Planning your studies

The general syllabus

Higher education institutues that have the right to award the doctoral degree decide themselves on the subjects in which third-cycle education is to be offered.

BTH currently has nine active third-cycle level subjects. For each subject, there is a general syllabus.

The general syllabus serves as a framework for the subject and must contain, among other things, a description of the content and structure of the program and what is required for admission to the programme.

Attached to each general syllabus are the degree objectives for the doctoral and licentiate degrees in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance's degree regulations. These degree objectives are national requirements and must be met when for a third-cycle degree to be awarded.

The objectives describe the knowledge, skills and abilities that the doctoral student should have achieved before a degree can be issued. It is the responsibility of each individual PhD student to read the general syllabus for their subject.

The individual study plan

Each doctoral student must have an individual study plan (ISP), which is a work plan for the entire course of the study.

After an application for admission to third-cycle studies has been granted, the PhD student must produce an ISP together with the main supervisor and examiner.

The plan must contain the university's and the PhD student's commitments and serves as a support for both the PhD student and the supervisor in the process of the education. The individual study plan can also be seen as a tool where the doctoral student's goals and achieved results are concretized on the way to the degree.

The studies must be continuously monitored. The individual study plan must therefore be updated at least once a year.