Ministerial Order on the PhD programme from 2013.
Regulations for PhD programmes at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Southern Denmark
In accordance with the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Higher Education's Ministerial Order no. 1039 of August 27, 2013, on the PhD programmes at universities and certain institutions for further education in the arts (PhD ministerial order), as well as amendment Ministerial Order no. 1403 of June 24, 2021, the following supplementary provisions are established regarding the PhD programme and the acquisition of the PhD degree at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Southern Denmark (SDU).
The PhD ministerial order is an order relating to higher education, whose provisions are valid in all cases, regardless of the funding form of the PhD programme.
§1. The PhD programme must take place at the Faculty's Doctoral School.
§2. The programme corresponds in extent to a 3-year full-time programme (180 ECTS).
§3. The PhD study is concluded with the submission and assessment of a thesis and with a public defence, cf. §§ 14-29.
§4. When the PhD plan has been satisfactorily completed and the thesis, as well as the defence, has been assessed, the Academic Council decides on the award of the PhD degree, cf. § 30.
§5. A PhD thesis may be submitted without prior study, cf. § 31.
§6. The decision on enrolment in the Doctoral School is made by the Head of the Doctoral School upon the reasoned request of the head of the Department. In case of doubts or matters of principled nature, the PhD Board is consulted.
Access to the PhD programme is based on a Master’s degree or equivalent. It is assumed that the applicant has independently prepared a project description.
There are no enrolments for scholars who already hold a PhD degree in the field of Humanities or have completed a three-year PhD study elsewhere without obtaining a degree.
2) The request from the Head of the Department must be justified with reference to either an expert committee's assessment of an application for a grant or an expert report (e.g., in connection with fully or partially externally funded scholarships with named recipients). The assessment/report should provide the following: Applicant's name and degree, project title, brief description of the project, the level and quality of the project, and the applicant's academic potential for completing it. In addition, the head of the Department’s request should also include suggestions for the principal supervisor and research unit affiliation, as well as details of any particular needs or conditions relating to the project. Regarding externally funded scholarships, refer to the "Rules for Externally Funded PhD Programmes" and "Best Practices." See also § 7, clause 6, on supervisors.
3) The PhD Board, in connection with enrolment and based on advice from the Department, may grant merit for parts of the PhD education elements (course participation, change of environment, teaching, or other forms of communication) if the applicant has documented activities in these areas. The course element is converted into ECTS. The PhD programme is normally organized as a full-time program but can, in special cases, be organized as a part-time program if justified by relevant considerations. A part-time PhD programme may as a rule last no longer than 6 years. The terms for part-time enrolment are determined in an agreement between the PhD candidate, any external collaborator, and the Department/Doctoral School.
4) Enrolment for distance learning is not allowed.
§7. The principal supervisor is responsible for the PhD programme as a whole and must be employed by the faculty and attached to the Doctoral School. The principal supervisor has several obligations, as stipulated in the following provisions.
2) The principal supervisor and additional co-supervisors are appointed by the Head of the Doctoral School after consultation with the Head of the Department. If agreed with the Department, the Head of the Doctoral School can, either on his/her own account or on application from the PhD student, appoint additional supervisors who must be qualified within the relevant field and can replace the principal supervisor or other supervisors.
3) The principal supervisor must be a recognized active researcher at no less than associate professor or senior researcher level within the relevant field. This requirement does not apply to co-supervisors, cf. however, clause 6.
4) It is a particular requirement for PhD students under the Industrial PhD programme that, in addition to the principal supervisor, the institution appoints a supervisor attached to the company where the PhD student is employed. This supervisor must be qualified within the relevant field.
5) Especially for PhD students employed at a vocational higher education institution (a university college, a business academy, or a maritime education institution), the institution must, in addition to the principal supervisor, appoint a supervisor who is affiliated with the vocational higher education institution. This person must be qualified within the relevant subject area at a senior associate professor level. Whether the supervisor in the subject area in question is at the associate professor level depends on a specific academic assessment made by the institution (university).
6) In cases where a PhD project is a sub-project in an externally funded overall project, and where the grant-holding project leader is appointed as the main supervisor for academic reasons, a co-supervisor at senior researcher level from the department must be appointed.
7) Supervisors employed at the faculty are obligated to participate in the Doctoral School's courses for PhD supervisors. Participation must be renewed every 5 years.
§8. The PhD student must follow a carefully defined PhD plan, whose main element consists of the completion a PhD thesis. The plan is prepared by the PhD student in consultation with the supervisor.
2) The PhD plan describes the independent research work that the student must undertake during the course of the programme’s three years and is assessed on and describes other activities that form part of the course. The PhD student cannot usually be assigned tasks that are not part of the PhD plan.
The PhD plan must include:
- A plan for the PhD project in the form of a description, usually building upon the project description submitted with the application.
- Thesis: monograph or anthology
- Language of the thesis
- Project timeline and distribution of work for the upcoming semesters
- Agreement on the form of supervision, detailing expectations between the PhD student and the supervisor in the first year of the programme
- Considerations regarding the change of environment
- Plans for teaching or other forms of knowledge dissemination
- Any agreements on copyright, e.g., if the PhD program is conducted in collaboration with multiple parties.
- Budget, indicating if the project involves expenses beyond the normal grant (including programs, transcription costs, student assistance, surveys, fieldwork, books, especially expensive courses such as language courses).
- Budget, specifying the concrete financial commitments the institution undertakes for the PhD student’s PhD programme.
- Affiliation with the research unit, including a plan for PhD courses, etc.
- If the anthology form is chosen, a description of intended and agreed co-authorships.
- For additional information on the structure of the PhD plan and the form of supervision, refer to the "Guidance for the PhD Plan."
3) The PhD plan must be finally approved not later than 3 months after the start of the PhD programme.
4 )If dispensation has been granted from parts of the PhD education elements, cf. § 6 clause 3, this should be stated in the PhD plan.
5) The PhD plan can subsequently be adjusted in one or more addenda if the project's development and partial results require it. The Head of the Doctoral School discusses the possibilities and needs for addenda with the PhD student during the evaluation meetings.
§9. The principal supervisor must recommend, and the Head of the Department must endorse, the student’s PhD plan and subsequent addenda for approval by the Head of the Doctoral School. In case of doubts or matters of principled nature, the PhD Board must be consulted.
Teaching and Dissemination
§ 10. The PhD student must, by the conclusion of the study, have gained experience in teaching or other forms of knowledge dissemination. Since this is an educational program, these activities should support the educational goals.
2) The principal supervisor must ensure that teaching and dissemination activities are broadly or narrowly related to the PhD student's project.
3) PhD students without a scholarship are not entitled to but may be employed by the university for the tasks mentioned in § 10.
4) The allocation of resources for teaching and dissemination is the responsibility of the Head of the Department; therefore, the detailed implementation should be agreed upon with him/her. The Doctoral School recommends that significant dissemination tasks not be assigned in the 5th and 6th semesters unless there is a compelling project-related justification.
Courses
§ 11. The PhD programme must include courses or other similar educational elements corresponding in total to 30 ECTS.
2) During the project period, the student must organize two subject-specific courses/mini-seminars/workshops within the framework of the research unit and preferably collaborate with related research units.
3) The principal supervisor must ensure that the study program follows the PhD plan and, in connection with evaluations, recommend the student's course activities for approval by the Doctoral School. This includes specifying the weight each activity should have in the overall course accounting of 30 ECTS.
Change of Environment
§ 12. The change of environment aims to provide the student with the opportunity to engage in one or more active environments outside their own institution, thereby expanding their network, participating in a broader range of professional activities, engaging in an extended dialogue about their project, and finding new inspiration.
2) In the planning of the change of environment, project relevance should be prioritized, and to the extent compatible with international stays, this should also be given high priority.
3) The change of environment should have a total duration of at least 3 months (13 weeks) and, as far as possible, should be scheduled and targeted in the PhD plan.
4) The final plan for the change of environment is developed in collaboration with the supervisor and must be submitted no later than in connection with the 1st-year evaluation.
5) Dispensation from the requirement for a change of environment can only be granted under exceptional circumstances.
§ 13. A total of 3 evaluations are conducted. The first after approximately 12 and approximately 24 months, where the Head of the Doctoral School assesses whether the PhD student is following the PhD plan satisfactorily.
An evaluation can also be conducted outside these terms if a supervisor loses confidence that the work is progressing satisfactorily. In such a case, the supervisor must inform the Doctoral School, and after necessary clarification, the Head of the Doctoral School may decide to initiate an evaluation, cf. clauses 2 and 3.
2) The assessment is made based on an evaluation form and a conversation conducted by the Head of the Doctoral School with the PhD student, possibly with the participation of the main supervisor.
Procedure:
The 1st and 2nd-year evaluations must include an alignment of expectations between the supervisor and the student regarding supervision and a description of its form. The evaluations must also include a detailed statement from the principal supervisor about the project's status in relation to the PhD plan and must address the quality of the written work. The evaluation also includes an overview of all completed study activities.
The evaluations must be approved by the principal supervisor and the Head of the Department. Subsequently, the student is summoned for a discussion with the Head of the Doctoral School, which must take place before the evaluation can be finally approved.
If the project progresses according to the PhD plan, and the milestones are met regarding course participation and dissemination—or if an explanation is provided for why this is not the case—the Head of the Doctoral School will approve the evaluation at the end of the discussion.
3) If the Head of the Doctoral School assesses that the doctoral education is not progressing satisfactorily, the PhD student is given the opportunity to rectify the situation within 3 months. This offer can only be given once during the entire PhD programme and must not lead to an extension of the overall duration. The student's response deadline to this offer is 8 working days. If the student chooses not to accept this offer, the student ceases to be enrolled by the end of the month.
Immediately after the expiration of the 3 months, the principal supervisor submits a detailed statement on the project's status in relation to the revised PhD plan and sends it to the Head of the Doctoral School.
The Head of the Doctoral School sends the statement to the PhD student, who has two weeks to provide any comments.
The Head of the Doctoral School convenes the principal supervisor and the PhD student for a discussion. Based on the principal supervisor's statement, the student's potential comments, and the course of the discussion, the Head of the Doctoral School assesses whether enrolment should continue or be terminated.
The decision is communicated to the PhD student immediately thereafter.
Any other potential place of employment is informed of the student’s deregistration.
4) After the 5th semester, the final evaluation is conducted, consisting of: The PhD student and the supervisor submit a joint statement on the status of the PhD study in relation to the PhD plan, addressing the timeline for submitting the thesis. The evaluation also includes an overview of all completed study activities. If the student has yet to complete study activities, the statement must include a plan for their completion.
The evaluation must be approved by the principal supervisor and the Head of the Department before being finally approved by the Head of the Doctoral School.
If it is not demonstrated that the submission of the PhD thesis will occur immediately following the conclusion of the PhD programme (6th semester), a revised timeline must be submitted as an addendum to the PhD plan, cf. § 8, clause 5. In such circumstances, the Head of the Doctoral School may summon the student and the principal supervisor to a group interview. The purpose of this addendum is to detail and schedule realistic milestones for the completion and submission of the thesis.
§ 14. A PhD thesis is a major academic production, that should demonstrate the student's ability to conduct independent research through the use of the subject’s academic methods and to contribute to advancing research into the issue in question. It should be presented in a form and at a level that corresponds to the international standard for PhD degrees in the relevant field. The thesis in terms of scope and level should correspond to approximately 2 years of work effort (120 ECTS).
2) A PhD thesis can take the form of either a monograph or an anthology. The chosen form for the project should be indicated in the PhD plan.
3) For the monograph, the thesis should have a length of 250 pages +/- 20% at 2400 characters per page (including spaces) and should be submitted as a PDF file in PURE. Notes and summary are included in the thesis's length, while the bibliography is not.
4) For the anthology, it should consist of 3-6 articles and a summery account. When choosing the anthology format, planned, and agreed co-authorships should be accounted for in the PhD plan. Additionally, the student must be the sole author of at least 1 article and the principal author of at least 1 article. If these requirements are not met due to specific traditions in the research environment, it must be separately justified in the PhD plan. The articles should be related in content and/or method and should be written with a view to publication in academic journals or the like. They do not need to have been submitted to a journal or accepted for publication.
For each article where the student is not the sole author, a co-author statement is submitted, clearly indicating the student's central research contribution.
The summary account describes the project’s overall research topic in the context of the articles, the theoretical basis and methods it has used (including reasons for the choice and method validation in relation to other competing approaches) and the results achieved. It should also provide a critical assessment of these results in relation to existing knowledge and their future implications.
The summary account has a recommended length of 30-80 pages. The anthology, comprising articles and the summary account, has a length of 125-250 pages at 2400 characters per page (including spaces). Notes and summaries are included in the thesis's length, while the bibliography is not.
§ 15. The thesis is accompanied by an abstract (recommended length: 3-6 pages) outlining the scientific results achieved. The abstract is prepared in Danish and English. The abstract is included in the thesis's length.
§ 16. The thesis is written in Danish or English, or if special circumstances recommend it, in another foreign language. The choice of language must be specified in the PhD plan. Regardless of the language chosen, the student commits to composing the thesis at a linguistically correct academic level.
§ 17. A PhD thesis cannot be submitted for evaluation by multiple individuals collectively. The underlying research project can indeed be conducted in collaboration with others. If scientific assistance, such as statistical support, has been used in the work, this must be stated in the thesis.
§ 18. Two months before the planned submission of the thesis, the PhD student submits a completed form indicating the expected submission date and the thesis's title to the PhD secretariat. This provides the basis on which the department requests suggestions for the assessment committee. Simultaneously, the principal supervisor is asked to provide an assessment of the course of study.
§ 19. The enrolment of the PhD student at the Graduate School is concluded with the submission of the thesis.
§ 20. The thesis is submitted digitally.
2) The thesis is the property of the author and, apart from the requirements of the Ministerial Order that it must be made available a reasonable time before the defense, cannot be subject to loan, sale, or other distribution without the written consent of the author.
Submission
§ 21. The principal supervisor provides a comprehensive statement on the overall PhD process, including the implementation of the individual parts of the PhD plan, no later than one week after the submission of the thesis, as outlined in §§ 10-12.
2) If the principal supervisor, in the statement, recommends that the PhD programme has not been satisfactorily completed, the PhD student has the opportunity to submit comments on the principal supervisor's statement within a minimum of 2 weeks.
3) In cases where the principal supervisor recommends that the PhD programme has not been satisfactorily completed, the Dean assesses, based on the principal supervisor's statement, the PhD student's possible comments, and the annual evaluations, whether the overall PhD programme has been satisfactorily completed. If this is the case, the assessment procedure is initiated.
The assessment committee
§22. No later than at the submission of the thesis, the Dean appoints an assessment committee made up of experts, based on the recommendation of the PhD Board and the proposal of the Head of the Department.
2) The assessment committee should consist of 3 members. Two of these should be external, with at least one from abroad, unless this is inappropriate on academic grounds. The PhD student's principal supervisor is appointed to the committee without voting rights but is obliged to participate in all phases of the committee's work. Only recognized researchers within the relevant field can be nominated as members of the assessment committee. For PhD students under the Industrial PhD programme, at least one member of the assessment committee should have research experience relevant to the business within the subject area in question. For PhD students employed at a vocational higher education institution, one member of the assessment committee must have professionally relevant research experience at a associate professor level within the relevant field. Whether the committee member is at the associate professor level in the relevant field depends on a specific academic assessment made by the institution (university).
3) Co-authors on articles submitted for evaluation cannot be a part of the assessment committee.
4) The constitution of the assessment committee is communicated to the author, who has eight working days to make objection about its members.
5) In the case of an objection from the author, the Dean reviews the case after obtaining statements from the PhD Board and the Head of the Department.
The preliminary assessment
§23. The assessment committee must, no later than 2 months after the submission of the thesis, provide a reasoned recommendation on whether the thesis constitutes a sufficient basis for the award of the PhD degree. The calculation of the 2 months excludes the month of July. The recommendation should not exceed 5 pages of 2400 characters each (including spaces). In connection with the recommendation, the assessment committee must prepare a half-page summary in English if the main recommendation is in Danish. The recommendation should include an assessment of the thesis and a conclusion on whether the requirements of the regulation are met. The principal supervisor's statement is considered in the assessment. In case of disagreement, the recommendation is based on the majority vote.
2) If it does not cause a delay in the defence, the chairperson of the assessment committee may allow limited changes or additions to the thesis before or in connection with the defense. Changes or additions must be submitted as a separate annex.
3) If the thesis is deemed unsuitable for defence, the recommendation must also include an assessment of whether the thesis can be resubmitted in revised form within a deadline of at least 3 months.
4) The recommendation is sent to the author and the principal supervisor for comments.
5) The author and the principal supervisor must have the opportunity to provide comments on the recommendation within a deadline of at least 2 weeks.
6) The recommendation of the assessment committee, any comments from the author and the principal supervisor will then form the basis for the Dean's decision:
- Whether the defence can take place,
- Whether the thesis can be resubmitted in a revised form within a deadline of at least 3 months; if the thesis is resubmitted in a revised form, it will be assessed by the previously appointed assessment committee unless special circumstances apply,
- Whether the thesis will be assessed by a new assessment committee.
7) If the defence cannot take place, the author will receive a notification as soon as possible that the thesis, in its present form, cannot serve as the basis for a defence. The thesis will be returned.
The defense
§ 24. The PhD programme concludes with a public defence, consisting of the following parts:
- A project presentation lasting a maximum of 30 minutes.
- Opposition by external members of the assessment committee, each lasting a maximum of 30 minutes, including the PhD candidate's response.
- The chair of the defence opens the discussion to the floor. A maximum of 30 minutes for contributions from the audience, including the PhD candidate's responses.
- The chair of the assessment committee concludes the defence. A maximum of 30 minutes.
- The entire process must not exceed 3 hours, including breaks.
§ 25. The assessment committee proposes the time and place for the public defence for approval by the Dean. The defence can take place no earlier than 2 weeks after the assessment committee has submitted its recommendation. The defence must take place within 3 months of the submission of the thesis. If exceptional circumstances apply, the Dean may decide to postpone the defence. Such a postponement is conditional upon an agreement having been reached between the author and the university, which would include the time when the defence would have been held.
§ 26. In the case of exceptional circumstances, the Dean may decide, in consultation with the author, that a planned defence can be conducted with the participation of only two members of the assessment committee.
§ 27. The assessment committee may, no later than 1 week before the defence, submit in writing any aspects of the thesis that the committee wishes to discuss with the author.
§ 28. The thesis must be accessible to interested parties at least 14 days before the defence.
Final Recommendation
§ 29. After the defence has been held, the assessment committee submits a written recommendation to the Dean regarding the award of the PhD degree. Grounds must be given for the recommendation and, if the committee are not unanimous, their recommendation should be based on a majority vote.
2)If the recommendation of the assessment committee is negative, the author is immediately informed. The Dean may decide to have the thesis assessed by a new assessment committee if the author requests it within a deadline of at least one week.
3)After a satisfactory defence, the recommendation may take the form of an addition to the preliminary assessment, stating that the author has demonstrated, during the public defence, that the requirements of § 3 of the Ministerial Order have been met, and the assessment committee recommends the award of the PhD degree.
4)If weaknesses and strengths of the thesis emerge during the defense that the committee believes have not been adequately considered in the preliminary assessment, the committee must incorporate these new elements into the recommendation.
5)The author shall have the opportunity to comment on the final recommendation within a deadline of at least 8 working days, after which the committee submits the recommendation to the Academic Council. The assessment committee's final recommendation is sent to the author for information.
§ 30. Members of an assessment committee may be called to the meeting of the Academic Council where the recommendation is discussed. A decision on the award of the PhD degree is made as soon as possible after the assessment committee has submitted its recommendation. The PhD degree may be awarded if there is a recommendation for the award of the PhD degree from at least two members.
§ 31. The Dean may, upon recommendation from a Department and the Head of the Doctoral School, approve that a PhD thesis is assessed without the author having completed a PhD programme if the author has acquired qualifications in other ways that are equivalent.
2) The Dean may, if exceptional circumstances apply, approve the submission of a PhD thesis from a person who does not meet the conditions in § 6,1 for enrollment as a PhD student. This approval requires a recommendation from the relevant department.
3) The Dean may permit a thesis based on already published articles to be submitted as a PhD thesis. If some of the published articles are prepared in collaboration with others, declarations from each of them about their contribution to the work must be included.
4) The Dean may permit several theses, related in subject or method, to be submitted as a PhD thesis. In such cases, they must be accompanied by a summary statement.
5) Theses previously rejected will not be considered for assessment.
§ 34. Based on the decision of the Academic Council regarding the award of the PhD degree, the university issues a certificate in both Danish and English. The certificate includes the subject of the thesis, and information is provided about:
- the courses completed by the PhD student
- fulfillment of teaching and dissemination obligations
- whether the PhD student, during the research programme, has spent time at other national or international educational institutions, companies, etc.
2) PhD students who do not receive the PhD degree, upon request, receive documentation in both Danish and English for the parts of the PhD programme that have been satisfactorily completed.
§ 35. The university can make dispensation from rules laid down by the university.
§ 36. These regulations come into effect on January 1, 2024, replacing previous regulations, last revised in September 2015.
§ 37. PhD students enrolled before January 1, 2024, complete their studies under these regulations unless exceptional circumstances apply.
§ 38. PhD students employed at a vocational higher education institution (university college, business academy, or maritime education institution) and enrolled before September 1, 2021, complete their studies according to the regulations last revised in September 2015. If enrolled after September 1, 2021, studies are completed under these regulations.