What is a PhD education at LIFE?

 

The central elements of a PhD education at LIFE are:

 

• A research project under supervision
• Course work
• Teaching
• Active participation in your research school
• A stay abroad
• Writing and publicly defending your PhD thesis before a panel of experts 

A research project under supervision

Your research is the most important activity during your three years as a PhD student at LIFE. And the main outcome of your PhD studies is an independent research project carried out by yourself under proper supervision. You will receive supervision from one or more supervisors who must be approved by the Graduate School. 

 

All PhD students have a principal supervisor and most students also have a secondary supervisor. The principal supervisor must be a permanent staff member at LIFE.

 

The supervisor(s) are obliged to provide regular supervision and the PhD student is obliged to provide the supervisor(s) with regular accounts of the progress of the research project. For details go to section 3 of the PhD regulations. Please also see the advice given in the booklet 'Good PhD Practice'.

 

Coursework

As a PhD student you must pass courses equivalent to 30 ECTS credits relevant to the research project. The courses must be approved by your supervisor and the PhD Board and should be PhD level courses. However some courses are offered at both the Masters' and the PhD level and some Master-level courses may be approved for PhD level.

 

You can choose courses offered by The University of Copenhagen or by any other Danish or foreign university. Rules regarding this can be found in section 4 of the PhD regulations. The PhD courses offered at LIFE are listed in the course catalogue. Courses offered by other institutions can be found through courses.

 

Teaching

At LIFE, we consider it important that our PhD students gain experience in teaching and/or other forms of communication of scientific knowledge. We recommend that PhD students carry out a minimum of 70 hours of regular teaching per year (including preparation) under the guidance of an experienced teacher. For further details, see section 5.2 of the PhD regulations. 

 

In addition to the 70 hours of teaching per year, the department may require further teaching activities or other communication work from the PhD student. The teaching and communication components must not exceed 280 hours per year for a full-time PhD student.

 

Active participation in your research school

When enrolled as PhD student, you are expected to join a research school and to participate actively in your research school. The main aim of your involvement is to build a professional network. 

 

A stay abroad

We recommend a stay abroad as part of your PhD study program. A stay abroad can contribute to the research project and/or PhD courses. For further details see section 5.2 of the PhD regulations.

 

Writing and defending your PhD Thesis
Your PhD thesis documents your ability to complete a research project using the scientific methods of your dicipline and it should be an original contribution to international research. Typically a thesis contains a synopsis and a number of peer-reviewed publications or manuscripts. 

 

For further details see section 8 of the PhD regulations. The thesis is defended in a public forum before a panel of experts within your own field. Members of the panel must be approved by the PhD Board.