Course content

This is a mandatory course for PhD students at the Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology, beyond the minimum requirement of 30 ECTS credits.
The course contents are:
Practical information about study phases, course requirements and PhD thesis, personnel involved, psychological and social factors,
PhD student’s and supervisor’s role, overview of research planning;
time management.

Research method: Criteria for good scientific practice, literature review, critical use of existing knowledge, generalise and define limits for generalization of new findings.

Scientific publishing: Classification of conferences and journals, judging what material is publishable; publishing, referee process.

Theory of science: Theory of science and engineering science- viz innovation, systemizing and classifying, hypothesis development and testing, establishing laws and models, criticizing own and others work.

Ethics: Ethics in engineering; engineering and natural sciences, avoid research that cause unjustified risk to people, jeopardize the environment or convert public resources into private profits, striving for objectivity (in the research process and in presentation of results), handling uncertainty.

Development of research plan.

Learning outcome

The aim of the subject is to: - Establish a common basis for the PhD research education. - Provide insight into the theory of science and research methodology. - Encourage reflections about ethics. - Develop the (individual) research plan for the PhD study.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, group discussions and self study. Lectures to be announced and independent projects work.

Mandatory attendance and preparation of an approved research plan.

Compulsory assignments

• Mandatory attendance at 8 of 11 lectures

Recommended previous knowledge

None.

Course materials

Textbooks and lecture notes.