About external funding
External funding may include:
- a research fellowship at a university college or another university
- other employment in a research institution with time allocated to your own research
- a study grant from your home university or research institution
- The Research Council of Norway’s Industrial PhD (forskningsradet.no) or Public sector PhD (forskningsradet.no)
Candidates with external funding do not receive financial support from the Faculty. The external funding must cover living expenses in Norway for the entire PhD period, necessary operating costs, and costs for any research travel.
There is no tuition fee for PhD candidates at the Faculty of Humanities. Candidates with external funding may participate in research training activities that are part of the PhD programme and receive supervision.
Candidates with external funding may be granted admission for up to four years, with a net research training period of three years.
How to apply
The application must contain:
- a completed online form
- a project description
- prepared in accordance with the Faculty’s template for research proposals
- a list of published and unpublished work, if any
- a CV and copies of relevant certificates/transcripts
- documentation of external funding
- for some applicants: documentation of English language proficiency
Apply for admission with external funding (nettskjema.no)
Applications are processed on a rolling basis. Applicants can normally expect a reply within 4–8 weeks. For applications submitted just before or during the summer holidays (approx. 15 June–1 August), the processing time will be longer.
You apply without a formal relationship with, and without approval from, a supervisor. Supervisors are appointed only after admission.
Applicants should make themselves familiar with with the regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University of Oslo.
Affiliation with an academic community
Admission with external funding requires that the applicant is affiliated with a relevant and active research community. Such affiliation may be:
- employment at a university college, university or other research institution considered academically relevant
- office space at one of the Faculty’s departments. This presupposes that the department has the capacity and wishes to offer a workplace. You must contact the relevant department yourself.
Choice of department
The Faculty of Humanities has one PhD programme. The Faculty’s seven departments are responsible for the academic follow-up and provision for the PhD candidates.
When you apply, you must choose which department you wish to be affiliated with. Applications for admission are assessed by the chosen department.
Admission requirements
For admission to the PhD programme, the following is required:
- You have completed at least five years of higher education, i.e. a Master’s degree or equivalent. In special cases, the Faculty may grant admission on the basis of a one-year Master’s degree, following an assessment of the study programme’s scope and quality.
- You have completed the Master’s degree (or equivalent) and the final evaluation is available at the time of application. Certificates and transcripts cannot be submitted after the deadline.
- You have a good command of written and spoken English. Read more about language requirements.
Admission of candidates with external funding presupposes that the programme can offer the necessary supervisory expertise and capacity in the field in which the applicant wishes to write the dissertation.
The PhD project must be relevant to the research activity and competence at the Faculty.
Assessment of applications
High standards are set for both your qualifications and for the quality and relevance of the PhD project. Applications are assessed according to:
- Suitability: The applicant’s academic background and grades, progression of study, time elapsed since the final examination and relevant academic activity.
- Project quality: The project’s scientific merit, research-related interest and innovation, relevance for the academic community at the Faculty of Humanities, connection with academic networks, and feasibility within the framework of the PhD programme and any research fellowship.
The decision on admission is made by the Faculty and is based on an overall assessment of the application.
The assessments are exempt from public access and will not be sent to the applicant.
Admission agreement and start
Admission to the PhD programme is formalised through an admission agreement. If the candidate has a workplace with an employer outside the University of Oslo, a separate agreement must also be entered into between the Faculty and the external party.
The period of admission to the PhD programme will normally correspond to the period of funding. Admission is continuous, and candidates may start the programme as soon as the admission agreement has been concluded.