Ph.d.-program i helse- og idrettsvitenskap

To be admitted into the PhD programme, the applicant must hold a second-degree (master's degree or equivalent) from a Norwegian or foreign university or university college in a subject area which is considered relevant for the research and education at the faculty. This includes (1) the faculty´s own 120 ECTS master’s programs, (2) equivalent master´s programs from other institutions, or (3) other educations which the faculty considers to be equivalent.

The project description (maximum ten pages) is the basis for the faculty PhD committee’s assessment of the applicant’s ability to complete the programme, and the faculty’s competence and capacity to provide the necessary teaching and supervision.

Applications for admission are accepted throughout the year.

Regulations related to the degree philosophiae doctor (PhD) at UiA as well as supplementary regulations regarding the programme in health and sport sciences have been implemented. These regulations further define requirements concerning the application to and completion of the PhD programme. See https://www.uia.no/en/research/phd-programmes/regulations-related-to-phd-at-uia

The criteria for admission are grade B or above in the master’s thesis and normally an average grade of B or above in relevant courses in the master’s programme. In special circumstances, the application may be assessed on an individual basis if the applicants documents scientific competence beyond the master’s degree and is able to document that it is likely that they will be able to complete the current research project and the PhD programme.

Applicants who are found to have insufficient prior knowledge in methodology, statistics or other relevant subject areas may be required to sit for additional examinations at the graduate level or be given a list of required reading which will then be tested by a paper or an oral examination. In cases where the required prerequisite knowledge is not met at the time of admission, this must normally be tested and approved within six months of admission.

Most of the workload will consist of independent supervised work regarding the research project, most often as part of a research group. The candidates and supervisors must submit progress reports annually in accordance with the PhD regulations.

Course work will vary between seminars, lectures, tasks related to individual projects, individual counselling, group work and discussions, practical exercises, the candidate’s presentations for fellow candidates acting as opponents, and self-study. See the course descriptions for more information.

Various types of assessment are used, such as take-home examinations, essays, oral presentations, and oral examinations. See the course descriptions for more detailed information.

The requirements for the dissertation and rules for the assessment of the dissertation are provided in the regulations for the PhD degree at the University of Agder and supplementary regulations for the PhD programme in Health and Sport Sciences.

Den største delen av arbeidet vil være selvstendig arbeid med forskningsprosjektet under veiledning, og som oftest som en del av en forskningsgruppe. Student og veileder skal årlig levere fremdriftsrapporter i henhold til ph.d.-forskriften (§ 9).

Når det gjelder de ulike emnene varierer arbeidsformene mellom seminar, forelesninger, oppgaver relatert til eget prosjekt, individuell veiledning, gruppearbeid og -diskusjoner, praktiske øvelser, kandidatpresentasjoner med kandidatopponering og selvstudium. Deler av undervisningen er obligatorisk. Nærmere omtale framgår av emnebeskrivelsene.

The PhD programme at the Faculty of Health and Sport Science covers all the faculty's subject areas and relevant fields of research.

The Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences offers one PhD programme and PhD education which applies to all the faculty’s four departments. The overall purpose of the programme is to provide the PhD candidates with a thorough theoretical and methodological knowledge, along with the experience of completing a substantial piece of original scientific work (the PhD thesis) of international standard. With this background, we offer a PhD programme which comprises the faculty's professional interests. An outline of the research that is being carried out at the faculty is found here.

The PhD degree is awarded based on:

• Approved completion of required coursework component
• Approved academic thesis
• Approved trial lecture on an assigned topic
• Approved public defense of the PhD thesis (disputation)

The doctoral degree programme comprises a total of 180 ECTS credits, equivalent to three-year full-time studies. Individual agreements of four years of study with a work component, can also be accepted. The candidate will be enrolled in a relevant specialisation.

The PhD programme offers the following specialisations:

• Health and Nursing Science
• Psychosocial Health
• Public Health
• Sport Science and Physical Education

The specialisations are described in more detail below, including the coursework component.

The faculty strongly encourages the PhD candidates to plan for shorter stays abroad during the programme.

The coursework component

The programme consists of a coursework component of 30 ECTS credits, that is 15 ECTS credits mandatory core courses, 15 ECTS credits elective courses, and a PhD dissertation of 150 ECTS credits. 5 ECTS credits of the elective courses must be a relevant scientific methods course.

The coursework component is carried out in parallel with the development of the thesis throughout the entire study programme. External courses and PROFRES/NAFOL/NutriNOR or other research school courses, if applicable, can be included in the course component.

All candidates must complete the mandatory core courses EX-60x Researching Health and Sport Sciences: Philosophical and Methodological Foundations (7,5 ECTS) and ME-63x Research Dissemination in Health and Sport Sciences: Scientific presenting and practice (7,5 ECTS).

Mandatory core courses and elective methods courses are provided by the faculty. Specialisation courses within the fields of each specialisation are provided by each specialisation committee. Further descriptions are found below.

Year

First semester

Second semester

1

Coursework and beginning of thesis work

Coursework and thesis work

2

Coursework and thesis work

Thesis work

3

Thesis work

Completion of thesis and defense

The courses will be offered regularly and will generally be taught in English but may be given in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language. The coursework component will support the candidate’s thesis work, as well as contribute to the necessary academic depth and breadth. The candidate must plan for the completion of the coursework component in consultation with their supervisor(s). It is the candidate´s own responsibility to sign up for the courses. The course ME-624 Research dissemination: Scientific presenting and practice (7,5 ECTS) runs throughout the full PhD period, and it is also a social meeting point for the PhD candidates. The candidates are automatically registered for this course.

External courses may make up a part of the coursework component, but these must be approved by the specialisation committee upon application. Information regarding procedures for registering for courses and approval of external courses, see Canvas.

The PhD thesis

The thesis must have a distinct topic and may consist of either a set of at least three scientific articles (in general) with a summary or one collected work (monograph). The candidate must be the primary author of the majority of the articles in the thesis. The thesis must be of a standard that warrants publication in the research literature of the field and be in accordance with current norms. In general, when the thesis consists of articles, at least two of the articles must have been accepted for publication in scientific peer-reviewed journals.

The PhD programme at the Faculty of Health and Sport Science covers all the faculty's subject areas and relevant fields of research.

The Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences offers one PhD programme and PhD education which applies to all the faculty’s four departments. The overall purpose of the programme is to provide the PhD candidates with a thorough theoretical and methodological knowledge, along with the experience of completing a substantial piece of original scientific work (the PhD thesis) of international standard. With this background, we offer a PhD programme which comprises the faculty's professional interests. An outline of the research that is being carried out at the faculty is found here.

The PhD degree is awarded based on:

• Approved completion of required coursework component
• Approved academic thesis
• Approved trial lecture on an assigned topic
• Approved public defense of the PhD thesis (disputation)

The doctoral degree programme comprises a total of 180 ECTS credits, equivalent to three-year full-time studies. Individual agreements of four years of study with a work component, can also be accepted. The candidate will be enrolled in a relevant specialisation.

The PhD programme offers the following specialisations:

• Health and Nursing Science
• Psychosocial Health
• Public Health
• Sport Science and Physical Education

The specialisations are described in more detail below, including the coursework component.

The faculty strongly encourages the PhD candidates to plan for shorter stays abroad during the programme.

The coursework component

The programme consists of a coursework component of 30 ECTS credits, that is 15 ECTS credits mandatory core courses, 15 ECTS credits elective courses, and a PhD dissertation of 150 ECTS credits. 5 ECTS credits of the elective courses must be a relevant scientific methods course.

The coursework component is carried out in parallel with the development of the thesis throughout the entire study programme. External courses and PROFRES/NAFOL/NutriNOR or other research school courses, if applicable, can be included in the course component.

All candidates must complete the mandatory core courses EX-60x Researching Health and Sport Sciences: Philosophical and Methodological Foundations (7,5 ECTS) and ME-63x Research Dissemination in Health and Sport Sciences: Scientific presenting and practice (7,5 ECTS).

Mandatory core courses and elective methods courses are provided by the faculty. Specialisation courses within the fields of each specialisation are provided by each specialisation committee. Further descriptions are found below.

Year

First semester

Second semester

1

Coursework and beginning of thesis work

Coursework and thesis work

2

Coursework and thesis work

Thesis work

3

Thesis work

Completion of thesis and defense

The courses will be offered regularly and will generally be taught in English but may be given in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language. The coursework component will support the candidate’s thesis work, as well as contribute to the necessary academic depth and breadth. The candidate must plan for the completion of the coursework component in consultation with their supervisor(s). It is the candidate´s own responsibility to sign up for the courses. The course ME-624 Research dissemination: Scientific presenting and practice (7,5 ECTS) runs throughout the full PhD period, and it is also a social meeting point for the PhD candidates. The candidates are automatically registered for this course.

External courses may make up a part of the coursework component, but these must be approved by the specialisation committee upon application. Information regarding procedures for registering for courses and approval of external courses, see Canvas.

The PhD thesis

The thesis must have a distinct topic and may consist of either a set of at least three scientific articles (in general) with a summary or one collected work (monograph). The candidate must be the primary author of the majority of the articles in the thesis. The thesis must be of a standard that warrants publication in the research literature of the field and be in accordance with current norms. In general, when the thesis consists of articles, at least two of the articles must have been accepted for publication in scientific peer-reviewed journals.

Det vises til emnebeskrivelsene for omtale av anbefalte forkunnskaper til hvert enkelt emne.

Opplæringsdelen må være bestått før studenten kan levere avhandlingen.

The PhD degree will qualify for careers in academia, as well as in both private and public sector.