Doctoral Program in Sociology

Doctoral Program at the Department of Sociology is conducted through courses and participation in seminar series led by the Department’s senior faculty members. Faculty members working at the Department represent different theoretical perspectives and methodological starting points, which ensures a lively and creative research environment.

The purpose of Doctoral program is to deepen the candidate’s knowledge and understanding of the subject and to enable the development of scientific independence and critical thinking. The doctoral program in sociology at Uppsala University consists of courses totaling 75 ECTS credits and the independent thesis work corresponding to 165 ECTS credits. The learning objectives for doctoral and licentiate degrees are stated in the General Study Plan for doctoral program in sociology.

A doctoral student is normally employed on a full-time basis for a period of 4 years, and as a doctoral student you usually work with three different tasks: taking doctoral courses, writing a doctoral thesis, and participating in departmental teaching.

The work on the thesis is carried out in the active research environment at the Department, where research is conducted in several areas. Most of the Department’s researchers and doctoral students are connected to some of the Department’s research groups.

Admission of doctoral students takes place every two years. The next round of admissions is planned for autumn 2026. Occasionally, individual doctoral students may be admitted within the framework of externally funded research projects, when special calls can be made. Normally, there is detailed information in the announcement of doctoral positions on how to apply and what documents you need to submit along with your application. The application is made via the Uppsala University’s online system for vacant positions.