How to apply and admission
How to apply and admission
How to apply and admission
How to apply and admission-kryss
Acceptance to a PhD-programme at NTNU is regulated by Section 6 of the PhD-regulations. to be accepted you must have a funding plan and you must have completed a Master's degree or other equivalent education in accordance with the descriptions in the national qualifications framework.
Admission requirements
In order to be admitted to the PhD-programme you should have a Master's degree of 120 ECTS credits within one of the subject areas covered by the programme. The degree must include a larger independent work, such as a Master's thesis. Based on a special assessment, the Faculty may approve other, comparable qualifications as the basis for admission. Shorter Master's degrees from other countries will be assessed in accordance with the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills' guidelines for recognition of foreign higher education.
Read more on recognition of foreign higher education
We require a strong academic record from their previous studies and must have a weighted average grade for the last two years of their master’s or equivalent education equivalent to a B or higher in terms of NTNU’s grading scale. Applicants without letter grades from previous studies must have an equally good academic foundation. Applications must be supported by the main supervisor, Head of Department and Head of PhD-programme before the Faculty makes its final decision.
Funding
In order to be admitted to the PhD-programme you must also document that you have funding for the entirety of the PhD-period (three-years net time). PhD-candidates are not considered students in Norway and PhD-candidates are usually employees at the institution where they receive funding.
There are two main types of funding:
- You can be employed as a PhD-candidate at NTNU
- You have external funding from another employer for instance a PhD position or research time amounting to three years net time
PhD-position at the Faculty of Humanities
PhD-positions at NTNU are announced through NTNU's own web site and through the jobbnorge portal.
PhD-positions are announced throughout the year, both open positions and positions connected to particular research projects. As a PhD-candidate at the Faculty you will receive both regular wages and access to research funds up to NOK 150 000,- to cover expenses related to the research project, such as participating at conferences, equipment and books.
Employment as a PhD is dependent upon being accepted to a PhD-programme within three months of starting the position. You are responsible for applying within the deadline.
External funding
You must be able to document employment with three years net time set aside to complete a doctoral degree. In addition to regular wages, funding must include sufficient research funds to complete the project.
Private funding is generally not accepted. Educational stipends will be assessed in accordance with Rector's guidelines for PhDs with their own funding. The Research Council of Norway have separate schemes for employers who wish to facilitate for employees to complete doctoral projects that are relevant for the business.
Supervision
It is important to get in touch with the relevant research group and find a possible main supervisor early on in the process. By going through the departments' web pages you can find information on what different staff work on and who may be relevant for you and your project. If you are affiliated with a larger research project, the supervisor is generally part of the project group.
As a PhD-candidate you must have at least two supervisors, and the main supervisor must be established when you apply for admission. The main supervisor must be part of the academic staff at the Faculty of Humanities. This also applies for applicants with external funding.
Supervisors must hold a doctoral degree and be active researchers in their field. At least one of the supervisors, usually the main supervisor, must have experience supervising at the PhD-level, normally until completion of the doctoral degree.
The application process
You must use NTNU's application form when applying for admission. The application should be prepared in cooperation with your main supervisor.
You must include the following attachments:
- Documentation of previous education
- Documentation of funding
- Research proposal of up to 10 pages, using the Faculty's template
Go to template for research proposal
In the research proposal you must also account for any legal or ethical issues raised by the project. If the project is dependent upon permission granted by committees on research ethics or other authorities or by individuals, these should preferably be included in the application if possible.
Read more about collection of personal data for research projects
Applications for admission are assess throughout the year, and the deadline is three months after starting the PhD-position. If you have any questions concerning admission requirements and the admission process, please contact the Research Support Office at the Faculty.