Regulations governing the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at Oslo University College Approved by the University College Board on 3 September 2005 pursuant to Section 3-3 of Act no. 15 of 1 April 2005 relating to universities and university colleges. Section 1 Applicability of these regulations These regulations apply to the PhD programme culminating in the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at Oslo University College and pertain to admission to, participation in and completion of the degree programme. Section 2 Objectives The PhD programme qualifies candidates for research activity at a high academic level and other types of work in the society where a high degree of academic expertise is required. Section 3 Responsibility for the PhD programme The PhD programme falls under the jurisdiction of the University College Board, which is responsible for establishing regulations for the programme s organisation. Section 4 Contents of the PhD programme The PhD programme consists of: - Completion of an independent piece of research in active collaboration with the academic supervisor(s) and other researchers; - An approved instruction component; - Participation in active research communities, both national and international; - Research dissemination that is closely linked to the thesis in progress. Section 5 Admission Applicant s formal qualifications In order to be admitted to a PhD programme, the applicant must usually have completed a five-year master s programme or the equivalent. Further requirements for admission are stated in the programme description for the specific PhD programme. Oslo University College may require applicants to undergo special training and/or to pass a special test before being granted admission. Application The application for admission to a PhD programme must include: - A description of the research project, including the topic, the issues to be considered, and the choice of theory and methodology; - A plan for the instruction component;
- A detailed plan for completion of the educational programme including the doctoral thesis; - A funding plan; - An explanation of the required infrastructure; - An explanation of the need for academic supervision and the name(s) of the proposed supervisor(s); - Any relevant plans for extended stays at other research institutions or organisations, including those outside of Norway; - A plan for the publication/dissemination of the research results; - Documentation of the educational qualifications on which admission is to be based; - Information concerning any restrictions on intellectual property rights established to protect the rights of other parties. Decisions concerning admission Decisions concerning admission are made on the basis of a comprehensive evaluation of the application. Decisions regarding admissions are taken by the PhD programme council at Oslo University College. Admission to the PhD programme may be made contingent upon funding, institutional admission capacity, fulfilment of additional educational requirements, and agreements relating to intellectual property rights. A decision to grant admission must include the appointment of a supervisor(s), the assignment of responsibility for meeting other needs mentioned in the application, and the determination of the date of commencement as well as the duration of the agreement. Any extension of the agreement period must be related to the rights of employees or be stipulated in a separate agreement. Admission may be denied if: - copyright agreements are an obstacle to the publication of the research results and an open defence of the thesis; - the agreements on intellectual property rights that have been entered into are so unreasonable that the university college should refrain from being involved in the project. Section 6 The PhD contract Admission to the programme is formalised in a written contract for the PhD programme. The parties to this contract are the doctoral candidate, the academic supervisor(s) and the centre or faculty responsible for the PhD programme, as well as any other research groups or institutions. In the event that a candidate has his/her place of work at an institution other than the admitting institution, a separate contract must be drawn up to cover working terms and conditions, including the amount of work time to be allocated to the thesis, supervision, funding of operating costs, and the need for equipment. The contract must guarantee that the candidate participates actively in a research community and must facilitate the candidate s completion of the programme within the stipulated period.
Section 7 The PhD programme The PhD programme must be designed so that candidates are able to complete their studies within the stipulated time frame. The contract period may be extended in the event that a candidate is granted leave from the programme on the basis of his/her legal rights as an employee or as a result of circumstances beyond his/her control. Oslo University College is obliged to provide all doctoral candidates with instruction at a high academic level. In the event that the university college does not provide all the instruction required, Oslo University College must facilitate the candidate s participation in comparable courses at other institutions that provide accredited doctoral instruction. In subjects where there is no course instruction, candidates may submit individual reading lists for approval as part of the instruction component. The instruction component is to comprise courses totalling a minimum of 30 credits, including the compulsory course(s) in the philosophy of science, scientific methodology, and ethics. The instruction component must be completed and approved before submission of the thesis. Applications to amend previously approved plans for the instruction component must be prepared in collaboration with the principal academic supervisor and be approved by the PhD programme council at Oslo University College. The PhD programme council at Oslo University College may grant exemption from part of the instruction component in the event that the candidate has completed equivalent instruction at another institution that provides accredited doctoral instruction. Section 8 Affiliation with a research community The principal academic supervisor, in cooperation with Oslo University College, is responsible for facilitating the doctoral candidate s regular participation in an active research community involving senior researchers and other doctoral candidates. For doctoral candidates affiliated primarily with another institution, an agreement is to be set between that institution and the degree-conferring institution in order to regulate working terms and conditions, including participation by the doctoral candidate in an active research community, see Section 6. Section 9 Equipment All equipment necessary for the completion of the doctoral research project will be made available to the candidate. Precisely what equipment is necessary for the project will be determined by the centre/faculty responsible for the PhD programme. For candidates whose research projects are funded by external sources and/or whose place of work is not the institution, a written agreement must be drawn up between Oslo University College and the external party. Such an agreement must be completed prior to the formal admission of the candidate to the PhD programme or immediately thereafter.
Section 10 The doctoral thesis Thesis requirements The thesis is to be an independent piece of academic research which meets international standards in the discipline within which it is written. The thesis must contribute to the development of new knowledge and achieve a level meriting publication in the literature in the field. Research carried out in collaboration with others may be approved as part of a doctoral thesis to the extent that the doctoral candidate s individual input can be identified and documented. Collections of several smaller research papers may also be submitted as a doctoral thesis to the extent that the doctoral candidate s individual efforts can be identified and documented, and provided that the individual parts constitute a unified whole. The thesis must also include a summary that provides an overall perspective. The PhD programme council will decide which languages can be used. Work that may not be submitted A research paper that has been approved in connection with a previous examination may not be submitted for evaluation as part of a doctoral thesis unless it is included as a minor part of a thesis consisting of several related works. Resubmission A doctoral thesis which has been rejected at Oslo University College may be resubmitted in revised form no sooner than six months after the initial rejection. A thesis may only be resubmitted for a new evaluation once. Public availability The thesis must be made available to the public two weeks prior to the public defence at the latest. There must be no restrictions on the public availability and publication of a doctoral thesis, unless a prior agreement has been reached to postpone the date on which the thesis will be made publicly available or will be published. Publication may be postponed when the doctoral work is partially or wholly funded by an external party so that the external party may determine its interest in possible patents or commercialisation of research results. An external party may not require that all or part of a doctoral thesis be withheld from publication or in any way hinder its being made publicly available. Section 11 Academic supervision The activities related to a doctoral thesis must be carried out under the individual supervision of an academic supervisor. The doctoral candidate must have regular contact with his/her supervisor(s) and participate in an active research community. The principal supervisor will normally be employed at Oslo University College. In addition, the candidate may have one or more co-supervisors. Supervisors must have a doctoral degree or its equivalent.
Both the doctoral candidate and supervisor must submit the required reports and documents in accordance with the regulations of Oslo University College, see Section 12. Section 12 Quality assurance and reporting The PhD programme is regulated by the Quality Assurance System for educational activities at Oslo University College. This system includes measures to reveal insufficient progress in doctoral work and inadequacies in academic supervision, and establishes routines for handling any such deficiencies that might arise. It also includes annual, individual reporting by the doctoral candidate and the academic supervisor. Section 13 Termination of the project prior to the stipulated completion date Voluntary termination The doctoral candidate and Oslo University College may agree to terminate a candidate s participation in a PhD programme prior to the stipulated completion date. In the event of voluntary termination, all questions regarding the employment relationship, funding, rights to the use of research results, etc. must be settled in a termination agreement. If voluntary termination is due to a doctoral candidate s desire to change projects or transfer to a different PhD programme, the candidate is required to reapply for admission to the programme on the basis of the new project. A decision to transfer to a dr. philos. degree (the independent doctorate) will be considered to be voluntary termination. Non-voluntary termination The PhD programme council may decide that a candidate s enrolment in a PhD programme is to be terminated prior to the stipulated completion date. Such non-voluntary termination may result if one or more of the following apply: - Repeated and grave violations of the candidate s obligation to provide information, meet commitments, and report on the progress of the project; - Major delays in the progress of the research project that are of such a nature as to raise doubts about the candidate s ability to finish in the stipulated time period. Such delays are considered grounds for non-voluntary termination if they are due to factors that the candidate himself/herself has control over; - Serious delays in the completion of the programme s instruction component due to factors the candidate himself/herself has control over; - Violation of the ethical standards that pertain to the candidate s field of research; - Behaviour by the candidate that is in violation of the trust that must exist between Oslo University College and its candidates, including any illegal activities related to the completion of the PhD programme. Decisions regarding non-voluntary termination will be taken by the PhD programme council following a recommendation from the faculty or centre. If the doctoral candidate is employed by the institution, the agreement can only be terminated if the conditions set by the Norwegian Act relating to civil servants (Civil Servants Act) are met.
Section 14 Submission of the doctoral thesis An application for evaluation of a doctoral thesis must be directed to the faculty or centre specified by the relevant PhD programme. The application must also include four copies of the thesis or the number of copies determined by the PhD programme council. Documentation that the instruction component of the PhD programme has been completed and approved must be attached to the application. If the thesis is found worthy of public defence, the required additional number of copies of the thesis must be submitted. The thesis is to be accompanied by an abstract which may be used as a press release. The thesis must be submitted in a standard format and in the form (paper, electronic) stipulated in the programme description for the relevant PhD programme. Research papers or parts of papers that have been previously approved for a doctoral degree in Norway or at an institution abroad may not be submitted even if the work has been revised. Section 15 Halting of the administrative process If, after the thesis has been submitted to Oslo University College, it is also submitted for evaluation to another institution of higher education, or if other circumstances arise which would prevent the resubmission of the thesis, the administrative process will be halted. Section 16 Evaluation The doctoral degree is conferred on the basis of: - Completion and approval of the instruction component, or other approved educational qualifications or expertise; - An approved trial lecture on a specified topic; - An approved doctoral thesis and a satisfactory public defence. Section 17 Appointment of the evaluation committee The PhD programme council at Oslo University College will appoint an evaluation committee consisting of at least three members. The composition of the committee must be comprised such that: - both genders are represented, when possible; - at least one of the members has no affiliation with Oslo University College; - at least one of the members is from an institution outside of Norway, when possible; - all members hold doctoral degrees or the equivalent. The doctoral candidate s own faculty or centre must propose potential committee members. Grounds for the proposal must be provided and the proposal must also indicate how the committee as a whole covers the field(s) dealt with in the thesis. The PhD programme council at Oslo University College will appoint either one of the committee members or another person to serve as committee chairperson.
The academic supervisor or others who have contributed to the thesis or co-authors must not be a member of the evaluation committee or function as its chairperson. The doctoral candidate will be informed of the composition of the committee. Section 18 The activities of the evaluation committee Withdrawal and reworking A thesis which has been submitted may not be withdrawn before the evaluation committee has determined whether or not it is worthy of public defence. The doctoral candidate may nonetheless correct formalities in the submitted thesis. In the event that the candidate does so, corrections must be submitted no later than one month prior to the defence. The above notwithstanding, the PhD programme council at Oslo University College may allow reworking of the thesis on the basis of the evaluation committee s preliminary comments. If such reworking is allowed, a deadline for completion will be set, and the period allowed will normally not exceed six months. If the thesis is not approved, resubmission is not allowed until six months subsequent to the committee s decision. Obligation to provide information An academic supervisor may be summoned to meetings of the evaluation committee in order to provide information concerning the supervision carried out and the thesis work. The evaluation committee may request that the doctoral candidate submit material and/or data or provide any relevant additional information. The report of the evaluation committee The evaluation committee makes a recommendation as to whether or not the thesis is worthy of a public defence. The decision of the committee is to be presented in an evaluation report. The recommendation and any dissenting views must be explained in the committee s report. The report of the evaluation committee will be presented to the doctoral candidate, who is given a period of 14 days in which to submit written comments on the report. If the doctoral candidate does not wish to do so, the committee must be promptly informed of this. Deadlines The report of the evaluation committee must be presented no later than three months after the committee received the thesis, unless Oslo University College has decided otherwise. If the committee allows reworking of the thesis, a new period commences upon resubmission of the thesis.
Section 19 The report of the evaluation committee and institutional procedures Procedures in the event of a unanimous committee report If an evaluation committee submits a unanimous report, this report will be adopted provided that a majority of the members of the University College Board or another entity authorised by the University College Board votes in favour of this. If a majority of this body finds that there are grounds to doubt that the thesis should be approved, in spite of the unanimous report of the evaluation committee, the PhD programme council at Oslo University College will either request further clarification from the evaluation committee or appoint two new reviewers who will submit individual evaluations of the thesis. The doctoral candidate s comments, if any, must be appended. The University College Board then takes a final decision on the basis of the original report and the subsequent reviews. Procedures in the event of a non-unanimous committee report If the evaluation committee submits a non-unanimous report, the University College Board or another entity authorised by the University College Board may take a decision on the matter without further evaluation; or it may request further clarification from the evaluation committee; or it may appoint two new reviewers who will submit individual evaluations of the thesis. The University College Board then takes the final decision on the basis of the original report and the subsequent reviews. Section 20 Publicising of the thesis If the thesis is found worthy of defence, the following must be provided by the candidate: 25 copies of the thesis or the number of copies determined by the PhD programme council; An abstract of the thesis (in electronic form), in both Norwegian and in English or another world language. The thesis must be made publicly available no later than two weeks before the date set for the public defence. Section 21 The trial lecture Doctoral candidates must hold a trial lecture on a specified topic. The topic for the lecture is determined by the evaluation committee and is announced to the candidate 10 working days prior to the lecture. The trial lecture will be held after the thesis is submitted but before the public defence, and must be approved by the evaluation committee. Section 22 Defence of the thesis When the trial lecture has been held and approved by the evaluation committee, the doctoral candidate may defend the thesis in public. The venue and time for the defence will be posted well in advance, as will information concerning publication and availability of the thesis.
The defence must be held in the language in which the thesis is written or in Norwegian, unless Oslo University College approves another language. There will normally be two opponents, selected from among the members of the evaluation committee. The defence will be led by the academic head of the PhD programme or his/her representative. The chairperson of the defence will give a brief presentation of the procedures completed thus far, including submission of the thesis, the committee s report and the trial lecture. After this introduction, the doctoral candidate will give a brief overview of the objectives and results of the research project. The first opponent commences the discussion, and the second concludes the defence. Oslo University College may, however, stipulate a different order and/or division of tasks between the doctoral candidate and the first opponent. Members of the audience who wish to pose questions from the floor must notify the chairperson of the defence of their desire to do so at the designated time in the proceedings. After the public defence, the evaluation committee sends a statement of its evaluation of the defence to Oslo University College. This statement must conclude whether the defence has been approved/not approved. In the event that a defence is not found satisfactory, a new defence may be held. If possible, the new defence will be evaluated by the original evaluation committee. The defence must be found to be satisfactory before a diploma may be conferred. Section 23 Conferral of the degree, diploma and transcript When the institution has approved the instruction component, thesis, trial lecture and defence, the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) is conferred on the doctoral candidate by the University College Board. A diploma and transcript are issued by Oslo University College. The title of the doctoral thesis will appear on these documents. The diploma and transcript will also contain information about the instruction component in which the candidate has participated. Section 24 The right to use the results Those parts of the doctoral thesis to which the candidate holds the sole copyright, and any other academic-related material resulting from the candidate s work on the thesis and to which the candidate holds the sole copyright, may be reproduced by the university college for use, free of charge, in its teaching and research activities. Doctoral candidates who are not employed by Oslo University College must sign a separate agreement that ensures the university college has this same right to use the results. In the event of such use, the candidate s name will be disclosed in accordance with legal requirements and accepted practice.
Section 25 Appeals Appeal of admission decisions and procedures Decisions regarding admission to the PhD programme (see Section 5) may be appealed in accordance with the provisions of Section 28 and following of the Norwegian Act relating to procedure in cases concerning the public administration (Public Administration Act). Appeals must explain the grounds for the appeal and be submitted to the faculty/centre responsible for the PhD programme. If the original decision is upheld, the appeal will be sent to the appeal committee of Oslo University College for a decision. Appeal of decision regarding approval of the instruction component For appeals of decisions regarding the approval of courses or instruction as part of the instruction component of the PhD programme, Section 28 of the Norwegian Public Administration Act will apply. For appeals of decisions regarding examination or test grades, the Norwegian Act relating to universities and university colleges will apply. Appeal of decision regarding an application for evaluation or non-approval of a thesis, trial lecture or defence Decisions involving non-approval of a thesis, trial lecture or defence may be appealed in accordance with Section 28 and following of the Norwegian Public Administration Act. Appeals must explain the grounds for the appeal and be submitted to the faculty/centre responsible for the PhD programme. Oslo University College may reconsider all aspects of the decision being appealed. Appeal of decision regarding non-voluntary termination For appeals of decisions regarding non-voluntary termination of the PhD programme (see Section 13), the first paragraph of Section 22 of the Norwegian Public Administration Act will apply. Section 26 Supplementary provision The University College Board may stipulate supplementary provisions to these regulations. Section 27 Entry into force These regulations enter into force immediately.