UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN DENMARK

Introduction to the PhD Programme

The PhD programme is designed to provide you as a PhD student with
competences that enable you to become a qualified researcher; that is a
scientist able to conduct responsible, independent research, according to
principles of good research practice.
The PhD programme equals 180 ECTS credits, equivalent to three years of
full-time study. Within this time frame, you will complete a degree
programme that includes:

A research project carried out under supervision

A course programme corresponding to half a year's full-time study (30
ECTS credits)
Establishment of affiliation to one or more other (international)
research environments
Teaching and knowledge dissemination
Authoring of scientific publication(s)
Preparation, writing, and defense of your PhD dissertation

The three years run from the time of registration to submittal of the PhD
dissertation, not including assessment, defense and allocation of the PhD
degree.
Upon satisfactorily completing the programme you'll be awarded the PhD
degree.
Contact with other research environments
As a PhD student you are supposed to participate in active research
environments,
including
research
stays
at
other,
primarily
international, research institutions. Please note that although it is not
a requirement to engage in a stay at an international research institution, it
is highly encouraged. Your main supervisor/ supervisor team will usually have
a number of contacts as well as national and international networks with
whom you may co-operate in different ways.
Teaching activities or other kinds of knowledge dissemination
All PhD students must gain experience with teaching and knowledge
dissemination. As an employed PhD student you may be imposed with
teaching or other kinds of knowledge dissemination for up to 280 hours a
year.
Source:
http://www.sdu.dk/en/Forskning/PhD/Phd_skoler/PhdSkolenSundhedsvidensk
ab/PhD_Students/Getting_started/Application_procedure
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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Formal qualification requirements
To be enrolled in a PhD programme you need to have completed a master's
degree programme (Danish: kandidatgrad), or another relevant degree that
concludes a research-based study programme of minimum five years
duration at an institution of higher education.
If you do not hold a master's degree (kandidatgrad), the PhD school makes
an individual assessment of your academic prerequisites. For instance, a
professional bachelor's degree and a subsequent two-year postgraduate
degree can be adequate.
If you hold a degree from an international institution, the PhD school may
require an assessment of the education by the Danish Agency for
International Education.
Documented research experience
In addition to fulfilling the formal requirements you must also have some
form of documented research experience. You may for example be the
author or co-author of an article in a peer-reviewed international journal or of
a published abstract from an international scientific conference, or you may
have other forms of documented research experience. Every applicants'
research experience is given an individual assessment by the PhD school.
Language skills
High-level English language skills, oral as well as written, is also a
requirement. In some cases the PhD school may require that a language test
is successfully passed. Approved tests are: TOEFL (Test of English as a
Foreign Language) and IELTS (International English Language Testing
System).

Source:
http://www.sdu.dk/en/Forskning/PhD/Phd_skoler/PhdSkolenSundhedsvidensk
ab/PhD_Students/Getting_started/Application_procedure
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RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL

To your application of enrolment in the PhD programme you must enclose a
complete project description for the research project, you will be executing
during your programme.
The project description should be made in close collaboration with your
future main supervisor.
The project description must not exceed 6 pages excluding references and
can be written in Danish or English.
Review of the project description
Your project description will be reviewed by an expert committee appointed
by the PhD school. The assessment committee consists of two researchers
with a particular insight in the research field. Normally, one adjudicator is
from the University of Southern Denmark while the second is from another
national or international research institute.
The assessment committee may recommend that the project description is
either accepted as it is, that it needs revision, or that it should be rejected.
You and your supervisor will be informed about the committee's evaluation of
your project proposal. You will not be informed about the members of the
assessment committee.
Read more about the application process, including information on how and
when you can expect an answer from the assessment committee about your
project description.
SUPERVISION
The PhD programme is based on supervised independent research.
Source:
http://www.sdu.dk/en/Forskning/PhD/Phd_skoler/PhdSkolenSundhedsvidensk
ab/PhD_Students/Getting_started/Application_procedure
Page 3 of 5

Your main supervisor must be a permanent member of the faculty at

associate professor or professor level and an active researcher within the
field in question. Your main supervisor is formally appointed by the head of
the PhD school.
Co-supervisors yield guidance within a particular part of the project, in which
they have a special expertise. You may have up to three co-supervisors. It is
not required that co-supervisors are permanent members of the faculty, as
long as they have relevant research qualifications within the research area.
Please note that the faculty does not pay external supervisors

HOW TO APPLY
You submit your application for admission to the PhD programme at the
Faculty of Health Sciences online.
Please go to PhD vacancies to find the current call for applications. The call
is found under PhD positions (month, year) - Faculty of Health Sciences.
At the bottom of the call for applications, please click on Apply online. Fill in
the electronic application form and attach documents as described below.
All attachments must be in .pdf-format. Each attachment may not exceed 10
Mb.
A complete application should include:
Additional application form (download here)
Applicants CV
Project description (max six pages in total, excl. of references, in either
Danish, English or both languages)
Copy of applicants education certificates
Documentation for research experience (attached under List of
publications). For further information please see Required qualifications.
Statement of acceptance from all supervisors, and a short CV from all
supervisors (attached under References)
Financial documentation (attached under Other relevant material)
You will get a receipt to confirm that the form has been successfully sent in.
What happens next
Source:
http://www.sdu.dk/en/Forskning/PhD/Phd_skoler/PhdSkolenSundhedsvidensk
ab/PhD_Students/Getting_started/Application_procedure
Page 4 of 5

The PhD enrolment committee has a meeting once a month. One reviewer
from The Faculty of Health Sciences and one external reviewer are appointed
for each application. The reviewers are asked to comment on the scientific
value of the project, the quality of the supervision, and the project's
feasibility.
With the reviewers' recommendations in hand the head of the PhD school will
determine whether or not you will be offered admission to the PhD school.
You should expect an assessment period of 8-10 weeks from the proximate
meeting in the enrolment committee. The answer from the PhD school will
enclose a letter with the anonymous assessment from the reviewers.

Source:
http://www.sdu.dk/en/Forskning/PhD/Phd_skoler/PhdSkolenSundhedsvidensk
ab/PhD_Students/Getting_started/Application_procedure
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