REGULATIONS RELATING TO THE DEGREE OF PHILOSOPHIAE DOCTOR (PHD) AT THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SOUTHEAST NORWAY

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1 REGULATIONS RELATING TO THE DEGREE OF PHILOSOPHIAE DOCTOR (PHD) AT THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SOUTHEAST NORWAY Authorisation: Laid down by the Board at the University College of Southeast Norway on 18 December 2015 pursuant to the Act of 1 April 2005 No. 15 relating to Universities and University Colleges, Sections 3-3, 3-9 and Chapter 1. Introductory provisions Section 1-1. Applicability and other regulations Section 1-2. Scope, content and objectives for doctoral education Section 1-3. Responsibility for doctoral education Section 1-4. Quality assurance Chapter 2. Admission Section 2-1. Conditions for admission Section 2-2. Application Section 2-3. Infrastructure Section 2-4. Admission decision Section 2-5. PhD agreement Section 2-6. Term of the agreement Section 2-7. Termination before agreed time Chapter 3. Completion Section 3-1. Supervision Section 3-2. Appointment of supervisors Section 3-3. Content and scope of supervision Section 3-4. Purpose, content and scope of coursework Section 3-5. PhD candidate's rights during leave Section 3-6. Residency requirement Section 3-7. Reporting Section 3-8. Midterm evaluation Section 3-9. Requirements for the PhD thesis Section Unacceptable work Section Rights to use of results and notification obligation Chapter 4. Completion Section 4-1. Basis for assessment Section 4-2. Period from submission until defence Section 4-3. Application for assessment of the PhD thesis Section 4-4. Processing the application Section 4-5. Appointment of assessment committee Section 4-6. Obtaining supplementary information Section 4-7. Revision of submitted thesis 1

2 Section 4-8. Recommendation of the assessment committee Section 4-9. Withdrawal and correction of formal errors in the PhD thesis Section Consideration by the University College of the assessment committee's recommendation Section New submission Section Requirements for the printed PhD thesis Section Publication of the PhD thesis Section Trial lecture Section Defence (public defence of the thesis) Section Approval of trial lecture and defence Section Conferment of degree, diploma and certificate Chapter 5. Joint degrees and cotutelle agreements Section 5-1. Joint degrees and cotutelle agreements Chapter 6. Appeals, supplementary provisions, transitional provisions and entry into force Section 6-1. Appeals against denial of application for admission or decision regarding loss of right to admission; appeals against denial of application for approval of elements in the coursework Section 6-2. Appeals against examination in the coursework Section 6-3. Appeals against denial of application for assessment or non-approval of PhD thesis, trial lecture or defence Section 6-4. Supplementary provisions Section 6-5 Transitional provisions Section 6-6. Entry into force Chapter 1. Introductory provisions Section 1-1. Applicability and other regulations (1) These regulations apply to all doctoral degree programmes at the institution. The regulations concern objectives, responsibilities, admission to, completion and termination of doctoral education, including agreements relating to joint degrees and cotutelle (joint supervision). 2

3 (2) For other provisions governing circumstances related to the PhD degree, see the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, the National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education, Forskrift om grader og beskyttede titler ("Regulations concerning degrees and protected titles"), Forskrift om kvalitetssikring og kvalitetsutvikling i høyere utdanning og fagskoleutdanning ("Regulations concerning quality assurance and quality development in higher education and tertiary vocational education"), Forskrift om tilsyn med utdanningskvaliteten i høyere utdanning ((studietilsynsforskriften) ("Regulations concerning quality inspection in tertiary vocational education (Vocational School Inspection Regulations)"), the Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment for the posts of postdoktor (post-doctoral research fellow), stipendiat (research fellow), vitenskapelig assistent (research assistant) and spesialistkandidat (resident), and the Regulations relating to admission, studies and examination at the University College of Southeast Norway. Section 1-2. Scope, content and objectives for doctoral education (1) Doctoral education should qualify candidates for research activity of a high international standard and for other work in society requiring scientific insight and analytical thinking in accordance with sound scientific practice and standards relating to ethical research. (2) Doctoral education should provide the candidate with knowledge, skills and expertise formulated in keeping with the national qualifications framework. (3) Doctoral education is standardized at three years of full-time study and includes coursework comprising a minimum of 30 credits. (4) The most important component of doctoral education is an independent research project or a combined research and development project carried out under active supervision. Section 1-3. Responsibility for doctoral education (1) Doctoral education is rooted at the institution level, and the institution's board has the overall responsibility for doctoral education and determines organisation and operation. (2) The board decides whether accreditation and approval of a doctoral programme will be sought and determines which faculty will be the host faculty for the administration of the programme. (3) The research committee shall be the strategic, coordinating and advising body for the board and the institution's management as regards education of researchers. The board determines the mandate and composition of the research committee. (4) Each doctoral programme shall have a doctoral programme committee. The board determines the mandate and composition of the doctoral programme committees. The dean of the host faculty appoints the members of the programme committee. 3

4 Section 1-4. Quality assurance The doctoral programmes are covered by the institution's quality system. Chapter 2. Admission Section 2-1. Conditions for admission (1) For admission to a doctoral programme, the applicant must normally have a fiveyear master's degree, see the descriptions in the second cycle of the National Qualifications Framework. The institution may after special consideration approve other equivalent education as a basis for admission. (2) It is normally required that an applicant have an average grade of B or better. (3) An application for admission to a PhD programme should normally be submitted within three months after the start of the research project that is intended to lead to the PhD degree. If less than one year of full-time work on the research project remains at the time of application, the applicant may be rejected. Section 2-2. Application (1) An application for admission is sent to the institution on specified application form. (2) The application must contain: a. documentation of the education that is the basis for admission b. preliminary description of the research project, which includes: - an academic account of the research project - progress plan - preliminary publication plan - plan for the coursework - funding plan - documentation of special needs for academic and material resources - plans for stays at other institutions, including foreign ones - information about any intellectual property rights restrictions in order to protect others' rights c. a proposal for at least one co-supervisor in addition to principal supervisor, along with description of an active research environment d. an account of any legal or ethical issues raised by the project and how these shall be resolved. It shall be indicated in the application whether the project depends on permission from research ethics committees or other authorities or from individuals (informants, patients, parents and so forth). Such permissions should be obtained if possible and attached to the application 4

5 e. an account of whether the research project is rooted in the institution's strategic and academic priorities (3) The PhD candidate must prepare as quickly as possible (and normally within three months after admission) a final project description together with the supervisors and any co-researchers which shall contain: a. a description of the research project b. a progress plan for the completion of the research project c. a publication plan d. plans for stays at other institutions (4) The programme committee will approve the coursework. If there is a need during the period of study to make significant changes in the coursework, the revised coursework shall be sent to the programme committee for approval. (5) Changes in the supervisor group shall be approved by the programme committee. Section 2-3. Infrastructure (1) The PhD candidate shall have available the necessary infrastructure for completion of the research project. The determination of what is necessary infrastructure for completion will be done in the decision on admission. (2) For PhD candidates with an external workplace, an agreement will be made on necessary infrastructure between the institution and the external party in connection with the individual research project. Such agreement shall normally be present at the time the decision on admission for the PhD candidate is made, or immediately afterwards. Section 2-4. Admission decision (1) A decision on admission will be made by the dean at the host faculty after a recommendation from the programme committee based on an overall assessment of the application. (2) The decision shall include appointment of at least two supervisors, assignment of the responsibility for dealing with other needs outlined in the application, and determination of the term of the agreement with a start date and end date. The start date will be identical with the start date for funding. Any extension of the term of the agreement must be related to a right as an employee or specifically clarified with respect to the candidate's basis for funding. (3) Admission may be denied if one or more of these conditions are met: 5

6 a. Agreements with external third parties are an obstacle to publication and public defence of the thesis. b. The agreements made regarding intellectual property rights are an obstacle for what is considered normal completion. c. Funding has not been secured for the entire period. (4) Conditional admission may be granted if individual conditions for admission have not been met at the time of admission. The applicant shall be given a deadline in such cases not exceeding three months to meet the conditions that are lacking. (5) Admission may occur with provisos regarding funding, capacity for admissions, additional education and intellectual property agreements. (6) Overall criteria may be laid down for ranking of qualified applicants when the number exceeds the capacity for admissions. Section 2-5. PhD agreement (1) Admission to the institution's PhD programmes is formalised by entering into a written agreement between the PhD candidate, the supervisor(s) and the institution. The agreement governs the parties' rights and obligations in the programme of study and shall ensure that the candidate regularly participates in an active research environment, and it shall lay the groundwork for completion of the PhD programme at the agreed time. The institution's template shall be used and signed within three weeks after starting. (2) (2) For PhD candidates with funding or employment through an external party, a separate agreement shall be made between the candidate, the institution and the external party. (3) In cases where the PhD candidate will be affiliated with foreign institutions, guidelines for such collaboration must be followed, and separate agreements must be made on the form specified. This agreement shall normally be present along with the PhD agreement. (4) If there is a need during the term of the agreement to make significant changes in agreed circumstances, a new agreement shall be prepared. Section 2-6. Term of the agreement (1) The nominal length of the PhD programme is three years of full-time study. Maximum period of study is normally six years from the starting time to submission of the PhD thesis. Legally-prescribed leaves, long absences due to illness, required duties and approved extensions are not included in the six years. (2) In the event of an extension being granted, the programme committee may set additional conditions. 6

7 (3) After expiry of the admission period, the parties' rights and obligations under the PhD agreement will cease to apply. The PhD candidate may thus lose his or her right to supervision, course participation and access to the institution's infrastructure. The PhD candidate may nonetheless apply for permission to submit the thesis for assessment for the PhD degree. Section 2-7. Termination before agreed time (1) It may be agreed that the PhD programme will be terminated before the agreed time. In the event of such termination of the PhD programme, it shall be determined in writing how issues related to any employment relationship, funding, rights to the results, etc. will be dealt with. (2) In the event of voluntary termination due to the candidate's desire to switch to another project or transfer to another programme, the PhD candidate shall reapply for admission on the basis of the new project. (3) The institution may decide to force termination of the PhD programme before the agreed date. Such termination may be decided if one or more of the following circumstances exist: a. substantial delay in the completion of the coursework, due to circumstances which the candidate himself or herself controls b. repeated or substantial breaches on the part of the candidate of an obligation to inform, follow up or report, including failure to submit a progress report c. delay in the progress of the research project which is of such a nature that it creates reasonable doubt whether the candidate will be able to complete the project within the agreed time. In order to form a basis for forced termination, the delay must be due to circumstances which the candidate himself or herself controls. d. the funding that was the basis for admission ceases, for example, through the candidate being terminated from his or her position at a third party or external employer e. breach of the research ethical guidelines that apply for the discipline, including cheating within the bounds of the rules in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, Section 4-7 f. conduct from a candidate which breaches the trust that must exist between the institution and a candidate during the completion of the programme, including criminal offences (4) Decisions on forced termination pursuant to the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, Section 4-13, Subsection 1, will be made by the research committee. Chapter 3. Completion 7

8 Section 3-1. Supervision The work on the PhD thesis shall be done with individual supervision. The institution and the supervisors shall together ensure that the PhD candidate participates in an active research environment. Section 3-2. Appointment of supervisors (1) A PhD candidate shall have at least two supervisors, one of which will be appointed as principal supervisor. A principal supervisor shall normally be appointed at the time of admission and shall normally be employed at the institution. (2) The principal supervisor has the main academic responsibility for the candidate. (3) Co-supervisors are experts who provide guidance and who share the academic responsibility for the candidate with the principal supervisor. (4) The disqualification rules in Sections 6 to 10 of the Norwegian Public Administration Act apply to the supervisors. (5) All supervisors shall hold PhD degrees or equivalent qualifications in the discipline and shall be active researchers. At least one of the appointed supervisors should have previous experience or training in supervising PhD candidates. (6) The PhD candidate and the supervisor may ask the programme committee to appoint a new supervisor for the candidate. A supervisor may not resign until a new supervisor has been appointed. The naming of a new supervisor shall occur within a reasonable time. The programme committee is also responsible for immediately designating a new supervisor or supervisors in the event of long-term illness, leave or similar. Section 3-3. Content and scope of supervision (1) The candidate shall have regular contact with his or her supervisor(s) and shall be included in an active research environment. The scope of supervision and the roles and contributions of co-researchers in the research environment shall be stated in the report. (2) The supervisors shall provide advice and monitor the candidate in all phases of the research project and ensure good dialogue with co-researchers. A detailed description of the supervisors' obligations has been provided in supplementary provisions. (3) The supervisors are obligated to keep themselves informed regarding progress in the PhD candidate's work and to assess this in relation to the candidate's progress plan. (4) The supervisors are obligated to follow up on academic matters that may delay completion of the researcher education, so that this can be completed within the normal time. 8

9 Section 3-4. Purpose, content and scope of coursework (1) The PhD programme shall be arranged so that it can be completed within the normal time. (2) The programme committee is responsible for the coursework, along with the thesis work, providing education at a high academic level and according to international standards, through completion of research work, training in academic dissemination and an introduction to research ethics, philosophy of science and the scientific method. (1) The coursework shall correspond to at least 30 credits, of which at least 20 shall be earned after admission. Courses to be included in the coursework should not be older than two years at the time of admission. At least 20 credits shall be at the PhD level. Two and a half years shall be ensured for the research portion of the programme. If the institution does not offer all of the coursework, arrangements shall be made for the PhD candidate to receive equivalent instruction at another institution. (4) For subjects included in the coursework where a course offering is not available, an individually adapted course (elective course), with prepared literature lists, will be approved. (5) Subjects and courses at the PhD level at another institution shall be granted credit in accordance with the rules in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges, Section 3-5, Subsection 1. Section 3-5. PhD candidate's rights during leave PhD candidates who have parental leave from the PhD programme are entitled to pursue instruction and take examinations during the leave period. Section 3-6. Residency requirement (1) The PhD programme is organized researcher education, and the PhD candidate shall normally spend at least one year at the institution. (2) The residency requirement may be divided over two periods and may be reduced if it is documented that the PhD candidate is participating in an active research environment and that the academic requirements for supervision are being attended to. Section 3-7. Reporting (1) The PhD candidate and the supervisor are equally responsible for annual reporting on the PhD candidate's work and progress. (2) A failure to report or inadequate reporting from the PhD candidate may result in forced termination of the PhD programme before the end of the term of the agreement. (3) Supervisors who fail to comply with the reporting obligation may be relieved of their supervisory responsibility. 9

10 Section 3-8. Midterm evaluation (1) A midterm evaluation of the PhD work shall take place, normally in the third or fourth semester. The PhD candidate shall present his or her work and be evaluated by a group of at least two persons who have been appointed by the programme committee. The evaluation group shall assess the academic status and progress of the PhD work and shall provide feedback to the PhD candidate, the supervisor and the programme committee. (2) The midterm evaluation, like the annual reporting, is primarily intended to assist the PhD candidate in identifying circumstances involving a risk that the project will stop or be delayed, along with providing input which can improve the quality of the work. The programme committee, the supervisors and the PhD candidate are obligated to actively follow up on circumstances which may result in delay or failure to complete the PhD programme, so that to the extent possible, the programme can be completed within the standard time frame. (3) If the midterm evaluation reveals significant weaknesses in the research work, measures shall be taken to correct the situation. Section 3-9. Requirements for the PhD thesis (1) The thesis shall be an independent piece of research work or research and development work that meets international standards with respect to ethical requirements, academic level and method within the discipline. (2) The thesis shall contribute to developing new academic knowledge and shall be at such a level that it can be published or made public in a suitable format as a part of the discipline's international, scientific literature. (3) The PhD candidate is obligated to store research data in accordance with the institution's guidelines for this. (4) The thesis may consist of a compilation of several scientific works (articles) or a monograph. If the thesis consists of several works, an accounting shall be made for the relationship among them and a review provided of the literature in the discipline. (5) The main component of the thesis may consist of a new product or a systematised collection of materials or have another presentation form (for example, sound, image, video, electronic forms of presentation) in which its theoretical and methodological bases are not evident in the product itself. In such cases, the thesis shall have a supplement, in addition to presenting the product itself. The supplement shall be a written account of the problem, choice of theory and method and assessment of the result according to international standards and academic level within the discipline. (6) The theory or parts of it that have been produced in collaboration with other authors or collaborators shall comply with the norms for co-authorship generally accepted in the research community and in accordance with international standards. 10

11 If the thesis primarily consists of articles, the PhD candidate shall normally be the primary author on at least half of the articles. (7) For theses which include works with several authors or collaborators, the PhD candidate's contribution and the allocation of rights among authors shall be agreed in advance. (8) The PhD thesis shall normally be submitted in the language in which the research frontier exists. It will primarily be English or Norwegian. If it is necessary for academic reasons to use another language, an application for this shall be made at the time of admission. Section Unacceptable work (1) Works or parts of a work that have been accepted as the basis for previously completed examinations or degrees may not be submitted for assessment unless the work is included as a minor part of a thesis consisting of several related works. Data, analyses or methods from previous degrees may be used, however, as a basis for work on the PhD project. (2) When published works are used, these may not be approved as a part of the thesis if they were published more than five years before the time of admission. The programme committee may grant an exemption from this requirement if extraordinary circumstances advise it. Section Rights to use of results and notification obligation (1) The PhD candidate's rights to use of his or her own results, use of patentable compounds, copyrights, etc. are governed by the institution's guidelines and by the rules laid down in Lov om retten til oppfinnelser som er gjort av arbeidstakere ("Act relating to Inventions made by Employees"). (2) For those parts of the PhD candidate's thesis for which only the candidate holds the copyright, and other works that are the result of the work on the thesis for which only the candidate holds the copyright, the institution has a non-exclusive right to use for instructional and research purposes. The PhD candidate shall be named as indicated by the law and good practice. (3) Regulation of rights among collaborating institutions shall be determined by agreement among the parties. (4) The PhD candidate has an obligation to notify about work results which have the potential for commercial exploitation. (5) The institution's guidelines shall act as the starting point for the notification obligation PhD candidates employed at the institution have for work results in which these have a potential for commercial exploitation. 11

12 (6) For PhD candidates with an external employer, the notification obligation shall be determined in a separate agreement among the institution, the PhD candidate and the external employer. (7) For PhD candidates without an employer, the scope of the notification obligation shall be determined in the PhD agreement. Chapter 4. Completion Section 4-1. Basis for assessment The PhD degree will be conferred on the basis of the following mandatory and approved elements: a. scientific thesis b. completed coursework c. doctoral degree examination, consisting of trial lecture on specified subject and public defence of the thesis Section 4-2. Period from submission until defence (1) The institution shall see to it that the period from submission to defence is the shortest possible. Normally, no more than five months shall pass from submission to defence. (2) it is the primary supervisor's responsibility to inform the dean at the host faculty and the programme committee of the time of submission, so that the necessary preparations can start. Section 4-3. Application for assessment of the PhD thesis (1) An application for assessment of the thesis may first be submitted when the coursework has been approved. (2) The following shall accompany the application as attachments: a. the thesis in approved format and in accordance with the institution's regulations, in the form and the number of copies the institution has stipulated b. documentation of necessary permissions c. documentation of completed and approved coursework d. co-author declarations where this is required e. declaration regarding whether the PhD work is being submitted for assessment for the first or second time 12

13 f. declaration that the PhD work has not been submitted for assessment at another institution g. declaration with description of own contribution to the thesis h. declaration regarding completed check for plagiarism i. declaration regarding the thesis being put out on the institution's electronic research archive (3) The programme committee may upon advice from a supervisor reject an application to have the thesis assessed, if it is apparent that the thesis does not contain sufficiently high scientific quality and will be not be approved by a committee. (4) The thesis shall be publicly available no less than three weeks prior to defence. Section 4-4. Processing the application The programme committee processes the application to have the thesis assessed. An application which does not meet the requirements in Section 4-3 shall be rejected. Section 4-5. Appointment of assessment committee (1) When the programme committee has approved the application for assessment of the thesis, an expert committee will be appointed comprising at least three members which shall assess the thesis and the defence. The disqualification rules in Section 6 of the Public Administration Act apply to the committee's members. The committee's composition should normally have been determined at the time of submission. (2) The assessment committee shall normally be composed in such a way that: a. both genders are represented b. at least two of the members have no affiliation with the institution c. at least one of the members should come from a recognised, foreign institution d. at least one of the members is permanently employed at the institution e. all the members have a doctoral degree or equivalent competence. f. the majority of the assessment committee are external members (3) If the criteria are departed from, specific reasons for this shall be provided. (4) The reasons for the committee's composition shall be stated, and the composition shall demonstrate how it covers the thesis discipline as a whole. The programme committee will appoint a chair from among the committee's members or in addition to 13

14 the committee's members. The member of the committee who is permanently employed at the institution is the committee's administrator. (5) Appointed supervisors, co-researchers and others who have contributed to the thesis may not be a member of the assessment committee or administer it. (6) The PhD candidate shall be informed of the proposal for composition of the committee and shall have an opportunity to submit written comments on the composition within one week after the candidate has been informed of the proposal. Section 4-6. Obtaining supplementary information (1) The assessment committee may require submission of the PhD candidate s source material and supplementary additional information. (2) The assessment committee may ask the supervisor to give an account of the supervision and the work done on the PhD thesis. Section 4-7. Revision of submitted thesis (1) The assessment committee may recommend, based on the submitted PhD thesis and any additional material, that the programme committee grant permission for minor revision before a final recommendation is made. The committee shall provide a written summary of what the candidate may revise. (2) If the programme committee allows a minor revision of the thesis, a deadline shall be provided for such revision which normally should not exceed three months. A new deadline shall also be set for transmission of the committee's final recommendation. A decision on setting a deadline may not be appealed. (3) If the committee finds that comprehensive changes concerning theory, hypothesis, materials or methodology are necessary before the thesis can be recommended for defence, the PhD thesis shall not be approved. Section 4-8. Recommendation of the assessment committee (1) The assessment committee makes a recommendation on whether the PhD thesis should be approved for defence. Grounds shall be provided for the recommendation and any dissent. (2) The assessment committee's recommendation shall be available within three months after the committee has received the thesis. If the committee allows revision of the thesis, a new deadline will apply from the date the PhD thesis is resubmitted. (3) The assessment committee's recommendation will be transmitted to the programme committee, which will present it to the PhD candidate. The PhD candidate will be given a deadline of ten working days to present written comments on the recommendation. If the PhD candidate does not wish to submit comments, the programme committee shall be notified of this in writing as soon as possible. Section 4-9. Withdrawal and correction of formal errors in the PhD thesis (1) A submitted piece of work may not be withdrawn before it has been finally decided whether it can be approved for defence. 14

15 (2) The PhD candidate may apply after submission for permission to correct formal errors in the thesis. The application shall be accompanied by a complete list of the errors (errata) which the candidate wishes to correct. An application to correct formal errors must be submitted no later than four weeks before the committee's deadline for delivering its recommendation. Such an application may only be submitted once. Section The institution's consideration of the assessment committee's recommendation (1) The programme committee will decide, based on the assessment committee's recommendation, whether the PhD thesis shall be approved for defence. (2) If the programme committee finds that reasonable doubt exists as to whether the committee's unanimous recommendation should serve as the basis for a decision, the programme committee shall itself seek further clarification from the assessment committee and/or appoint two new experts who will render individual opinions on the thesis. Such additional opinions or individual opinions shall be presented to the PhD candidate, who will be given an opportunity to respond with comments. (3) If the committee renders a split recommendation and the programme committee decides to use the majority's opinions as the basis for its decision, the programme committee will make a decision in accordance with the majority's recommendation. If the committee renders a split recommendation and the programme committee is considering using the minority's opinions as a basis for its decision, the programme committee may seek further clarification from the assessment committee and/or appoint two new experts who will render individual opinions on the thesis. Such additional opinions or individual opinions shall be presented to the PhD candidate, who will be given an opportunity to respond with comments. If both the new experts concur in the majority's recommendation in the original committee recommendation, this recommendation shall be followed. The PhD candidate shall be informed about opinions from the new experts. Section New submission (1) A PhD thesis which has not been approved for defence may not be assessed in its revised form until six months after the institution has made its decision. Reassessment may only occur once. (2) When resubmitting, the PhD candidate shall state that the thesis has previously been assessed and not approved for defence. Section Requirements for the printed PhD thesis (1) When the thesis has been approved for defence, the candidate shall submit the thesis to the institution in approved format and in accordance with institution's regulations. (2) The PhD candidate shall submit a brief summary of the thesis in Norwegian or English. If the thesis is not written in either Norwegian or English, a summary shall also be submitted in the language of the thesis. 15

16 Section Publication of the PhD thesis (1) The PhD thesis shall be publicly available no less than three weeks prior to the date for defence. The PhD thesis will be made available in the form in which it was submitted for assessment, or where applicable, after revision on the basis of the committee's preliminary comments. (2) Restrictions may not be placed on publication of the PhD thesis, with the exception of a previously agreed postponement of the date for publication. Such postponement may take place to enable the institution and any external party that has fully or partly funded the PhD programme to decide on possible patenting. An external party may not require that the thesis, in whole or in part, not be published. (3) When publishing the thesis, the candidate shall comply with applicable guidelines for crediting institutions. The general rule is that an institution shall be stated as the address in a publication if it has provided a necessary and material contribution to, or a basis for, an author's participation in the published work. The same author shall also list other institutions as the address if these satisfy in each individual instance the requirement for participation. (4) The summary, like the thesis itself, shall be made publicly available. Section Trial lecture (1) The trial lecture is an independent component of the doctoral examination and shall deal with a given subject. The purpose is to test the PhD candidate's ability to acquire knowledge beyond the scope of the thesis topic and the ability to impart this in the context of a lecture. (2) The title of the trial lecture will be made known to the PhD candidate ten working days before the lecture. The subject for the lecture will be provided by the assessment committee and shall not be directly related to the topic for the thesis. (3) The trial lecture shall be held in the language of the thesis, unless the programme committee approves another language at the suggestion of the assessment committee. (4) The trial lecture shall last 45 minutes. (5) The assessment committee will approve the trial lecture. The reasons shall be stated if the trial lecture is not approved. (6) The trial lecture must be approved before a defence may be conducted. Section Defence (public defence of the thesis) (1) Public defence of the thesis shall take place after the trial lecture has been approved and within two months after the thesis has been found worthy of being defended. The time and place for the public defence shall be announced at least ten working days before it is held. The committee which has originally assessed the thesis will also assess the public defence. 16

17 (2) The public defence will occur in the language of the thesis, unless the programme committee approves another language at the suggestion of the assessment committee. (3) There shall normally be two opponents who will be designated by the programme committee. The two opponents shall be external members of the assessment committee. (4) The defence will be chaired by the dean at the host faculty or the person authorised by the dean. The person who chairs the defence will give an account of the submission and assessment of the thesis and the trial lecture. The PhD candidate shall then normally be given 30 to 45 minutes to present the PhD thesis. (5) The opponents will themselves decide the division of tasks among them. After both opponents have concluded their opposition, the other persons present will be given an opportunity to comment ex auditorio. One of the opponents concludes the opposition, and the defence chair concludes the defence. (6) The assessment committee decides the topic for the trial lecture and is itself responsible for the assessment. If the trial lecture and defence are assessed separately, the programme committee may in consultation with the assessment committee appoint a committee for assessing the trial lecture. At least one of the assessment committee members shall then be appointed to the lecture committee. (7) After the trial lecture and the defence, the assessment committee will send a recommendation to the programme committee in which it accounts for its assessment of the defence of the thesis. The recommendation shall contain: a. the committee's assessment of the PhD thesis b. the committee's assessment of the trial lecture c. the committee's assessment of the public defence of the PhD thesis d. the committee's assessment of the level of the PhD thesis in the international context (8) The recommendation shall conclude with whether the defence has been approved or not approved. The reasons for the recommendation shall be stated if the defence is recommended not to be approved. Section Approval of trial lecture and defence (1) The programme committee will make a decision regarding approval of the doctoral examination on the basis of the assessment committee's recommendation. (2) If the assessment committee does not approve the trial lecture, a new trial lecture must be held. A new trial lecture must be held on a new topic and not later than six months after the first attempt. 17

18 (3) A new trial lecture shall only be held once. The lecture will be assessed to the extent possible by the same committee as the original. (4) (If the assessment committee does not approve the defence, the PhD candidate may defend the thesis one more time. The new defence may be held after six months and will be assessed to the extent possible by the same committee as the original. Section Conferment of degree, diploma and certificate (1) On the basis of the programme committee's approval of the coursework, the PhD thesis, the trial lecture and the defence, the Rector will confer the degree of Philosophiae Doctor on the PhD candidate. (2) The diploma will be issued by the institution. The diploma shall contain information regarding the title of the degree, topic for the trial lecture, approved courses in the coursework, supervisors and the members of the assessment committee. (3) A diploma will be issued for achieving a PhD degree. (4) The institution shall issue a Diploma Supplement as an attachment to the diploma. Chapter 5. Joint degrees and cotutelle agreements Section 5-1. Joint degrees and cotutelle agreements (1) The institution may enter into partnership with one or more Norwegian or foreign institutions on collaboration in the form of an agreement regarding joint degrees or cotutelle agreements. If such an agreement means that one or more of the provisions in these regulations must be departed from, the agreement shall be submitted to the Rector for final approval. Joint degrees shall normally be entered into only if there is already an established, stable academic collaboration between the institution and at least one of the other consortium participants, and such degrees must be accredited by NOKUT. (2) Joint degrees means a collaboration among several institutions which are all jointly responsible for admissions, supervision, conferring degrees and other matters. The collaboration is normally organised in a consortium and governed by an agreement among the consortium participants. Diplomas are issued for completed joint degrees in the form of: a. a diploma document issued by all the consortium members b. a diploma from each of the consortium participants c. a combination of a) and b) 18

19 (3) Cotutelle agreements mean joint supervision of PhD candidates and collaboration on education of PhD candidates. A cotutelle agreement is entered into for each individual candidate and shall be built on a stable, academic institutional collaboration. (4) Requirements for public defence with a qualified assessment committee may not be departed from. Chapter 6. Appeals, supplementary provisions, transitional provisions and entry into force Section 6-1. Appeals against denial of application for admission or decision regarding loss of right to admission; appeals against denial of application for approval of elements in the coursework (1) A denial of an application for admission, a decision regarding loss of right to admission and a denial of approval of elements in the coursework may be appealed pursuant to the rules in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges. (2) An appeal of a decision shall be submitted in writing to the programme committee, including the grounds for the appeal. The programme committee's recommendation shall accompany the appeal as the statement of the case to the Appeals Board. Section 6-2. Appeals against examination in the coursework (1) Examinations taken during the coursework may be appealed against pursuant to Sections 5-2 and 5-3 of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges. (2) Handling of suspected cheating or attempted cheating will follow the provisions in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges. Section 6-3. Appeals against denial of application for assessment or nonapproval of PhD thesis, trial lecture or defence (1) A denial of an application to have the PhD thesis assessed and a decision not to approve a thesis, trial lecture or defence may be appealed according to the rules in the Public Administration Act. 2) Appeals of decisions shall be submitted in writing to the institution. The Appeals Board shall review all aspects of the matter. If the Appeals Board finds it necessary for illumination of the matter, individuals or a committee shall be appointed to make an assessment of the decision taken and the criteria on which this rests, or to make a new or supplementary expert assessment. Section 6-4. Supplementary provisions The Rector may issue supplementary provisions for these regulations. Section 6-5 Transitional provisions A person who has been granted admission under the former regulations of the University College of Buskerud and Vestfold, FOR , or the former 19

20 regulations of the University College of Telemark, FOR , retains the rights resulting from these where the former regulations are to the benefit of the PhD candidate. Section 6-6. Entry into force (1) The regulations enter into force on 1 January (2) The Regulations for the degree Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University College of Buskerud and Vestfold (FOR ) and the Regulations relating to the degree Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University College of Telemark (FOR ) are simultaneously repealed. 20