Organisation of doctoral studies

In Denmark two types of PhD programmes exist: The normal research PhD where the student is connected to a university or another higher educational institution while completing the PhD, and the Industrial PhD which is completed in connection with a company and an educational institution.

A PhD programme takes 3 years to complete (180 ECTS). It is possible to study a PhD within the same scientific areas which exist on bachelor and master level: humanities, natural science, social science, health science, technical science and theology.

The educational institutions can award a PhD within the subject areas where the institutions have research, and where they have established a PhD school. An educational institution can establish a PhD school alone or in cooperation with one or several institutions.

In the beginning of the PhD programme – and within three months – the student and the educational institution need to determine a research and an educational plan. The plan is to describe the project and the course, as well as a time schedule, a supervisor agreement, an agreement of possible copyrights and a financing plan.

During the programme, the student is to conduct independent research and on that foundation write a thesis. Furthermore, the student needs to attend courses which are relevant for the research project. They have to correspond to six months of studies. Moreover, the student needs to actively engage in research environments, both at the educational institution and outside, e.g. abroad. Also, the student has to gain experience with teaching or another form of knowledge dissemination, e.g. dissemination of the research results.

On the basis of a statement from the supervisor, the educational institution continually needs to assess whether or not the student's course is running as planned or if it perhaps should be terminated.

At the final examination, a jury provides a recommendation on whether the project proves that the student independently can make use of the subject's sci-entific methods. Hereafter, the student has to defend the project at a public defense where he or she is examined by the jury.

An educational institution can decide if a student can be enrolled as a PhD student before the master degree has been completed. However, this does not change the extent of the programme as the student still needs to complete the master programme. This is only possible for a few programmes.

Industrial PhD

The industrial PhD implies that the student is employed in a private or public company, where he or she carries out a PhD project within a company's interest field. At the same time, the student needs to be enrolled at university or another higher educational institution.

The Industrial PhD has been developed in order to promote research and development in Danish business by educating researchers with an insight into the professional aspects of research and development. Furthermore, the scheme is meant to support the building of network and exchange between companies and Danish and/or foreign universities/research institutions.

Companies can apply for funding for a partial coverage of the expenses to an Industrial PhD. The industrial PhD scheme is administrated by the Danish Agency for Universities and Internationalisation.

Doctoral degrees

The higher educational institutions which are covered by the act on universities can award doctoral degrees and honorary doctoral degrees.

The institutions can in those areas with associated master degrees represented in the institution award doctoral degrees.

People who have been awarded a doctoral degree or an honorary doctoral degree receive a diploma from the educational institution.

The award of a doctoral degree takes place on the basis of a thesis which is defended at an oral, public defense. The award of the doctoral degree is an acknowledgement of the fact that the writer has acquired a considerable scientific insight and maturity and with the thesis has brought science a step further.

People who have obtained a master degree or a PhD within a close related subject area has the right to hand in a doctoral thesis for evaluation. The educa-tional institutions can also allow for others to hand in a doctoral thesis.

The honorary doctoral degree can be awarded to scientists who believe to have made a valuable scientific contribution and where it is natural to award them with the highest scientific award.

Admission requirements

Normally, a completed master degree is required in order to be enrolled as a PhD student. However, with a few programmes it is possible to be enrolled before a student has completed the master programme. In this case, the institution needs to make sure that the student is able to complete the master programme during the PhD programme.

It is up to the educational institutions to decide who they wish to enroll on the programmes, but it has to appear from the institutions' internal rules which criteria the institutions use in the admission procedure.

Most applicants apply for PhD programmes via job ads on available PhD scholarships. The applicant has to write an application and provide a detailed study plan which shows what the PhD project is to centre around.

For some available PhD scholarships the subject has been decided upon beforehand. In others, the applicant/student has the option to decide for themselves when formulating the application.

Status of Doctoral students/candidates

PhD students is generally employed in a position as a PhD fellow. This means that the PhD students are employed in a position with salary. The employment covers the educational period of three years. Pension is included in the salary. Industrial PhD students receive salary from the company they are employed in.

Supervision arrangements

When enrolling, each PhD-student is allocated an official supervisor who must be a permanently tenured university teacher. The supervisor has to be an acknowledged researcher within the relevant subject area. In addition to giving subject-specific and study-related guidance, this supervisor must see to it that the study including planned course participation is running satisfactorily and proceeding according to plan. Within three months of the start of the PhD programme, the university shall approve a research and study plan (the PhD plan) for the individual PhD student. At regular points in time during the PhD programme, the university shall assess whether the PhD student is following the PhD plan and, if necessary, adjust the plan. The university shall lay down internal rules on the frequency of such assessments

In connection with the PhD programme, the educational institution offers the student a teaching course and teaching guidance.

Also, the institution makes sure that the necessary resources are available for the student so that he or she can complete the programme as in accordance with the PhD plan.

The institution determines internal rules for the guidance of the PhD student.

Employability

No information available.

Assessment

The educational institution regularly assesses throughout the PhD programme if the PhD student follows the PhD plan and makes adjustments if that is needed. The assessment is made on the basis of an evaluation from the main supervisor, who after talks with the PhD student confirms that the programme is being carried through in accordance with the PhD plan, or in writing explains necessary adjustments. The PhD student is given the possibility of submitting any remarks to the evaluation. Any remarks have to be submitted within two weeks. At the assessment, the educational institution needs to consider documented illness, maternity leave and other forms of approved leave. The educational institution determines internal rules concerning the frequency of these assessments. 

If the educational institution assesses that the PhD student no longer follows the PhD plan despite possible adjustments, the institution gives the student three months to improve the situation. The three months cannot lead to an extension of the PhD programme. The institution conducts a new assessment after the three months. The enrollment will end if the assessment after the three months is negative.

The PhD thesis has to document the student's ability to make use of the subject's scientific methods and provide research abilities corresponding to the international standards for PhD degrees within the same discipline.

The educational institution determines internal rules concerning the preparation and submission of the PhD thesis.

The PhD student's enrollment at the educational institution terminates when submitting the thesis. The main supervisor has to provide a statement on the whole PhD course a week after the submission of the thesis. If the supervisor in his or her statement argues that the PhD programme has not been completed with satisfaction, the student has two weeks to put forward his or hers remarks to the supervisor's statement. The thesis can only be taken into consideration if the whole PhD programme has been completed satisfactorily.

An evaluation jury is set up by the educational institution after the submission of the PhD thesis. The jury consists of three members and one is appointed as the chairman. The members of the jury have to be acknowledged researchers within the relevant subject area. The members have to come from outside the educational institution, and one has to come from abroad (unless this is inappropriate from an academic perspective). The supervisors of the PhD project cannot be members of the jury. The main supervisor is involved but cannot vote.

The student is informed as soon as the jury has been set up and has a week to oppose any members of the jury.

Two months after the submission of the thesis, at the latest, the jury reports to the educational institution if the thesis is suitable as a basis for the award of the PhD degree. The student receives a copy of the report. The defense of the thesis can take place if the thesis is found suitable. If the thesis has not been found suitable, the jury will report if the thesis can be resubmitted in a revised form. The student and the supervisor have two weeks to comment the report. Has the thesis not been found suitable, the educational institution will make one of the following decisions on the basis of the jury's report and the supervisor's and student's comments:

• The defense cannot take place
• The thesis can be submitted again in a revised form within a deadline of three months. If the thesis is resubmitted, the thesis is evaluated once more by the jury, unless special circumstances prevent this. 
• The thesis will be evaluated by a new jury

The PhD thesis is defended at a public defense after internal rules determined by the educational institution. At the defense, the student has to explain the work and defend the thesis in front of the jury's member. The institution needs to make sure that the thesis is publicly available in due time before the defense.

The educational institution determines time and place for the public defense.

Certification

Soon after the student's defense of the PhD thesis, the evaluation jury recommends if the PhD degree is to be awarded and reports this recommendation to the educational institution and the student. The recommendation has to be well grounded and if there is disagreement in the jury, the decision will rest upon the voting majority.

The educational institution issues a diploma for the PhD degree. The diploma is issued in Danish and in English and has to contain information on subject area and topic for the PhD thesis as well as information on the completed PhD programme.

If the PhD degree is not awarded, the educational institution will, after request, issue documentation in Danish and in English that parts of the PhD programme have been completed.

Organisational variation

No information available. 

References

Uddannelsesguiden, 2011. Forskeruddannelse (ph.d.) [Research programme (PhD)]. [Online] Available at: http://www.ug.dk/Uddannelser/universitetsuddannelser/forskeruddannelse_phd.aspx [Accessed 29 November 2011].

Retsinformation, 2013. Bekendtgørelse om ph.d.-uddannelsen ved universiteterne og visse kunstneriske uddannelser (ph.d.-bekendtgørelsen) [Act on the PhD programmes at universities and certain artistic educational programmes]. [Online] Available at: https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2013/1039 [Accessed 24 June 2022].  

Retsinformation, 1996. Bekendtgørelse om doktorgrader [Act on doctoral degrees]. [Online] Available at: https://www.retsinformation.dk/Forms/R0710.aspx?id=82129 [Accessed 29 November 2011].