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PhD at UiT The Arctic University of Norway




In order to become a PhD student at UiT you have to either apply for a position that is advertised, or be employed at an external institution that will fund your PhD study. The positions are advertised at Jobbnorge and EURAXCESS.

When the faculty has made a decision on admission, the student will be sent a form for a PhD agreement to complete.

Agreement of admission

Housing for PhD students


Housing for PhD students at UiT 

TODOS - Doctoral Students and Postdocs at UiT The Arctic University of Norway


TODOS is an interest organization that works to improve the general welfare of all PhD candidates and postdocs at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. TODOS is a neutral organization. It is not a union, nor is it linked to any union organization, political opinion, or religious belief. TODOS is here to help, assist, guide and educate you throughout your journey as PhD or postdoc. We focus on two important aspects: a good academic working environment and a thriving social life.

PhD On Track


PhD on Track is a web resource aimed primarily at PhD candidates and early career researchers.

Guidelines for evaluation of doctoral degrees at UiT The Arctic University of Norway


Guidelines for the evaluation of doctoral degrees at UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Webpages about HSE and emergency prepardness


Webpages about health, safety, environment and emergency prepardness (you need to log into the intranet). 

University Library


University Library

Munin - where you hand in your Doctoral Theses

Disputation


[Skriv innhold her]

Our students and staff are our most important resources. One prerequisite for us to succeed in our social responsibility is therefore that everyone is allowed to develop their potential.

For more information see here:Career and expertise development at UiT





Admission requirements

For admission to a PhD program at UiT Norway's Arctic University, you must be formally qualified for admission.

The requirement for admission to the PhD program at the Faculty of Law is the degree of cand. Jur. or a 5-year master's degree in law with good grades. The faculty may on a case by case basis approve a corresponding degree (at least 300 credits) as a basis for admission. The degree must be of such a nature that it qualifies for the execution of the doctoral project. In order to be admitted to the doctoral program, you must also seek to document sufficient potential for research. For more information on admission requirements, see the PhD regulations with supplementary guidelines for Jurfak.

A PhD study is standardized for a 3-year full-time study. To be admitted to the PhD program, you must have funding for the entire period (3 years full-time).

Funding for the PhD program normally takes place by appointment to a PhD position at Jurfak, or as an employee at an external institution that finances the doctoral degree program.

Admission to the PhD program at the Faculty of Law takes place continuously.

Application for admission

An application for a PhD position is an application for admission to the PhD program. Vacancies are advertised here!

The applicant must:
• document the education on which the admission is based [CS1]
• document necessary language skills in English
• prepare a project description that includes:
1. academic report for the project where the topic, issues, research questions, choice of theory and method have been explained
2. plan for connection to the research environment, research group and possible stay at other research institutions
For applicants with funding from external institutions
• document financing
• document permission from an external employer


Application form

Nynorsk

Bokmål

English

Sentral forskrift for opptak til ph.d.-studiet



 Supplementary rules for the Faculty of Law can be found on our regulations page here.

Appointment as a research fellow:

Fellows are normally employed for four years. A compulsory part-time job of 25% is one year, and the doctoral study (postgraduate education) is standardized at three years. It is made up of a scientific dissertation (150 ECTS) and a compulsory education part (30 ECTS). The education leads to the degree of Ph.D. (philosophiae doctor) in law.

 

The study phase of the PhD study

The study phase is mandatory. The purpose is to contribute to a general doctoral education and lay a good professional foundation for the dissertation work. The study phase consists of six courses of a total of 30 credits. The course rotates so that it should normally be possible to complete the training part during the first two years.

 

The course in the study phase of the PhD program can be found in the course catalog.

 

JUR-8008 Examination of the Role and Ethics of the Law. Introduction to the Scandinavian model

 JUR-8002 Rettsvitenskapens vitskapsteori / Philosophy of Science in Law

 JUR-8003 Rettsvitskaplege metodar / Legal Science Methods

 JUR-8004 Rettsvitskapleg avhandlingsskriving og kommunikasjon / Legal Science, Thesis Writing and Communication

 JUR-8005 Rettsvitskapens nasjonale og internasjonale perspektiv / International Legal Perspectives

 JUR-8006 Nasjonale og internasjonale konferansar og nettverks­bygging / National and International Conferences and Networking

 



The most central part of the PhD program is the dissertation in law, as described in the course JUR-8900.

The dissertation must be an independent scientific work that meets international standards for ethics, academic level and method within the subject area. The dissertation must deal with a legal subject and must be based on knowledge acquired through other study subjects in the doctoral program. The dissertation must produce new legal knowledge, and be at such an academic level that it can be published as part of the legal literature.

 

For a complete description of the level requirement, see "The standard for doctoral degrees in law at the Faculty of Law, UiT".

 

Template for the dissertation and front page

UiT has created a template for writing the doctoral dissertation. The template, as well as information about reference techniques and how to work smarter with word documents, can be found here!

 

If you only need the front page, you will find front page templates on the same page as well.

The back of the dissertation is entered by Andvord Grafisk AS when the dissertation is sent for printing (after the dissertation has been approved by the assessment committee).

 

Things to keep in mind when writing in connection with printing

Once your dissertation has been approved by the committee, you can send it for printing. The dissertation is printed in 170x240 mm. As the dissertation is written in A4 format (210x297 mm), keep in mind that everything will be smaller in the printed version. There are therefore certain recommendations you should follow:

  • The margin size should be at least 2 cm on the sides and top, and 2.5 cm at the bottom.
  • The font size should be 12.
  • The page numbers should be centered or at the edge of the page (odd numbers on the right and even numbers on the left).
  • Chapters, table of contents, preface and the like should start with odd numbers (so that they end up on the right side of the book.
  • Dots and lines should not be less than 0.5 pt thick.




Liv Johanne Martinsen is administratively responsible for the PhD program at the Faculty of Law

Christin Skjervold is senior advisor at the Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea.





To be admitted to a doctoral program at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, you must be formally qualified for admission (see admission requirements).

If you have been awarded a PhD position (scholarship), you will also be temporarily admitted to the PhD program. This page will give you more information about how you can then apply for final admission to the PhD program. When you have started in the position and no later than two months after starting, the complete application must be prepared and sent to the faculty.

The application must contain the following:

  • Provisional title of thesis
  • Project description
  • Progress plan
  • Financing plan
  • Description of the necessary infrastructure
  • Supervisors and their role in your supervision Supervisors ethic guidelines
  • Plans for temporary research stays at other research institutions
  • Dissemination plan
  • Documentation of academic merits that form the basis for admission: Diplomas
  • Information on any intellectual property rights
  • Project description must be signed by the applicant, all supervisors and head of department
  • Application form (use this document when you write your project description and plan. If not correct filled in, it will be returned). Check that all points have been addressed before you send the application to the faculty

The application must be written in accordance with the application form and sent to the faculty via gabriela.sirbu@uit.no.

The project description must be developed in collaboration with the main supervisor, and contain a description of the research topic, main problems and choice of method. The candidate must provide an outline of the project description together with the application.

The compulsory subjects for the doctoral study in science must contain subjects corresponding to 30 credits, consisting of 3 to 6 credits in scientific theory and ethics, as well as 20 - 27 credits in mathematical and natural science subjects. All elements must be at PhD level (8000 level courses). For more detailed information on admission requirements and subjects, see PhD regulations.

The application must be sent to gabriela.sirbu@uit.no.

 



Each PhD student must have an individual education plan (instruction component) including courses yielding a total of 30 credits.

Of these 30 credits 20‐27 credits must be within mathematical and/or subjects within of the field of natural science, 3‐6 credits in the field of ethics and philosophy of science and, if desired, 4-7 credits in tranferrable skills.

Please note that the recommended course in the field of ethics and philosophy of science is the course SVF-8600 “Philosophy of science and ethics” given by the BFE-faculty. Students wanting to attend this course have to apply directly to BFE faculty within the given deadlines: PhD courses BFE. You can also attend HEL-8040 given by the Medical faculty. You sign up for this course in the StudentWeb.

The courses that are included in the instruction component should normally be ordinary PhD courses at the institution or special curriculums.

The application is to be submitted to gabriela.sirbu@uit.no 

Instruction component


Signing up for PhD courses at the Faculty of Science and Technology

PhD students at UiT The Arctic University of Norway sign up for PhD courses (8000-level) through StudentWeb. You will find information about how to register for the semester and sign up for courses here. You are not guaranteed enrollment to courses with restricted admission. If you have applied for admission to a restricted course you will be informed if you got admission or not after the deadline.

PhD students from other universities, applicants with a master’s degree or equivalent, or participants in the Associate Professor Programme must apply for admission to PhD courses through SøknadsWeb.

 

External students must document their basis for admission

External students must remember to upload certified documentation of education, and if relevant, documentation of their status as a PhD student to SøknadsWeb. Confirmation of student status should be from your home University's student administration. Confirmation from your supervisor or copy of award letter is not considered as valid documentation.

 

Who can apply for admission to the PhD courses The following students may apply for the PhD courses, in order of priority:

  1. PhD students and research fellows at a PhD student research program at the University of Tromsø
  2. Participants in the Associate Professor Program
  3. PhD students and students at a PhD student research program at other universities
  4. People who have a minimum master's degree or equivalent, but are not admitted to a PhD program.

If there are more applicants than capacity, students will be given priority from the category 1 to 4. Please note that some courses may have additional admission requirements and/or priority keys. This would be stated in the course description for each course.

 

Special Curriculum

Special curriculums are approved by the Head of Department at the department responsible for the course by filling in the word document form you can download here Application for approval of special curiculum. After you fill in the word document and get all the signatures you need, you will have to upload it on this application form - only after that we will be able to sign you up for the course. 

 

Transcript of record
Transcripts can be found at this website www.vitnemålsportalen.no.  

Course overview Below you will find an overview of the PhD courses at the NT-faculty. The courses are not necessarily given in a regular interval. For additional information about each course, please see the course catalouge. Check the availability of the courses in the semester you want to take them: spring / fall. Some courses run only in the spring, or only in the fall semester.

 

Application for recognition of external PhD courses

National and international research training courses may be included in the individual instruction component, provided they have been evaluated by a relevant research environment in respect to scope and level.

Applications for approval shall be submitted to the faculty. 

The approval requires:

‐ Confirmation from the supervisors that the course is relevant and may be a part of the individual instruction component, and that it is at PhD level.

‐ Documentation of the teaching arrangements:

It must be documented that the course is on PhD level. In the event that the scope of the course is not expressed in credits (ECTS), an overview of the number of hours used to complete the course must be attached; one credit is equivalent to approx. 25‐30 hours of work; documentation of successful completion of testing of knowledge, e.g. examinations, essays.

- Random courses taken at UiT, and which do not have a subject code (ex.: FYS-8801), you need to apply for their recogninssion in the form of special curriculum. Check the section above. 

Incomplete applications will be returned.

All applications are to be sent to: gabriela.sirbu@uit.no

Application for final approval of the instruction component:

All PhD-students must apply to have the instruction component finally approved by the Committee for Research Training prior to submission of the thesis.

Final approval of the individual instruction component - Application form

Please send your application to gabriela.sirbu@uit.no.

Application for special curriculum


Special curriculums are approved by the Head of Department at the department responsible for the course by filling in the word document form you can download here Application for approval of special curiculum. After you fill in the word document and get all the signatures you need, you will have to upload it on this application form - only after that we will be able to sign you up for the course. 

Progress report


Every year PhD students and their supervisors are obligated to submit a progress report. The purpose of this progress report is to uncover possible problems that might exist between the student and the supervisor, to uncover deviation from the work schedule and to provide feedback in general. The progress report is done electronically.

PhD students and supervisors report independently of each other.

PhD students submit the report using this form.

The deadline for students is February 1st each year

Supervisors submit their report using this form

The deadline for supervisors is February 28th each year

 

Midterm evaluation


The Committee for Research Training at the Faculty of Science and Technology, UiT, has with effect from 22 June 2019 introduced a system of midway evaluation for students admitted to the PhD programme in Science.

The system was introduced as a requirement for PhD students admitted to the programme after the date it came into effect, and may also be arranged for students admitted before this date.

All students admitted after 22 June 2018 are to complete the midway evaluation when they are at the midway point of the programme. 

The responsibility of implementing the midway evaluations lies with the departments. The students will receive a comprehensive response to the work on their PhD projects.

 

Template for midterm evaluation

Template for PhD plan

Guidelines for midterm evaluation

Application for leave of absence and right to study


Leave of absence:

Leave of absence as pregnancy, illness etc. (PhD regulations, section 13) is automatically granted for PhD students, but it must be documented before we can register a new end date. Documentation include confirmation from NAV, hospital e.g. that shows the period (and if so, percent of working time in the period).

The documentation is to be sent to: gabriela.sirbu@uit.no

 

Right to study:

In the event that the candidate does not complete the PhD study within one year over and above the nominal length of study (normally equal to the employment period), the candidate have to apply to the Committee for Research Training for an extended right to study. Such an application must include the grounds for the delay and a plan for completing the program, and must be signed by the PhD student and his/her supervisors.

Please note that such an application only regards prolongation of the agreement period, and not prolongation of research fellow positions and salary. To prolong your period as research fellow, please contact your department, as this concerns your employment and not your study.

The application is to be sent to: gabriela.sirbu@uit.no

Grants


The language of preference for a PhD thesis in science is English.

Decisions relating to whether two or more students may present a joint thesis must be decided on a case by case basis by the Committee for Research Training upon a proposal from the research group in question.



Munin is UiT's open access archive for academic and research related material. The university offers all students the opportunity to publish their doctoral thesis or parts of it in this archive. Whether you want your thesis published in Munin or not, all doctorial theses at the Faculty of Science and Technology are to be submitted electronically through the Munin portal.
There is no deadline for submitting your thesis. You can save and exit the portal during the submission process and continue later on. Your application for evaluation will not be registered before you complete the submission.

 

This is a checklist of what you have to remember when submitting your thesis:                        

  • You will find the Munin portal for submitting your thesis here. Use your username and password at UiT. Contact orakel@uit.no if you need assistance. You must apply to have your instruction component finally approved prior to submission. The application form is found here. Send the application to postmottak@uit.no
  • Please use UiT's templates for front pages. The front page shall include the name of our faculty - "Faculty of Science and Technology".
  • The thesis should be submitted as one .pdf file. If you need assistance with this, contact the Munin staff at: munin@ub.uit.no, or phone 776 46255/776 44950. You have the sole responsibility for making sure the pdf file you submit in Munin is complete. When you have submitted your application for evaluation there will be no access to change the pdf. 
  • You have to submit a popular scientific summary of your thesis through Munin. The summary has to be written in English. 
  • In Munin you have to state that you have the permission from co-authors to publish your thesis and, if relevant, permission to use copyrighted illustrations. These permissions must be obtained beforehand.
  • For co-authored works, a statement describing the nature of the student's contribution(s) signed by the student and the main supervisor must be sent to postmottak@uit.no.
  • Your will receive a letter from the faculty administration regarding the evaluation committee, and you will be given the opportunity to give written comments on the proposal within five days of receiving notice.

 

After this the administration at Faculty of Science will send the thesis to the evaluation committee.

 You will receive notive if the thesis is worthy of public defence and the committees evaluation report approximately 24 days prior to the public defence.

 If the thesis is found worthy of public defence, there are some practical things regarding printing, trial lecture and public defence that have to be prepared:

 

  • Together with the letter from the faculty administration, you will receive two ISBN numbers for your thesis. One is for the printed version (this number has to be printed on the back page of your thesis), and one for the electronic version in Munin. 
  • You have to arrange to have 25 copies printed. UiT has it's own printing services you can acces and order your copies here: trykkeriet.uit.no
  • 1 printed copy of your thesis has to be delivered to the faculty administration.The thesis will be published in Munin after the public defence, unless you reserved against publication when submitting your thesis in Munin. The thesis will not be published if the evaluation committee finds the thesis not worthy of defence. Munin follows the rules and agreements with journals concerning publishing articles. They will make sure there will be no conflicts of interest with journals or publishers. When submitting you can also stress parts of the thesis that cannot be openly available in Munin.
  • A submitted thesis may not be withdrawn before the evaluation committee has determined whether or not it is worthy of public defence. The candidate may nonetheless apply to the faculty for permission to correct formalities in the submitted thesis ("errata"). The application must specify in full all errata to be corrected. The application is to be submitted no later than four (4) weeks before the committee’s deadline for returning their recommendation (which is 24 days). Thus, the errata must be applied for 7 weeks and 3 days before the defence. It is only possible to apply once.
  • The title of the trial lecture will be sent to you two weeks (10 working days) before the lecture takes place. The trial lecture should last no longer than 45 minutes.
  • The trial lecture and public defence should normally be held in the language in which the thesis is written.

 

 If you have other questions concerning the practical circumstances regarding submission and public defence, please contact your PhD advisor gabriela.sirbu@uit.no.

 



Ethical rules for supervisors

Template for midterm evaluation

New extended rules for PhD regulations for NT-fak, valid from May 10th, 2023

Application form for approval of evaluation committee 

Declaration of impartiality - which needs to be filled in by each suggested opponent, before the application for approval of evaluation committee is sent to the department leader. 

Special curriculum application.  - remember that special curriculum is the same as all the other exams. You need to list both internal and external assessors, type of exam and exam date. 

Information an application for changes in supervision team should have. 



The Committee for Research Education is formed by the vice dean for research, all department leaders at Natural Science Faculty and two student representatives.

Leader of The Committee for Research Education: Vice Dean Cordian Riener

Members:
Head of Department at the Department of Physics and Computer Science: Olav Gaute Hellesø
Head of Department at the Department for Geoscience: Matthias Forwick
Head of Department at the Department of Informatics: Anders Andersen
Head of Department at the Department of Mathematics: Martin Rypdal
Head of Department at the Department of Chemistry: Peik Haugen
Head of Department at the Department of Technology and Security: Bjørn-Morten Batalden


Student representatives:
Truls Karlsen - Department of Physics and Technologi 
Koen van Greevenbroek - Department of Computer Science and Informatics

The Committee for Research Education has meetings once or twice each semester. 



Gabriela Sirbu
gabriela.sirbu@uit.no

All applications are to be sent to the faculty gabriela.sirbu@uit.no.



Visit our webpage for details on the regultations for PhD programmes at UiT: uit.no/regelverk

Here are the supplementary provision for PhD in Science: Supplementary provisions





Apply for admission here.

Upcoming meeting dates for the committee in 2024 are as follows:

  • 1 February 
  • 14 March
  • 11 April
  • 16 May
  • 29 August
  • 3 Ocober
  • 7 November
  • 12 December

Applications with the necessary attachments must be sent to the faculty no later than 3 weeks before the meeting date.

Application for admission to singular PhD courses   


Application deadline:

June 1 for admission to the autumn semester.

December 1 for admission to the spring semester.

Do you want to take a single course without being admitted to our PhD program?

Apply for admission on singular courses at PhD level via SøknadsWeb. You will find the application alternative under singular courses -> Singular courses PhD level.

The following application code must be used: Application code 9301 - Individual courses at PhD level

You do not have to enter the course code in the comments field, but if you want to take an admission-restricted PhD course, you will have to apply for a place on the specific course by applying for admission in StudentWeb after you have been admitted to singular courses. The right to study you receive is general and gives you access to take all PhD courses that are open and available to all singular course students at PhD level, but it does not automatically give you a place on admission-restricted PhD courses.

Who can get the right to study for singular courses at PhD level?

  • PhD students at UiT who wish to take a PhD course that is not to be used as part of the PhD degree they take at UiT
  • PhD students and students from the Student Research Programme from institutions other than UiT
  • Applicants who have completed a master's degree (five-year master or three-year bachelor + two-year master), but who are not PhD students

Documentation

In order for your application to be processed, you must upload the necessary documentation in SøknadsWeb which shows that you meet the above requirements. The deadline for uploading documentation on education via the application web is the same as the application deadline.

What happens after you have been granted the right to study?

When you have been granted the right to study, you must register for the semester in StudentWeb.

The deadline for registration for classes and exams for the autumn semester is 1 September, and 1 February for the spring semester.

You can read more about our PhD courses here.

If you are a foreign applicant, you will find information about admission here.

If you have questions about admission, please contact the admission office.  

Application for admission to the PhD programme in the Faculty of Health Sciences


                                                                                                                                             

                                   Apply for admisson here.

                                                                                                                                               

Admission Requirements

You must have following qualification for admission to the PhD program:

  • Hold a master's degree with the average grade C or better on their master's thesis and as an overall grade in their master's degree. The 5-year programme must include at least a 20 ECTS master thesis and the 2-year master’s programme must include at least a 30 ECTS master thesis.  Applicants who have completed higher education abroad shall be considered in lin with Section 3-5 (3) of the University and University Colleges Act 
  • By special consideration, the Faculty may approve other equivalent qualifications as grounds for admission. 
  • Applicants shall document English language proficiency that fulfils the criteria set out in Section 2-1 (1) or 2-2(7) of the Regulations relating to admission to higher education 
  • Satisfactory funding of the study programme, generally involving a salary on a par with the salary and employee allowance, infrastructure and indirect costs required for research fellowship. Requirements for funding can be waived exceptionally and in special cases for candidates who have passed student research programme. The condition for such an exception is that the candidate is nearing completion of their doctoral work. 

For more information regarding admission requirements, see Regulations concerning the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway (UiT)

Attachments to the application

  1. Project description in the standard template (templates can be found below)
  2. Milestone/Progress plan for the project
  3. Data Management Plan
  4. Written assessment of the project’s feasibility within the normal time frame (templates can be found below) 
  5. Copies of diplomas
  6. Documentation of funding (Grant letter, confirmation from employer institution or similar)

Possible other appendices:

  • Approval from REK, NSD or other entities. If approval has not yet been granted, a plan for the application process can be attached.
  • If the research project is part-time during the funding period, you must include a funding plan showing percentage of working hours for your doctoral project per year/semester.
  • If you will be working in a clinic or similar,  in addition to your studies, you must enclose a confirmation letter from your leader stating that at least 50 per cent of your time will be spent on the research project
  • If you plan to use a language other than English in your dissertation, you must submit an application to do so
  • If you plan to take courses at other universities as part of your training, you must enclose a print-out of the course description (from website)
  • Proof of English proficiency: You must include documentation of proficiency in English if you do not have the Norwegian Higher Education Entrance Qualification.

Application for final admission to the PhD programme in the Faculty of Health Sciences - Doctoral Research Fellows employed by the University


Once you have been employed as a research fellow, you must apply for final admission to the PhD program within two months after the start date of your employment. 

                                                                                                                                       

                                           Apply for admisson here.

                                                                                                                                           

Appendices to the application

  1. Project description written in the template
  2. Milestone/Progress plan for the project
  3. Written assessment of the project’s feasibility within the normal time frame (written by the main supervisor)
  4. Data management plan

 Possible other appendices:

  • Approval from REK, NSD or other entities. If approval has not yet been granted, a plan for the application process can be attached.
  • If you plan to use a language other than English in your dissertation, you must submit an application to do so.
  • If you plan to take courses at other universities as part of your training, you must enclose a print-out of the course description (from website

Training component


Courses that are included in the training component shall be at PhD level and must, among other things, include training on the philosophy of sciences, ethics and dissemination. Training will contribute towards achieving the expected learning outcomes as specified in national qualifications framworks for lifelong learning.

The training component must correspond to at least 30 credits, of which 20 credits should be submitted after admission. Elements included should not be more than two years old at the start of the term of the agreement. Exception apply to candidates who have passed a student research programme and have an approved training component as part of the programme. 

                                                                                                                                                                    

In order to complete the PhD programme you must complete all the compulsory courses. Elective courses have to be completed according to the programs regulations.

As soon as possible after completing the 30 ECTS educational component, you must send an email request to obtain a written confirmation of completion from us. This must be done prior to submitting your PhD thesis.

                                                                                                                                                                   

PhD courses taken at UiT and intended to be included in your training component do not require you to apply for apporval. You will add theses courses to your education plan through StudentWeb. 

Courses taken at other universities, colleges, research schools, or other non-degree-granting institution that are intended to be part of the training component should be applied for through:

Apply for approval of element in the training component
 

Important! Candidates admitted to the PhD programme after 14.06.2023 will adhere to the revised study plan, whereas those admitted to the programme before will adhere to the study plan in effect at the time of their admission. Consequently, there may be variations in the permissible conten and extent of the training component. 

Requirements in the educational component

Compulsory courses (10 ECTS):

HEL-8040 Theory of science, research ethics and research design (7 ECTS) -Recommended to take as soon as possible 
HEL-8045-NO Innovasjon og allmennrettet forskningskommunikasjon or HEL-8045-EN Innovation and public science communication (3 ECTS) - Recommended to take after the candidate during the second half of your PhD studies 
A course on animal research is mandatory if you use animal experimentation in your project. The course must be completed during the first year of your PhD-studies.
For candidates conducting research in a labroatory setting, it is mandatory to complete relevant Health, Safety, and Environment course at UiT. The candidate, in consultation with the supervisor, will determine which courses are applicale. 
 

Elective courses (20 ECTS):

Elective courses can be PhD-level courses from UiT, or other universities, scientific presentations and research stays abroad. Always check the course description for any overlapping content with other courses. You can apply for pre-approval if you are unsure whether the course meets the requirements.

For more detail and other options, see the PhD regulation, Section 15 or the study plan.

PhD courses at the Faculty of health sciences


PhD courses running next semester

In the course catalog, you will find an overview of courses offered in the next semester. 

PhD courses at the Faculty the next year 

 

Spring 2024

FAR-8043 Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology, 15 ECTS
HEL-8002 Logistic Regression and Statistical Analysis of Survival Data, 3 ECTS
HEL-8020 Analyse av av registerdata i forskning, 2 ECTS
HEL-8030 Applied Linear Regression Analysis, 3 ECTS
HEL-8035 Eksperimentelle design og statistikk, 3 ECTS
HEL-8040 Theory of Science, Research Ethics and Research Design, 7 ECTS
HEL-8045-EN Innovation and public science communication, 3 ECTS
HEL-8048 Advanced data analysis and visualization using programming, 10 ECTS 

Autumn 2024

HEL-8003 Mixed Methods, 2 ECTS
HEL-8013 Epidermiology- Deeper Understanding, 9 ECTS
HEL-8026 Scientific Writing and Publishing in Health Sciences, 2 ECTS
HEL-8031 Systematic Reviews, 2 ECTS
HEL-8040 Theory of Science, Research Ethics and Research Design, 7 ECTS
HEL-8041 Funksjonshemmingsforskning, 5 ECTS
HEL-8042 Qualitative methodology and methods in health research, 5 ECTS
HEL-8043 Analytical strategies in qualitiative data analyseis, 5 ECTS
HEL-8045-NO Innovasjon og allmennrettet forskningskommunikasjon, 3 ECTS

Spring 2025

HEL-8002 Logistic Regression and Statistical Analysis of Survival Data, 3 ECTS
HEL-8020 Analyse av av registerdata i forskning, 2 ECTS
HEL-8030 Applied Linear Regression Analysis, 3 ECTS
HEL-8031 Systematic Reviews, 2 ECTS
HEL-8040 Theory of Science, Research Ethics and Research Design, 7 ECTS
HEL-8044 Preklinisk avbilding i nuklærmedisin, 10 ECTS
HEL-8045-EN Innovation and public science communication, 3 ECTS
HEL-8045-NO Innovasjon og allmennrettet forskningskommunikasjon, 3 ECTS
HEL-8046 Judgement and Decision Making, 6 ECTS

Autumn 2025

FAR-8311 Avansert analytisk kjemi 2, 5 ECTS
FAR-8312 Avanansert praktisk analytisk kjemi 2, 5 ECTS
HEL-8013 Epidermiology- Deeper Understanding, 9 ECTS
HEL-8018 Introduction to Randomised Control Trials (RCT), 2 ECTS
HEL-8023 Genomics in Clinical and Biomedical Research, 5 ECTS
HEL-8026 Scientific Writing and Publishing in Health Sciences, 2 ECTS
HEL-8031 Systematic Reviews, 2 ECTS
HEL-8040 Theory of Science, Research Ethics and Research Design, 7 ECTS
HEL-8041 Funksjonshemmingsforskning, 5 ECTS
HEL-8042 Qualitative methodology and methods in health research, 5 ECTS
HEL-8045-EN Innovation and public science communication, 3 ECTS
HEL-8045-NO Innovasjon og allmennrettet forskningskommunikasjon, 3 ECTS
HEL-8047 Statistical models, conclusions and uncertainty for scientific data analysis, 7 ECTS
MBI-8005 Antimicobial Resistance, 3 ECTS
MBI-8008 Molecular and Clinical Aspects of Cancer- Block II, 10 ECTS

 

Overview of all the PhD courses at the Faculty of Health Sciences

Below is an overview of all PhD courses at the Faculty of Health Sciences. The courses are not running every semester and not necessarily at regular intervals.

You will find the course description in the course catalogue, with information about course contents and exam format. Since the course description can be revised, you must always refer to the course description for the current semester for exact information about curriculum, examination forms etc., when you apply for the course.

Not all courses will be given in English. For information about the language for a given course, please see the course web page.

The education plan and semester registration in StudentWeb


Semester registration

You must register for each semester in StudentWeb. PhD candidates do not need to pay the semester fee.

The deadline for registering for the autumn semester is September 1st  and February 1st for the spring semester.

It is important that you remember to register for the semester and for courses/ exams before the deadline has passed. 

Education plan

You add and enroll in courses that are part of yor training component in StudentWeb. 

When you are admitted to the PhD programme, we include the thesis, trial lecture and the mandatory courses in your education plan. 

Moving courses to different semester

You have the option to rearrange items in the education plan if you wish you take a course in a different semester than originally planned. If you want to move a course from an earlier semester, you need to first click on "Show Previous Semesters" and select the relevant semester where the course is located. Then, press the button that says "Move Course".

Elective courses

You can also add and enroll in elective courses in the education plan. If there is a PhD course at UiT that you want to take but is not listed in the selection, you can search for the course code under "Active Courses" in StudentWeb. 

Register for courses

Remember to enroll for both classes and examination on courses within the deadline, which us September 1st for the fall semester and February 1st for the spring semester.

For courses with limited capacity, you will see the message "Admission in progress" after you have enrolled for classes. Complete the enrollment, and you will be notified after the deadline if you have been admitted to the course. 

HEL-8045 Innovation and public sciences communication is offered once per semester. Every spring semester the course language is English and every autumn it is Norwegian. The code HEL-8045-NO is for the Norwegian version, and HEL-8045-EN is for the English version. When enrolling for this course, you need to choose which language you want to take the course in. 

Research stays abroad, presentations and courses at other institutions will be added to your education plan after the activity/ course has been completed and approved. Apply here to get it added in your training component 

Cancellation of registration for examination

The deadline for withdrawing from an examination or changing the examination date is April 15th in the spring semester, and November 1st in the fall semester. 

You can cancel your registration for examination via StudentWeb

Note! It is important to remember that for regular exam scheduled before April 29th in the spring semester and before November 14th in the fall semester, you must withdraw at least 14 days before the exam date. If you do not withdraw from the exam and also do not appear for the exam, it will be considered that you have taken the exam. 

You are allowed to attempt the same exam a maximum of three times. 

It is not possible to cancel registration for re-scheduled examination, re-sit examination or early examination.

Midway assessment PhD candidates at the Faculty of Health Sciences


The midway assessment consist of a seminar and aims to provide you, as a PhD candidate, and your main supervisor with an independent assessment of wheter you have made sufficient progress to complete the PhD education according to the progress plan. You will rexeive specific feedback on your work thus far and receive input for your future work. 

The midway assessment allows the department to identify candidates who require structured support. It is expected that such an evaluation will lead to better progress in the project and increase the likelihood of completing the study within the stipulated time. 

Successfully completing the midway assessment is a requirement for being eligble to defend your thesis. 

The midway assessment for PhD candidates at the Faculty of Health Sciences was introduced in spring 2018 and applies for all those admitted to the PhD course from January 1st, 2018. The admission committee can decide to exempt candidates from the midway assessment in cases where the candidates have been admitted to an abbreviated PhD programme.  The timing can also be ajusted if you have taken or are taking leave or extensions. Beyond these adjustment, it is not possible to postpone the midway assessment. 

Composition of the committee 

The candidate will be informed about the date and the composition of the committee at least two months in advance of the midway assessment. The comittee consist of two internal UiT staff members with a PhD or equivalent qualification who are not involved in the project and are unbiased. 

Your supervisor is responsible for selecting the committee members, and you will be asked by the administration if you have any objections to the proposed members. 

The candidate´s tasks before the assessment

Three weeks before the assessment seminar the candidate must send a completed self-report form, with attachments, to the administration.

The self-report form contains:

  • Progress of study
  • Progress of the educational component
  • List of published and planned articles
  • List of retrieved approvals (if relevant)

The self-report form must be submitted with the following attachments:

  • Original project description for the PhD project
  • Original and revised (if any) milestone plans
  • Published articles and manuscripts in preparation.
  • Report on progress of the PhD project up until the midway assessment (2-4 pages) 
    • The departments may specify further requirements to the contents of the progress report than described here.
    • Plan for the rest of the PhD project (1-2 pages)
    • Copy of approvals (if relevant)

The committee will also receive an overview of the committee´s mandate and the form of the evaluation from the administration no later than two weeks before the seminar.


The midway assessment – the evaluation seminar

Participants in the evaluation seminar include you (the candidate), the main supervisor, and the evaluation committee. It is optional whether co-supervisors attend. The seminar can be conducted via video conference or in-person meeting and can be held in English or a Scandinavian language.

The seminar begins with a discussion between you and the committee (without your supervisor(s) present). You will discuss any issues related to the project, supervision, academic environment, or other factors relevant to the progress of the Ph.D. project.

Following this, there is a discussion between the supervisor(s) and the committee (without you present). They will discuss the further plans for the study, the structure of the guidance, and any other factors related to the progress of the Ph.D. project.

Then, the candidate delivers a presentation lasting 20-30 minutes, following the recommendations outlined below.

  • Summary of your own project
  • Progress in the training component
  • Assessment of risk factors in the project
  • Future work on the project, and how to achieve the goals

After this, a joint discussion takes place among you, the supervisor committee, and the evaluation committee.

The discussion should address the following themes:

  • Progress according to plan
  • Hypothesis
  • Chosen methods
  • Preliminary results
  • Presentation of the results
  • The candidate´s academic skills
  • Coherence of the work that has been done
  • The scope and structure of the supervision
  • Suggestions for improvements/changes in the project
  • Cooperation with the supervisor(s)

 

The total scope of the assessment seminar is 90 minutes.

 

The tasks of the assessment committee

Based on submitted documents and the assessment seminar the committee will assess:

  • Whether the educational component and the project progressionare satisfactory according to the plan
  • The candidate´s knowledge of the field in general and more specifically for the project- The candidate´s knowledge of research methods, specifically for the project and for the field in general
  • Whether all the necessary approvals have been obtained (for projects where it is relevant)
  • The candidate´s academic independence
  • The candidate´s understanding of scientific thinking
  • The candidate´s ability to present, analyze and assess research findings
  • Understanding of priorities/adjustments due to delayed progression


After the discussion the committee will fill in and sign a record of evaluation for the midway assessment. The candidate´s achievement at the midway assessment will be graded satisfactory or not satisfactory.

In the record of evaluation, the committee will describe needs for follow-up and provide advice for further work with the PhD project.

The record of evaluation is sent to the administration by the end of the term.

Follow-up after midway assessment

The administration registers the completed midway assessments. The departments review all reports from midway assessments and the responsibility for follow-up of candidates lies with the department where the candidate is affiliated.

If the committee finds that a candidate needs follow-up, a meeting must be arranged with the department and the team of supervisors within one month after the midway assessment seminar. A written plan for completion of the dissertation must be made. Within six months after the assessment seminar, a written progress report must be submitted to the Head of Department. The report may be assessed according to Sections 24 and 25 of the PhD regulations.

Progress report 


All PhD candidates, and their main academic supervisor, at the Faculty of Health Sciences must submit an annual progress report. 

All PhD candidates and main supervisors who must submit a report will receive an e-mail with a link to the web form that must be completed.

The purpose of this progress report is to uncover deviations from the planned progression/timeline. The Vice Dean, together with the faculty administration, will review all the reports and assess further follow-up measures.

Supervision


The supervisor’s responsibilities

You should have regular contact with your supervisors.

Your supervisor(s) should:

  • give you advice on the formulation and scope of topics and problems
  • discuss and assess hypotheses and methods
  • discuss results and their interpretation
  • discuss the conception and implementation of presentation (including organization, language, documentation, etc.)
  • assist in finding relevant literature and data available through libraries, archives etc.
  • provide guidance on ethical questions of relevance to the thesis

Your supervisors are obligated to:

  • know the prevailing PhD-regulations at the Faculty, and the Ethical guidelines for supervision at the University of Tromsø.
  • follow your progress in the project and theeducational component
  • follow up on scientific issues that can cause a delay in your progress

As a PhD candidate, you will join an active research environment. Your supervisors are responsible for facilitating active participation in the research environment. 

The supervision is regulated by "The Agreement upon admission to doctoral program at the University of Tromsø" which includes doctoral candidates, supervisors, the department and the faculty.

Changes in supervisory team

If you wish to make changes to your supervisory team during the PhD studies, you must submit an application to the Facult yusing our web based application form. Remember to log in using your Feide username and password. A confirmation from all supervisors is also required and can be uploaded as a pdf-file, e-mail or similar in the application form.

Supervision problems - The Conflict Council


Occasionally, conflict may arise between the PhD candidate and a supervisor. If the conflict is of such a nature that it may undermine the possibility of completing the doctoral studies or potentially lead to significant delays, the Faculty of Health Sciences has a Conflict Council (Konfliktrådet) that can assist the parties involved in resolving the conflict.

Both the PhD candidate and the supervisors may report cases to the Conflict Council through this email address: konfliktradphd@helsefak.uit.no 

This email goes to the Vice Dean of Research Education and two members of the PhD administration at the Faculty. All parties involved are bound by confidentiality in such a case. 

Two Head of Departments at the Faculty are then appointed to constitute the conflict council in each case. These will not be from the department that the PhD candidate belongs to,

Meetings in the Conflict Council

The Conflict Council meets with the involved parties separately and as a group. The Research group leader will also participate in the group meeting. The PhD candidate is allowed to have a confidential advsior present at the meeting . Both the PhD candidate and the supervisor are given the opportunity to present their versions of the conflict, and the Research group leader is allowed provide supplementary information. The council will then sketch a possible solution to the conflict and a proposed action plan for completion of the PhD project.

Content of the action plan

The proposed action plan will:

  • discuss the remaining milestones in the project and the anticipated time required to reach these
  • propose new supervisors in cases where the supervisory agreement is terminated to ensure supervision for the remainder of the PhD project period
  • give advice on compensation for lost time caused by the conflict


If the Conflict Council does not succeed in finding a solution to the conflict, a report will be sent to the Research, Education and Communication Section for further follow-up.

Prolongation of right to study and leave of absence for Ph.D. candidates at the faculty of health sciences.


The agreement period and the right-to-study
The agreement period is the contracted time period in which you have the right to get supervision from your supervisors.

The right-to-study is the right to be affiliated with a study program and to take Ph.D. courses without paying a semester fee. You retain the right to study for a period of time equating to two years of effective study exceeding the agreement period. As long as you retain the right-to-study, you can take PhD courses without paying the semester fee, you also have access to library services, your UiT e-mail account, and may use other IT-systems at the university.

Note that if you are granted a leave of absence, the agreement period will be extended correspondingly.

Mobility grant


The application deadline for the mobility grant will be announced during fall 2023

About the grant:

The grant is intended for research stays abroad with a duration of 2-6 months. 

It is possible to apply for a research stay in Europe and the rest of the world.  The grant covers personal costs, such as travel expenses and additional costs in connection with the stay abroad. No support is granted for travel home during the stay abroad. The size of the grant is calculated according to The Research Council of Norway rates.  

Please contact phd@helsefak.uit.no for questions regarding the mobility grant. 

Who is eligible to apply?

  • If you are employed as a research fellow at UiT you are eligible to apply for the mobility grant.
  • The grant scheme does not apply to research fellows funded by the Research Council of Norway or other external funding agencies  The grant can be applied for by students in their second or third year of study.
  • Support can be granted for one stay abroad during the PhD study. 

Application requirements

It is of outmost importance that the applicant carefully read the guidelines and make sure to submit all the required documents. 

The aplication must include: 

  • Purpose of the stay abroad and relevance to the doctoral project 
  • A plan, including time indicators for the research stay 
  • A budget and financing plan 

 In addition to the application form, the following documents must be attached to the application: 

  • Recommendation from the main supervisor. The supervisor must give his / her professional assessment of how important the stay abroad will be for the completion of the doctoral project. 
  • Confirmation from the Head of Department showing that he/she supports the application  
  • An invitation letter from the host institution 

You can apply for the mobility grant through this form: 

Processing of applications

Submitted applications will be processed shortly after the deadline for the grant application. 

The faculty administration has the right to refuse and / or reduce the scholarship amount if it exceeds available funds. 

Useful information about international stays

UiT has a web page containing useful and relevant information for employees at international stays. Here you will also find necessary forms to be used when applying for advance or final settlements. 

Reporting and financial settlement

Advance payment: Up to 90% of the grant can be paid out in advance of the stay.  You apply for advanced payment in the DFØ app

Travel expense claim: Shortly after the research stays end, you must registrer at travel expense claim in DFØ.  Only costs documented with receipts (or other documentation) will be reimbursed. Any amount in excess of the approved grant will not be paid out. 

Report: The grant recipient must submit a short scientific report to the faculty after the international stay. The report should describe the scientific results of the stay and whether there are plans to continue the collaboration with the host institution. Please include the duration of the stay and the name of the host institution. 

This report form must be used. 

Mentor group


Completing a doctoral degree can be demanding and involve many different challenges that go beyond the specific research project to be carried out. Therefore, at the PhD program in Health Sciences, we offer our PhD candidates the opportunity to participate in mentor groups where they can recieve information about and dicsuss various challenges with others in the same situation.

Who is the program for?

Everyone who applies for admission to the PhD program in Health Sciences after June 1st, 2022, will be offered the opportunity to join a mentor group. Participation is voluntary. Participants are expected to be active participants in all 12 mentor group meetings. 

Mentor Group:

A mentor group consist of up to 10 PhD candidates who are put togheter across disciplines but who are at the same stage in the program. Consideration is also given to geographical location and language. Most groups will be digital and in Norwegian. 

What is a mentor?

A PhD mentor should facilitate a healthy psychosocial environment for the PhD candidate, in our case by bringing together and supporting a group of PhD candidates from different departments. For their groups, the mentor will be a guide through the PhD process, a career counselor, and a gateaway to various resources (for example, by informing about various programs and support services at UiT) 

Our mentors are scientific employees from our departments, they have a PhD and desire to support our PhD candidates. 

What is the difference between a mentor and a supervisor?

The supervisor's role is primarily more specific and centered around the candidate's research project, where the main tasks are to provide academic guidance for planning, implementation, and documentation of a research project.

The mentor is a supplement to the supervisor. The mentor share implicit knowledge and experience at a more general level, which is more focused on coping with doctoral education, career planning, and the work/study life of PhD candidates. Mentors do not address challenges related to the individual research project. 

                                   You will find more information here 
 

The thesis must be an independent scientific work that meets international standards relating to ethics, academic level and methodology within the field. Through the thesis, the candidate will help develop new academic knowledge and the thesis must be of a standard that indicates that the thesis can be published as part of academic literature in the field. 

The thesis may be a non-published monograph or a compilation of several smaller works, i.e. a collection of articles. If the thesis is a collection of articles the candidate must explain the correlation between these works in the summary. 

Requirements of the scientific articles 


The most common practice is to include three articles in the dissertation, and that the candidate is the first author of at least two of these. There is no requirement for included articles to be published, but as a general rule a dissertation is submitted only when one of the articles has been published and the others are in publishable form that are ready for submission to a relevant peer-reviewed scientific journal in the subject area. There are no requirements as to which type of articles that can be included in the dissertation. For articles that summarize / analyze non-fiction works, it is recommended that the candidate take special care to avoid overlap with the cover text. Articles in the dissertation cannot be published more than five years prior to the beginning of the studies. Exemptions can be made by the faculty if there are extraordinary circumstances. 

Language


The thesis is to be written in English. The thesis can only be written in Norwegian if granted upon admission to the PhD-program. 

The thesis must include a popular scientific summary in Norwegian and English. 

The thesis summary (kappa)


The thesis summary (kappa) is the scientific document, which with the relevant articles, completes the PhD thesis. 

The candidate is the sole author, and this is where you will show your independence as a researcher. This includes:

  • showing a good and updated overview of the research field
  • conveying capacity for critical assessment of your own work and the research of others
  • demonstrating necessary methodological competence
  • demonstrate reflection on ethical issues and choice of research projects. 
  • showing how the main research questions are answered through the included individual articles 

The summary should supplement and elaborate on the articles, rather than repeat and summarize them. 

Please note, that citation rules also apply for the summary, including citation of your own work. 

Some guidelines for the summary can be found in Guidelines for the Evalutation of Candidates for Norwegian Doctoral Degree i.e 

"When evaluating a thesis, special consideration should be given to wheter the thesis represent an independent and comprehensive piece of scientific work of high academic standard with regard to the formulation of problem issues, methodological, theoretical and empirical basis, documentation, treatment of literature and chosen form of presentation. It is especially important to consider wheter the material and methods applied are relavant to the questions raised in the thesis, and whether the material and methods applied are relevant to questions raised in the thesis, and whether the arguments and conclusions postulated are vaild" 

Check out our guide for how to write the thesis summary. 

Things to consider when you write the summary (regarding the printing of the thesis) 

You can send the thesis for printing as soon as it is approved by the evaluation committee. The thesis is printed in a 170x240 mm format. You must keep in mind that everything will appear smaller in the printed version since the thesis in written in the A4 format (210x297 mm). 

To avoid any problems in this process, please follow these recommendations: 

  • Margin size should be at least 2 cm on the sides and on the top of the page. The margin at the bottom should be 2,5 cm. 
  • Set the font size to 12.
  • The page numbers should be centered or on the outer edge of the page (odd numbers to the right page and even numbers to the left).
  • Chapters, table of content, preface etc. should start on odd page numbers (so to appear on the right-hand side in the book).
  • Bullet points and lines should not be less than 0.5 pt. 

Thesis template 


The university has made a Word template for writing the doctoral thesis. The template, as well as information about reference techniques and how to work smarter with Word documents, can be found on this page: 

Thesis template 

Please note that you must put only the name of the Faculty in full on the front page, as well as the year and month of submission. 

The name of the department, placement of logos from collaboration partners or supporters as well as crediting of partnership, can be put on the Colophon Page. 

The back cover of your thesis will be added by the printing service provider (UiT Trykkeri) when the thesis has been sent for printing (after the thesis has been approved by the evaluation committee). 

How to submit your thesis


                                          Submit your thesis here: Munin 
 

Before the thesis can be submitted the educational component must be approved (30 ECTS).  You can get the educational component approved by sending an enquiry to phd@helsefak.uit.no

The thesis must be submitted electronically in Munin with the following attachments:

  • A picture of yourself, or something related to your thesisto be used for dissemination
  • A PDF-file of your thesis. You should submit the thesis as one single file. If necessary, it can be submitted in separate files. In this case, please use meaningful file names e.g. introduction.pdf, paper-1.pdf, paper-2.pdf etc. Contact information: munin@ub.uit.no
  • Co-Author declaration which describes the candidate’s contribution to each component (articles and the summary). If similarly detailed author's declaration for a publisher has already been filled out, you can include that instead
  • Plagiarism self-declaration form

In addition, you have to enter two abstracts in the Munin form:

  • A short popular scientific abstract (for the public). The text will be included in the University’s annual doctoral thesis booklet, in the public announcement of the thesis and in a press release. You have to explain your project (including methods) and describe the potential impact. Avoid jargon and try to make your work comprehensible for a general public. Max 1000 characters including spaces.
  • A short scientific abstract. A short abstract of your thesis, with a length of approx. 200-300 words, in both English and Norwegian. 

Please note that the submission is not completed untill you have submitted all the neccessary documents! 

What happens after the submission


After the evaluation committee is appointed

The faculty will send the committee an e-mail with the thesis and other relevant information regarding their evaluation work. You and your supervisor will receive a copy of this e-mail. The committee must submit their assessment within 3 months of receiving the thesis.

Date of the defence

It is the committee's responsibility to find the date for the defense. The leader of the defense shall always consult with you and your supervisor in setting the date. 

The defense shall normally take place within four months after the committee is appointed. If needed, the stipulated defense date can be later than four months, but this has to be approved by the candidate. 

Errata list

You cannot correct typing or any errors after you have submitted your thesis. However, typing errors and other corrections can be summarized in a separate document attached to the thesis entitled "Errata" ("Erratum" if there is only one error). This document must be approved by the faculty before it can be attached to the thesis, and you must apply within two months before the defence. The errata can only include formal errors, like typing errors in text or tables or other minor mistakes. You cannot include changes to the meaning of the text. You send the errata to phd@helsefak.uit.no as a complete list of errors with references to page and line numbers in the thesis.

The evaluation

You will receive the committee’s evaluation at least three weeks before the scheduled defence.

When can you send your thesis for printing

You will get information about how to order the thesis prints in the e-mail confirming that your thesis is approved by the evaluation committee. The Faculty of Health Sciences will cover printing expenses. You have to submit 5 copies of the thesis to the faculty and these will be forwarded to the University Library.

You will receive an ISBN-number for your thesis along with the evaluation report.

Title of the Trial lecture

You will receive the title of you trial lecture by e-mail 10 working days before the scheduled defence.

When will you receive the graduation certificate/diploma

It normally takes a few weeks receive your graduation certificate/diploma. It can take more time if your defence occurs late in the spring semester. 

If you reside in Tromsø you must collect the graduation certificate at the Information Desk at MH West. If you do not live in Tromsø, the graduation certificate/diploma will be mailed to the address registered in StudentWeb. It is your responsibility to inform us of any changes in mailing address before receiving the graduation certificate.

Diploma registry

By using the Diploma Registry, you can collect your results from higher education in Norway and share them with potential employers, educational institution and other relevant recipients. 

For more information visit Vitnemålsportalen

Trial lecture 


The PhD candidate must complete a trial lecture. The lecture constitues as an independent part of the doctoral examination for the PhD degree and must be on a topic given from the assessment committee. The purpose of the trial lecture is to test the candidate's abiliity to acquire knowledge beyond the topic of the thesis and their ability to disseminate such knowledge

You will receive the title of you trial lecture by e-mail 10 working days before the scheduled defence.

The trial lecture has a timeframe of 45 minutes for the presentation + 10 minutes for introduction and questions from the opponents.  

Public defences at the Faculty of Health Sciences


The public defence marks the end of the doctoral education and qualifies the candidate for research at an international level. Furthermore, it is an important arena for dissemination of research activities at the university. Therefore, UiT The Arctic University of Norway emphasizes that the public defence is a very formal and solemn event.

Defence location

The faculty reserves appropriate rooms for the trial lecture and public defence. Auditorium Cortex at MH West is normally used for public defences at campus Tromsø.

Defence announcement

The time and location of the public defence is normally announced 10 working days in advance.  The defence announcement can be found at Tavla, at the faculty info screens and outside the defence room. If you agree to use a picture for the annoucement, the defense will also be announced on our Facebook-page: UiTHelse 

Dress code

Both the candidate and the members of the evaluation committee are expected to dress formally.

The leader of the defence wears the Dean's robe during the public defence, but not during the trial lecture.

Trial lecture

The trial lecture lasts for 45 minutes + any questions from opponents and the introduction by the leader of the defence.

Lunch

After the trial lecture, lunch will be served for supervisors, the adjudicating committee, the leader of the defence and the candidate. Lunch will normally be served in the MH cafeteria. 

Public defence

At the public defence, the public audience must have arrived and is expected to rise when the defence leader, the candidate and committee enter the room. Order of entry procession: the leader of the defence, candidate, 1st opponent, 2nd opponent and the leader of the committee. The order is reversed when leaving the room. Members of the committee sit on reserved seats in the front row. 

The leader of the defence introduces the candidate, who then provides a brief overview of the most important scientific contributions of the PhD work. The presentation should ideally last about 30 minutes but must not exceed 45 minutes.

The first opponent opens the discussion with the candidate. This takes about 45 minutes but can last up to one hour.

The leader of the defence assesses the need for a 10-minute break before the second opponent takes over. The second opponent can spend up to 45 minutes for discussion with the candidate.

After both discussions, the leader of the defence announces the possibility for ex auditorio opposition. There is only time for brief comments/questions.

The leader of the defence will intervene if opponents exceed the allocated discussion time significantly or do not let the candidate speak. The leader of the defence will also intervene if the language is inappropriate or the general public disturbs the public defence.

Note! The Faculty does no longer offer a event after the defense, but can be help if asked. 

 

External defenses or defenses at another UiT campus 


External defence

                         Apply for an external defense here 
 

It is possible to arrange the public defence at other sites than the university campus. The application to arrange the public defence at alternative locations must comply with the Faculty guidelines. 

External defenses will considered according to the following guidelines:

  1. The external institution has directly or indirectly contributed to the thesis through data collection or access, have been significant part of the PhD candidate's learning environment during the PhD period, or otherwise played a significant role in the project 
  2. The external institution can confirm that they have the necessary infrastructure (suitabe location, technical equipment, technical/administrative contact person), and that they provde economical guarantee for additional expenses (travel cost for the committee leader, leader of the defense, supervisors)
  3. The application must be able to argue for a clear institutional and professional added value beyond the dissertation itself, for instance through planned or continued research collaboration betwwen the professional environment at UiT and the external institution. 

Application for external defenses at another university will not be considered. The same goes for application for arranging defenses at a hospital if the only reason is the PhD candidate's employment there. 

It is the PhD candidate who must sendt the application and it must:

  • Answer point 1-3 above
  • Be recommended by the research group leader, head of department, as well as confirmation from the relevant authoritites within the external institution with regards to the criteria above. 

The application must be supported by the external location, the research group leader and the institute leader before the Faculty can process the application. 

Defenses at other campuses 

UiT - the Artic University of Norway has several campuses located in Northern Norway, and we support arrangeing defenses on all of our campuses. While the majority of our defenses are centered at the Tromsø campus, you do not have to formally apply to hold your defense on any of the other campuses.  However there are certain prerequsities that must be met before considering defenses at alternative locations: 

  • Contact person: It is important that there is a contact person at the campus, that can do some pracitcal task surronding the defense i.e book the location, order lunch, arrange IT-support, decorate the location, be there on the day of the defense)
  • Technical support: Every defenses held on the Faculty of Health Sciences shall be streamed digitally, and sometimes the opponents attends digitally. It is important that the candidate has technical support on the day of the defense. 
  • Suitable location for the defense: It is important that the campus has suitable location for arranging the defense. This includes have room for audience, technical equipment (PC, microfone, screen). If the opponents attends physically, they will need a room nearby to whitdraw for discussion. 
  • Suitable location for the lunch 

Please note, you do not have to apply to the Faculty if you wish to hold your defense at any of UiT's campuses, but if you are planning to have it on another campus than campus Tromsø, please send the information above to phd@helsefak.uit.no

Dr.Philos 


The degree of Doctor of Philosopiae (dr.philos) is awarded to academics who have qualified for a doctoral degree on their own, without formal supervision. You have no affiliation with the university as a doctoral candidate until your application for the doctoral examination has been approved. 

You can find the Regulation concerning the degree of Doctor Philosophiae (Dr.Philos) here. It is imporant that you read through it before applying. 

The degree of dr.philos is awarded based on:

  • A scientific thesis - the thesis should be an independent, scientific work. It should contribute to the development of new academic knowledge and be of an academic level that suggest it could be published as part of the academic literature. 
  • A trial lecture on a given topic
  • A public defense of the thesis

                                                                                                                                                    

Application to be given the right to present yourself for the degree must be sendt to phd@helsefak.uit.no 

The following must be included in the application:

  • The thesis
  • Plagarism self-declaration form 
  • Declaration of independence which describe your contribution to each component of the thesis. If similarly detailed author's declaration for a publisher has already been filled out, you can include that instead. 
  • CV / Documentation of education 
  • Confirmation of affiliation with UiT 
  • Confirmation that the thesis has not been submitted for evaluation anywhere else. 

The supervisor's responsibilities 


 The supervisor must be in contact with his or her PhD candidate at regular intervals. 

As a supervisor you are expected to: 

  • Advise the candidate regarding phrasing and demarcation of the subject and thesis. 
  • Discuss and evaluate hypotheses and methods of research 
  • Discuss results and interpretations of said methods and hypotheses 
  • Discussing the setup, layout, and execution of the dissertation(disposition, language, documentation etc.) 
  • Help the candidate navigate field literature and database I relations to the university library, archive, etc. 
  • Guide the candidate in questions of ethics related to the dissertation.    

As a supervisor you must:

  • Make yourself familiar with the PhD regulations set by the faculty, as well as the ethical guidelines regarding supervision at the University of Tromsø.
  • Keep yourself informed about the progress of the candidate's project and the educational component.
  • Follow up any issuses that can cause the candidate to be delayed in their studies
  • The PhD candidate must be a part of an active scientific environment. As a supervisor, it is your responsibility to make sure that the candidate can participate in a research group and/or  scientific enviroment in an active manner. 
  • The supervision is regulated by the "Avtale ved opptak til organisert doktorgradsutdanning»; Introduction, part A, part B and part C, which includes but is not limited to doctoral candidates, supervisors, the institute, and the faculty. 

 In addition to the above-mentioned responsibilities, the candidate's main supervisor is expected to:

  • Find members for the evaluation committee responsible for the midway assessment, as well as booking a room and/or setting up a digital meeting for the seminar. 
  • Find members for the evaluation committee for evaluation the dissertation (see Proposing the assessment committee)

Supervision problems - The faculty mediation service


Occasionally, a conflict arises between the PhD candidate and a supervisor. If the conflict is of such a nature that it may weaken or affect the possibility of completing the doctoral studies or lead to major delays in progress, the Faculty of Health Sciences has a mediation service (Konfliktrådet) that can assist the parties involved in resolving their conflict. 

Both the PhD candidate and the supervisors may report cases to the mediation service through this email address: konfliktradphd@helsefak.uit.no  

This email will be set to the Vice Dean of Research Education and two members of the PhD administration at the faculty. All cases are treated with strict confidentiality.  

Two heads of departments at the faculty will then appointed as constituents of the mediation service, whose purpose is to preside over each case. These individuals will be required to be from different department, of which the PhD candidate does not belong to. 

Mediation services meetings 

The mediation service meets with the involved parties separately and as a group. The Research group leader will also participate in the group meeting. The PhD candidate is allowed to bring a supporting person. Both the PhD candidate and the supervisor are given the opportunity to present their versions of the conflict, and the Research group leader is allowed provide supplementary information.  

Based on the information gathered from the preliminary meetings, the mediation service will then draft a possible solution to the conflict and a proposed plan of action for the completion of the PhD project. 

Plan of action content 

The proposed plan of action will: 

  • discuss the remaining milestones of the project and the anticipated time required to reach and complete said milestones 
  • contain suggestions for new supervisors in cases where the supervisory agreement is terminated, to ensure the Ph.D. candidate is given supervision for the remainder of the PhD project period 
  • give advice regarding compensation for time lost due to the conflict 

 
If the mediation service does not succeed in finding a solution to the conflict, a report will be sent to the section for Research, Education and Communication for further follow-up. 

 

Changes in supervisory team 


If you have joined as a supervisor in an existing supervisory team, or if you end your role as a supervisor before the student's agreement period is over, it is important that the student sends an application for changes in supervision to the Section for Research, Education and Communication. 

If not applied for, the changes will not be formal.

This is the candidate's responsibilty, not the supervisors, but please remind the student of this. 

Mid-term Evaluation


The midway assessment provides the candidate and supervisor with an independent assessment of whether the candidate has adequate progression to complete the PhD education on schedule. The candidate will receive specific feedback on his/her work and get suggestions for further work. The midway assessment allows the department to identify candidates that need structured follow-up. It is expected that such an assessment will improve progress in the project and increase the likelihood that the candidate completes the PhD-program on time.

The midway assessment must be conducted 15-18 months after entering the PhD programme. If the candidate works part time with the PhD project, this will be accounted for when deciding a date for the midway assessment. The date can also be adjusted if the candidate has had any leave of absence. Otherwise, it is not possible to postpone the midway assessment.

The supervisors responsibilities: 

The main supervisor is responsible for suggesting an evaluation committee consisting of two members. The committee members should be academic staff at UiT, and at least one member must be. Appointment of an external committee member must be approved by the department. Additional costs by appointing an external member will be charged to the department. Furthermore, a committee member must have a PhD and be familiar with the candidate´s research field. Committee members must not be involved in the project and must be impartial. The Head of Department appoints the assessment committee. The members of the assessment committee are obliged to examine all the documentation provided ahead of the midway assessment.

The main supervisor must also make sure the seminar is carried out. This includes finding a suitable date for the seminar, as well as booking a room and/or setting up a digital meeting for the seminar. 

The main supervisor will also have to attend the seminar

Proposing the assessment committee


Appointment of evaluation committee for the thesis

                               Send the application here
 

It is the main supervisors responsibility to find members to the evaluation committee, and to send the application of appointment of evaluation committee. The composition of the committee should normally be clarified by the time your PhD candidate submits their thesis. 

The committee needs to be approved by the candidate and the Head of Department before the Pro Dean of Research Education formally appoints the evaluation committee. This is done by the Faculty. 

Information you must submit in the form 

Information about the opponents (name, title, e-mail adress etc.) 
Reson for why each of the committee member is chosen / justify the composition of the commitee
If the committee fullfills the requirement set in the PhD regulations section 27. If it does not, you need to justify it 
 

Attachement that must be uploaded in the form 

Completed and signed "Declaration of impartiality" from each of the members of the committee.
If the defense shall be arranged with the opponents physically present, you must upload a confirmation from the Head of Department where they confirms that the department will be covering the travel cost. 
 

Please note; the commitee will not be formally appointet until the submission in Munin is completed!

Requirements for the composition of the committee

The composition of the committee must be justified and any deviation from the criteria must be justified sepereatly. The justification must show how the committee as a whole covers the field of study addressed by the doctoral work. 

The composition of the committee must be such that (§27 PhD regulation): 

  • Both genders are represented 
  • At least one of the members is employed at the university 
  • At least one of the members has no association with the university 
  • At least one of the members does not have a primary affiliation with a Norwegian institution 
  • All the members are holding a doctoral degree or equivalent 
  • At least one member has competence at the level of professor or equivalent 
  • The majority of the committee are external members 
  • The majority of the committee are employed at institutions awarding the doctoral degree. 

You will find upcoming defenses here: Tavla

2024


Date Title + name Thesis title Department 
 11.01.24 Master in biomedicine Gustav Godtliebsen  Exploring mitochondrial quality control mechanisms and mitochondria-lipid droplet interactions in cardiac cell models  IKM 
18.01.24 Master in child welfare Kirsten Buck Rustad Decision-making in Norwegian child welfare services- The impact of case characteristics on decision-making from referral to concluded investigation RKBU Nord
18.01.24 Master in physiotherapy Marcus Småvik Tutu Dasa  Energetics, energy availability and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) in female football players - Methodological perspectives and research implications IHO
26.01.24 Master of Public Health Anna Teterina Panoramic radiograph analyses for early detection of osteoporosis in the population of Northern Norway IKO 
08.02.24 Master phil. in Health Economics and Management Maria Hella Lindberg  Measuring socioeconomic position in studies of health inequalities ISM
09.02.24 Master sci. Merete Stoflor  Microbial Adaptation - Responses to External Cues IFA
15.02.24 Cand.Med Tonje Anita Melum Aspects of brain health and pain tolerance in a general population IMB
15.03.24 Dr.Med.Vet Ingelin Kyrrestad  Cytomegalovirus infection and dexamethasone effects in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells IMB
22.03.24 Master Sci. Christopher Florian Holte  Novel insights into the fenestrated scavenger endothelium of the liver sinusoid IMB
04.04.24 Master in Public Health Chi Quynh Vo Educational inequality in population-based health studies ISM
04.04.24 Cand.Med Sanda Krum-Hansen A Systems Epidemiology Approach to Breast Cancer and Parity. The Norwegian Women and Cancer (NOWAC) Study ISM
11.04.24 Cand.Med Karl Marius Brobak Novel biomarkers in hypertension. IKM
11.04.04 Cand.Med Sina Marion Wittlund Mental Health, Work, Welfare and Vocational Rehabilitation. A Comprehensive Study of Young Adults in the Norwegian Welfare State ISM
16.04.24 Master in Public Health Anders Pedersen Årnes Relationships between physical activity and chronic pain: The role of endogenous pain sensitivity
-A population-based perspective: The Tromsø Study
ISM
19.04.24 Cand.Med Trym Thune Flygel  HIV Infected African Children: Gut microbiota in relation to chronic lung disease and long-term antibiotic treatment IKM
25.04.24 Cand.Med Bente Johnsen Trends for cognitive function and dementia in a general population; Risk factors, trajectories and incidence. IKM
26.04.24 Cand.Sanitatis Nina Camilla Wergeland Experiences with Capacity-based Mental Health Legislation in Norway: A qualitative interview study among patients who have come off a community treatment order, their health professionals and their family caregivers
IHO

2023


Date Title + name Thesis tile Institute Link 
 06.01.2023 Master in psychology Jonas Linkas   “Inflammation and Sleep as Risk Factors for Psychological Distress During Adolescence.
The influence of low-grade inflammation and sleep duration on psychological distress in girls and boys aged 15-18 years. The Fit Futures study”.
 IHO Announcement
 20.01.23 Dr. Med Jasmine Ma "Child Mental Health in Nepal" RKBU Announcement
 10.02.23 Cand.Psych Agnes Bohne  "Parental cognitive vulnerability during the perinatal period and its effect on mental health and the parent-infant relationship.   Results from the NorBaby-study."  IPS  Announcement
 16.02.23

Cand. Rerum Anita Carin Gudmundsen 

 "Towards interprofessional patient care: Health profession students exploring interprofessional collaboration in group meetings in joint clinical placement"   IHO  Announcement
20.02.23 Master i clinical nursing Amalie Nilsen Hagen "Cardiovascular disease: risk assessment, total risk, and primary prevention in the general population. Insight from the Tromsø Study" ISM Announcement
22.02.23 Cand.Med Tobias Frischmuth  "Obesity-related venous thromboembolism"  IKM Announcement
28.02.23 Master in social economics Jan Håkon Rudolfsen "Regional Variation in Utilisation of Healthcare Services - A study on hospital care in Norway" ISM  Announcement
16.03.23 Master in physical education and sports sciences Kim Arne Heitemann "Physical acitivity and the structure and function of the left side of the heart" IH Announcement
23.03.23 Master in social economics Espen Berthung "Three essays on health and labour market participation" ISM Announcement
24.03.23 Master of Science Mushtaq Talib Sahwi Al-Rubaye "Exploring the genomes of the Norwegian vancomycin resistant enterococci" IMB Announcement
30.03.23 Master in dentistry Aksel Wikant "Dental composites - The effects of matrix composition, suboptimal light curing and water exposure" IKO Announcement
21.04.23 Master in biology Nikoline Lander Rasmussen "All road lead to lysosome: exploring the degradation of TNIP1 by selective autophagy" IMB Announcement 
26.04.23 Master in biology Fredrik Håkonsholm "Klebsiella pneumoniae in the marine environment" IMB Announcement 
05.05.23 Master in public health Dolley Dixil Charles "Persistent Organic Pollutants and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus - Adressing causality with repeated measurement using novel study designs" ISM Announcement
11.05.23 European Master in Health and Physical Activity Edvard Hamnvik Sagelv "Physical acitivity, weight gain and risk of mortality in adults" IH Announcement 
02.06.23 Master of sciences Diana Karina Diaz Canova "Evalutionary genomics of cowpox virus and recombination in vitro between a naturally occuring cowpox virus and a vaccinia virus vectored influenza vaccine" IMB Announcement
15.06.23 Cand.Med Fridtjof B. Rinde "D-dimer for diagnosis and risk assessment of first and reccurent venous thromboembolism IKM Announcement
15.06.23 Master in Health Sciences Marianne Sivertsen "Stroke rehabilitation. A mixed method study evaluating a novel physiotherapy intervention and patients' experience" IHO Announcement
16.06.23 Master in pedagogy Catrine Buck Jensen "The patient's role in undergraduate health stuedents' interprofessional clinical placements" IHO Announcement
20.006.23 Master in biomedicine Susannah von Hofsten "Anticancer activity of amphipathic barbiturates" IMB Announcement 
20.06.23 Master in psychology Efim Nemtcan "Why do students leave? Student-related factors and attrion intentions" IPS Announcement
22.06.23

Cand.Med Hallgeir Selven

"Assessing new prognostic biomarkers in resected colon cancer patients"  IKM Announcement
26.06.23

Master in pharmacy Danijela Simonovic

"Synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies of marine-derived antimicrobial peptides and small cyclic peptidomimetics" IFA Announcement
30.06.23

Master in biomedicine Marthe Norreen-Thorsen 

Synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies of marine-derived antimicrobial peptides and small cyclic peptidomimetics" IKM Announcement
17.08.23 Master in musicology Soile Pävikki Hämäläinen (dr.philos)  " "I Sound" - yoik as embodied health knowledge"    Announcement
17.08.23 M.Phil Sairah Lai Fa Chen "A healthy lifestyle index and cacer: Using a multifactor lifestyle exposure to estimate cancer indicende and survival among Norwegian women"  ISM Announcement
25.08.23 Cand.Scient Kristin Lode "Cancer associated fibroblasts and their regulatory functions in the context of radiotheraphy"  IKM Announcement
15.09.23 Cand.Med Elisabeth Myrseth "Result after surgical treatment of rectal cancer in Norway" IKM Announcement
15.09.23 Master of Medical Science in Infection Biology Jónína Gudmundsdóttir "Cancer drugs as drivers of antibiotic resistance" IFA Announcement
21.09.23 Cand.Psychol Dag Nordahl "The transition to motherhood: Maternal well-being and mother-child bonding until four months postpartum" IPS Announcement
22.09.23 Cand.Scient Josephine Groot "Neural mechanism of the wandering mind" IPS Announcement
29.09.23 Cand.Med Inger Therese Tønsberg Enoksen "Novel serum biomarkers and their association with measured and estimated GFR decline in the general population" IKM Announcement
03.10.23 Master in public health Dana Catalina Mora (dr.philos)

"Complementary and alternative medicine use for supportive care in childhood cancer - Prevalence of use, effectivness, safety and clinical practice"

  Announcement
12.10.23 Cand.Med Hilde Risvoll

"Health care professionals' caretaking of persons with dementia who use dietary supplements" 

ISM Announcement
13.10.23

Master sci. Fatema A. Rahman 

"Zinc binding and chelating compounds as inhibitors of bacterial metalloproteses and human matrix metalloproteases" IMB Announcement
18.10.23

Master in socialantropology  Frank Hansen

"On the path to healing - A qualitative longitudinal study of colorectal cancer patients' accounts of trajectories to healing in Norway" ISM Announcement
19.10.23 Master in biomedicine Trude Victoria Mørtberg   "Prevention of Fetal/Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) by prohylatic monoclonal antibodies. In vitro and preclinical evaluation of HPA-1a-spesific antibodies"  IMB  Announcement
20.10.23 Cand.Psych. Ingrid Daae Rasmussen “Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for patients with Alzheimer’s Disease- Exploring the influence of different stimulation parameters on treatment success” IPS Announcement
24,10,23 Master of Public Health Nikita Baiju «Gene expression in blood and cancer risk factors - Investigating associations of blood gene expression with Smoking, BMI, and Menopause in the Norwegian Women and Cancer (NOWAC) postgenome cohort» ISM Announcement
25.10.23 Master Sci. Eike Struck “The Endothelial Cell Response to Inflammation, the Functional Role of the Endothelial-enriched Protein KANK3 and the Adipose Tissue Transcriptome” IKM Announcement
27.10.23 Cand.Med Christian A. Kjellmo  «Assessment of LDL and HDL Subfractions and Metrics of HDL Function in High-Risk Patients of Cardiovascular Disease: Evaluation of Four Different Interventions» IKM Announcement
09.11.23 Master in Peace and Conflict Transformation Barbara Sophia Stein «Integration and the Voluntary Sector: An Unfavourable Pairing, or the Perfect Match? - Exploring Integration Processes of Immigrants through and in the Voluntary Sector in Norway» IVP Announcement
09.11.23 Master Sci. Amir Rad  «HPV mRNA and HPV DNA Tests in Cervical Cancer Screening» IKM Announcement
10.11.23 Cand.Med Adrina Kalasho Kuzmiszyn «Temperature-dependent effects of phosphodiesterase inhibitors for cardiovascular support in hypothermic patients - Effects on cellular elimination of cAMP and cGMP» IMB Announcement
13.11.23 Master Sci. Adrina Kalasho Kuzmiszyn "Deciphering human cell type enriched transcriptomes across tissue types and the functional study of the endothelial enriched protein KANK3" IKM Announcement 
15.11.23 Cand.Med Viktoria T. Isaksen “Early Markers of Metabolic Dysregulation in Obese Individuals - Identification at Baseline and Effect of Modest Weight Loss” IKM Announcement 
17.11.23 Cand.Med Camilla Andreasen “Secondary Fracture Prevention and Forearm Fracture Epidemiology NoFRACT – The Norwegian Capture the Fracture Initiative” IKM Announcement 
23.11.23 Master in psychology Marte Olsen «Men's Underrepresentation in Communal Occupations: A Social-Developmental Approach» IPS Announcement 
24.11.23 Master Sci. Giovanni Allaoui «Blood biomarkers and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus - Repeated measurements of blood biomarkers in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus cases and controls; longitudinal assessments and associations.» IMB Announcement 
30.11.23 Master in pedagogy Kjersti Bergum Kristensen «Family focus in mental health and social services for adults: Supporting minor children of parents in challenging life situations» RKBU Announcement 
06.12.23 Master in chemistry Lara Cioni «Human Exposure to PFAS and Other Anthropogenic Organofluorine Chemicals in Tromsø between 1986 and 2015». ISM Announcement
14.12.23 Cand.Psyc Johan Jacob Espenes “Dementia Disease Initiation: Demographically adjusted norms based on Scandinavian samples and comparison with published norms from North America” IPS Announcement
21.12.23 Cand.Med Sergei Valkov  «Prolonged Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Accidental Hypothermia: Physiological and pathophysiological effects of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in hypothermia regarding hemodynamics, oxygen transport and regional blood flow.» IKM Announcement

2022


Date Title + name Thesis title Institute Link
22.01.22 Cand.Med Melinda Berg Roaldsen Aspects on Recanalisation Therapies for Acute Ischaemic Stroke- Long-term survival after thrombolytic treatment with alteplase, edovascular thrombectomy for acute ischameic stroke and recanalisation for wake-up stroke  IKM Announcement
25.02.22 Master in public health Tatiana Unguryanu Evidence basis for injury prevention in Northwestern Russia: a study from the Population-based Shenkursk Injury   ISM Announcement
11.03.22 Cand. Med Jan Harald Nilsen  Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Rewarming from Accidental Hypothermia   IKM Announcement
18.03.22 Cand.Psyc Benedicte Langseth-Eide Come togheter: Promoting Work and Well-being. A study in the framework of the JD-R model.  IPS Announcement
25.03.22 Master in medical biology Tracy Munthali Lunde Antibiotic Resistance in Oral Streptococci: The prevalence, diversity, stability, and fitness cost of Tn916 -Tn1545 family in oral streptococcal isolates  IKO Announcement
31.03.22 Cand. Med Einar Stikbakke Inflammation, hypertension, and microRNA and Prostate Cancer.  The Prostate Cancer throughout life (PROCA-life) study  IKM Announcement
01.04.22 Cand. Med Dina Benedicte Berg Stensen Sex-steroids and social network in relation to Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage  ISM Announcement
04.04.22 Master in odontology Lars Martin Berg Treatment success with continuous positive airway pressure or mandibular advancement splint in non-severe obstructive sleep apnea: A randomized controlled clinical trial on sleep quality, health-related quality of life and clinical predictors of treatment success  IKO Announcement
06.04.22 Master in public health Ingvild Hersoug Nedberg  Cesarean sections in Georgia and Norway - What contributes to too much, too little, or just right?  ISM Announcement
08.04.22 Cand. Scien Hagar Taman

"Epigenetics in Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Contribution of DNA methylation to Ulcerative Colitis pathongenesis "

 IKM  Annoucement
 22.04.22 Cand.Odont Andreas Jörn Schmalfuss   “Molar-Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH) Prevalence among 16-year-old adolescents: A case-control study of children with a low Apgar score at birth and a study on tooth formation and antibiotics in mice”   IKO  Announcement
 25.04.22 Cand. Med Espen Benjaminsen   Multiple sclerosis in Northern Norway, epidemiology and comorbidity   IKM  Annoucement
 29.04.22 Master Sci. Lorenz Göschl   Discovery and detection of phase-II metabolites of exogenous steroids in anti-doping analysis   IFA Announcement
 12.05.22 Cand. Psyc Marta Maria Gorecka   A novel dual-task paradigm for evaluating the interplay between gait, cognition, and hearing loss in normal aging and MCI: Effects of Dichotic Listening during overground walking   IPS Annoucement
20.05.22 Cand. Psyc Tom Hilding Skoglund A short-form personality measure for military personnel selection: Psychometric investigation and perspectives on usage  RKBU Nord Annoucement
25.05.22 Cand. Psyc. Anna Dahl Myrvang Cerebral structural and functional changes in adolescent females with anorexia nervosa IPS Annoucement
03.06.22 Cand. Med Thomas Sjöberg Optimising breast reconstruction. A clinical study on autologous breast reconstruction.  IKM Annoucement
07.06.22 Master in psychology Monica Isabel Olsen Physical performance, physical and perceived health, and the use of healthcare services in a population of adults with intellectual disability.  IKM Annoucement
10.06.22 Master Sci. Jennifer Cauzzo Microscopy Meets Nanomedicine: The Challenge of Liposomes  Selecting, Understanding and Adapting Imaging Techniques to Localize and Characterize Nanocarriers  IFA Annoucement
10.06.22 Cand. Med Anette Uhlving Larsen Vitamin D: Relations with Sleep and Bone Mineral Density. Insights from the Tromsø Study and randomized controlled trials  IKM Annoucement
17.06.22 Cand. Med Didrik Kjønås Prediction of outcome in patients with severe aortic stenosis treated with transcatheter aortic valve implantation  IKM Announcement
17.06.22 Cand. Med Joakim Sejrup Risk Factors and Triggers of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients with Myocardial Infarction  IKM Announcement
21.06.22 Cand. Rerum.Polit Frank Olsen Geographic and socioeconomic variation in the utilisation of specialist health care services in Norway – Three selected health care services  ISM Announcement
22.06.22 Cand.Med.Vet Synne Simonsen Hansen Myocardial metabolic, structural and functional remodelling following nutritional and hormonal stress  IMB Announcement
12.08.22 Master in biology Eric Juskewitz  "Antimicrobial activity and mode of action - Examples from natural products, peptides, and peptidomimetics" IMB Announcement
19.08.22 Biotechnology Karolina Szafranska "Novel screening methods for nanoscale changes in liver cell fenestrations elicited by pharmaceuticals" IMB Annoucement
26.08.22 Cand.Psyc Jeanette Schultz Johansen Optimizing medication therapy in older hospitalized patients
Identifying potentially inappropriate medications and testing an interdisciplinary intervention"
IFA Annoucement 
08.09.22 Master in biomedicine Alicia Villatoro Gonzàlez "The role of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist in normal and malignant hematopoiesis" IMB Annoucement 
09.09.22 Cand.Med Torvind Olav Næsheim "Guanylate cyclase activators and stimulators. Potential cardiovascular therapeutics, with special focus on the right ventricle." IKM Annoucement 
15.09.22 Cand.Psyc Nina Mørkved  “Childhood Trauma in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: A comparison to substance abuse disorders, and relation to cognitive performance and antipsychotic treatment outcomes. IPS Annoucement 
16.09.22 Master phil. med fa. Madhu Wagle Parajuli “Oral health in pregnancy: changes in oral bacterial milieu related to cariogenic bacterial load, oxidative stress and nitric oxide levels in the saliva and their effect on pregnancy outcome” IKM Annoucement
28.09.22 Cand. Med Benjamin Storm  “Venous Air Embolism and Complement-driven Thromboinflammation.  In vitro human whole blood studies and in vivo porcine studies on the effect of air emboli on the complement system, cytokine network, and the hemostasis” IKM Annoucement 
28.09.22 MBChB Mona Dixon Gundersen  “Interleukin 33: a locally induced alarmin in the colonic mucosa of ulcerative colitis” IKM Annoucement 
30.09.22 Cand. Med Kristina Fladseth “Clinical characteristics, mortality and pain tolerance in stable versus acute presentation of coronary heart disease” IKM  Annoucement
04.10.22

Cand. Polit Marlene Bruun Lauridsen

“Interpersonal competence in challenging encounters:
Towards a paradigm shift in human services- Creating conditions for professional development through action research and trauma-informed restorative practice”
IHO Announcement
04.10.22 Cand.Med Kristina B. Slåtsve “Prevalence, vascular complications, and level of health care treatment in individuals with type 2 and type 1 diabetes mellitus” IKM Announcement 
 14.10.22 Master in pharmacy Anup Shrestha  “The Regulation of Steroid Receptor Co-activator-3 Activity by p38MAPK-MK2 Signaling Pathway”  IFA Announcement
04.11.22 Master in history Helle Jørgensen  The impact of socioeconomic status on the risk and prognosis of venous thromboembolism” IKM Announcement 
07.11.22 Master in health sciences Anja Davis Norbye “Health anxiety as a continuous construct in the general population - measuring the distribution of health anxiety and the associations with healthcare use, physical disease and cardiovascular risk factors” ISM Annoucement 
08.11.22 Cand. Med Martin B. Harbitz "Exploring patient safety in rural general practice - a mixed-methods approach" ISM Annoucement 
11.11.22 Master in pharmacy Lise M. Hemmingsen “Advanced topical delivery systems for membrane-active antimicrobials. Exploring nature to improve antimicrobial wound therapy” IFA Annoucement 
11.11.22 Cand, Med Cato Kjærvik “Hip fractures in Norway – Inequity in treatment and outcomes” ISM Annoucement 
25.11.22 Master of science Ellen Nierenberg Understanding the development of information literacy in higher education: Knowing, doing, and feeling IPS  Announcement 
02.12.22 Cand. Med Erlend Bugge “Some systemic markers of inflammation in older adults with psychiatric disorders”. IKM Annoucement 
09.12.22 Master sci. Amrinder Singh “Falsifiable Network Models”   Announcement 
13.12.22 Master Anne Mette Nygaard “Family care strategies in an unpredictable ICU environment ICU nurses’ and physicians’ interprofessional and individual strategies for critically ill ICU patients’ families – a qualitative study” IHO Announcement 
14.12.22 Master in pharmacy Kjerstin Havnes  “Optimising drug therapy in older patients. Exploring different approaches across the patient pathway IFA Announcement
15.12.22 Cand. Med Line Tegner Stelander “Alcohol and aging: A longitudinal study of alcohol habits and health effects due to alcohol consumption in old adulthood” IKM Announcement 
15.12.22 Cand.Psyc Veronica Lorentzen Providing a short and effective transdiagnostic treatment intervention and a valid outcome measure for adolescent with anxiety and depression. A randomized controlled trial of the SMART intervention and validation of the CORE-OM in adolescents aged 14 to 17 (Doctoral thesis).” IPS Announcement 
         

2021


Date Title + Name Thesis Title  Institute Link 
04.01.21 Master in health sciences Nils Abel Aars "Physical Activity and Body Composition in Norwegian Adolescents. Results from The Tromsø Study: Fit Futures" ISM Annoucement
15.01.21 Cand. Med Gøril Heide "Human platelet antigen (HPA)-1a alloimmunization – Why only blame it on the platelets?" IMB Annoucement
22.01.21 Cand.Med Elin Storjord "Acute intermittent porphyria. Inflammation, diet and biomarkers in acute intermittent porphyria” IKM Annoucement
22.01.22 Master Sci. Hong Mao “Unraveling nanoscale alterations in liver cell fenestrations — Morphological studies via optical super-resolution microscopy approaches” IMB Annoucement
05.02.21 Master Sci. Bishnu Joshi  «Bacterial Extracellular vesicles and their cargo” IMB Annoucement
08.02.21 Master in health sciences Susanna Siri “Cardiovascular risk factors and incidence of acute myocardial infarction and cerebral stroke in Sami and non-Sami populations — The SAMINOR Study” ISM Annoucement
12.02.21 Cand. Med Randolf Inge Hardersen “Biocompatibility in low-density lipoprotein apheresis and plasma separation” IKM Annoucement
26.02.21 Master in sports physiotherapy  Ane Sigirid Nygaard «Chronic Pelvic Pain in women. Group based multimodal physical therapy” IKM Annoucement
12.03.21 Master in vocational pedagogy Trine Eriksen (dr.philos) «Hvordan kan universitetet ivareta sitt samfunnsoppdrag: med eksempler fra sykepleierutdanningen i Finnmark»   Annoucement
12.03.21 Master of business Meghan Bradway “mHealth: opportunities and challenges for health intervention research” IKM Annoucement
23.03.21 Cand. Med Håkon Sandbukt Johnsen «Biomarkers of major bleeding after incident venous thromboembolism” IKM Annoucement
25.03.21 Master Sci. Olena Iakunchykova “A biomarker approach to explain high cardiovascular disease burden in Russia: insights from population-based studies in Russia and Norway” ISM Annoucement
13.04.21  Master in psychology Isabel Viola Kreis “Metacognition and decision-making in schizophrenia: Exploring how aberrant processing and representation of uncertainty may explain cognitive-behavioral biases" IPS Annoucement
19.04.21 Cand.Med Karin Abeler “Studies of sleep and seasonal variations in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain” IPS Annoucement
23.04.21 Master, unspesified, Margherita Flavigna “The development journey of an artificial intestinal model prediciting oral drug absorption: the mucus-PVPA model” IFA Annoucement
23.04.21 Master in health sciences Jan-Thore Lockertsen “We Ran a Hospital. The Norwegian Nurses efforts During the Korean War and the Impact of their Experiences on Norwegian Nursing and Theatre Nursing” IHO Annoucement
03.05.21 Master Sci. Marita Olsson “Causes and Consequences of Gender Roles” IPS Annoucement
11.05.21 Dr.Med David Andreas Thomas Werner “Development of a prognostic model for unfavorable outcome after lumbar microdiscectomy” IKM Annoucement
14.05.21 Dr.Med Priya Bhide “The role of ovarian reserve markers in fertility and fertility treatment” IKM Annoucement
20.05.21 Cand.Med Inger Lund-Kordahl «Studies on the Chain of Survival in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest." IKM Annoucement
21.05.21 Cand.Med Veronika Rypdal "Prediction of unfavorable outcome in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) and assessment of the long-term outcomes in JIA-associated uveitis – A prospective Nordic multicenter study of JIA from childhood to adulthood" IKM Annoucement
21.05.21 Master, unspesified, Jucal Garcia Garcia "Exploring the roles of TRIM27 and TRIM32 in autophagy” IMB Annoucement
28.05.21 Master Sci. Ole-Andreas Nilsen "The influence of lifestyle on peak bone mass in Norwegian boys and girls between 15-19 years of age. The Tromsø study, Fit Futures" IHO Annoucement
28.05.21 Master Sci. Samuel Kuttner "Advancing Quantitative PET Imaging with Machine Learning" IKM  
04.06.21 Andre Henriksen “Continuous physical activity recording- Consumer-based activity trackers in epidemiological studies” ISM Annoucement
10.06.21 Master in psychology Thies Ludtke  “Identifying and treating predictors of psychotic symptoms - How findings from Experience Sampling research can help to improve the treatment of psychosis and the prediction of relapse" IPS Annoucement
11.06.21 Julia Kloos “Horizontal transfer, selection and maintenance of antibiotic resistance determinants” IFA Annoucement
11.06.21 Cand.Med Nora Ness “Immunological biomarkers in prostate cancer” IMB Annoucement
17.06.21 Master Sci. Kamilla Gjerland Haugland “Hippocampal plasticity: Development of connectivity and growth hormone modulation of place cells and behavior” IKM Annoucement
18.06.21 Cand. Med Hanne Skille  “Combined effects of cancer and prothrombotic genotypes on the risk of venous thromboembolism” IKM Annoucement
23.06.21 Master Sci. Atena Miroslawska “Renal sympathetic denervation, potential effects on blood pressure and glucose metabolism in patients with severe treatment resistant hypertension. The Re-Shape CV-risk study" IKM Annoucement
20.08.21 Master Sci. Sabin Bhandari “Molecular profiling of the liver sinusoidal endothelial cell- a multi-omics approach” IMB Annoucement
27.08.21 Master in health sciences Irish Borch «Student evalaution practice: A qualitative study on how student evaluation of teaching, courses and programmes are carried out and used” Result Annoucement
03.09.21 Cand.Med Dario Musso “Peripheral nerve blocks for shoulder surgery – Periclavicular approaches in the pursuit of a diaphragm-sparing technique “ IKM Annoucement
07.09.21 Master Sci. Patty Hujgens  “Organization and orchestration of male rat sexual behaviour” IPS Annoucement
17.09.21 Master Sci. Kirsten Maria Jansen "Modulation of Cardiometabolic Health by Dietary Supplementation with Calanus oil” IMB Annoucement
01.10.21 Master in odontology Hege Nermo  "Dental anxiety in adolescents and adults. Epidemiological studies based on the Tromsø Study 7 and Fit Futures 1 & 2" IKO Annoucement
13.10.21 Cand.Med Vilde Lehne Michalsen "Metabolic syndrome, obesity and ethnicity- the SAMINOR study.” ISM Annoucement
22.10.21 Cand.Med Christian Børde Arkteg "When is remission remission” IKM Annoucement
22.10.21 Cand.Med Linn Såve Nymo “Wuthering heights: Outcomes from pancreatic surgery and trends in treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in Norway in a post-centralization era” IKM Annoucement
22.10.21 Master in biology Daria Popova “Advanced methods in reproductive medicine: Application of optical nanoscopy, artificial intelligence-assisted quantitative phase microscopy and mitochondrial DNA copy numbers to assess human sperm cells” IKM Annoucement
25.10.21 Cand.Scient Markus Landrø  “Why is it safe- enough?” IPS Announcement
05.11.21 Master in biomedicine Cathrine C. Ramberg “Temporal trends in intracerebral hemorrhage in a general population. Incidence, risk factors, case fatality and long-term mortality. The Tromsø Study” IKM Announcement
12.11.21 Cand.Med Maria Kristin Carlsson “Temporal trends in intracerebral hemorrhage in a general population. Incidence, risk factors, case fatality and long-term mortality. The Tromsø Study IKM Announcement
25.11.21 Cand.Med Guri Anita Heiberg "Rehabilitation pathways, satisfaction with functioning and wellbeing and experienced rehabilitation needs after stroke” IKM Announcement
26.11.21 Cand.Med Ragnhild Hellesnes "Testicular cancer survivors in the cisplatin era: Metachronous contralateral testicular cancer, second cancer and causes of death”  IKM Announcement
 26.11.21 Master in exercise physiology Sigurd Pedersen   “Training and influence of maximal strength in football players – With specific emphasis on females”  IH Announcement
 29.11.21 Cand.Psyc Tom Johan Johnsen (dr.philos)   “The temporal development of cognitive behavioral therapy as treatment for unipolar depression. An evaluation based on three meta-analyses, focusing on time-trends, effect sizes, and associated moderators”   Announcement
 03.12.21 Master in statitics Lars Bakke Hindenes   "Circle of Willis variants and cerebrovascular health:
Representations, prevalence’s, functions and related consequences Incomplete anatomy and changes to flow appear to induce more unfavorable health outcomes”
 IKM Announcement
03.12.21   Master in biomedicine Anthimi Palara  "Mechanism and structural requirements for formation of p62 bodies and degradation of p62 by selective autophagy”  IMB Announcement
08.12.21 Master in odontology Ann-Kristine Bongo "Oral health among the indigenous Sámi population. A population-based study on periodontal health, dental caries, and oral health-related quality of life" ISM Announcement
09.12.21 Master in public health Marie Wasmuth Lundblad  “The obesity epidemic; population levels of visceral adipose tissue and trends in body composition. Insight from the Tromsø study” ISM Announcement
15.12.21 Master phil. Matthew B. Stephensen "Shaping the Perception of Risk: Investigating a Paradigmatic Case of Applied Decision Making under Uncertainty” IPS Announcement
16.12.21 Master, unspesified, Sigurd Klemetsen Beldo "Accelerometer-measured physical activity in Norwegian adolescents. Results from the Fit Futures Study” IH Announcement
20.12.21 Master in health sciences Erlend Hoftun Farbu "Our climatic environment and pain Exposure to cold environment at work and the weather in daily life” ISM Announcement 

2020


Date

Title + name  Thesis title Department Annoucement 
16.01.20 Master in sociology Monika Dybdahl Jakobsen "The self-management work of food hypersensitivity. A study using a population-based cross-sectional study design and qualitative interviews."  ISM Lenke til avhandling
29.01.20 Cand. Sanitatis Hilde Laholt  "Visual methods in health dialouge and public health work. An action research apporach to improve school nurses' work with adolescent"  IHO  Lenke til avhandling
29.01.20 Cand.med Esben Bjøri "Triggers and risk factors of first and recurrent venous thromboembolism"  IKM  Lenke til avhandling
31.01.20 Cand.med Terje B. Holmlund "Modeling remotely collected speech data: Applications for psychiatry"  IKM Lenke til avhandling
04.02.20 Master of high performance sports training Ivan André Matias do Vale Baptista "The variability of physical match demands in elite women's football  IH Lenke til avhandling
07.02.20 Master in biotechnology Katrine Stange Overå "TRIM proteins in autophagy: A study of TRIM32 and TRIM27"  IMB Lenke til avhandling
07.02.20 Mater.Sci Line Holtet Evensen "Physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and venous thromboembolism"  IKM Lenke til avhandling
20.02.20 Master i molekylærbiologi Thaddaeus Mutugi Nthiga "Role of CALCOCO1 in scaling down endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi by autophagy"  IMB  Lenke til avhandling
28.02.20 Master i psychology Connie Villemo Nilsen  "Abridged risk information: Effects of warning labels on snus packages"  IPS Lenke til avhandling
27.03.20 Master of public health Sunday Oyeyemi "Lifestyle factos and colorectal cancer: The Norwegian Women and Cancer Study"  ISM Lenke til avhandling
01.04.20 Cand.med. Juan Carlos Aviles Solis "Identification and prevalence of adventitious lung sounds in a genereal adult population"  ISM Lenke til avhandling
03.04.20 Cand.med. Christian Widnes  "Sex differences in placental circulation"  IKM Lenke til avhandling
03.04.20 Master i klinisk sykepleie  Siv Jorunn Storli Olsen "Coronary heart disease and cardiac rehabilitation. Participation rate, predictors and effects on symptoms of anxiety and depression, and employment status of patients following percutaneous coronary intervention- A nationalwide prosepective cohort study"  IHO Lenke til avhandling
03.04.20 Master in biology Maria Pain  "Exploring the pangenome of Staphylococcus haemolyticus. Colonisation, hospital adaption, pathogenicity and novel species identification"  IKM Lenke til avhandling
16.04.20 Cand.med. Sandra Goldbeck-Wood (dr.philos) "When Bodies Speak and Words Act- poetry, psychosomatic illness and the lost art of medicine" IKM Lenke til avhandling
17.04.20 Cand.Med Peter Holger Johnsen "THE EFFECT OF FAECAL MICROBIOTA TRANSPLANTATION IN IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROM. A double blind, randomized placebo controlled single centre study"  IKM Lenke til avhandling
17.04.20 Master i biomedisin Rangita Dawadi "Biochemical characterization of Matrix Mealloproteinase-9.  Binding interactions with two small non-peptide inhibitors and the proteoglycan serglycin & Procession of serglycin"  IMB Lenke til avhandling
23.04.20 Master i nevrologisk fysioterapi Synne Garder Pedersen "Percieved quality of life and functioning after stroke in a region of North Norway and in a region of central Denmark. A mixed method study" IHO Lenke til avhandling
12.05.20 Cand.Polit. Maria Fredriksen Kvamme  "Suffering, agency and care in medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). An ethnographic study of the social course and reframing of MUS in Norwegian youth."  ISM Lenke til avhandling
19.05.20 Master in public health Anu Mirjam Piira "The ATLET study: Can subjects with long-standing motor incomplete spinal cord injury learn to walk? A randomized clinical study"  IHO Lenke til avhandling 
22.05.20 Master in psychology Lizbett Flores-Garcia "Substance Use Disorder patients with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Exploring differences in personality, substance use-related aspects and quality of life in a naturalistic follow-up study"  IPS Lenke til avhandling 
25.05.20 Master in Global Health Marisa da Silva "Weight change and cancer"  ISM Lenke til avhandling 
25.05.20 Cand.med Ilya Zykov "Old antibiotics as alternative treatment options for urinary tract infections caused by ESBL-.AmpC- and carbapenemase-producin Escherichia coli" IMB Lenke til avhandling 
27.05.20 Master i helsefag Ellen C. Arntzen "The effects of and experences from participation in GroupCoreDIST- a new, individualized, group-based, physiotherapy intervention for ambulant individuals with multiple sclerosis"  IHO Lenke til avhandling 
29.05.20 Cand.med Øyvind Holsbø Hald  "Molecular aspects of high-risk neuroblastoma and novel therpautic opporunities"  IKM Lenke til avhandling 
09.06.20 Master of engieneering Antal Martinez "Mathematical Models of Optimal Antibiotic Treatment"  IFA Lenke til avhandling 
10.06.20 Cand. Sanitatis Karina Sebergsen "Competent help during acute psychosis. A qualitative interview study with patients admitted to acute psychiatric wards"  IHO Lenke til avhandling
12.06.20 Cand.med Merethe Selnes Hansen "Aspects of Lung Cancer by Sex"  IKM Lenke til avhandling 
17.06.20 Cand.psyk Kent Nordby "Student procastination: Measurement, reduction and Environmental factors!  IPS Lenke til avhandling 
19.06.20 Cand.med Lotte Olsen "Exploring and Targeting Novel Cancer Networks in Multidrug Resistant Neurblastoma"  IKM Lenke til avhandling 
02.07.20 Cand.Med Rune H. Hermansen  "Physical activity, cardiovascular risk factors, and mortality in etnic groups in the Artic region of Norway. Results from two population-based studies: The Finnmark 3 study 1987-1988 and SAMINOR 1 2003-2004" ISM Lenke til avhandling
21.08.20 Master i psykologi Ida Marie Opdal  "Physical activity and mental distress among adolescents  IPS Lenke til avhandling
21.08.20 Cand.Med Michael Stylidis  "Clinical characteristics, echocardiographic indices of heart failure and mortality in a general population"  ISM Lenke til avhandling 
27.08.20 Cand.med Anna Bågenholm  "Trauma radiology in northern Norway"  IKM Lenke til avhandling 
28.08.20 Sivilingeniør Nya Mehnwolo Boayue  "Understanding the Neural and Behavioral Correlates of Mind Wandering Through Trancranial Direct Current Stimulation"  IPS Lenke til avhandling 
04.09.20 Master of Science Kashif Rasheed   "Merkel Cell Polyomavirus and Merkel Cell Carcinoma" 

IMB 

Lenke til avhandling 
11.09.20 Cand.Med Ellinor Christin Haukland   "Adverse events as measure of patient safety in cancer care"  ISM Lenke til avhandling 
18.09.20 Cand.Med Trygve Nissen   "Medical case reports: Some theoretical and empirical perspectives"  IKM Lenke til avhandling 
24.09.20 Master in health sciences Maria Bakland    "Patients' and therapists' experience with a new treatment for eating disorders, combining physical exercise and dietary therapy. An interview study"  IHO  Lenke til avhandling 
25.09.20 Cand.med. Astrid Synnøve Buvik "Telemedicine in remote orthopaedic consulation: A randomised controlled trial"  ISM Lenke til avhandling
25.09.20 Cand.med. Bjørn Holdø "Surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women. The shift from Burch colposuspension to the retopubic tension-free vaginal tape procedure"  ISM Lenke til avhandling
29.09.20 Cand.psyk Silje Vagli Østbye "Terrains of Uncertainty. Communicative Challenges of Medically Unexplained Illness in Youth"  IPS Lenke til avhandling
02.10.20 University degree in Dental Surgery Paula Frid  "The Temporomandibular Joint in Juvenile Idiopatihic Arthritis, focusing on Quality of Life, Oral Microbiome and Intervention"  IKM Lenke til avhandling
08.10.20 Cand.med Inger Heidi Bjerkli "Prognostic indicators of survival for patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma in Norway. Outcomes in a retrospective, multicenter cohort, with special focus on oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma, 2005-2009" IMB Lenke til avhandling
09.10.20 Master sci. Josef Diab "The Metabolome and Lipidome of Ulcerative Colitis"  IFA Lenke til avhandling
22.10.20 Cand.med Hanne Skjerven Bersvendsen "Sexual function and lifestyle behavior among lymphoma survivors after high dose chemotherapy with autologous stem-cell transplantation"  IKM Lenke til avhandling
12.11.20 Master Sci. Adriana Maria Sanabria-Moreno "A Shotgun-metagenomics approach for laboratory diagnostics in clinical microbiology"  IMB Lenke til avhandling
27.11.20 Master Sci. Trond Isaksen "Dietary intake of marine polyunsaturated fatty acids and incidence reccurence and mortality related to venous thromboembolism"  IKM Lenke til avhandling
04.12.20 Cand.Polit Trine Kvitberg "Artic food biographies. An ethnographic study of food and health in everyday life of elderly Arctic women"  ISM Lenke til avhandling
11.12.20 Master of Arts in Public Health Tinatin Manjavidze "Perinatal mortality and its association with antenatal care utilization in the Republic of Georgia"  ISM Lenke til avhandling
17.12.20 Jon Petter Anders Stoor  "Suicide among Sámi- Cultural meanings of suicide and interventions for suicide prevention in Nordic parts of Sápmi"  ISM  
18.12.20 Cand.Psyk Martin Kragnes Bystad "Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation as a memory enchancer in healthy participants and patients with Alzheimer's disease"  IPS  

Questions regarding the PhD programme may be directed to phd@helsefak.uit.no  

Contact us:

Senior Advisor Anine T. Andersen 

Senior Advisor Monica Karlsen 

Midway Assessment 

Senior Advisor Kenneth Webb Berg Vollan 

Admission 

Advisor Andrea Jennerwein

Public defense

Advisor Stian Løkken Myrvold 

Student Research Programme -  Submission / Public Defenses - Educational Component - Coordination of PhD - Courses - Mobility Grant 

 





Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education is a multidisciplinary faculty that offers research training within most fields in the humanities and social sciences. Subjects in which you can specialize in are among other: philosophy, archaeology, history, religious studies, education, pedagogy, sociology, social anthropology, community planning, cultural understanding, political science, linguistics, literature, tourism, child welfare, social work, northern studies and more.

About the PhD Programme in Humanities and Social Sciences

The PhD program is an organized research education and consists of an independent research work with a doctoral dissertation and a training component. The program's nominal length of study is three years full-time study/ 180 ECTS. The HSL faculty admit PhD candidates for either 3 or 4 years of studies. candidate on a 4-year contract have 75 % of full-time allocated for PhD studies, and 25 % of the time for duty work in a PhD fellow position. The educational plan for the PhD study is individual for each PhD candidate and agreed on when signing the Agreement upon admission to the PhD programme. The individual education plan consist of serveral plans for the PhD project; among them are time schedule woth a plan for the work with the doctoral research project/dissertation, a data management plan, a plan for dissemination, budget and a funding plan, a plan for the instruction component and more. The aim of the education is an independent research work with a scientific dissertation on a high international and academic level defended in public disputation. The PhD program opens for doctoral projects with professional specialization in a number of humanities and social sciences. Implementation of the program requires integration and participation in one or more of the faculty’s active research environments, collaboration with other researchers and connection to relevant networks nationally and internationally. The PhD candidates receive close follow-up and academic guidance, but the candidate must take responsibility for the planning and implementation of the dissertation work.

The PhD study’s relevance

A doctorate degree is Norway's highest education and qualifies for research activities of international standard and for other work in society where high standards of scientific insight and analytical thinking are required, in accordance with good scientific practice and research ethical standards. For example, the education provides qualifications for a further career as a researcher at universities, colleges, research foundations or business and other sectors where research and development is conducted and high demands are placed on knowledge and competence. With a doctorate you can also get positions with work / responsibilities in leadership and management in knowledge companies; undertake investigative tasks in government and municipal administration; drive knowledge dissemination and teaching; participate in product development and international cooperation; and you have attractive skills in an international labor market.

 

How to become a PhD student in Humanities and Social Sciences?


In order to become a PhD candidate at HSL-faculty you have either to apply for a PhD fellow position that is advertised, or be employed at an external institution that will fund the PhD project. You must have completed a master’s degree with good grades and document proficiency in English and have a doctoral research project that fit within our faculty’s research interests and strategies.

Advertised positions

The faculty hiers approxcimately 20 PhD fellows every year. All vacant positions are advertised through Jobbnorge.no and UiT's webpage.

Desired educational background, qualifications, application deadline and topic of the call for PhD projects are specified in the advertisement for each vacant PhD fellow position. Working conditions, application requirements including mandatory attachements and procedures are also specified in the advertisement.

Applicants that are chosen and employed shall submit an application for admission to PhD programme in Humanities and Social Sciences within a specified deadline after commencement of their work contract. We recommend you to read the requirements for an application for admission to PhD-studies at HSL-faulty further down.  

External applicants

The faculty welcomes candidates that are employed at external institutions to apply for admission to PhD-studies. Admission is contingent on the availability of adequate funding, which as a general rule should covers personnel and running costs, and overhead for a doctoral fellow position. For part-time candidates, it is required that a minimum of 50 % of the candidate’s working time may be spent on the doctoral degree programme. The required funding can be achieved by applying for a vacant Doctoral Research Fellow position at an external institution where the agreement with your employer are to apply for admission for the PhD programme at UIT/HSL-faculty. The main supervisor should be employd at UiT. 50 % of the supervisory time provided by empoyees at HSL-faculty must be covered by the external institution. There is an requirement that the candidate keep a work place in a relevant research community at one of the faculty's departments or centres for 12 months during the admission period. The cost with office, infrastructure, library services etc must be covered by the external institution.   

An agreement between the external institution and the HSL-faculty has to be signed and enclosed when applying for admission. The same requirements apply for external candidates with regard to the project description and other mandatory application attachements. The faculty accepts application twice a year. The application deadlines are: 1 April and 1 October. 

Requirements for admission


Section 8 of The UiTs PhD regulations and the faculty's supplement regulations describe formal requirements in order to be admitted to the PhD programme in Humanities and Social Sciences. To be admitted, the candidate must have sufficient university education, good grades and be able to document adequate proficiency in English. in addition, there is a requirement for sufficient funding.  

Educational background

In order to be admitted to a doctoral degree programme, the applicant must have completed a master´s degree that meet the descriptions in The Norwegian qualifications framework for lifelong learning (NQF). HSL-faculty can approve other similar education as equal. Applicants with foreign higher education will be assessed in accordance with the Act relating to universities and university colleges in Norway, section 3-5 (3).

Normally an applicant can be admitted based on either an integrated master’s degree of 300 credits or a master’s degree of 120 credits building upon a bachelor’s degree of 180 credits. The Master’s degree should contain a major written work equivalent to 30 ECTS.

Foreign master's degree will be approved unless there are demonstrated substantial differences between the foreign degree and the qualification it is compared with. This could be substantial differences in the learning outcome; differences in access to further activities e.g., PhD studies, research activities and paid work; differences in the key elements of the master's programme e.g., training (or lack thereof) in relevant scientific theory, methodolgy or master's thesis; or differences in the quality of the master's programme and/or institution that issued the master's degree. A foreign master's degree shorter than 120 ECTS or a master's thesis shorter than 30 ECTS are not by itself considered substantiel differences. 

Applicants need to document sufficient Proficiency in English for PhD-level studies. A list of valid tests and scores is found on the webpage.

Grades

All applicants should have a grade-point average of B or higher (or equivalent goog grades) on their master’s degree in order to be admitted to the PhD programme. The grade-point average also applies to 300 ECTS points integrated five-year master’s degrees, in which all courses are to be included in the grade-point average.

The doctoral research project and research community/group

The academic character of the PhD project (methodology, perspectives and theories) determines with which research community the project should be affiliated. Therefore, the applicant should, when admitted, have affiliation to the department/centre that the doctoral project belongs to academically, regardless of whether the applicant holds a master’s degree in a discipline at this department. Still the applicant must document training in theory and methodology within the Social Sciences or Humanities.

Exceptions to the rules

Experience-based Master's degrees of 120 credits may be basis for admission to the PhD programmes. In such cases the faculty must see to in advance that the quality of the master's thesis in question, has been externally evaluated as adequate for the purpose of admission to the doctoral degree programme from an academic, methodological and philosophy of science perspective. Such evaluation must be carried out by at least one professor / associate professor from a relevant subject area at another institution that awards PhD degrees in the discipline in question. The admissions committee should put decisive weight on this external evaluation.

An exception may be granted for applicants with a grade-point average of C (or equivalent) on their master’s degree if the applicant can document scientific work beyond their master’s degree, where they have been sole or principal author. Examples of what may qualify as scientific works are accepted or published peer-reviewed articles, publishable academic works and academic reports and studies.

If a long time has elapsed from the completion of the master's degree to the submitted application for admission to PhD studies (10 years or more), the applicant should refer to their own interest in research with documentation of accepted or published scientific / professional work beyond the master's degree.

Application for admission to PhD studies


UiT and the faculty has some requirements in order to make application for admission complete. For UiT employed PhDs, a temporary admission to the PhD studies has been granted when being employed, but an application for admission has to be submitted within a deadline of  between 1-3 months after commencement of work contract. 

The application with the project description and other documents is evaluated and approved by the Doctoral Degree Commitee at the faculty.

Application requirements

  • Project description included project plans. Formal requirements are listed below.
  • Certified copies of the masters and bachelors diploma, transcript of records and Diploma Supplement 
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Certificate of English proficiency, for those who need it (see the requirement for admission to PhD studies here)
  • Agreement on AdmissionStandard agreement form shall be used. The agrement consist of three parts (Part A, B and C). Part C is only relevant for applicants employed at other institutions than UiT. Before submission the agreement shall be signed by:
    1. Agreement Part A: Vice-dean of research and the doctoral candidate. The vice-deans signature will be obtained by the caseworker after the application has been accepted
    2. Agreement Part B: Supervisors and doctoral candidate 
    3. Agreement Part C: Vice-dean and a representative in the management at the external institution that have the authority to enter such agreements e.g., research director, director etc., and the doctoral candidate. The vice-deans signature will be obtained by the caseworker after the application has been accepted

If you would like a review of what should be included in the project description before you deliver your application, you can contact the PhD advisor (see the Contact tab). Please arrange a meeting in advance.

Project description requirements

A relatively detailed project description of your research project with the project's plans shall be developed and written in collaboration with your supervisors. Use this template for project description and project plans. The project description consist of to parts: one for the extended and detailed description of the project (app. 10 pages) and a second part for the project's plans. The presentation of the research project shall include:

Part 1 Project description

Part 2 Project's plans

When do I apply?

Where do I send/submit the application?

The application with the project description, the Agreement on Admission, and all other required attachments shall be sent to one of the faculty's PhD advisors (see the Contact tab). 

Handling and evaluation of the application

The application is processed by the faculty administration and forwarded to the admission body.

1. The application is submitted to the faculty administration at HSL-faculty

2. The administration looks through the application and advise the applicant on various aspects pertaining to the application, e.g. missing information, formal errors.

3. The relevant department or center appoints researchers active within the field of the doctoral candidates project to assess the scientific quality of the project. The department/center gives their recommandations.

4. The Doctoral Degree Committee formally approves admission if the application is found satisfactory

The applicant is informed on the decision of the committee and receives a letter of admission. Comments and required amendments and/or changes to the project description is conveyed. A copy of the Agreement of Admission now also signed by the vice-dean will be enclosed with the letter.

 

Mentor


Academic and social inclusion of doctoral candidates - the mentor scheme

New doctoral candidates will be offered a mentor at their department or center. The purpose of the mentor scheme is to contribute to a good transition to research education by offering the doctoral candidate support to deal with various aspects of being new in a research community and facilitating integration into the PhD study programme and relevant academic environments. The mentor scheme is a supplement to other existing frameworks for academic and social integration, such as supervision, participation in research or project groups, PhD coordinator, forums/meeting places for doctoral candidates, etc.

  • The mentor is connected to the new doctoral candidate from the candidate's first day on the PhD study. This also applies when the PhD candidate is not employed at UiT but has an external employer.
  • The department/center is encouraged to include a mentor in their start-up meeting held by the unit with the new doctoral candidate. At the start-up meeting, it is recommended that the department/center seek to clarify the roles (responsibilities and tasks) of the various persons they will relate to during the course of study: mentor, PhD coordinator, supervisors, research group and/or project manager, respectively.
  • The mentor scheme will be offered to the new doctoral candidate during the first 6 months of the programme. If the candidate has an external employer and has an agreement on workplace in the relevant academic environment at the department not from the start of the PhD study but later, the mentor can both be connected to the candidate at the start of the programme and be offered mentor support during the candidate's first period with workplace at the department.
  • The first meeting between the mentor and the new doctoral candidate is mandatory, other contact may be optional on the part of the candidate.
  • The mentor scheme should include both 'one-to-one' contact between the mentor and the individual new doctoral candidate, and in group meetings with the mentor and other candidates.
  • The mentor and candidate should be located at the same campus, and the mentor should preferably have a workplace in the same corridor or building as the candidate.
  • Units with few PhD candidates and/or candidates on different campuses can collaborate with other units on joint mentoring.
  • The selection of a mentor should be chosen among PhD research fellows who are at the end of their course of study (as part of their compulsory duties or during the ‘completion grant’-period), or among employees in positions such as assistant professor/associate professor who have recently completed their own doctoral degree. The choice of mentor must help reduce the asymmetrical relationship between the new doctoral candidate and the mentor. The mentor role should not be combined with the role of PhD coordinator. One and the same mentor can be connected to several candidates.
  • Hourly resource for mentor is recommended for 10-15 hours.

Mentor's tasks:

  • provide social and practical assistance in the candidate's commencement of the programme;
  • be a 'coupler' that facilitates contact between the candidate and relevant environment/persons;
  • be an initiator of contact with the candidate (hear how things are going, joint coffee breaks, give advice and tips);
  • help to identify situations where the structures/frameworks around the candidate do not work or if something needs clarification, and report this to the appropriate body (e.g. head of department, research group leader or supervisor);
  • the mentor shall not have personnel responsibility or responsibility for the academic follow-up of the candidate.

Training component


The aim of the training component is to further develop the scientific competence acquired by the PhD candidate throughout the course of previous studies. It will provide knowledge and skills beyond the work on the dissertation, and will underpin the dissertation work.

The training component consist of 30 credits. A tentative plan for which PhD courses, research courses or conference participation, the PhD candidate should complete, are agreed upon when the candidate is admitted to the PhD study and signs the Agreement upon admission with the faculty. We recommend that the candidate complete the training component within the 2-3 first semesters of study. When the components are completed, the candidate must apply for final approval of the training component to the faculty. This should be done in due time before the planned submission of the dissertation. The training component must be approved before the submission of the doctoral dissertation.

 

The structure of the training component for PhD candidates at HSL faculty

The HSL faculty offers common courses for PhD candidates that cover the requirements for the compulsory components of the training component in scientific theory, research ethics and dissemination. Courses in these subjects are offered annually, either in the autumn or spring semesters, while an optional course in research method is offered every other year. The departments/centers are responsible for offering subject-specific topics in theory and method or in special topics and positions. Some of these go into fixed rolling plans, while others are arranged only as one-off courses. The training component has the following structure:

Theory of science and research ethics (10 credits)

SVF-8054 Theory of Science (7 credits) – offered every fall term

SVF-8038 Research Ethics (3 credits) - offered every spring term

Dissemination (3-5 credits)

HEL-8045-NO Innovasjon og allmennrettet forskningskommunikasjon (3 credits) – offered in Norwegian every fall term

HEL-8045-EN Innovation and public science communication (3 credits) – offered in English every spring term

Electives in theory and method (15-17 credits)

The candidate must set up elective PhD courses within theory and method of relevance to the doctoral project. The composition of the courses should preferably consist of courses in both method and theory. A conference participation with a paper presentation can replace a PhD course as 3 or 5 credits in the training component. If the offer of relevant courses for the candidate's doctoral project is small, a special syllabus can be drawn up and the faculty can be asked to have it approved in the training component.

The following are offered as optional subjects in theory and method:

SVF-8040 Qualitative research (5 credits) - offered every other year in the spring semester (in Norwegian only). Offered next spring 2024 and spring 2026.

One course of up to 2 credits in generic skills can be approved in the training component. We recommend GEN-8001 Take Control of your PhD Journey: from (P)reflection to Publishing (2 credits) - taught every semester. New PhD candidates are given priority. High North Academy (HNA) also offers other subjects in generic skills, for more information see here.

See other PhD subjects in the course catalog online.

National research course portal in Social Scienses 

Follow this page for more information about courses in social sciences offered at the various institutions: https://www.sv.uio.no/english/research/phd/courseportal/ 

Requirements for documentation in order to get the training component approved are:

Documentation required for approval of (credit-giving) PhD courses as part of the training component:

  • local, national and international PhD courses that are arranged with credits are normally approved with the stated credit score;
  • an approved participation/paper/examination must be documented by a transcript of records, a course certificate, or similar.

Documentation required for the evaluation of conference participation for credits are:

  • The conference should be of scientific or academic character, that is, the topic of the conference should be scientific and the speakers should be academic scholars. The content of the conference should be relevant for the training component for which the credits are to be given: subject specific theory and methods/academic approaches and perspectives.
  • Model 1: In order to obtain 3 credits, the conference must extend over at least two days, and the PhD candidate must have held a presentation of at least 15 minutes. The workload shall be 90 hours, cf. that one credit is equivalent to 30 work hours.
  • Model 2: In order to obtain 5 credits, the conference must extend over at least two days, and the PhD candidate must have held a presentation of at least 20 minutes. The workload shall be 150 hours, cf. that one credit is equivalent to 30 work hours.
  • The documentation of conference participation and presentation should be supplemented, for example, by the list of participants and the conference programme. The PhD candidate’s conference presentation should be attached in the form of a manuscript, or similar.
  • Participation at conferences of a shorter duration or participation without holding a presentation will not be approved.
  • Only one conference participation can be approved as part of the training component.

 

Application form for approval of training component 

Supervision


In connection with the admission, the appointing committee or the PhD Programme Board formally appoints two supervisors. The department/centre is responsible for ensuring that the appointed supervisors have expertise and available capacity to supervise. The main supervisor should normally be employed at UiT, have doctoral degree himself/herself and be an active researcher within the field of the candidate’s PhD project. He/she should also have prior experience in supervision of PhD candidate and/or formal training in research supervision.

Upon admission, a formal agreement (part B of the PhD agreement) is entered into between you and the supervisors, which is mutually binding. In addition, UiT has Ethical guidelines for supervision. These can be found here

PhD candidates can receive a total of 240 hours of supervision, including the time the supervisors need for preparation and follow-up work (for example, to read chapter drafts, etc.). This equates to 40 hours per semester over 3 years, or 30 hours per semester over 4 years.

At the start of the PhD studies, the candidate and the supervisor will put together a plan for the work on the dissertation and the instructional component. This will be the candidate’s individual education plan against which progress throughout the studies is measured.

The academic dialogue with supervisors is central to the work on the dissertation. This collaboration should start as soon as the formal admission is in place. The supervisor’s foremost task is to assist you in the work on the dissertation. This includes far more than reading through finished chapters or articles. candidates’ needs will often be individual and varied. The supervisor can be regarded as a professional mentor who also assists the candidate in establishing a professional network, getting to know an international research environment, discussing work routines, and more.

Initially, the guidance will often be about developing the work plan for the project, as well as discussing the framework for the supervision. During this phase, it is important that the candidate and the supervisors become acquainted with each other, so that a positive basis for the cooperation will be established in the future. Further in the study, discussions about the dissertation itself will become increasingly central. Most people experience problems to a greater or lesser degree along the way, both professionally and personally. If the candidate has established a mutual relationship of trust with his or her supervisors early in the course, it will be easier to contact them if problems should arise. The supervisors are there, not least to help in academically challenging situations. If the problems are of a more personal nature a PhD candidate employed at UiT, can make an appointment with the employees’ health service, HEMIS. In such situations, it may be helpful to contact the supervisors to discuss possible revisions to the studies work plan.

If the PhD candidate and/or supervisor feels that the relationship is not working as desired, that there is a need for other competence in the supervision, or that for other reasons a change of supervisor is desired, this should be a simple decision. A simple application with reasons for changing the supervisor is sent to the department/centre. You can seek advice from the Head of Department/Deputy Chair/PhD Coordinator or the PhD administration at the faculty.

 

Reports on the progress


All PhD candidates and their supervisors are required to submit a report on the progress of the PhD education each year. The PhD candidates will respond to the report via Studentweb (for the previous year) as part of the semester registration in the spring semester (within 1 February).

The supervisors are sent questionnaires from the faculty via email to be answered for each candidate they are main supervisor for.

The questions about progress are based on the individual education plan (plan for the work on the dissertation and plan for the instructional component) that the candidate has delivered at admission and which is included in the PhD agreement. Information provided in the report is treated confidentially.

It is considered a violation of the reporting obligation if the candidate does not submit the annual progress report. The consequence of a failure to report may result in the annulment of the PhD agreement on admission (cf. section 25 of the PhD regulations).

As part of the quality assurance system at UiT, the faculty sends the progress reports to the departments/centers, where they are entered as a background document for the annual research conversation the management will have with the PhD candidate. The departments/centers then report back to the faculty about the progress of the PhD studies, any measures the department/centre has initiated or plans to initiate, and any measures the departments/centers wish the faculty to follow up. The department/centre reports are processed by the PhD Programme Board (usually in the June meeting).

Mid-term assessment


Midway through the PhD programme, the candidate will be assessed on the progression of his/her studies. This is done by performing a ‘mid-term assessment’.

Stays abroad – scholarship


For PhD students holding a university scholarships at the faculty, it is possible to apply for funding to cover additional costs for research stays at a foreign host institution for 2-6 months in duration. The scheme is announced once a year, normally at the end of a calender year with an application deadline in January/February. The scheme is an offering to PhD students in their 3rd-5th semester of study (for PhD students on 3-year admission contracts and in the 2nd or 3rd year of PhD students on 4-year admission contracts. 

The faculty’s support scheme with foreign scholarships is announced on UiT’s TAVLA and an invitation will be sent to the PhD students via email.

Transitional Scholarship


Transitional grants are announced once or twice a year and are intended for skilled researchers who wish to pursue a scientific career. Those eligible to apply will be those who recently have completed the PhD degree or submitted their dissertation for assessment in the period that has elapsed since the previous invitation to apply. Scholarships are awarded for a duration of up to 3 months. The condition for being awarded a transitional scholarship is a PhD degree by defence and in a position to accept the scholarship before the end of the calendar year in which the award is granted.

Invitations to apply for transitional scholarship are announced on UiT’s TAVLA and sent via email to the qualified candidates.

Research schools


You will find the HSL faculty's research schools in this link.

The work on the dissertation is the PhD student’s main task and should be in focus from the start. The other aspects of the study, such as the instructional component, should be an aid to the work on the dissertation.

For the individual, the dissertation is important because the insight gained through it will set the terms for how one will later work and think as a researcher. The dissertation is also a research project with importance for one’s future career.

The academic requirements of the dissertation


Item 19 of the PhD regulations for UiT states:

“The dissertation is to be an independent piece of academic research that meets international standards of ethics, scholarship and method in its field. Through the dissertation, the student will contribute to the development of new knowledge, and the dissertation shall be at a level meriting publication as part of the scientific literature in the field.

 

The dissertation may either be a monograph or a collection of several smaller research papers – an anthology. Such collections must have a connection between the various components, and the connection must be explained in a summary.”

 

This objective emphasizes the academic requirements for doctoral dissertation. But what exactly does it mean that a dissertation should contribute to the development of new knowledge, and that it should be published as part of a the scientific literature in the field?

The requirement to contribute to the development of new knowledge is an ambitious goal. One way to understand this is for a doctoral dissertation to be at the forefront of research. This means that the student must actively relate to other literature and other people’s research, and place their own project in relation to this research. This already applies in the project description, but in the dissertation it should be argued even more clearly what makes it possible for one’s own project to contribute new knowledge to a particular field of research. In this connection, thorough literature studies are often important.

The requirement to be at the forefront of the research applies not only to theoretical approaches and the dissertation question, but also in terms of method. Methodically, the student should demonstrate that he/she is familiar with existing approaches or techniques, and justify both design and choice of technique in relation to frontline research in the field.

At other levels of study it is possible to rely on secondary literature in the presentation of relevant theory or professional literature. In a doctoral dissertation, the student should document familiarity with the academic literature by employing primary sources, by explaining the academic debate around the literature, and by making independent interpretations of it.

In other words, whether a dissertation is considered as placing itself among frontline research is determined by the assessment committee’s evaluation of its academic quality. Such assessments can also be expressed by publishing – for example, by publishing empirical results or theoretical reasoning from the on-going work in the form of articles or shorter contributions in journals/anthologies.

 

Monograph or article collection?


The dissertation can be either a monograph or an article collection (a compilation of several shorter works). It is important that the student think through this option at the beginning of the project period. Feel free to discuss it with potential supervisors or other academic figures. Also think through and discuss with your supervisors whether it may be appropriate to have them as co-author(s) on articles.

The dissertation should be an independent scientific work that meets international standards in terms of theory, method and empiricism in the field of study. A good way to gain an insight into the requirements for a dissertation is to read others’ dissertations within your own and adjacent fields or subject matters.

Item 19 of the supplementary rules of the PhD regulations outlines the requirements for dissertations. In summary, the following can be said:

Monograph

  • A monograph should normally be no longer than 300 pages. The PhD student should be the sole author of the dissertation.

Article-based dissertation

  • Article-based dissertations should normally consist of at least three articles of normal length. A summary article (‘kappa’), normally of 40–80 pages in length, comes in addition.
  • The summary article should be an individual / independent work. It should not only summarize, but also consolidate the research questions and conclusions presented in the dissertation (articles) in a unified perspective, thus documenting the dissertation’s context. This also includes a clarification of the dissertation’s contribution to the research field within which it is placed or positioned. In the summary, the student must also make clear the use of method and theory in the dissertation if this is not apparent from the sub-papers. For previously published articles, the summary must also contain academic updates so that the dissertation as a whole appears to be academically up to date. Alternatively, such updates can be made in the individual articles.
  • Joint work (articles published in collaboration with co-authors) are accepted in the dissertation as long as the doctoral candidate’s individual efforts can be identified and documented. Upon submission, the dissertation must be accompanied by a signed statement signed by the co-authors and the doctoral candidate which describe specifically the student’s contributions.
  • The student should normally be the main author of at least half of the articles.
  • For articles with multiple authors, there may be grounds to increase the number of articles.
  • The articles must have a level similar to that required for publication in recognised professional journals with peer review. This also applies to book chapters.
  • All publications included in the dissertation must follow ethical rules and conventions for academic quality assurance of research.

Declaration of independent research for article collections 


For article-based dissertations where one or more of the articles have co-authors, a declaration must be completed for each article with co-authors describing the student's independent contribution to the article / book chapter. It is the student who must fill in the declaration and state whether he / she has contributed with e.g. problem formulation, method, data collection, analysis, interpretation, writing etc. The student must sign the declaration and must obtain signature from the co-authors. The declarations must be uploaded in separate pdf-files when the dissertation is submitted in Munin. The committee will have access to the statements. The statements will however not be published in Munin when the dissertation has been approved and published in connection with the public defense.

Declaration describing the independent research contribution of the candidate

Doctoral theses including film/audio-visual material/other media


A doctoral thesis may also include film, audiovisual material or other medium. Such material can be an appendix to the thesis. It should be clarified how such material should be viewed in the context of the doctoral thesis. If this is not clear in the actual doctoral thesis, it can be elaborated in an attached letter to the thesis (and uploaded together with the thesis in Munin).

A scientific anthropological film can be considered as equivalent to a scientific article and replace one of the three required articles in a articled-based doctoral thesis according to given criteria:

- the film has been peer-reviewed and assumed for or published in an approved publishing channel

- the film has listed author(s) and institution affiliation

- the film is registered and reported in Cristin as 'scientific article' not film, and within the registration deadline for publications in the relevant year

It must be made clear in the summary (the introduction article 'kappa') how the film should be seen in connection with the other parts of the thesis.

 

Works that may not be submitted


A candidate may not submit research work or parts of a work which has been accepted as basis for previous examination unless the work is a minor part of a thesis consisting of several related works. Data, analyses or methods from earlier degrees may, nonetheless, be used as a basis for the PhD project.

Work published more than five years before training begins may not be included as part of the thesis. The faculty may waive this requirement under extraordinary conditions.

(3) A thesis that has been evaluated / is submitted for evaluation at another institution may not be submitted.

Dissertation language


The dissertation must be written in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, English or Sami. Language for the dissertation is reported to the faculty in the individual education plan form in connection with admission. The dissertation language should normally also be the language for the trial lecture and the defence of the dissertation, unless the faculty decides otherwise (cf. the PhD regulations section 34 and section 35). Alternatively, the language should be Norwegian. If the student wishes to use another language, the student must apply for his/her own approval upon admission.

Research ethic rules and conventions


The dissertation must follow ethical rules and conventions for academic quality assurance of research. For articles with multiple authors, the Vancouver rules should normally be used. One should stay acquainted with the Vancouver Convention; see information on the website of the National Research Ethics Committees. If there are deviations from the Vancouver rules, the reason for this should be described in the declaration by the co-author(s).

About the Vancouver Rules in brief: The Vancouver Rules have three important criteria for authorship. All three criteria must be met:

  • You must have made a significant contribution to the planning and design of the project, or participated in the data collection, or participated in the analysis or interpretation of data;
  • Significant contributions must have been made when the manuscript was written or revised, and
  • You must participate in and approve the completed work submitted for publication.

Contributors who do not meet these criteria should be listed in a footnote.

When the doctoral dissertation is written and ready to be assessed by a committee, it must be submitted to the faculty by filling in an electronically form in Munin (UiT’s open research archive) and by uploading a PDF-fil with the dissertation.

Submitting of PhD dissertation in Munin


It is the student who decides when the submission will take place. The supervisors cannot be held responsible for the content or outcome of the assessment committee’s recommendation. The faculty accepts the submission of doctoral dissertations throughout the year.

UiT has an electronic submission portal, “Munin – Open research archive”, for all master’s and doctoral dissertations, which is part of the University Library. Munin is the university’s open research archive for academic and research-related material. All PhD students must submit the dissertation via Munin. There is a requirement for open access to the dissertation for all candidates.

There is no deadline for doctoral dissertations. The student delivers the dissertation at his/her own discretion, but the working hours for support staff are 0800–1545 (summertime 0800–1500). However, you can save the completed submission at any time and finish it later. It will not be registered until it is completed on the submission screen.

The dissertation itself must be submitted by uploading a PDF file (one file composed of all the dissertation’ parts.) An electronic form must also be completed. When the student completes the submission, the faculty will be notified automatically by email. The submission is reviewed and, if everything is in place, approved. The dissertation should be delivered as a PDF file prepared for double-sided printing. The front and back page must follow the standard template. The dissertation will be printed in book-size on 17 x 24 cm paper with surrounding cover. It is recommended to use 13-point as the font size (e.g.. Times New Roman) on the original document, as in practice this gives about 12 points of print on the finished book-print (17 x 24 cm is scaled down about 20 % from the original A4 edition). We recommend 25 mm of margin on each side.

The template for the cover can be found here.

Please observe that the font and type size on the front page are also part of UiTs logo and must not be altered.

Questions about printing should be addressed directly to the UiTs Print Office.

Munin – submission: https://munin.uit.no/

Once submitted, a work cannot be withdrawn until it is finally decided whether the doctorate is worthy of defending. More information about this can be found below.

The university’s digital knowledge archive aims to make visible quality-assessed research work via open and free publication on the internet. The dissertation is stored in Munin and will be available in the future to you and others via a permanent URL. This makes it very easy for you to refer to the dissertation in applications and references.

The contents of Munin will be searchable and easily retrievable both locally, nationally and internationally. This is ensured by the University Library through collaboration with archives at other institutions. The dissertation is also registered as an electronic document in the library base Oria.

Dissertation to be published in Munin must be related to doctoral degrees awarded at UiT. All doctoral dissertations will be made publicly available. No restrictions can be imposed with regard public disclosure and publication of the doctoral work, with the exception of postponement of the publication date agreed in advance. Such postponement can be agreed between the PhD candidate and the funding soucre/employer only when the purpose is for these to be able to consider any patenting/commercialisation (see the PhD regulation, Section 19). The dissertation must not contain material that is contrary to confidentiality, privacy or copyright. For the dissertation is to be made available in Munin, the candidate must also obtain permission to use, for example, illustrations or other objects to which others own the rights. As previously mentioned, in the case of article-based dissertations, the consent of any co-authors must also be obtained. The dissertation becomes available in Munin only after it has been approved by the assessment committee.

At the same time as the dissertation is delivered via the portal, some questions must be answered about publishing: whether all or only parts of the dissertation should be published, about permission for publication, etc. Check the formal requirements regarding publication in the UiT’s Regulations concerning the PhD degree, Section 21.  There is also a field in the electronic form where an abstract should be placed. The Munin group at the University Library that administers this will contact you if they need more information. If the dissertation consists, in whole or in part, of published material, the Munin group, in collaboration with the student, will investigate what restrictions the publisher may have against making it available in Munin.

A text (up to 200 words) written in the “abstract” field in the electronically form in Munin. This will be used in dissemination work by UiT and must be written in both Norwegian and English. You can also write the abstract in additional languages. The text (up to 1000 characters) to be written in the “Popularized summary” field should be in Norwegian and English and is used in a brochure that the UiT produces every year about completed doctoral dissertations at UiT. If you have questions about procedures, guidelines or other issues related to publishing a dissertation in Munin, please contact munin@ub.uit.no.

Assessment of the dissertation


Schedule

The defence of the dissertation should be held within three months after the date on which the dissertation was submitted for assessment. The supervisor is obliged to report the pending submissions of the dissertation of the PhD students they supervise to the faculty. The assessment committee should normally be formally appointed before the dissertation is submitted. On average, the work of appointing a committee takes about two months. The student should therefore arrange a submission date with supervisors and the department/centre so that the work of appointing an assessment committee can begin well in advance.

The committee’s assessment (recommendation) should be available within 2 months of receiving the dissertation, unless an alternative schedule has been agreed with the faculty.

The minimum time from the faculty receiving the assessment to the date of the defence should be 3–4 weeks. This is due to case processing after the assessment and practical proceedings of the defence, as well as to give the candidate time to prepare the trial lecture.

 

Appointment of the assessment committee

Student and supervisors can discuss possible committee members prior to submission. It is not common practice for the student to contact any committee members after the dissertation has been submitted.

The main supervisor is responsible for making the department/centre and faculty aware of pending submissions from students so that the work towards appointing a committee can begin (cf. section 26 of the PhD regulations). The assessment committee is appointed by the PhD Programme Board after the department/centre has proposed the committee’s composition. The candidate is notified of the proposed committee by the faculty, and has the opportunity to submit written comments on the committee’s composition within five working days from receiving the notification.

A committee will be composed as follows (cf. section 27 of the PhD regulations):

  • both genders are represented
  • at least one of the members is employed at the university
  • at least one of the members has no association with the university
  • at least one of the members does not have a primary affiliation with a Norwegian institution
  • all members are holding a doctoral degree or equivalent
  • at least one member has competence at the level of professor or equivalent
  • the majority of the committee are external members
  • the majority of the committee is employed at institutions awarding the doctoral degree.

The assessment committee will consist of at least three members. Appointed supervisors cannot be members of the committee. Former members of the mid-way evaluation panel are not necessarily disqualified and may be considered as members of the assessment committee.

The candidate is advised when the dissertation has been sent to the assessment committee via a copy of a letter sent to the committee along with the dissertation.

 

The committee’s recommendation

The committee submits a written recommendation (assessment) to the faculty, which is quickly communicated to the candidate.

The length of the report varies considerably within and between subjects, from a couple of pages up to 10 pages. The length in itself indicates nothing about the conclusion or that there were particularly difficult assessments. People who participate in the committees and who write their contributions to the overall recommendation are different, and come from different places and traditions, so the variations are broad.

It is normal, on the one hand, for the recommendation to state something about the strengths of the dissertation and its contribution to the frontline research in the discipline or field. On the other hand, the recommendation should also formulate the committee’s criticism of (main features) and objections to the dissertation. This may apply to theoretical, methodological and empirical aspects. Then the report ends with a conclusion. Here we find three principal variants:

1) The conclusion is that the committee has found the dissertation worthy of public defence.

2) A preliminary report where the committee recommend that the faculty permit that the candidate do minor revisions of the dissertation before the final recommendation is made. This means that the dissertation is not ready for approval in its present form, but that the committee finds it good enough to be prepared for re-submission (within a deadline of 3 months).

3) The committee concludes that the dissertation needs significant changes is necessary in theory, hypothesis, material or method to be able to recommend the dissertation worthy of defence. The committee will then recommend that the dissertation not be approved. In such cases, the work cannot be resubmitted until 6 months have passed.

If the dissertation is defined under the aforementioned items 2 or 3, there are major consequences for the further consideration of the case.

Concerning item 2): The PhD Programme Board takes the final decision on whether section 32 (of the PhD regulations) should be used – that is, if they agree to the committee’s recommendation that the student be able to submit the dissertation in a revised form within three months. The PhD Programme Board will then set an exact deadline for resubmission. This can also be shorter than 3 months if the recommendation is only for minor matters to be reworked. Such preliminary recommendations from the committee are not considered a rejection, but as part of the first submission. The resubmitted dissertation is then sent back to the committee. They then assess whether the candidate has met the recommendations outlined in the preliminary recommendation, before finalizing it and submitting the final recommendation to the faculty.

It is recommended that the candidate prepare an attachment (about 1 page) outlining the main points of changes made on the basis of the original committee recommendation. If the submission deadline is not kept, the first submission is considered completed – with rejection as the final outcome. The dissertation cannot then be submitted until 6 months have passed since the faculty made their decision.

It is only upon first submission that item 2 can occur.

Concerning item 3): When the candidate’s dissertation has not been approved, he/she cannot submit a new dissertation until 6 months have passed (cf. § 33). The PhD Programme Board sets the earliest date that new submissions can be made.

On the second submission, the candidate must state that the dissertation has been assessed previously without being found worthy of defence. An assessment committee will be reappointed. Continuity in the composition of the committee between first and second submission is desirable, but if the candidate wishes for a different committee to be appointed, this must be justified and reported to the faculty in writing.

If on the second submission the student also fails the dissertation, he/she will not be able to submit a new edited version for assessment (cf. section 33). When the committee’s recommendation is unanimously positive, the dissertation is worthy of defence of the doctoral degree without a formal hearing at the faculty level. In the event of a dissenting or unanimously negative assessment, the candidate will be given 10 working days to make written comments on the committee’s recommendation. Any comments are to be sent to the faculty, who then forward them to the committee. Thereafter, the case goes for further consideration at the PhD Programme Board.

It is not uncommon for a dissertation to be rejected. This does not mean that ‘the race is over’, although it can be a difficult message to receive. The committee’s critical comments are guidelines for the student’s preparation of the dissertation for later submission. If the student’s dissertation is not approved in one of the two variants, it is important for the student to have a detailed conversation with the supervisor(s) in order to plan the work further with a view to submission.

Printing of dissertation


Upon positive recommendation, the student is instructed by the faculty to contact the UiT’s Print Office in order to print copies of the dissertation for the defence. The faculty will order 35 copies of the dissertation. The expenses are covered by the faculty. 3 copies of the 35 will be sent to the National Library of Norway and 1 copy will be made availabel to the public to borrow at the UiT library. The other copies are presented during the trial lecture and defence. The candidate is not permitted to reserve a number of the copies for his/her own use. Additional copies of the dissertation for personal use can be ordered by the candidate on the Print Office’s webpage for a fee.

Images and illustrations where colour is important for understanding/reproducing the academic content will be printed in colour. It must be stipulated which pages you wish to be printed in colour in dialog with the staff at the Print Office. Headings and similar will not be printed in colour. More information on printing and templates on the front page can be found on the print shop’s website or here. Questions should be addressed directly to the Print Office.

As soon as the committee has given their positive recommendation, the faculty will complete the submission of the dissertation in Munin. If it is marked for the dissertation to be made available in Munin, the University Library will publish the dissertation on Munin’s front page and the public will have access to it prior to the defence.

Trial lecture and public defence of dissertation


The assessment committee gives suggestions for the date for the defence of the dissertation, the title of the trial lecture, and who will assume the roles of first and second opponents respectively. The department/centre notifies who will be the chair of the defence. The candidate will receive a copy of this notification, together with information on printing of the dissertation and delivery of the trial lecture. This is administered by the faculty. The arrangement of the defence of the dissertation takes place at the department/centre level, where an administrative contact person is appointed to take care of the planning and practical execution of the defence. The trial lecture on assigned topic and the public defence of the candidate’s dissertation, are arranged on the same date.

The department/centre organizes the defence of the dissertation. When it is clear that a defence will take place, an administrative contact person is appointed at the department/centre to plan and assume the practical work towards the public defence.

The head of the department/centre normally chairs the defences of dissertation. If the he/she is not able to do so, he/she delegates this to an experienced researcher at the department/centre.

Defence Procession: The chair of the defence leads the procession into the room once the audience has arrived. Then follows the doctoral student, the first opponent, second opponent and third opponent/chair of the committee. It is expected that all stand as the procession enters. Please inform your family and friends in advance. When the procession enters the hall, the doctoral student and the committee sit in reserved seats, while the chair of the defence holds an introduction with an account of the submission and assessment of the dissertation and the trial lecture.

The assigned topic for the trial lecture will be forwarded on email to the candidate 10 working days prior to the date for the defence. The duration of the lecture should be of 45 minutes length. After the lecture the Committee withdraws to assess whether the Candidate have ‘Passed’/’Not passed’ the trial lecture. If ‘Passed’, the exam continues with the defence of the doctoral dissertation.

First the doctoral student gives an account of the aim and the result of the scientific investigation. This presentation should have a duration of approximately 15 minutes (item 35 of the supplementary rules).

The chair of the defence shows the doctoral student and his opponents to their places during the defence. During the defence, the opponent and the doctoral student are usually turned halfway towards each other.

The first ordinary opponent then initiates the discussion. The faculty has provided an indicative time of up to 1.5 hours for the discussion (item 35). The second opponent ends the defence; the length of this discussion is recommended to be up to 1 hour (item 35). When it comes to the content of the contributions of the two opponents, they will have agreed between themselves who will address what in the defence. The committee’s recommendation may give hints on relevant topics for the defence.

Other attendees who wish to oppose ex auditorio must report this to the chair of the defence during the defence. This occurs within the time that the chair has appointed and announced at the opening of the defence.

The department/centre invites the chair of the defence, the committee, supervisors, doctoral student and possibly his/her immediate family for lunch.

Attire during trial lecture and defence: Formal.

Doctoral dinner

The dinner that the doctoral student provides for selected guests is not mandatory, but is a normal end to the celebrations. Over the years, it has become less formal. For those who wish to retain this form, the following information may be provided: The chair of the defence should be invited along with the committee. Normally, the person chairing the defence initiates the speeches. Then follows the third opponent (head of the committee) who gives his/her traditional speech. If (other) institutional heads (other than the chair of the defence) are represented, they should follow after the third opponent. Next follow the supervisors. Then the floor is open.

Streaming and recording of trial lecture and defence


The trial lecture and defence will be streamed and recorded, and the recording will be available online for one month. According to the Personal Data Act, the processing of personal data will require a basis for the processing, and in this case, it will be GDPR art. 6 no. 1, letter e).

More about the processing of personal data:

  • Data controller is UiT The Arctic University of Norway, and if and if you have any questions, you can contact the faculty's PhD team.
  • UiT has its own Data Protection Officer, who can be contacted at personvernombud@uit.no
  • The purpose of streaming and the recording of the defence is public dissemination of research.
  • Processing basis for this activity is GDPR art. 6 no. 1, letter e), cf. Act relating to universities and university colleges § 1-3, letter c). Streaming and recording of UiT's dissertations will help to spread and communicate research and professional development work, and is an important part of UiT's social mission.
  • Recipients of the relevant personal data related to streaming/recording of video and audio (ie what appears on the video stream/recording) are everyone who follows this via the internet. UiT uses Panopto as a video solution, and the data processor in this context is then Panopto, which will have the material stored with it until UiT deletes it. UiT has the necessary data processor agreement with Panopto
  • The recording will be stored for one month from the defense date.
  • You can ask UiT for access to the personal data that is processed about you (the video recording), and you also have the right to demand correction and deletion. There is no unconditional right to deletion, but you can always demand it and if the conditions are met, the recording will be deleted (see GDPR art. 17).
  • If you believe that UiT does not comply with our obligations under the data protection regulation, you have the right to complain to the Data Protection Authority, which is the supervisory authority for this legislation (see datatilsynet.no for contact information).

 

 

Information for the leader of the committee


The leader of the committee is fully involved in the evaluation of the dissertation, the trial lecture and the public defence. If one of the opponents is prevented from attending the public defence, the leader of the committee must fill the role of the second opponent.

The tasks of the leader of the committee

Before the public defence, the leader of the committee must:

  • contact the opponents and decide on a date for the defence that is suitable for the committee. This must be done as soon as the Faculty has appointed the committee.
  • inform the Faculty about the proposed date of the public defence. As a general rule, the two opponents should participate on a digital platform, but they can participate physically if they wish.
  • ensure that the evaluation work is coordinated to meet the deadline for submitting the evaluation of the dissertation, which is four weeks before the stipulated date of the public defence. The public defence will normally take place within three months after appointment of the committee.
  • Travel and accommodation arrangements is generally done by the committee members individually.  Opponents submit their travel invoice, receipts and honorarium form to the contact person in the Research, Education and Communication Section after completion of the public defence.
  • ensure that the title of the trial lecture is submitted to the Faculty at least four weeks before the public defence.
  • inform the Faculty if the time of the trial lecture and public defence deviates from the normal procedure (normally held at 10:15 and 12:15 on the same day)
  • compile the evaluation report and send it to the contact person at the Faculty. Also see the "guidelines for evaluation of doctoral degrees at the University of Tromsø".
  • the department finds a suitable date and time for a technical test before a digital defence, and the leader of the committee should participate.
  • receive the opponents and show them the location of the trial lecture and public defence.

Trial lecture:

  • The leader of the defence coordinates the procession before entering the room.
  • The leader of the defence introduces the candidate and committee before requesting the candidate to give the trial lecture.
  • The trial lecture and public defence normally take place on the same day in one of the large auditoriums at the faculty. The trial lecture is at 10:15 and the public defence at 12:15, unless otherwise agreed upon.
  • The committee decides whether the trial lecture is pass or fail. The trial lecture must be passed to proceed with the public defence.

Lunch:

  • After the trial lecture, lunch is served in the MH cafeteria (or in The Dental building if the trial lecture is held there) for the committee, the leader of the defence, supervisors and the candidate. Unless otherwise agreed upon, the lunch is from 11:00 to 12:00.

Public defence:

  • The leader of the defence coordinates the procession before entering the public defence room.
  • The leader of the defence briefly explains the submission and evaluation processes, and announces that the trial lecture is passed, before asking the candidate to present the dissertation. The candidate's presentation of the dissertation should not exceed 45 minutes.
  • The leader of the defence introduces the opponents, and the first opponent initiates the discussion.
  • The public defence should not exceed three hours in total.
  • After the public defence, the committee must sign the preliminary diploma and the evaluation.

Information for the opponents


Find tentative date for the defense

The committee's first task is to find a tentative date for the defence.

The leader of the committee is responsible for scheduling a defence date suitable for the candidate, the supervisors, the committee and the faculty. We kindly ask the committee to submit the evaluation no later than four weeks, and the topic for trial lecture no later than three weeks, prior to the defence date.

The assessment

The deadline for submitting the assessment is four weeks before the public defense. The committee evaluate the doctoral thesis according to the following regulations:

  • Guidelines for the evaluation of candidates of Norwegian doctoral degrees 
  • PhD regulations

You received these documents by email together with the thesis.

Remuneration

Members of the committee who are not employed by UiT – The Arctic University of Norway will be reimbursed according to fixed rates. The framework is 30 hours for the assessment work with the addition of 20 hours for the first opponent, and 15 hours for the second opponent. Remuneration is at salary level 79 for professors and salary level 67 for associate professors.

We do not have the opportunity to pay fees for assessments to sole proprietorships, cf. guidelines for entering into contracts and paying fees to self-employed persons.

Travel arrangements

The department/centre must approve any travel and accommodation expenses. The leader of the committee must clarify this with the department/centre and communicate this to the two external members of the committee. We recommend that you wait to book your trip until you agree on a positive assessment. The opponents pay for travel and accommodation themselves, and after the defense, they apply for reimbursement of the expenses. The trip must be booked in the cheapest way (economy class).

Hotels

The department/centre can cover up 2 hotel nights with standard rooms.

The university currently has agreements with Scandic, Choice and Thon hotels. Please inform the hotel that you work for the university when you book the room to get the negotiated price. Keep all original receipts.

Completion grant


Who is covered by the completion grant scheme?
The scheme applies to all PhD candidates with a 3-year appointment at institutes/centres within the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education (HSL-fak), and entails the offer of extended employment with a completion grant following submission of the doctoral dissertation.

All PhD candidates who are appointed on a 3-year employment contract and submit their doctoral dissertation for appraisal, together with a written recommendation from their supervisor, within either 3 years or with minor delays of study and within 3 ½ years counting from the start date, will respectively be offered a 12- or 6-month completion grant.

The scheme covers PhD candidates for whom the HSL-fak, as their employer, has responsibility. The scheme does not cover PhD candidates appointed on 4-year employment contracts with 25% of their time set aside for compulsory work. The scheme may include NFR PhD candidates if the position was advertised with the possibility of an extension of a completion grant and the institute/centre covers the costs of a 12 or 6-month completion grant beyond the specific budget limits.
The scheme does not apply to dr.philos. candidates.

 

Completion period

The limits of 3 years or 3 ½ years are fixed. In order to be offered a 12-month completion grant, the dissertation must be submitted for assessment no later than 3 years after the date of appointment. This means that a PhD candidate who submits after 3 years + 1 week will be offered a 6-month grant. Accordingly, a PhD candidate who submits after 3 ½ years + 1 week will not be offered a completion grant.
Any leave of absence or reduction in working hours undertaken in order to perform teaching work or other work either at or outside the institute/centre during the period of candidature will count towards the total period. If PhD candidates wish to prioritise such a grant, they themselves must ensure that such leaves of absence do not affect their eligibility to be awarded a completion grant by the faculty. If, for example, a PhD candidate undertakes teaching work of up to half a year total duration, he/she will still be eligible to receive a half-year completion grant, provided that he/she submits within the 3 ½-year limit.

However, periods of sick leave (14 consecutive days or longer) and the use of statutory periods of leave or those negotiated under collective agreements (parental, compassionate, or other welfare-related leave) will be deducted from the total time from commencement of the candidature, and will therefore have no effect on the individual’s eligibility to be offered the completion grant. This also applies in the event of a reduction in working hours due to childcare and or caring for immediate relatives.
The completion grant is awarded for a period of 6 or 12 months. Grants are not awarded for periods shorter than 6 months, longer than 12 months, or for 7–11 months.

Those who wish to apply for a completion grant and believe they will be able to submit the dissertation within the stipulated time limit must notify their institute/centre in writing, via the head of institute, no later than 6 months before the planned submission.

 

Training for teaching in higer education

As far as is practicable, recipients of 12-month grants shall complete a course in Teaching in Higher Education – Foundation Skills [Norwegian: Universitetspedagogisk basiskompetanse], which satisfies the requirements for qualification and documentation in higher education (UNIPED-100 Teaching in Higher Education – Foundation Skills, or equivalent course. Total 200 hours).
As far as is possible, recipients of the 6-month grants shall complete the course Teaching in Higher Education for Research Fellows [Norwegian: Universitetspedagogikk for stipendiater] (Total 60 hours).

 

Planning for the completion grant

The institute/centre heads are obliged to stay informed about the progress of their candidates’ studies with a view to being able to include the recipients of completion grants in their plans.
Below are examples of other duties that may form part of the scheme:
• teaching internship alongside another lecturer
• substitute teaching positions
• participation in grading of examinations
• preparation of teaching programmes and other academically relevant project work
• preparation and implementation of assessment systems and other quality assurance work
• participation in the planning and conducting of professional seminars and conferences
• participation in the design of relevant research projects and/or applications for external funding
• design of postdoctoral projects or other research projects
• research work as an extension of the doctoral dissertation, e.g. writing scientific articles
• popularising one’s own research or other work involving dissemination

It may be possible to tie the PhD candidates to professionally relevant work at other units.

The detailed content of each individual’s completion grant shall be agreed with the head of institute/centre. Here, consideration must be taken of which competence-enhancing measures the individual unit can offer, as well as which measures are of particular relevance to the candidate. Normally the main body of the work will be linked to tasks that raise the candidate’s pedagogical competence. When the PhD period ends, the head of institute/centre must certify which competence-enhancing tasks the candidate has completed.
The faculty assumes that this will be meritorious and academically relevant work, and a written agreement on the content of the work must be entered into at the start of the agreement period.

As a general rule, the recipient of the completion grant must take up the position immediately following the submission of the dissertation.

 

Before submitting your dissertation

The PhD candidate: If he/she has undertaken a leave of absence or reduction in working hours for other work during the original period of employment, or sick leave, maternity leave, compassionate leave or other welfare-related leave (for 14 consecutive days or longer), the PhD candidate should request the Section for Personnel and Organisation (SPOR) by email (addressed to personal@uit.no) to calculate a new end date for the position in good time before the date of submission. These periods will either count towards or be deducted from the total period used as a basis for calculating whether the candidate is eligible to receive a completion grant. It is the responsibility of the PhD candidate to check that the information is correct/updated in PagaWeb.

The PhD candidate sets the date for submission and notifies their supervisor and the institute/centre management of the date.

The institute/centre: Before a dissertation is submitted for appraisal – and no later than 2 weeks before the expected submission – the institute/centre shall notify the Section for Research, Education and Dissemination (FUFHSL) of the name of the candidate and their submission date, and send:

  1. a) the research fellow’s work agreement (on a separate form)
  2. b) the supervisor’s written recommendation.

The supervisor’s recommendation shall state that he/she has read the completed dissertation manuscript, stating where relevant that the dissertation script has been sent to the final reader, and considers the script to be ready for appraisal.

 

Implementation of the completion period

FUFHSL: The faculty checks the start and submission date and any leave that is to be counted towards or deducted from the total period, and decides whether the PhD candidate is qualified for a 12-month or 6-month completion grant, or is not qualified to receive a completion grant according to the rules. The faculty fills out and submits an order form in ePhorte for SPOR on behalf of the recipient of the completion grant. The supervisor’s recommendation and the agreement on the PhD candidate’s new work duties must be included as an attachment to the employment agreement.


SPOR: Sets up an employment contract for the period of the completion grant. The agreement on the PhD candidate’s work tasks will be included as an attachment. This contract takes effect from the day after the date of submission of the dissertation. Salaries are continued as normal for PhD candidates according to the state salary scale 1017.

 

After the implementation period

The institute/centre: When the completion grant period ends, the head of institute/centre must certify which competence-enhancing tasks the candidate has completed.

After the dissertation, the candidate is entitled to an increase in salary if the person in question is still employed at HSL-fak, i.e. doctoral increment, cf. circular V-44 1987 and circular of 16 December 1987 from the Ministry of Culture and Science. The institute/centre notifies SPOR when the defence of the dissertation has been completed.

 

Chair of the PhD Programme Board:  Vice-Dean Research Trine Kvidal-Røvik

 

Administrative contact persons

PhD Team Coordinator Senior Adviser Mayvi B. Johansen 

Senior adviser Hilde-Gunn Londal

Adviser Martin-Arne Andersen

Adviser Lena Bogstrand



 

 

The PhD Committee is the Programme Board for the PhD Programme in Humanities and Social Sciences.

The committee normally holds five to six meetings a year. An overview of meeting dates, meeting notices and minutes is published in ElementsCloud.

Important matters handled by the committee are admission to the PhD study, approval of PhD courses, the quality of the PhD study, the awarding of transition grants and stays abroad scholarships, and more.

 

The PhD Committee 2022-2025

Leader:

Vice Dean Professor Trine Kvidal-Røvik

Ordinary members:

Professor Unn-Doris K. Bæck, Department of Education (ILP)

Professor Charlotte Damm, Department of Archaeology, History, relogious Studies and Theology (AHR)

Professor Andrei Rogatchevski, Department of Language and Culture (ISK)

Deputy members:

Professor Stine Willum Adrian, Department of Social Sciences (ISV)

Professor Rita Sørly, Department of Child Welfare and Social Work (IBS)

Professor Gry Paulgaard, Department of Education (ILP)

Representatives of the doctoral candidates:

Stipendiat Lena Fjellvang Osima, Department of Social Sciences (ISV). Has the right to speak, propose and vote.

Stipendiat Mats Johannessen Hoel, Department of Social Sciences (ISV). Has proposal and voting rights.

Secretary:

Senior adviser Mayvi B. Johansen

The PhD committee's tasks and mandate

The committee must give advice and recommendations concerning the faculty's research training.

In connection with admission, training and quality assurance, the committee must:

  • Have overall responsibility for research training
  • Process applications for admission to the PhD program from fellows at other units at UiT and applicants without a fellow position at UiT
  • Complete the admission of fellows appointed at the faculty (processing of any revised project description, education plan, determination of the admission period and possible addition of a supervisor)
  • Appoint supervisor(s) on the proposal of the relevant department
  • Approve significant changes to the agreement on admission to the research programme
  • Approve the forced termination of research training and termination of a concluded PhD agreement in the event of the candidate's breach of the obligations under the agreement
  • Approve the PhD candidate's training component of the doctoral study
  • Approve progress reports
  • Appoint an assessment committee to assess submitted dissertations, following a recommendation from the relevant department
  • Approve the creation of PhD courses at the faculty and have overall coordinating responsibility for the faculty offering PhD courses
  • Handle matters regarding new study plans and study plan changes for the individual subject areas


Introduction


This manual provides an overview of the various aspects of being a PhD student at the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Teacher Education (initialized as “HSL-fak” in Norwegian). It is aimed especially at those students who have recently been admitted, but is also suitable as a reference guide for all PhD students and supervisors. Here you will find information on the many aspects of being a PhD student. We also stress the importance of both the student and the supervisor familiarizing themselves with the regulations and becoming acquainted with their rights and obligations.

Most issues related to the doctoral programmes are governed by the regulations for the degree of philosophiae doctor (PhD) at UiT The Arctic University of Norway and the faculty’s supplementary rules to the regulations that are applicable to the PhD programme in the humanities and social sciences. A PhD student who is employed in a PhD position is also obliged to familiarise him or herself with the staff regulations. 

Being a PhD student


Upon admission to the PhD programme, the student is incorporated into a research community, with the requirements and expectations that apply in such a community. The goal of all research, including the work on the dissertation, is to make an independent contribution to research in your particular field of study. The basis for this is created through an educational component and by communicating and discussing findings and challenges in an academic environment, primarily with one’s appointed supervisors. The student is also subject to a formal obligation to report progress in the form of annual reports to the department/centre, and the faculty.

The department/centre and faculty are obliged to facilitate the conditions for the progress of the doctoral project and for the completion of the required training. However, students also have an independent responsibility to keep pace with what is happening in their academic field and to take an active part in relevant activities. It is especially important that PhD students try to create networks between themselves and orient themselves towards relevant people and environments within and across the discipline/department/centre. This kind of network is a vital resource both for the completion of the doctoral project and for a possible further career as a researcher.

On the one hand, a PhD student is subject to a study programme and the regulations that apply to that programme. In other words, the student is in an educational or training role and will therefore not immediately achieve the status equal to a researcher in an established research community. The student must develop that status over time through efforts in research work and participation in training.

On the other hand, the student is also a colleague in a research group. By being admitted to the PhD programme, the student has been granted academic recognition for representing research expertise in a certain field, although it remains to be “proven” that the project can be completed and that the student is able to unlock the knowledge as expected.

This is an ambiguity that the student must deal with and with which it is important to have a conscious relationship. In some cases, the role as student will come into focus, for example in questions regarding progress in the dissertation work and in the completion of the courses/seminars required in the educational component. In other cases, the role of colleague will become most important, for example when the student presents his/her research project within the academic environment, at conferences, and in the form of publications.

Another ambiguity associated with these two roles is that despite the flexibility inherent in the student role, the student as staff member and employee must adhere to the rules that apply in the workplace, both in terms of attendance at the place of work, vacation periods, illness, etc.

PhD students employed in doctoral positions at the faculty will normally have academic ties to the department/centre at which the position is offered; this same unit also has personal responsibility for the PhD candidate. Most often, the student will have one or both of their supervisors here. However, ties with and participation in research group(s) can take place across units.

PhD students with external employers, or candidates appointed at other UiT units, will be admitted to an academic environment at one of the departments/centres based on the academic nature of the doctoral project and the unit to which the supervisor belongs.

PhD students’ ties to the department/centre and the faculty can vary widely. Some are university fellows with 75 % of their time for their studies and 25 % obligatory duties (4-year appointment). Others are fellows with all their time for their studies and without any obligatory duties (3-year appointment). In these cases, UiT is an employer and the student is appointed at the department/centre. However, certain candidates are employed at institutions other than UiT. For these candidates, it can be difficult to integrate into the department’s/centre’s academic environment. The departments/centers are responsible for integrating all their PhD students into the academic environment/academic activities, even though for periods they may not be able to be physically present in the academic environment on a daily basis due to the conditions of their employment.

The HSL faculty has seven departments and four centers. These are:

  • Department of Social Sciences (ISV)
  • Department of Philosophy (IFF)
  • Department of Archaeology, History, Religious Studies and Theology (AHR)
  • Department of Language and Culture (ISK)
  • Department of Education (ILP)
  • Department of Tourism and Northern Studies (IRN)
  • Department of Child Welfare and Social Work (IBS)
  • Centre for Peace Studies (CPS)
  • Centre for Sami Studies (SESAM)
  • Centre for Women’s and Gender Research (SKK)
  • The Barents Department (BAI)

In addition, various academic communities at the faculty participate in local, national and Nordic research schools. Information regarding research schools can be found on the faculty’s website.

The faculty’s Research, Education and Communication Section (FUFHSL) and the PhD Programme Board are some of the most important bodies when it comes to questions about your rights and obligations as a PhD student. 

Start of the PhD Studies


The appointment committee or the PhD Programme Board undertake admission to the PhD study. This is done on the basis of a professional assessment at the individual department/centre.

Instruction component and courses


Supervision and dissertation


Progress reporting


All PhD students and their supervisors are required to submit a report on the progress of the PhD education each year. The PhD students will respond to the report via Studentweb (for the previous year) as part of the semester registration in the spring semester (within 1 February). The supervisors are sent questionnaires from the faculty via email to be answered for each student they supervise. The questions about progress are based on the individual education plan (plan for the work on the dissertation and plan for the instructional component) that the student has delivered at admission and which is included in the PhD agreement. Information provided in the report is treated confidentially.

It is considered a violation of the reporting obligation if the student does not submit the annual progress report. The consequence of a failure to report may result in the annulment of the PhD agreement on admission (cf. section 25 of the PhD regulations).

As part of the quality assurance system at UiT, the faculty sends a copy of the progress reports to the departments/centers, where they are entered as a background document for the annual research conversation the management will have with the PhD student. The departments/centers then report back to the faculty about the progress of the PhD studies, any measures the department/centre has initiated or plans to initiate, and any measures the departments/centers wish the faculty to follow up. The department/centre reports are processed by the PhD Programme Board.

From submission to assessment


Printing, trial lecture and defence


Practical information