Guidelines for Applications for Admission to PhD Programmes at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University
In connection with admissions to PhD programmes, the Board of OsloMet has delegated responsibility to the faculties' PhD Committees for:
- the processing of admissions of PhD candidates
- the approving of supervisors, project descriptions and schedules.
In order to be admitted to a PhD programme, the applicant must normally hold a minimum of five years of higher education in accordance with the provisions laid down in the Regulations relating to Requirements for Master's Degrees. OsloMet may require applicants to take specific courses and/or tests prior to admission. Admissions must normally be applied for within three months after commencement of a research project. For more details on qualification requirements, see the programme description for the respective PhD programmes.
The minimum requirements for the content of applications are given in the Regulations relating to the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at OsloMet, section 2-2.
Decisions on admissions
Decisions on admissions are based on an overall assessment of the application.
Admission may be granted subject to funding, admission capacity, supplementary education and intellectual property rights agreements.
The admission decision shall: state the name of the appointed supervisor, assign responsibility for resolving other needs outlined in the application, and specify the commencement date and duration of the contractual period. Any extension of the contractual period must either be related to employee rights or be specifically clarified.
Admission may be denied if intellectual property rights agreements impede publication and public defence, or if the intellectual property rights agreements that have been formed are so unreasonable that OsloMet finds it inadvisable to participate in the project.
Emphasis shall be placed on the following criteria when processing applications for admission to PhD programmes at OsloMet:
- formal requirements – prior education
- quality of project description
- relevance
- schedule and funding
The main features of the evaluation criteria are given in the table below. The four main criteria are given in the left-hand column. All the criteria are absolute conditions for admission.
|
Main criteria |
Qualification requirements |
|---|---|
|
1. Prior education |
High academic standard, normally documented by good grades, particularly for thesis at second degree level/master's thesis. |
|
2. Project description |
High quality in project description, academic plan for conducting the project. |
|
3. Relevance |
The application is clearly relevant to the subject area in the PhD programme being applied for. |
|
4. Time schedule and funding |
The project can be conducted within a total time frame of three years. Funding must be arranged. The admission start date shall also serve as the start date for funding. |
The PhD Committee's decision on the application for admission to a PhD programme is conveyed to the applicant by letter, signed by the Committee's Chair and Secretary. The decision will state the name of the appointed principal supervisor and co-supervisor (where applicable).
A written contract shall be formed between the PhD candidate and OsloMet concerning the rights and obligations of the candidate in the PhD programme. The contract is based on the template prepared by the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions.