What are doctoral studies?

Requirements for a doctoral degree

The requirements for a doctoral degree are designed so that the studies typically require four years of full-time work. The education leading to a doctoral degree comprises a total of 240 credits, divided into a course component of 60 credits and a thesis component of 180 credits.

Doctoral thesis

To obtain a doctoral degree, the student must write a scientific thesis (doctoral thesis), which should be based on independent research and meet high scientific standards. The thesis must be defended in a public defence as prescribed by the Higher Education Ordinance and local regulations for the Faculty of Social Sciences at Lund University.

Study plan

Doctoral education follows a study plan established by the department board and the faculty. The doctoral student follows an individual study plan, which is drawn up by the student and the supervisors in consultation and must be approved by the head of department. The study plan is revised once a year. The department supports the doctoral student mainly through courses and supervision, which includes both guidance on the direction of studies and thesis work, and continuous support during the thesis work.

Read more:

• The Swedish Council for Higher Education has more information on research studies
• Read more in the PhD handbook
• The Faculty of Social Sciences’ information page on research studies