To § 5.1 Conditions for admission
Applicants for the PhD programme must hold a higher degree (Master’s degree or equivalent qualifications) in a relevant subject area from a Norwegian or foreign, internationally recognized university or college. The degree must normally comprise a minimum of 90 ECTS credits in a relevant subject area for the PhD project. All applicants are required to document sufficient previous knowledge in social-scientific methodology. Fluency in English is a requirement for all applicants to the PhD programme.
Other educational background or prior learning and work experience considered by the Faculty to be equal to the above requirements with respect to scope, level and content may also qualify for admission. If the Faculty is of the opinion that the applicant lacks the required knowledge within the relevant subject area or within social-scientific methodology, applicants may be required to take additional exams at a lower level, be given a reading list and be tested by writing a paper that must be approved, or by taking an oral exam. In the event of insufficient previous knowledge at the time of admission, the required previous knowledge shall normally be tested and approved in the course of the first six months after admission. Required additional exams, if any, do not involve any extension of the agreed time frame.
Generally, an applicant should not be considered for admission to the PhD programme if he/she has an average mark for modules in the relevant subject area lower than B, a mark for graduate modules lower than B, or a mark for his/her Master’s degree thesis or equivalent lower than B.
In individual cases, the application may still be considered if the PhD committee finds the documentation presented to indicate that the applicant will be able to successfully complete the PhD programme.
When applying for the programme, the applicant should include a project description normally not exceeding 10 pages, and a suggestion of supervisor at the faculty and why the project description fits the supervisors competence.
The PhD candidate is expected to be present at the University of Agder during the course of the programme unless otherwise agreed. Details of the residency requirement shall be provided in the agreement.
The faculty may enter into agreements which deviate from this rule, for instance if the candidate is employed at another university or is part of a cotutelleagreement.
Til § 5.4 The PhD agreement period
A PhD education must be planned with a progression that leads to completion within the agreed time, normally 3 years, not counting statutory leaves of absence and compulsory duties.
Extending the PhD agreement period
Candidates may apply to the faculty for an extension of the study period. The application must include milestones and timelines and must demonstrate the feasibility of finishing the project within the new suggested timeline. The main supervisor must back the application.
An account both of work done so far (incl. publications) and work still to be done must be enclosed with the application.
The PhD director can approve an extension of up to one year. If the extension goes beyond one year after the original completion date, it has to be approved by the PhD committee. The maximum duration of the programme is normally 5 years from the date of admission.
The study period can also be extended for PhD candidates who accept other academic tasks or duties from the faculty in addition to their research education. These extensions are not to be linked to the extensions presented above.
To § 8 Organized academic training
The training component is normally specific for candidates admitted to the specialization in International Business. For candidates admitted outside specialization the training component should normally be outlined at the time of admission.
Details on the training component are found in programme and course descriptions.
For examination or assessment of the training component a pass or fail is awarded. A pass indicates a high academic level, equivalent to a grade B.
The training component should normally include courses in qualitative research methods, quantitative research methods and philosophy of science including ethics.
In addition to courses offered by UiA the candidate may take courses offered by other PhD programs/external institutions in accordance with the main supervisor and the program director.
Each candidate’s individual training component is subject to approval by the PhD committee.
To § 10.1 Thesis requirement
A thesis should be an independent academic work that meets international standards for a PhD. Normally a thesis is made up of at least 3 papers, whereas at least one is single authored, and a short kappa/introduction. The kappa could however be more comprehensive if the tradition in the field of research puts important emphasis on the kappa.
Exceptionally, if none of the articles are single authored, the thesis should normally consist of at least 4 articles.
The papers should be of “publishable” quality, though it is not required that any of the papers are formally accepted for publication.
Co-authorship between candidates and other academics, including supervisors and other PhD candidates is emphasized. This may in some cases lead to the same co-authored article being published in two different dissertations. If this is the case, it should be clear from the co-authorship declaration how the candidates have contributed to the article. In general, all authors on papers included in a thesis need to declare their involvement, through a co-authorship declaration.
To § 13.1 Submission of the dissertation
The PhD candidate must submit an application to the Faculty to have his/her dissertation evaluated. The application should be accompanied by an electronic copyof the dissertation (PDF). If the dissertation is found to be worthy of defence, 40 copies of the dissertation will be printed prior to the defence.
To § 14 Appointment of the evaluation committee
The Faculty shall appoint an evaluation committee, including opponents, on the basis of proposals from the PhD committee.
Adopted by the University Research Committee at the University of Agder 05.06.2019. The numbered sections refer to the corresponding sections in the Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University of Agder.