will test the candidate's ability to acquire knowledge beyond the topic of the thesis, and the ability to communicate it in a lecture situation. The title of the trial lecture is determined by the evaluation committee, cf. Section 18.1 in the Regulations for the degree Philosophiae doctor (Ph. D.) of the University of Oslo.
The trial lecture must be approved before the disputation.
If the trial lecture is rejected, see Section 19 of the Regulations.
The disputation
The Ph.D. examination consists of a trial lecture and a disputation (public defence of the thesis), cf. Section 18.2 of the Regulations for the degree Philosophiae doctor (Ph.D.) at the University of Oslo.
For disputation for the degree, the Faculty has decided that it is first opponent who is to present the thesis as the basis for the opposition.
In cases where the committee rejects the disputation, the committee's report will give the candidate clear instructions on what issues to correct.
If the doctoral examination is approved, a report must be submitted to the Faculty's Board. If the disputation is not approved, see Section 19 of the Regulations.
Diplomas and Diploma Supplements
Diplomas
The PhD diploma is prepared by the University of Oslo, cf. Section 20 of the Regulations for the Degree of Philosphiae Doctor (Ph.D.) at the University of Oslo.
Diploma supplement
Diploma supplements are prepared by the University of Oslo, cf. Section 20 of the Regulations for the Degree of Philosphiae Doctor (Ph.D.) at the University of Oslo and shall indicate:
- the content of the training component
- the date and title of the trial lecture
- the date of the public defence
- the title of the thesis
- any cooperation with other institutions
The diploma supplement shows the area of specialization and any participation in research school.
Quality assurance
Assessment scheme linked to the Ph.D. programme
UiO has developed a quality system that also encompasses the Ph.D. education. The quality system will contribute to doctoral candidates completing theses of high academic quality, and the education being executed in as close to the nominal period of study as possible. The system will also contribute to doctoral theses from the University of Oslo following good research practice and current rules.
Doctoral candidates and supervisors must submit separate progress reports for the doctoral project every year. At the same time, they will participate in evaluations of both the doctoral programmes, cf. UiOs Quality System and Faculty's clarifications.
The faculties and units must also provide a brief account of planned and implemented measures and improvements in quality procedures.