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PhD programme in Health and Medicine
The title of the study programme is PhD programme in Health and Medicine.
The candidate is awarded the Philosophiae Doctor degree (PhD) after the completion and approval of the training component, PhD dissertation, trial lecture and public defence.
The Norwegian title of the programme is "Ph.d-studium i helse og medisin".
The PhD program consists of 180 credits and is standardized to three years of full-time studies. The maximum time for completion of the PhD program, excluding statutory leave and compulsory work, is six years. The education/progress plan must be designed so that the PhD program is completed within a standardized framework of three years (statutory leaves are not included).
The program is aimed at well-qualified candidates with projects in health and medical science subjects who wish to qualify for the highest level of education in the field.
The doctoral program in health and medicine will qualify students for research activities at a high academic level, and for other work in society where there are high demands on scientific working methods and insights. The program qualifies for research, teaching, development, supervision and dissemination at universities and university colleges, and at other public and private institutions.
The aim of the PhD program is for the candidate to carry out independent research work (combined research and development work is considered equivalent) and complete a scientific dissertation of high quality. In addition, the doctoral candidate will receive a broad training in theory and methodology that provides depth and breadth in their own research project, and that places the project in a broader academic framework.
Description of learning outcomes
Knowledge
After completing the program, the candidate should:
- be at the forefront of knowledge within their specific field of health and medicine and master the scientific theory and methods of the field.
- be able to assess the use of different methods and analytical strategies within their specific discipline and research field.
- be able to contribute to the development of new knowledge, new theories, methods, interpretations and forms of documentation within health and medicine.
- have a broad knowledge of the field of health and medicine.
Skills
After completing the program, the candidate should:
- be able to formulate research questions, plan and carry out research and academic development work.
- be able to conduct independent research and academic development work at a high international level.
- be able to handle complex academic questions and critically analyze and challenge established knowledge and research practices in health and medicine.
General competencies
After completing the program, the candidate should:
- be able to identify ethical issues related to research in health and medicine and conduct their research with professional integrity.
- be able to participate in complex interdisciplinary projects.
- be able to communicate research and development work in recognized national and international channels.
- be able to assess the need for, initiate and carry out development work and/or drive innovation.
For admission to the doctoral program, the applicant must have a five-year master's degree or equivalent education, in accordance with the descriptions in the second cycle of the National Qualifications Framework, which the faculty has approved as a basis for admission.
The applicant must have a strong academic background. After an overall assessment, the doctoral committee must consider it very likely that the candidate will be able to complete a PhD program in the prescribed time.
Teaching on PhD courses is offered in English. Courses may be taught in Norwegian if all candidates in the group are fluent in a Scandinavian language.
Candidates in the programme will be linked to active learning environments, organized as research groups, research programme areas, or research centres. Independent work is the primary way of working in a PhD program.
For doctoral candidates whose main affiliation is with another institution, an agreement must be entered into between the degree-granting and collaborating institution that regulates the candidates' working conditions, including ensuring participation in an active research environment (cf. the PhD Regulations).
Working methods and requirements in the individual PhD courses are prepared by the course coordinators and approved by the doctoral committee at the Faculty of Health Sciences. The teaching premises meet UiS and Statsbygg's standards in terms of universal design.
The doctoral program is designed so that it can be completed within the standard time frame of three years of full-time study. Through the training component, the program shall support the work on the dissertation and ensure breadth in the academic and scientific training. The research education mainly consists of active research work under supervision, and includes
- a thesis based on independent research work in active collaboration with supervisors and other researchers
- an approved training component
- collaboration with active research environments, nationally and internationally
- research dissemination related to the ongoing doctoral work
Thesis
The thesis must be an independent, scientific work at an international level within the field. This requires a high academic level in terms of problem formulation, conceptual clarity, methodological, theoretical and empirical basis, documentation, analysis and presentation. In all these areas, the thesis must also demonstrate that it relates critically to current national and international research.
The thesis must contribute to new academic knowledge and be at a level that warrants publication as part of the academic literature in the field. It may take the form of a monograph or be article-based. Both types of theses must have a summary/abstract at the beginning that provides a more detailed account of the basis, approach and overall structure of the thesis, as well as the main findings, and which places the work in relation to international research in the field. An article-based thesis must include a cover article or "kappe" of the research work. Reference is also made to the PhD regulations for UiS, as well as the faculty's rules for the number of articles in the thesis (see under 'Progression requirements').
Training component
The training component shall include the academic and methodological training necessary for the work on the thesis. The training component of the PhD program in health and medicine must comprise at least 30 credits, which are distributed as follows:
- Philosophy of science and ethics 10 credits
- Research methodology 10 credits
- Thematic courses 10 credits
50-prosentseminar/midtveisevaluering bør normalt finne sted for alle ph.d.-kandidater tatt opp ved Det The 50-percent seminar/midway evaluation should normally take place for all PhD candidates admitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences in accordance with the regulations for the degree of PhD at the University of Stavanger. Regulations for the PhD degree at the University of Stavanger. The seminar is public and is announced by the faculty.
The doctoral committee is responsible for ensuring that the PhD program in health and medicine offers a wide range of courses of varying scope. The courses in health and medicine are revised annually.
According to guidelines from the Norwegian Council for Higher Education (UHR) and the international ECTS scale, 1 credit corresponds to a normal workload of between 25 and 30 working hours. In addition, reference is made to the Universities and University Colleges Act, which in section 3.8 states that the academic year is 10 months (approx. 40 weeks or approx. 1,500 weekly hours, and 37.5 hours per week) and that a full academic year is standardized at 60 credits. The most common form of documentation is an academic text, or a "paper".
Philosophy of science and ethics: The Faculty of Health Sciences offers a PhD course in philosophy of science and ethics that amounts to 10 credits.
Research methodology: The Faculty of Health Sciences offers PhD courses in quantitative and qualitative methods. Candidates choose a course within the research methods used in their dissertation work.
Thematic PhD courses: The Faculty of Health Sciences offers various specialization courses that will both help to ensure the quality of the dissertation work and ensure that the candidate acquires good expertise in research in health and medicine.
PhD courses/courses offered at other credit-bearing PhD-accredited educational institutions may, upon application, be approved as part of the training component. Methodology courses focusing on relevant methodological issues may be considered approved as thematic courses.
Academic dissemination
To be eligible for the doctoral examination, the PhD candidate must have experience in academic dissemination. The academic dissemination component must consist of the following elements:
- Regular presentation of research progress in the academic environment at UiS.
- At least one presentation at an international academic conference during the study period.
- At least one popular science contribution during the study period.
The dissemination activity(ies) may be linked both to work on compulsory assignments in the training component and to the actual dissertation work. Oral presentations during the PhD program will ensure the candidates practical experience in research communication, as well as quality assurance of the independent dissertation work.
The training component is approved by the faculty and approval must be granted before the thesis can be submitted.
Approved project plan. The PhD candidate must have an approved project plan no later than three months after the date of admission (cf. guidelines for project plan).
Approved training component. The training component consists of a course component and a dissemination component.
The course component has the following minimum requirements at PhD level:
- Philosophy of science and ethics 10 credits
- Research methodology 10 credits
- Thematic courses 10 credits
The dissemination component has the following minimum requirements:
- Regular presentation of research progress in the academic environment at UiS.
- At least one presentation at an international academic conference during the study period.
- At least one popular science contribution during the study period.
50% and 90% seminar (cf. guidelines for 50 and 90% seminar). 50% must normally be completed and 90% seminar is recommended and must normally be completed, but is not mandatory.
4. A progress report is submitted yearly by the candidate and his/her main supervisor.
5. Number of articles in the doctoral thesis
If the thesis consists mainly of articles, at least 3 articles should have the candidate as first author.
At least 1 article must have been accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, at least 1 article must have been submitted, and the remaining articles must be ready for submission.
Each year, the candidate and supervisor must write a progress report (cf. the PhD regulations). The reports are approved by the doctoral committee. In cases where there is poor progress and/or deviations from the training plan, the doctoral committee may request additional information and/or follow-up interviews (by the dean of research or academic director) with a candidate, a mid-term seminar, etc. The doctoral committee may consider compulsory termination in cases covered by sections 5-6 to 5-9 of the PhD Regulations.
The individual course descriptions explain how the PhD course will be evaluated (cf. Regulations on examination at the University of Stavanger, UiS).
The thesis can be a monograph or consist of articles and a cover article. The cover article is a summarizing text that explains the basis, methodological approach and the thematic and methodological entirety of the dissertation.
The dissertation should preferably be written in Norwegian or English, or possibly Danish or Swedish. If the candidate wishes to use another language, or two different languages, this must be stated in the revised PhD plan and assessed separately. The trial lecture and public defense shall normally take place in the language of the thesis. If the candidate wishes to use another language during the trial lecture and public defence, this must be stated in the application and assessed separately.
To assess the thesis, its defense and the trial lecture, the faculty appoints an expert assessment committee of at least three members. The committee shall be composed so that both genders are represented, if possible. At least one of the members shall not be affiliated with the University of Stavanger and at least one of the members, if possible, shall be affiliated with a foreign research institution. All members of the committee shall have at least a doctoral degree or equivalent expertise.
The doctoral degree is awarded on the basis of:
- approved scientific dissertation and a satisfactory defense in a public disputation
- approved completion of the training component
- approved trial lecture on the stated topic
Candidates who have taken courses at doctoral level at other institutions may apply to have these included in their training component.
The training component for candidates admitted through the scheme linked to the former Network for Medical Sciences will be approved for these candidates.
A written evaluation must be carried out after all PhD courses. The course coordinator summarizes the feedback from the course participants and sends a written report to the doctoral committee. The feedback from the students is central to the annual review and revision of any course.
Within the program, PhD candidates are represented in committee work related to the training program.
A (web-based) survey will be conducted regularly where supervisors and candidates are given the opportunity to comment on issues related to general satisfaction, ethical issues, quality and communication.
On the basis of reports, assessments, etc. an annual academic report is prepared for the doctoral committee.
The PhD programme facilitates that the doctoral student shall/can spend at least three months of the study period at a recognized foreign educational or research institution where it is possible to work on issues related to the research work/dissertation. Please note that the candidate must indicate the relevant academic environment and the time of the stay abroad as part of their project plan. If a stay abroad is not possible, a stay at another Norwegian educational institution may be approved, or other arrangements that ensure that the student gains insight into alternative academic and research traditions related to the thesis issues (cf. the PhD regulations).
The PhD in Health and Medicine is organizationally anchored at the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Admission to the PhD program in health and medicine is subject to funding, admission capacity, individual training plan, additional education and intellectual property rights agreements (cf. the PhD regulations).
For candidates with external funding or workplace, a residency obligation at UiS applies for at least one year of the PhD program. In special cases, the residency requirement may be reduced or waived upon application.