Study plan - PhD Programme in Health, Function and Participation

The PhD programmeme in ‘Health, Function, and Participation’ is a research programmeme for graduates who want to contribute to the development of new knowledge in the health and welfare sectors, civil society, and the public and private sectors. The programme is founded on a public health tradition where social sciences, health sciences, and societal perspectives complement each other. The scientific profile and course portfolio of the PhD programmeme build on an interdisciplinary approach to health, living conditions, social inequality and inequity, emphasizing the relationship between individuals and their environments. The programmeme's research profile spans a broad thematic, theoretical, and methodological spectrum, from cellular to societal levels and from everyday life in the community, to regional and global challenges. Research fields include inequality and inequity in health, studies of health and daily life in the community, acute and critical illnesses and advanced treatments, and everyday living with chronic illnesses or disabilities. Studies of structural, material, and political conditions for social participation are also part of the programmeme’s research activities. Through the programmeme’s academic profile and course portfolio, the programmeme answers calls for interdisciplinary approaches to develop new knowledge about welfare and health in light of local, regional, and national challenges, such as demographic changes and an increasing number of people living with non-communicable diseases. Global challenges related to migration, conflict, and climate change, along with welfare state models under pressure, also require interdisciplinary approaches.

Research and teaching in the PhD programme are conducted in collaboration with the public and private sectors and civil society, contributing to the education of knowledgeable and well-qualified candidates for these sectors locally, regionally, and nationally.

The mandatory and elective courses in the programme utilise core competencies in the research groups at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences and provide candidates with broad knowledge (mandatory courses) and in-depth knowledge (elective courses).

Admission

To be admitted to the PhD programme in ‘Health, Function, and Participation,’ applicants must have completed a master's degree comprising 120 credits, based on a bachelor's degree of 180 credits or an integrated master's degree of 300 credits, or an equivalent education. The education may or may not include professional education. Applicants with other relevant qualifications may be considered on an individual basis. The application for admission must include a project outline to justify the fit with the programme’s scientific profile.

Applicants must demonstrate strong academic results. Normally, the following grades are required:

• Master’s thesis or equivalent: typically grade B or better.
• Master’s coursework average: typically grade B or better.

The admission criteria can include a professional education, but this is not a requirement for admission.

Learning outcomes

The overall goal of the PhD programme is to develop knowledge about factors that promote or inhibit health, welfare, and participation—individually, at group levels, and in society. Graduates should be able to address complex academic questions that require knowledge of the interplay between living conditions, daily life, and health.

Upon completing the programme, candidates will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge:

The candidate…

• is at the forefront of knowledge in their scientific field and can relate this to philosophy of science and research ethics relevant to health and social sciences
• has extensive competence in research methodology, design and research methods within their field of research
• can contribute to the development of new knowledge and further develop existing theories, methods, and other forms of documented knowledge within their field of research
• understands interdisciplinary research and the conditions for interdisciplinary collaboration

Skills:

The candidate…

• can critically evaluate existing knowledge and practices in their field, identifying needs for new knowledge within their research field
• can define a research problem, plan, and conduct ethically responsible research projects in line with the state of knowledge in the relevant research field
• can critically appraise their own research results concerning existing knowledge and research in the same area
• can initiate and facilitate interdisciplinary research and collaboration

General competence:

The candidate…

• can identify and analyse key research-ethical issues and adhere to ethical guidelines within health and social sciences research
• conducts research with integrity and a high ethical standard
• can justify the practical and theoretical applications of their knowledge contributions
• can communicate results from research and development projects to diverse audiences in relevant and recognized national and international channels
• can participate in debates within their scientific field at national and international fora
• can communicate research and development work to non-scientific audiences through various channels
• assesses needs, initiates and conducts health science research, development, and innovation
• has the competence to analyse specific challenges related to health, function, and participation using interdisciplinary perspectives.

Content

The programme is a full-time study designed to be completed within a standard period of three years, with up to 1,800 work hours annually. For PhD candidates employed for four years with 25% working duties, the standard duration of the study period is four years.

The programme includes a mandatory and elective coursework component totalling 30 credits, a research component of 150 credits, a mid-term evaluation, and a public defence of the dissertation. The training component must be completed and approved before the dissertation is submitted for evaluation.

The course work component consists of three mandatory courses totalling 15 credits, mandatory dissemination activities and, optionally, an international research stay equivalent to 5 credits, and elective courses totalling 10 ECTS. The mandatory courses are offered annually. They are organized as short intensive sessions with lectures, seminars, and/or ICT-based learning activities.

The elective courses are offered annually or biennially. A minimum of five students is required for an elective course to be offered. The maximum number of participants per course is 20. All courses are conducted in English if needed. At least 20 credits of the training component must be completed after admission. Elements included in the training component should not be older than two (2) years at the time of admission. The programme committee may grant exceptions on an individual basis.

Mandatory Component – 20 Credits

The mandatory course work includes the profile course PHDH901 Health, function, and participation (5 ECTS), PHDH902 Philosophy of science and ethics in Health sciences (5 ECTS), PHDH903 Research design and Methods (5 ECTS), as well as dissemination activities and/or an international research stay equivalent to 5 ECTS. The training component aims to ensure a high degree of interdisciplinary knowledge related to health, welfare, and participation and to provide training and practice in academic argumentation and the dissemination of academic work to peers, students, and the broader society, both in Norwegian and English.

PhD candidates in the programme must take PHDH901 at HVL. The other mandatory courses should preferably be taken at HVL but may, upon individual evaluation, be replaced with equivalent courses from other institutions. The profile course PHDH901 cannot be replaced with courses from other institutions. It is recommended that candidates prioritize mandatory courses early in their PhD period.

Candidates are expected to disseminate their research in national and international fora, to both scientific and non-scientific audiences, and preferably spend some time at an international research institution.

Credits are awarded as follows:

• Dissemination activities – see guidelines here
• International research stay of 3 months or more – 3 ECTS
• International research stay of 2 months – 2 ECTS
• Shorter international research stay of at least 2 weeks – 1 ECTS

Elective Component – 10 Credits

In the elective courses, candidates should select subjects relevant to their research project, whether these are theoretical, methodological, or clinically oriented courses. Candidates may include courses from other doctoral programmes at HVL. Courses taken at other national or international institutions or relevant national research schools may be included in the training component upon individual evaluation.

Dissertation – 150 Credits

The dissertation must be an independent scientific work meeting international standards. Typically, the dissertation by publication comprises an extended scientific summary (thesis synopsis) and three to four scientific articles, of which at least two must be published or accepted for publication, and one or two are under review or ready for submission to peer-reviewed journals. The candidate must be the first author on at least two articles.

Alternatively, the dissertation may be written as a monograph.

In PhD thesis by publication dissertations , the introduction comprises a synopsis (extended essay) where the candidate locates their research within a relevant scientific and methodological framework, and justify how their work may contribute to public health and the programme’s profile. The synopsis must provide an introduction to the research topic, locate it within a relevant theoretical, empirical or practical field, justify the project organisation and its theoretical framework, and critically discuss the overall contribution of the research. Each article in an thesis by publication should present its specific research question(s), design, methodology, main results, and discuss the contributions of the research. The number of articles (usually three or four) depends on the candidate’s independent contributions and the overall presentation of the work, which should be discussed with the supervisor.

The dissertation should preferably be written in English or alternatively in a Scandinavian language.

Decisions regarding the dissertation are regulated by § 5 in the PhD regulations.

Teaching

All courses offered in this doctoral programme equals 3 or 5 credits, with a workload of 25–30 hours per credit. This includes preparation, student- and teacher-led learning activities, as well as mandatory activities and exams. All exams and submissions are individual.

Teaching, individual studies, and assessments comprises complementary processes and learning situations. The programme is organized to ensure that candidates have access to excellent learning and study environments, various learning arenas, and research environments, as well as steady progress throughout the study. Candidates are expected to take an active role in the learning process through their choice of courses, learning situations, and study locations. Students are also expected to contribute to their own and their peers' academic development and learning, particularly through interdisciplinary collaboration and active participation in mandatory and elective courses. Research groups constitute a key learning arena for candidates. Early on, preferably within three months of starting, candidates must present their project outline at a research group seminar.

The pedagogical platform emphasizes process-oriented learning, incorporating formative and summative assessments, dialogue-based seminars, literature presentations, process-oriented writing with individual and group-based supervision, project work, and independent studies. Current and classical topics relevant to the courses will be discussed and tied to scientific, methodological, or ethical challenges. Candidates’ knowledge and experience from previous studies and professional experiences serve as a foundation for reflection, knowledge development, and knowledge sharing. All teaching and learning activities are conducted in either English or a Scandinavian language, as are the literature and assignments. Candidates must be able to use English in addition to their native language in their academic work.

All candidates are encouraged to present their research at least once at an international conference during their doctoral period. Candidates are expected to give presentations or lectures and actively participate in seminars, thereby gaining experience in various forms of academic dissemination and scientific argumentation. It is recommended to include a shorter or longer international research stay during the PhD period.

Candidates and supervisors are required to submit progress reports annually. Failure to provide satisfactory reports may result in termination of the PhD agreement.

Supervision

Candidates are entitled to supervision throughout their doctoral education. Supervisors have a total of 240 hours available for the entire admission period. These supervision hours are allocated for preparation, discussions between the supervisor(s) and the candidate, follow-up work, preparation for and execution of the mid-term evaluation and the public defence. Supervision responsibilities and rights are regulated by § 4 in the PhD regulations. The main supervisor will typically be affiliated with HVL and will hold formal responsibility for the candidate's PhD education. Candidates must have at least one co-supervisor and may request a co-supervisor from other institutions. If the primary supervisor is external, at least one co-supervisor must be affiliated with HVL. The internal supervisor maintains contact with the candidate and ensures the candidate’s inclusion in relevant research environments at HVL.

Supervision must ensure that the PhD project adheres to ethical research standards. Supervisors are responsible for maintaining a high academic standard for the candidate’s project and supporting the candidates in working independently. Supervision should promote progress and ensure that the overall learning outcomes are achieved. A supervision agreement must be filled in and signed.

Assessment

All courses include elements of formative assessment through various teaching and learning activities. Each course concludes with a written final summative assessment (exam) graded as pass/fail.

The dissertation is evaluated both as a process and as a final result, during its development and at the public defence.

Basis for Assessment

The PhD degree is awarded based on:

• approved completion of the mandatory and elective course component or other approved academic education or competence
• an approved scientific dissertation
• an approved trial lecture on an assigned topic
• an approved public defence of the dissertation (disputation)

The assessment is regulated by § 5 in the PhD regulations. The diploma will specify the title of the dissertation and include information about the academic training programme in which the candidate has participated.

Internationalization

The research environment at HVL has an extensive international network for collaboration in supervision and candidate follow-up, as well as research. Where partnerships exist between the research group the candidate is affiliated with and international research environments, a co-supervisor from abroad may be included. To achieve a high international academic standard, it is essential that candidates participate in the international scientific discourse within their field. The environments involved in the programme have formal agreements for bilateral student and faculty exchanges with foreign universities. HVL aims for all PhD candidates to complete an international research stay of at least one month during their PhD period. The stay is planned in collaboration between the candidate, supervisor, and the host institution abroad.

An international exchange offers possibilities for the PhD candidates to present their projects at seminars attended by representatives from international partners, providing academic feedback. This is already an established practice at HVL. Foreign researchers invited as guest lecturers or visiting scholars at HVL also contribute to academic dialogue with PhD candidates.