How to become a PhD student at LTH, Faculty of Engineering
To become a doctoral student at LTH is usually through employment at an institution. When an institution wants to employ and accept a doctoral student in a certain thrid cycle study subject, the position needs to be advertised, i.e. employment and admission are done in competition with other applicants. LTH does not apply fixed application times, but a doctoral position can be advertised at any time throughout the year.
All vacancies, including doctoral positions, are advertised on Lund University's website, among other places.
Requirements
To be eligible for third cycle studies, both basic eligibility and special eligibility are required. The basic eligibility is the same for all doctoral education in Sweden and is regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance. For each third cycle subject, the higher education institutions have the opportunity to set requirements for special eligibility, i.e. knowledge that is considered necessary to be able to complete that particular education.
In order to be fundamentally qualified, you need to meet one of the following requirements:
- completed a degree at the advanced level,
- completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at advanced level, or
- in any other way within or outside Sweden acquired substantially equivalent knowledge.
Basic qualifications are often not enough to be able to complete a certain education. Knowledge in, for example, a certain subject area is normally also needed.
The requirements for special requirements may relate to:
- knowledge from higher education or equivalent education,
- specific professional experience, and
- necessary language skills or other conditions conditioned by the education.
Financing
For you to be enrolled as a doctoral student, funding is required for your entire education. The most common form of funding is through employment as a doctoral student, i.e. the department has the funds they want and can advertise for a doctoral position. There are no tuition fees at Swedish universities.
In some cases, institutions may enroll a doctoral student with other funding than through employment. In both cases, it is required that the funding is assessed as secured during the entire education and that the doctoral student will have the opportunity to pursue his or her education for at least half time (i.e. complete a four-year education towards a doctoral degree of a maximum of eight years).
As an industrial doctoral student, you are employed at, for example, a company or other university and are at the same time enrolled in a third cycle subject at LTH. The employer is thus willing to let you conduct third cycle studies during your working hours at the same time as LTH is responsible for the implementation of the education. For this to be possible, an agreement must be drawn up between the employer and LTH.
It is possible to finance an entire doctoral program with an external scholarship, but there are many rules to ensure fair conditions.
In general, the scholarship must be paid directly to the doctoral student from the financier and that there must be no requirement for work performance from the financier. The scholarship must be given either within the framework of an "assistance or capacity building program" or within the framework of certain types of formalized collaborations. The funding also needs to reach the salary level after tax for an employed doctoral student, if it does not, the department must establish an additional scholarship as a supplement.
Admitted for a doctoral or licentiate degree
In third cycle studies, there are two degree levels, doctoral degree and licentiate degree.
An entire doctoral program towards a doctoral degree comprises 4 years of full-time studies, i.e. 240 higher education credits. The education towards the doctoral degree is made up of a scientific dissertation and a course part. The dissertation part always constitutes at least half the scope, i.e. at least 120 higher education credits. If you are accepted with employment as a doctoral student, the position always refers to an education towards a doctoral degree.
It is also possible to take a licentiate degree that corresponds to 2 years of full-time studies, i.e. 120 higher education credits. The education towards the licentiate degree is made up of a scientific essay and a course part. The essay always constitutes at least half the scope, i.e. at least 60 higher education credits. Regardless of the form of financing, it is possible to take out a licentiate degree as a stage on the way to your doctoral degree. If you are enrolled with funding other than doctoral employment, it is possible to be enrolled for a licentiate degree only.