The courses and work on the thesis are conducted in parallel. However, it is recommended that the courses are completed early in the course of study. All courses must be completed and approved prior to submission of the thesis.

• The programme consists of courses of at least 30 credits and an independent research project with a nominal length of 2.5 years. This includes:
  • a compulsory course in advanced theories of science and research ethics (KULT8851, 10 credits),
  • Higher education in methodology (usually KULT8861, 10 credits)
  • a subject-specific component, which varies widely (10 ECTS).
• The PhD-programme is a supervised programme, but requires a high degree of independence and efficiency.
• The final thesis is expected to contribute to the development of new academic knowledge and maintain high international standards in the field.
• The PhD-programme at NTNU is internationally oriented, and students are expected to participate actively in international conferences and publish in international journals.
• Parts of the programme can be taken abroad, either in the form of a longer research stay or by taking parts of the coursework abroad.
• The PhD-programme concludes with a trial lecture and a public defence of the thesis.

Read more about the PhD-courses at the Faculty

Read more about the doctoral thesis

External courses

PhD-candidates at the Faculty of Humanities may also attend courses at other institutions both nationally and internationally. In order to include these courses in the coursework component, the plan must be preapproved by the main supervisor and the Head of the PhD-programme. The candidate is also responsible for documenting the completion of the courses.

Research schools

As a PhD-candidate you may also participate in different research schools depending on your field and project. The following research schools may be relevant for PhD-candidates in Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture:

• National Research School in Gender Research
• Norwegian Research School on Digitalization, Culture and Society (DIGIT)

Read more about the national research schools