Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History

Organisation

Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History (IAKH) has two separate PhD groups for our doctoral candidates:

• A PhD group for Archaeology & Conservation, led by Senior Lecturer Knut Ivar Austvoll
• A PhD group for History, led by Associate Professor Kristin Ranestad

Knut Ivar Austvoll and Kristin Ranestad are in charge of the midway assessments and thesis seminars. Kristin Ranestad is also Head of Research Training at IAKH. 

Research groups

Alle internal and externally financed doctoral candidates are encouraged to participate in one or several of IAKHs research groups.

Research schools

• Nordic Graduate School in Archaeology: Dialogues with the Past

• The Norwegian Research School in History

Administrative contact

• Oliver Reiersen, PhD Coordinator

Educational Component

The nominal length of study of the PhD programme is 3 years. The educational component corresponds to 30 credits. These 30 credits are divided among mandatory and elective courses, as outlined in HF's resolution of March 8, 2013.

The structure of the training component in the table below is in effect from January 1, 2023. Candidates who were admitted to the PhD programme before December 31, 2022 may choose to follow the previous structure.

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.

Category descriptions

Research ethics

All candidates at the Faculty of Humanities must be ensured training in research ethics. This includes central ethical principles for research, as well as knowledge of relevant legislation and institutions. Parts of the training must be an in-depth study of ethical issues and dilemmas.

Theories of knowledge

Through joint courses and advanced courses in scientific theory, candidates will learn about central questions in theories of knowledge and be challenged to formulate their own epistemological positions.

Dissemination

All candidates must have training in dissemination that will provide realistic preparation for research communication and include reflection on academic freedom of expression. 

The Faculty of Humanities holds dissemination courses for PhD candidates, which cover the compulsory faculty credits in dissemination. Course content and dates vary. The courses are announced in the events calendar and via e-mail.

Conference

All candidates must participate in international conference(s). An international conference is defined as a conference where participants represent institutions from several countries. Credit for participation in an international conferences requires presentation of a paper/lecture/abstract/poster. Participation alone does not qualify candidates for credits.

The total credit score for international conferences is assessed on the basis of whether the paper/poster/lecture/abstract/poster is originally made for the conference and to what extent the doctoral candidate will actively participate in the rest of the conference.

Maximum credits given for one international conference is normally 2 ECTS. 

Text development

All candidates will receive training in text presentation and criticism by presenting their own and commenting on others’ texts. The Text Development Seminars are designed to be an integral part of the educational component. These text development sessions are a crucial aspect of the PhD programme, aimed at enhancing the writing skills of all candidates and ultimately producing high-quality dissertations. The department strongly encourages active participation in these seminars throughout the course of the PhD programme.

Click here to read the instructions for IAKH's Text Development Seminar.

Requirement for completing the Text Development Seminars (4 credits):

• Mandatory active participation during the first two years of the fellowship period.
  • Active participation includes at least 1 oral presentation of the thesis work and at least 2 or more written submissions.
• Written and oral comments on all presentations presented in the thesis seminars.
• NB! For PhD students in history, there is a requirement to attend at least 1 of the National Research School of History's Dissertation Writing Workshops each year. This means mandatory participation at 2 workshops in total. Attendance at one of these workshops per year does not count towards credits, but is considered an integral part of the department's text development seminars.
• In special cases, participation in IAKH's text development seminars may grant 6 credits for extra activity. This will be cleared with the Head of Research Training.

PhD students who, due to various reasons, are unable to attend one or more text development seminars during their first two years of the program must make up for it in their third year. Alternative participation in text development seminars offered by foreign educational institutions may be considered as a replacement, however, this must be approved by the Head of Research Training.

Methods

Method is a planned procedure for knowledge formation. All candidates must have training that expands their methodological experiences and skills and provides a critical approach to what knowledge different methods can provide.

Elective research courses in methods can be taken at national or international research schools, at other institutions, one-time events, or, with prior approval, specialised master's courses in other fields.

Doctoral candidates in Archaeology are part of the Nordic Graduate School in Archaeology, Dialogues with The Past.

Doctoral candidates in History are part of The Norwegian Research School in History NRSH.

Other courses or activities

• Elective research courses can be taken at national or international research schools, at other institutions, one-time events, or, with prior approval, specialised master's courses in other fields. This can also include general outreach activities such as lectures, exhibitions, opinion pieces, or articles aimed at a general public outside one's own field of study.
• PhD students affiliated with IAKH can also obtain credits by writing articles for Norgeshistorie.no. Two approved articles for Norgeshistorie.no result in a total of 1 credit. If you wish to write articles for Norgeshistorie.no, you must first contact the editor Ellen Cathrine Lund (e.c.lund@iakh.uio.no). Together, you can clarify what type of articles are needed and the article writing process. The articles are primarily written in Norwegian.

Doctoral candidates in Archaeology are part of the Nordic Graduate School in Archaeology, Dialogues with The Past.

Doctoral candidates in History are part of The Norwegian Research School in History NRSH.

Other obligatory activities

These are 0 credit activities. 

Welcome seminar

All PhD candidates at HF must attend a compulsory welcome seminar which will provide an introduction to the PhD programme, the faculty and the university. A major part of the seminar will deal with supervision, the candidates' supervisors are expected to attend this part of the program.

Midway Assessment

All candidates on the PhD programme at the Faculty of Humanities are subject to a midway assessment. The midway assessment is a compulsory part of the PhD programme. The purpose of the midway assessment is to assess the progress of the project in relation to planned completion. See description below.

Read about the Midway Assesment here

Approval

All requests for pre-approval and approval of activity relating to the educational component must be done by filling out the form below:

Application for approval IAKH - Educational component

The Head of Research Training is responsible for approving credits, and all activities should be pre-approved by the Head of Research Training. The basis for approval are course certificates, certificates of participation, or conference programs. The candidate is responsible for collecting documentation and for submitting the form and documentation to us in a timely manner. 

If the number of credits has not been determined, for example through an established research institution, the allocation of credits will be based on ECTS. Thirty credits correspond to six months’ work, i.e. 750–900 hours. 1 credit corresponds to 25 to 30 hours of work. 0,5 credits scores are not eligible at IAKH.

StudentWeb

When the Head of Research Training has approved the request for approval, the PhD Coordinator will register the activity in StudentWeb. 

All courses and seminars at IAKH

See all courses and seminars here

Programme Council

IAKH has its own Programme Council for research education. The Programme Council aims to improve the coordination of the PhD programme at the Department. In addition, it is a forum where the doctoral candidates can raise issues and be involved in processes concering the research education.

Programme Council Representatives

• Kristin Ranestand - Head of Research Training
• Knut Ivar Austvoll - Head of the PhD Group for Archaeology & Conservation
• Ada Elisabeth Nissen - Head of the Norwegian Research School in History
• Per Ditlef Fredriksen - Head of the the Nordic Research School in Archaeology
• Oliver Reiersen - PhD coordinator
• Andreas Ropeid Sæbø - Representative for the doctoral candidates in Archaeology & Conservation
• Ragnar Øvergaard Aas - Representative for the doctoral candidates in History
  • Substitute: Mika Boros
• Oliver Reiersen - PhD coordinator

Minutes/Summary

Click here to see mintues from IAKH's programme council meetings.