PhD student in Education

The Department of Education announces 1-2 vacancies within the PhD programme in Education.

The Department of Education is one of the larger departments at Stockholm University within the Faculty of Social Sciences, with approximately 180 staff and almost 8000 students per year. The department offers education at both undergraduate and graduate level as well as postgraduate education and we host the Centre for the Advancement of University Teaching, principal training and Collaboration for school development. More information about us can be found at: Department of Education

Subject area

Education is an academic discipline in which formal and non-formal education, development, and learning are studied in relation to cultural and societal contexts. The department conducts research in different areas, which are presented on Research Groups at the Department of Education.

Qualification requirements

In order to be admitted to postgraduate education, the applicant must have the general and specific entry requirements. The qualification requirements must be met by the deadline for applications.

You meet the general entry requirements if you have completed a second-cycle degree, or completed courses equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, of which 60 credits must be in the second cycle, or have otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or elsewhere.

In order to meet the specific entry requirements, the general syllabus for doctoral studies in the field of Education stipulates that applicants must have completed courses equivalent to at least 90 ECTS and a thesis of at least 15 ECTS in one of the following subject areas: education, international and comparative education, didactics, subject-specific didactics, child and youth studies, special education, pedagogical work,

or a teaching degree equivalent to at least 180 ECTS , including a thesis of at least 15 ECTS,

or a Bachelor of Arts in Study and Career Guidance, including a thesis of at least 15 ECTS,

or completed courses equivalent to at least 90 ECTS within another Social Science (including medical education) or Humanities subject area, including a thesis of at least 15 ECTS.

In all cases, the thesis must address research questions relevant to educational issues, theories, and methods.

In addition, the applicant must have excellent spoken and written English language skills, which will be tested during the admissions round.

Selection

The selection among the eligible candidates will be based on their capacity to benefit from the training provided at the PhD level.

Special attention will be given to results from previous studies, documented in the form of one independent research project/thesis at the Master’s level. The degree project/thesis must be written originally in either English or Swedish (or an official translation into one of  these languages). A degree project/thesis written in Swedish must include a 1-page summary in English. The applicant may also supplement their application with one published peer-reviewed  article.

Applicants must provide a research plan within the academic discipline of Education. In the research plan, the applicant should develop a well-supported research question and argue in favor of possible choices concerning theory and methods for the study. The research plan and previous academic texts provide the basis for assessing the applicant’s capacity to benefit from the PhD programme.

The quality of the submitted research plan will be a major factor in the selection and ranking of applications.

Applications are made anonymous before they are assessed and an assessor with a conflict of interest (such as a previous supervisor) will then not assess that application.

Applications are assessed by the departmental committee of PhD supervisors, and then ranked, in relation to the following criteria:

• Stringency of the research question and analysis of earlier work and of the research plan
• Familiarity with the research area of the intended research plan
• Methodological and theoretical understanding and the degree to which reflexivity is reached in the texts
• The qualities of planned research in relation to what it contributes to the discipline
• The intended study’s prospective ethical implications and possibility of an ethical review
• Ability to express themselves both written and verbally in an academic setting
• The planned study’s feasibility within the allotted time.

References will be checked and short-listed candidates will be interviewed – including a test of their written and spoken English. 

Admission Regulations for Doctoral Studies at Stockholm University.

About the employment

We offer a fixed-term employment as a doctoral student according to Chapter 5 of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). The period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for four years. As a doctoral student, you should primarily devote yourself to your own doctoral education, but the employment may include work with education, research and administration to a limited extent (maximum 20 %).

A new employment as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, the employment is then renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

The PhD programme is a campus-based programme.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact

For more information, please contact the Director of Research Studies, Åsa Broberg, phone: +46 8 120 763 87, asa.broberg@edu.su.se, the Administrator of Research Studies, Erika Södersten, phone: +46 8 16 36 50, forskarutbildning@edu.su.se.

Application

Apply for the PhD student position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. Attach a personal letter and CV as well as the attachments requested in the application form. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.

The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position.