Introductory course to the medical Ph.D. programme, INTRO I

Knowledge:

After having completed this course, actively participated in lectures and group work, and studied the course literature, you are expected to be able to

• describe the knowledge, skills, and competencies one is expected to acquire during doctoral education
• summarize the contents of laws and regulations that govern research
• provide an overview of and summarize key topics in research ethics and the ethics of science
• provide an overview of and summarize key topics in the philosophy of science
• explain the concept of convergence and discuss the role of convergence in research that is of relevance to human health
• provide an overview over the range of research approaches used in medicine and other fields of relevance to human health
• explain central concepts in statistics, epidemiology, qualitative research methods, clinical studies, and basic medical research

Skills:

After having completed this course, actively participated in lectures and group work, and studied the course literature, you are expected to be able to

• discuss what it means to be an academic
• discuss your own research and that of others in light of central paradigms in theory of science
• discuss your own research and that of others in light of applicable laws and regulations
• identify and discuss ethical challenges in medical and health-related research
• pose well-founded critical questions to research and research publications
• justify the choice of research methods
• provide, receive, and make use of peer review

General competence:

After having completed this course, the goal is that you to will have strengthened competence to

• carry out your doctoral work with a high degree of ethical reflection and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations
• reflect on your own research in the context of other relevant research
• identify studies that may communicate with your own research although they are carried out with other methods and as part of other scientific traditions

The course is restricted to PhD candidates at the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Oslo.

PhD candidates sign up for classes and exam to this course in StudentWeb.

PhD candidates will upon registration receive an immediate reply in StudentWeb as to whether a seat at this course is granted or not.

Teaching is organized as a six day course that starts on a Friday.

Note: Teaching is only given digitally in Zoom every autumn semester, and with psychical attendance every spring semester.

Participation the first day is mandatory. See information on the semester page.

Attendance requirements after day one: Course participants have to be present in at least 80% of the course sessions to be allowed to take the exam. Attendance will be registered.

Sign up period autumn 2026: 1.6. - 10.10.

Teaching: 6.11. - 13.11.2026

Teaching is only given digitally in Zoom every autumn semester, and with psychical attendance every spring semester.

To pass Intro I:

1. Attendance is mandatory the first day of the course.

2. The home exam must be evaluated as passed. The exam has three components:

a) Course participants first write their own exam answer (time frame 2 weeks).

b) Each course participants thereafter carries out peer review of an exam paper submitted by one of the other course participants (time frame 1 week).

c) Each course participant then receives a peer review report from another course participant and revises their original exam answers on the basis of the comments provided (time frame 1 week).

d) When all three steps have been completed, candidates submit their original exam, the peer review report received, and their revised exam answers in Inspera.

• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Resitting an examination