Guidelines for Third-Cycle Education at the Faculty of Arts

The guidelines were processed by the faculty’s Committee for Quality within Research and Third-Cycle Education (Kvalitetsutskottet för forskning och forskarutbildning) and established by the faculty board.

In this document, the term Head of Department includes the Director of the Centre for Gender Research.

In case of any inconsistency between this document and the Swedish version, the Swedish version takes precedence.

1. Intended learning outcomes and frame of reference for third-cycle (doctoral) education

The responsibility for third-cycle education (henceforth doctoral education) ultimately rests with the University Board and the Vice Chancellor (HEO, Secs. 2–3). At Uppsala University, this responsibility is delegated to the disciplinary domain/faculty board concerned.

Doctoral education within the Faculty of Arts should be of very high standard and give the doctoral candidates the necessary insights and skills, as regards both methodology and theory, to make them highly qualified to pursue independent scientific enquiries within their academic areas. In the course of their studies, the doctoral candidates will further develop their abilities to answer research questions of scientific interest, by systematically organising and analysing research material and then describing and presenting their findings in a clear, concise and eloquent manner. Doctoral education prepares the doctoral candidates for future careers as researchers by acquainting them with e.g. the organisation of academic institutions, research funding, scientific publication and career paths outside of and within academia. The doctoral candidates should also be given the chance to acquire some teacher training.

With regard to society in general, doctoral education at the Faculty of Arts aims at ensuring a future recruitment base of teachers and researchers within the humanities for universities and university colleges, as well as providing other relevant sectors with humanistic academic competence. The faculty’s goal is to provide a doctoral education that upon completion qualifies the students for postdoc positions at top-tier universities both in Sweden and internationally, as well as for positions within e.g. the civil services, archives, museums, libraries, and the culture and business sectors.

The doctoral studies should be carried out in an attractive, collegial, dynamic and permissive environment, distinguished by the highest quality standards, critical thinking, diversity, gender equality, openness and democratic values.

2. Subjects available for doctoral studies

The Faculty of Arts offers doctoral programmes in the following subjects:

• Aesthetics
• Archaeology
• Art History
• Classical Archaeology and Ancient History
• Conservation
• Cultural Anthropology
• Egyptology
• Ethnology
• Gender Studies
• History
• History of Science and Ideas
• Information Studies
• Literature
• Musicology
• Philosophy
• Rhetoric
• Textile Studies

For each of these subjects, there is a general study syllabus (allmän studieplan) for doctoral studies. In the general study syllabus, the main content of the study programme is described, along with special entry requirements and any other regulations required (HEO, Ch. 6, Secs. 26–27). This general study syllabus is established by the faculty board and should also be available in English.

3. The doctoral candidate and the research community

Regardless of academic discipline, and within the framework of their education, each doctoral candidate must be given access to a research environment characterised by high quality and scientific diversity. Research within the humanities evolves both within the subjects themselves and in specialised thematic research areas, and it is important that the doctoral candidates are a part of the dynamics developing between these dimensions.

Due to the limitations in volume of doctoral education at the faculty, there are also great advantages with collaborating across subjects, faculties and universities. For this reason, the doctoral candidates at the Faculty of Arts should be a part of the collective research environment at the faculty, as well as that of their own department. They should also take part in national and international academic networks relevant to their dissertation topics. The doctoral candidates’ research environment can be expanded beyond their own subject in several ways, e.g. through the course on the professional aspects of doctoral studies, which is mandatory for all doctoral candidates at the faculty, and through participating in relevant cross-disciplinary research activities. Apart from the research communities available to them on department and faculty levels, all doctoral candidates can be given the opportunity to participate in courses and other research activities organised in collaboration with other institutes of higher education and research environments. The balance between these different aspects of the doctoral candidates’ education is planned and followed up annually in their individual study plan.

Due to the increasing internationalisation of research in the humanities, the ever-growing importance of academic networks and, not least, technological developments, the academic information routes have become both more numerous and more complex. The responsibility for ensuring that the doctoral candidates receive information about relevant courses, conferences, seminars and other acitivies rests jointly with supervisors, department management and faculty management. Any participation in courses, seminars and academic meetings outside of the doctoral candidates’ home departments should also be noted in their individual study plans. The course Professional Training in the Arts and Humanities (7.5 credits) is mandatory for all doctoral candidates at the faculty.

4. Admission to doctoral education

Admission to doctoral education is regulated by Ch. 7, Secs. 34–41 of the HEO, the Admission and Grading Regulations for Doctoral Studies at Uppsala University (AFUU, Secs. 1 and 5), and the faculty’s guidelines and decrees. The Faculty of Arts aims at recruiting doctoral candidates from a wide recruitment base.

Recruitment to a doctoral position must be made through an open, transparent process and, whenever possible, be made in international competition. Notice of the opportunity to apply for admission to a doctoral programme must be made available on the university website at least three weeks before the application deadline and spread through relevant national and international channels. When admitting doctoral candidates within capacity building programmes, the requirement for an open admission process may be waived with reference to the HEO, Ch. 7, Sec. 3. The number of students admitted to doctoral programmes may not exceed the number of doctoral candidates that can be offered supervision and otherwise acceptable conditions for study (HEO, Ch. 7, Secs. 34 and 36).

4.1 Application and selection procedure

Admission to doctoral studies is regulated by HEO, Ch. 7, Sec. 37, and by AFUU.

As a rule, the application should contain the following documents:

• records verifying the compliance with the general and special eligibility requirements for doctoral education at the Faculty of Arts
• Master-level theses, Bachelor-level theses, and (when applicable) any other graduation theses
• a preliminary research proposal.

Selection among applicants is made based on their capacity to benefit from the studies and using well-defined quality criteria as a starting-point. If the doctoral programme requires students to have proficiency in a certain language this must be stated in the general study syllabus for each subject. Departments must follow university regulations regarding equality during the admission process.

In cases where there are more applicants than positions available, applicants are ranked by the supervisors at the department, admissions committee or equivalent body, and the top candidate/candidates admitted to the programme. The departments are responsible for ensuring that there are sufficient resources to provide the doctoral candidates admitted to the programme with qualified supervision within the area of their thesis project (either through members of staff, or through supervisors employed from outside the department). The departments are also responsible for providing doctoral candidates with the infrastructure needed to complete their thesis work.

The decision to admit externally funded doctoral candidates is made by the Dean upon application from the department. The decision to admit a doctoral candidate who is not employed as a doctoral candidate at Uppsala University, or who is admitted to a later part of the programme, is made by the faculty board upon application from the department (see 5.2 below).

The responsibility to admit faculty-funded doctoral candidates has been delegated to the heads of department. The task of processing each case, assessing the candidates and placing them in order of precedence lies with the supervisors, admissions committee or equivalent body at each department. The doctoral candidates must have representation when admission to doctoral education is discussed in a department committee or equivalent.

The decision to admit a student to a licentiate programme is made by the faculty board upon application from the department. The application must contain a justification for why the student is not admitted to the full doctoral programme. To plan an education in two steps, where a student is first admitted to a licentiate programme to see whether they are suitable for doctoral studies or not, and then admit them to the doctoral programme is not allowed (AFUU, Sec. 4).

Before admission, application to the doctoral programme should be made using the university’s form Application for admission to third-cycle (postgraduate) studies.

5. Study time and funding

5.1 Study time

The amount of time for which a doctoral candidate may be employed is regulated in HEO Ch. 5, Sec. 7 and in RUF, Secs. 6–7. A person may be employed as a doctoral candidate for a total of eight years. However, the total employment period may not exceed the time corresponding to four years of full-time doctoral study (for a licentiate degree, the corresponding time frames are two years full-time study or four years half-time study).

The total period of employment may be extended if there are special grounds for this. Such grounds may comprise leave of absence because of illness, leave of absence for service in the defence forces or an elected position in a trade union or student organisation, or parental leave (HEO, Ch. 5, Sec. 7). Furthermore, department duties (e.g. teaching) can be cause for an extension of employment corresponding to no more than 20 percent of the total.

5.2 Funding for studies

The allocation of study support is regulated in HEO, Ch. 5, Secs. 3–5, AFUU, Sec. 4, and RUF, Secs. 6–7.

Doctoral candidates are primarily financed through employment at Uppsala University. The procedures for admitting doctoral candidates with external funding are detailed in Historisk-filosofiska fakultetens rutiner för beredning av beslut om antagning av doktorand med extern finansiering samt beredning av beslut om antagning till senare del av utbildning på forskarnivå (HISTFILFAK 2023/12, only available in Swedish). When admitting doctoral candidates with external funding, the faculty board are responsible for guaranteeing that the doctoral candidate is financed in full for the entire period of study.

A doctoral candidate can be admitted to the programme with grant- or scholarship-based financing. However, the scholarship/grant given to the student each month must be equivalent to the net income of newly admitted, faculty-funded doctoral candidates. Upon admission, all doctoral students funded by scholarships or grants must be informed that they are entitled, upon application to the head of department, to employment as a doctoral candidate when three years of effective study remain of their education. There is no time-limit for submitting such an application (RUF, Sec. 6b). Such subsequent employment is funded by the department within their regular means. Scholarships given out within the framework of an aid or capacity building programme are exempted from this requirement, as are scholarships funded by the EU (HEO, Ch 5, Sec 4).

All doctoral students funded by scholarships must be informed of the differences in terms and conditions compared with a doctoral studentship, for example, with regard to access to social insurance benefits (RUF, Sec. 6b).

Before admitting a doctoral candidate on external funding or one who will not be employed as a doctoral candidate by Uppsala University, the department must consult with the faculty office. This should be done well before recruitment starts. Furthermore, an application must be submitted to the faculty board. The application must contain:

• a written agreement in which an external funder guarantees full or partial funding of a doctoral candidate. Doctoral candidates are not allowed to fund their own education.
• a guarantee that the department will assume responsibility for supplementing the doctoral candidate’s financing to reach the customary starting wage for a doctoral candidateship or above, should the planned external financing cease or change to the detriment of the doctoral candidate.

Regardless of funding form, all applications to doctoral education must go through the same rigorous scrutiny of the applicants’ general and special eligibility, as well as of their capability to benefit from the studies.

6. Individual study plan

The individual study plan is regulated in HEO, Ch. 6, Sec. 29, and is described further in RUF, Sec. 5.

HE Ordinance, Chapter 6, Section 29: An individual study plan must be drawn up for each doctoral candidate. This plan must contain the undertakings made by the doctoral candidate and the higher education institution and a timetable for the doctoral candidate's study programme. The plan must be adopted after consultation with the doctoral candidate and their supervisors.

The individual study plan must be reviewed regularly and amended by the higher education institution to the extent required after consultation with the doctoral candidate and their supervisors. The period of study may only be extended if there are special grounds for doing so. Such grounds may comprise leave of absence because of illness, leave of absence for service in the defence forces or an elected position in a trade union or student organisation, or parental leave. Ordinance (2010:1064).

Until such time as a digital solution for the individual study plan can be provided by the university, this study plan should be drawn up using a special form which can be downloaded from the faculty website, and should be signed by the doctoral candidate, supervisors and the head of department. The faculty board is responsible for ensuring that the study plan is reviewed at least once a year. If special difficulties can be foreseen, more frequent follow-ups and alternative approaches should be considered. Teacher training must be offered to doctoral candidates who are to have teaching duties. This training must be either a credited component in the individual study plan or carried out within the framework of the doctoral candidate’s departmental duties. At the Faculty of Arts, the responsibility to draw up individual study plans has been delegated to the head of department. After the annual review, the department sends a copy of the individual study plans to the senior faculty advisors for review and follow-up.

The individual study plan is a dynamic document in which both deviations and completed stages are continuously documented, and should be used as a pedagogical tool during the course of the programme. It also constitutes an agreement between the doctoral candidates, the supervisors and the department, which can be used as a basis for assessing whether or not a doctoral candidate has forfeited the right to further resources. In preparation for the yearly review of the individual study plan, the doctoral candidate should also be offered the opportunity to have personal guidance conferences with the director of studies, head of department, or equivalent.

In addition to what is stipulated in the HEO, the Vice-Chancellor has decreed that individual study plans at Uppsala University must also contain the following:

• the intended degree (doctoral, licentiate, or both), and, where relevant, special reasons for admission to a licentiate programme.
• a timetable for the doctoral candidate’s studies. The plan should include a general plan for each year and an estimated date for defence of the thesis. It is particularly important that the plan is formulated so as to give a good description of the expected thesis work, including interim goals with set dates.
• the funding plan for the entire effective period of study. When funding other than employment as a doctoral candidate finances the project, the special considerations made in the process of admission are to be attached to the individual study plan as well as the agreement with the funding provider, where relevant.
• planned courses, teaching, teacher training, and/or other departmental work.
• the organisation of the supervision, specifying both scope and formats, as well as the undertakings of the different parties to ensure effective supervision.
• the special conditions relevant to the studies, such as workplace, computer, other work tools, and whatever else is required for the studies to be carried out efficiently.

The individual study plan must also describe how supervision and other parts of the education will ensure that the doctoral candidate develops the ability to take responsibility for good research ethics and scientific probity being followed in their research.

Questions of research ethics are regulated e.g. in Uppsala University’s Guidelines on the Procedure for Handling Alleged Misconduct in Research (UFV 2019/1612). Further guidance can be provided by the confidants for good research practice at the disciplinary domain. Questions of research ethics are also discussed during the mandatory course Professional Training in the Arts and Humanities.

Individual study plans must be drawn up for inactive doctoral candidates as well as active ones.

7. Supervision

Supervision is regulated by HEO, Ch. 6, Sec. 28 and RUF, Secs. 7–8.

Supervision is vital for maintaining high quality in doctoral education. It is therefore important that supervisors and doctoral candidates discuss the scope, form and arrangement of the supervision regularly, and particularly when the individual study plan is drawn up and revised. It is the responsibility of each department to make sure that there is enough supervisory capacity for each individual doctoral candidate for the duration of the full doctoral programme, and to plan the extent of supervisory duties for the supervisors. The concept of supervision encompasses every duty the supervisor has, such as meetings with the doctoral candidate, reading and commenting on thesis drafts, participating in seminars where the doctoral candidate presents thesis chapters, and other meetings relating to the doctoral candidate’s work.

The head of department assigns supervisors for each doctoral candidate upon admission to the doctoral programme. At least two supervisors are appointed to each doctoral candidate, one of which bears the primary responsibility for the student’s studies, including dissertation work, and one of which serves as assistant supervisor. Additional supervisors can be appointed if there are reasons for doing so. The respective duties of main and assistant supervisor(s) should be detailed in the individual study plan. One of the supervisors must be a permanent employee at the department. All supervisors must have a doctorate degree or equivalent, and at least one of the supervisors must be have achieved the rank of associate professor (docent) or higher.

The department board and head of department are responsible for ensuring that all doctoral candidates receive good supervision. Before the end of their first year as supervisors, main supervisors must undergo three weeks of complementary training for supervisors in the form of the course offered by Uppsala University, or equivalent. The same is recommended for assistant supervisors. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that the doctoral candidate’s research is carried out in accordance with good research ethics and scientific probity. The decision to employ external supervisors is made by the head of department. Doctoral candidates have the right to ask for and be assigned a new supervisor.

The supervisors’ responsibilities are stipulated in the Guidelines for Third-Cycle Education at Uppsala University (RUF) and the individual study plan. Among other things, it is the supervisors’ responsibility to:

• provide advice and guidelines with regard to qualitative demands, research methods and available material
• decide on the thesis topic, in consultation with the doctoral candidate
• continually plan the thesis work and supervision forms in consultation with the doctoral candidate, and analyse any deviations from set plans
• encourage and arrange contacts with researchers and research institutions in Sweden and abroad, and facilitate for the student to go on educational visits and attend conferences
• plan the education in such a way that every doctoral candidate can participate in crossdisciplinary courses and research activities at the faculty and elsewhere, as well as in the department
• within a reasonable timeframe give feedback on thesis drafts and be at hand for discussions and consultation
• continuously follow-up and ensure that the thesis work proceeds in an acceptable manner, and that it maintains an acceptable quality.

Doctoral candidates, their supervisors, the department and the faculty have joint responsibility for doctoral education. That the doctoral candidates assume responsibility for their work and level of activity is a decisive component in how the work progresses. Among other things, at the Faculty of Arts it is the doctoral candidates’ responsibility to:

• keep their supervisors informed on how the thesis work is progressing according to the individual study plan
• notify their supervisors if problems occur which might delay the thesis work and which entail that the individual study plan needs to be revised
• keep the deadlines agreed upon, especially as regards handing in thesis material
• actively consult with supervisors and other researchers in matters concerning their thesis work, courses and other aspects of their education
• continuously participate in higher seminars.

The faculty board has the overall responsibility for doctoral education, including supervision. In cases of disagreement between the doctoral candidate and their supervisor(s), the director of third-cycle education and/or the head of department will act as a neutral party in discussions and ensure that necessary measures are taken.

When planning their budget, departments are recommended to estimate the yearly supervision of one doctoral candidate as being equivalent to ten per cent of a full-time post as university lecturer during 48 months. From this, the departments should then calculate their supervisory capability and the possible scope of their doctoral education. The supervisory work for each doctoral candidate should be divided between the supervisors in an appropriate manner. This division of labour can vary depending on the circumstances in each individual case. No lecturer should supervise more than eight doctoral candidates at any given time, nor should any lecturer act as main supervisor to more than five doctoral candidates at the same time.

8. The doctoral thesis

A doctoral dissertation can take the form of either a monograph or a compilation thesis. Treatises and articles written by several individuals may be counted toward the doctorate only if it is possible to distinguish the work of the doctoral candidate so that it may be tried against the Qualifications Ordinance (AFUU, Sec. 5). A compilation thesis should contain introductory or summary chapters, which summarise the results of the appended papers, and make it clear how the different studies taken together fulfil the goals set by the Qualifications Ordinance and that they have treated a coherent research problem. They should also clarify the independent contribution by the doctoral candidate in these studies.

8.1 Internal and external review

Internal review of the thesis takes place continuously through communication with the supervisors and at research seminars. During the course of the programme, the doctoral candidate should also present their work at academic conferences and when meeting with other doctoral candidates. To ensure that the thesis fulfils the goals set in the Qualification Ordinance and is of a high scientific standard, the thesis must be reviewed by internal as well as external reviewers before a public defence can take place. One important aspect of this review is the final seminar, which must take place well before the defence and where the thesis is read and commented on in its entirety by an external reviewer who is appointed by the department for this purpose. The external reviewer should be well acquainted with the research area in question and be experienced enough to be able to judge the scientific quality of the thesis as well as be able to indicate what remains to be done before the defence. The reviewer should give both oral and written comments on the thesis manuscript. The person serving as external reviewer at the final seminar may not be employed as external reviewer och member of the examining committee at the public defence.

Some departments also employ a researcher for a final read-through of the finished manuscript. This can be a means of supporting both doctoral candidates and supervisors, especially in cases where the time between the final seminar and the defence has been longer than initially planned. In these cases, the reader should have good knowledge of the general research area and what is required for a thesis to pass, but should not have been involved in the supervision. The reader should give a short written statement of opinion as to whether or not the thesis is ready to be put forward for defence. This can done as part of the reader’s work duties or as a commission paid for by the department.

Before the supervisors make their final decision as to whether the finished thesis manuscript is ready to be put forward for defence, they must consult with the college of supervisors, doctoral programme board or equivalent body at the department.

8.2 Publication of thesis

The faculty board allocates funds for expenses in connection with doctoral defences. The amount of funds allocated for this purpose is set down in the faculty’s operational plan. These funds may be used for printing doctoral theses and for other costs occurring in conjunction with the defence. Language review is paid for by the departments, and must be done whenever the thesis is written in a language other than the candidate’s mother tongue, or when circumstances so dictate. The faculty board will not cover any costs that exceed the funds allocated.

9. Doctoral defence

The thesis must be made available for at least three weeks before the date of the defence in a way that allows for a satisfactory review of the dissertation before the defence. At that time, ten copies of the dissertation must be printed and delivered to the university library. Furthermore, the department must ensure that the thesis is disseminated in an appropriate manner to every department in Sweden at which research and doctoral studies are carried out in the academic discipline to which the thesis belongs. This should be done at least two weeks before the date of the defence.

According to UFV 2002/779, all submission notices must be published digitally in DiVA, as must the summary chapters in compilation theses. The period between 15 June and 15 August may not be included in the period of availability.

In cases where either the thesis or the doctoral candidate’s defence thereof fails to receive a passing grade, a new defence can be arranged, provided that the thesis or the candidate’s ability to defend the thesis has been substantially improved.

9.1 Requirements for doctorate

To receive a doctorate, the candidate must have received a passing grade on all the courses included in the study plan, and have successfully defended a doctoral thesis which, having been scrutinised by the examining committee, has received a passing grade. The name of the doctoral degree at the Faculty of Arts is Doctor of Philosophy.

All course work must be completed and graded before the public defence, unless there are specific reasons to disregard this criterion. Applications for exemption from this rule can be submitted to the dean of the faculty together with the application for appointing an examining committee.

9.2 External reviewer and examining committee

Rules and regulations pertaining to public defences can be found in HEO, Ch. 6, Secs. 33–35 and are supplemented by AFUU, Sec. 5 and RUF, Sec. 11.

On delegation from the faculty board, the dean of the faculty appoints the external reviewer, examining committee and chair for the defence upon application from the director of third-cycle education. In order to guarantee the scholarly quality of the defence, departments are required to provide the external reviewer and committee members with requisite and relevant information on how doctoral defences are conducted at the department, the faculty and, if required, Swedish universities in general.

The chair at the defence is normally a member of the department’s college of supervisors, and must be employed by Uppsala University at the time of the defence. The external reviewer must have a doctorate degree. The examining committee must consist of three or five members. In cases where the committee consists of three members, a reserve should be appointed. All members of the committee should have attained the rank of associate professor (docent) or higher. Exemption from the requirement to have attained this rank can be granted by the dean upon request from the department. At least one of the committee members must be from another higher education institute. The majority of the committee members must be from outside the department to which the doctoral candidate belongs. The external reviewer and examining committee members must be well versed in the research field in question and know what is required for a thesis to pass. The external reviewer at the final pre-defence seminar, licentiate seminar or half-time seminar may not act as external reviewer or member of the examining committee at the defence. The same applies to examining committee members at the licentiate seminar. The members of the examining committee should normally represent different genders. Persons who have served as supervisors of the doctoral candidate may not be included in the examining committee, unless extraordinary circumstances obtain, and only upon decision of the Vice-Chancellor. The committee members select a chair among themselves at the committee meeting. The external reviewer and supervisors have the right to be present at the meeting of the examining committee and to participate in its discussions, but must not be present for decisions. The same applies to the chairperson at the defence. The examining committee is in quorum when all members are present.

If the plan is for the external reviewer or a member of the examining committee to participate in the defence and/or committee meeting via link, this must be stated in the form that the department submits before the appointment of external reviewer, examining committee and chair. If unforeseen circumstances shortly before the event prevents a participant from attending, this should primarily be handled by the obligatory reserve committee member stepping in. The reserve is then physically present at the defence. In extraordinary circumstances, the dean may also allow digital participation in these situations. In cases where digital participation is used, the department must ensure that this can be done securely and in accordance with relevant rules and regulations (HISTFILFAK 2022/30).

The doctoral thesis is graded as either Pass or Fail by a majority vote (AFUU, Sec. 5). If a committee member has given a dissenting opinion, this should be noted in the protocol or equivalent, but not in the degree certificate. The committee decides whether or not the reasons for the decision should be given. Such reasons are to be appended to the protocol but not in the degree certificate (AFUU, Sec. 5).

9.3 Licentiate seminar

The faculty board decides on the arrangements for licentiate seminars (AFUU, Sec. 5).

The licentiate thesis must be defended orally at a public licentiate seminar, which should be announced at least three weeks ahead of time through the department’s calendar. The same period of availability as for a doctoral defence applies. In cases where the candidate was admitted to the programme with the express intention of ending their studies with a licentiate degree, the licentiate thesis should be published openly through the university’s publishing platform.

The chair, external reviewer and a special examining committee is appointed by the head of department in consultation with the director of third-cycle education. The chair is usually a member of the department’s college of supervisors. The candidate’s supervisors may act as chair. The chair must be employed by Uppsala University at the time of the defence. The external reviewer must have a doctorate and actively conduct research. The examining committee must consist of three members with doctorates. At least one of the committee members must have attained the rank of associate professor (docent) or higher. The examining committee may include the external reviewer but not a supervisor. The committee members can be employed by or affiliated with the department. The examining committee may call in the supervisors at the meeting.

The time and place for the licentiate seminar is decided by the head of department in consultation with the director of third-cycle education.

The licentiate thesis and the defence thereof are graded as either Pass or Fail.

All course work needed for a licentiate degree should normally be completed and graded before the public defence.

9.4 Degree certificates

Applications for degree certificates (doctorate or licentiate) are done through Ladok.

The diploma given to doctors at the conferment celebration does not replace the degree certificate issued by the Vice-Chancellor upon request, the latter of which is the official doctoral certificate.

9.5 Booking the defence

The doctoral candidate suggests a date and time for the defence in consultation with their supervisor and director of third-cycle education. There may not be two defences at the same time at the faculty. For this reason, doctoral candidates themselves book the time for their defence via the on-line booking system. The booking system clearly shows which times are available for defences at the faculty. The defence must take place during semesters or during the summer recess, but may not take place between 15 June and 15 August.

Doctoral candidates are responsible for booking the defence venue themselves, in consultation with the department and their supervisors.

10. Withdrawal of resources for doctoral candidates

The possibility of withdrawing resources for third-cycle students is regulated in HEO, Ch. 6, Sec. 30 and in RUF, Sec. 12.

If a doctoral candidate substantially neglects their undertakings in the individual study plan, resources for that individual’s doctoral education are withdrawn. Withdrawing resources requires careful assessment. The decision to withdraw resources is made by the Vice-Chancellor upon request from the faculty board after a proposal from the head of department.

The doctoral candidate must be kept informed about the process and has the right to speak on their own behalf before decisions are made by the department board, faculty board, and Vice-Chancellor respectively.

11. Deregistration of doctoral candidates

A doctoral candidate may be deregistered at their own request if they do not wish to continue their education or reassume their studies at a later date. The doctoral studies are then discontinued. Anyone wishing to resume their studies must re-apply for admission in accordance with HEO, Ch. 7, Sec. 37.