Upon application to the PhD programme, the general requirement is submission of a 5 to 10 page project description/research proposal. For more detailed information and for the artistic research programme, see the programme's own web site.

The research proposal should include information about the following items:

Title and research questions

The title must provide information about the topic of the dissertation. The research questions should define and delimit the topic in a precise way. The presentation of the research questions should be done in a concise way.

Background of the project

The applicant should document an appropriate understanding of the field of research, nationally as well as internationally. The originality of the project, its innovativeness and relevance to other research in the field should be evident from the proposal. The proposal should indicate how the project may supplement previous research and contribute to new knowledge.

Theoretical foundation

The applicant must provide a short description of the theoretical framework for the research topic and provide an account of how theory may be applied in the exploration of the questions raised. The proposal has to offer adequate information to support the appropriateness of the choice of methods and theories with regard to addressing the research questions, or it must demonstrate that there is good potential to develop necessary methods and theory.

Data/material and method

The project’s methodological point of departure and its scholarly or scientific approach should be presented and discussed. This means that the empirical basis of the project ( for example, original texts, secondary sources, fieldwork, interviews, statistical information, etc.) should be described, together with information about how the data will be collected and analysed.

Presentation of results

Plans for the communication of research outcomes, other than the dissertation, should be described.

Progression and work schedule

The proposal should include a work schedule that demonstrates how the project will be completed in the designated time, i.e. 3 years of full-time study including ½ year of coursework.

Additional information

The proposal should describe the applicant’s professional background and qualifications, as well as plausible partners or research networks with which the applicant could be affiliated. Language skills are to be mentioned, if relevant to the project.