Midway and final review seminars at the Centre for the study of professions

Midway seminar

The purpose of the midway seminar is to provide the PhD candidate with external feedback on the existing draft(s) and the project as a whole. The seminar should also give the candidate a sense of progress and strategies for the remaining work.

The midway seminar is held halfway through the PhD period, adjusted for any extensions to funding (e.g., leaves of absence, teaching relief, etc.).

The candidate, supervisor(s), the head of the PhD programme, and the main commentator must all be present. The main commentator is usually internal, but external commentators may be used if necessary due to subject expertise or availability. If an external commentator is used, any honorarium must not be drawn from the candidate’s regular operating funds. The candidate may, in consultation with the supervisor, invite other interested parties.

The seminar is followed by a meeting between the candidate and the supervisor(s). The main purpose of this meeting is to identify and address any issues related to supervision, data collection, the timeline, or similar concerns.

Article-based dissertation

Candidates writing an article-based dissertation must submit the following:

1. A revised timeline providing a brief overview of completed work (courses, data collection, written texts/drafts, teaching duties) and a plan for the remaining dissertation work.
2. Existing articles or article drafts, which may be at various stages of development.
3. A draft outline of the introductory chapter (kappe), including: working title of the dissertation, revised research question, summaries of articles not yet submitted as drafts (briefly outlining planned research question, theory, data, and method), and keywords for the introduction, theory section, literature review, and methodology.

Monograph

Candidates writing a monograph must submit the following:

1. A revised timeline providing a brief overview of completed work (courses, data collection, written texts/drafts, teaching duties) and a plan for the remaining dissertation work.
2. Existing chapter drafts. Drafts of the literature review and, if applicable, the methodology chapter should be included, along with a detailed outline of the introduction.
3. A revised outline of the entire dissertation.

Final review Seminar

All PhD candidates in the programme are offered the opportunity to hold a final reading seminar before submitting their dissertation.

The purpose of the final reading seminar is to provide feedback that can enhance the quality of the dissertation and thus contribute to quality assurance before submission.

Structure and institutional responsibility

The final reading seminar consists of two elements:

1. An external colleague evaluates the dissertation as if they were a member of the assessment committee.
2. The final reader presents their feedback at an open seminar at the Centre for the Study of Professions (SPS). Typically, all centre members are invited to read the draft and participate in the seminar.

SPS, through the head of the PhD programme, is responsible for organizing, inviting participants to, and leading the final reading seminar. The timing and choice of final reader are determined in collaboration with the candidate and supervisors.

Is the final reading seminar mandatory?

The final reading seminar is considered part of the quality assurance system of the PhD programme in the study of professions. If there are strong reasons to ensure quality in other ways, the head of the PhD programme may decide not to hold a final reading seminar.

Funding

Over time, it has become standard practice for final reading seminars to be funded through the candidate’s operating budget. Currently, the cost is approximately NOK 10,000–12,000.