About the educational component
The educational component shall, together with the thesis work, provide an education of a high academic standard and include the completion of a scientific research project, training in the dissemination of academic knowledge and an introduction to research ethics, the philosophy of science and scientific methods.
The nominal length of study of the PhD programme is 3 years. The educational component corresponds to 30 credits.
Credits are allocated based on the ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System). Thirty credits correspond to six months’ work, i.e. 750–900 hours. One credit corresponds to 25 to 30 hours of work.
Research courses that are included as part of the educational component must be of such a scope that they are worth at least 1 credit. Half credits are not given.
A candidate’s own efforts and active participation are required in order to be granted credits from the programme’s educational component. A theory syllabus, requirements for submission, presentation of own text, critique of other people’s text, and attendance requirements are all specified for the individual courses (seminar/course/conference).
The PhD leader at the department is responsible for approving individual courses and the candidate's educational component as a whole.
See the departments’ requirements for the educational component
Only seminars/courses/conferences/etc. that correspond to a total of 30 credits qualify and are documented as part of the candidate’s educational component.
Composition requirements
Educational component in total: 30 credits (ECTS)
Compulsory part
General initial courses, Faculty of Humanities
- Credits (ECTS) in total: 5
- Introductory seminar, 2 days. 2 credits (ECTS)
- Theory of knowledge, 2 days. 2 credits (ECTS)
- Ethics, 1 day. 1 credits (ECTS)
Participation in an international conference
- Credits (ECTS) in total: Min. 4
- International conference with paper/lecture/abstract. 2-4 credits (ECTS)
Dissemination
- Credits (ECTS) in total: Min. 2
- Dissemination course, feature articles, lectures, other. 1-2 credits (ECTS)
Thesis seminar
- Credits (ECTS) in total: 4-8
- General requirements: Presentation of the candidate’s own text at least twice, comments to other texts at least once.
- See specifications for each department
Mid-term evaluation (compulsory from 2013)
- Credits (ECTS) in total: 0
Research training courses
- Credits (ECTS) in total: 8-12
- Compulsory courses at the department, the smallest course scope is 1 credit
Elective part
Elective research training courses
Internal and external. The smallest course scope is 1 credit. The scope of credits for elective courses will depend on the number of credits that are committed to compulsory courses. Credits (ECTS): 8-12
Courses in general skills/generic courses
E.g. English language courses, use of reference tools etc. Credits (ECTS): 0
Approval and documentation
Candidates are responsible for obtaining approval and documentation for all credit-bearing participation and for the safekeeping of copies of all documentation throughout their PhD education.
Before submitting the thesis for assessment, candidates must complete the documentation form listing all documented courses, seminars, etc. with details of the title, type of participation, credits etc.
The form must be signed by the PhD leader, who will then confirm that the educational component of the PhD programme has been completed.
Candidates must enclose this form with the application for assessment of the thesis. It is not necessary to attach any additional documentation.
Documentation form (rtf), (in Norwegian only)
Departmental regulations prior to 2023
Each department has its own courses, routines for approval and requirements for participation and composition of the educational component.
- Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History
- Department of Culture, Religion, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
- Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas
- Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages
- Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies
- Department of Media and Communication
- Department of Musicology