Introduction
Page Contents
Page Contents
Being a PhD student at BTH means that you immerse yourself in a research area, develop your expertise and contribute to new knowledge. You focus primarily on your research project, but also on courses and academic work. Whether you are aiming for a licentiate or doctoral degree, you will receive the support and tools you need to complete your studies.
Content of the program
Being a PhD student at BTH means that you will mainly focus on your research project. You will also take courses and may also have teaching or other academic duties as part of your doctoral studies.
The final goal of the doctoral program is to complete a licentiate or a doctoral thesis.
The doctoral program up to the licentiate degree corresponds to two years of full-time studies (120 credits), where 1.5 credits correspond to one week of full-time studies.
Research training leading to a doctorate is equivalent to four years of full-time study (240 credits), where 1.5 credits correspond to one week of full-time study.
Depending on your subject area, you will take some of these credits as courses. How many credits are coursework is stated in your general study plan.
In addition to your research work and coursework, as an employed doctoral student you can devote some of your time to teaching and academic work to develop your teaching and communication skills. This is seen as an important part of your personal development as a doctoral student.
Teaching and academic work for doctoral students in full-time employment is allowed up to 20% of working time. The doctoral degree can therefore be extended up to 1 year and the total duration of doctoral studies is 5 years.
Objectives
The objectives that you should meet to obtain your degree are set out in a regulation, a general study plan and an individual study plan:
- The Higher Education Ordinance, the degree regulations
- The general syllabus for your subject
- The individual study plan
The Higher Education Ordinance, the degree regulations are the national objectives that all doctoral students must achieve. The objectives are based on performance in knowledge and understanding, competence and skill, judgment and approach.
You and your supervisor are asked to check your progress against these objectives at least once a year when you revise your Individual Study Plan. You can find these objectives and the checklist in your Individual Study Plan.
The general syllabus for your subject is the local regulation at BTH that sets out the subject-specific objectives you should reach. It also indicates the course requirements and whether any courses are compulsory in your program.
The individual study plan is mandatory for your studies and corresponds to a contract between the doctoral student and BTH. It regulates the content and implementation of the education and serves as a support for both the doctoral student and the supervisors in the planning of the individual education.