The PhD Study programme

The PhD programme at the Department of Political Science is a research education, which aim is to bring the PhD student to the forefront of international research and make the student able to contribute to the research of the field. First of all, the programme consists of individual research, supervised by a researcher from the Department, and it is completed by a dissertation. Furthermore, it is required that the PhD student contributes by teaching students from the bachelor’s and master’s degree. In addition to this, it is required that the student participates in active research environments, communicates their research, participates in various conferences and goes abroad with reference to their research.

Research project and thesis

A fundamental part of the PhD programme is the completion of individual research (the PhD project) supervised by a researcher from the Department. The research can either be a separate project or a part of a bigger research project. The programme is completed by a dissertation (monograph or a collection of articles) and a public oral defence.

Supervisor

During the education and dissertation, the student will be guided by a researcher from the Department. You can read more about supervision on our homepage.

Seminars etc.

During the PhD programme you will get many opportunities to present your work and receive feedback from other researchers. As a PhD student you will participate in PhD seminars 2-3 times a year. It is obligatory to present your work at least three times during your education. You can read more about seminars on our homepage.

Studying abroad

It is obligatory for the PhD student to do a so called “change of scenery”. This is often achieved by studying abroad. You can read more about studying abroad on our homepage.

Teaching

As a part of the programme all PhD students are obligated to gain experience with teaching. This is either done by teaching obligatory bachelor courses, elective courses on the Masters, or through counselling bachelor projects, projects in connection with internships and Master dissertations. You can read more about teaching and communication on our homepage.

Mentor

When a new PhD student arrives at the Department, a mentor is affiliated with the student. The mentor is a PhD student which is further along in the PhD programme, whose job it is to show the new student around. Furthermore, the mentor is supposed to help the student get to know the colleagues and the different practical aspects of the PhD programme.