During your PhD

There is one course which is mandatory for all PhD candidates at Kristiania; Research, Ethics and Society – RES9100. This course may not be substituted for any other course.

In addition, PhD candidates enrolled in the PhD programme in Communication and Leadership must complete one of the following:
Research Methods: 

• Field-based Research in Organisations 5 ECTS
  
  
• Applied Quantitative Methods in Social Sciences 5 ECTS
  
  
• Or a similar 5-ECTS research methods course offered by another faculty/institution.

You are encouraged to complete the training component within the first year and a half of your PhD. This is to ensure that you have time and resources to focus on writing the articles and cover article for your thesis, in the remaining half of your fellowship period.
When the mandatory courses have been completed, you are free to choose elective courses to fill the last 20 / 15 ECTS in the training component.

When choosing elective courses, it is important to take into account that the courses should provide you with knowledge and skills that are important to your PhD work. You should consult your supervisor before choosing external courses, to make sure that the courses you wish to take are relevant for your project. You may choose courses offered by Kristiania, or you may opt to take courses at other institutions. You should apply for pre-approval of the external course before registering for the course. You do this by completing this template and sending it to the PhD coordinator, together with the course description of the course you wish to take. The Head of Programme will decide if the course fits with your project.

If you have completed courses at other institutions that you wish to register as part of your training component in your PhD, you must apply for approval of these courses through Studentweb. You can upload all relevant documentation through the box marked Application for approval of completed external courses. The template for recognition of completed courses can be found here.

All supervisors must hold PhD degrees or equivalent qualifications in the subject field and be active researchers. At least one of the appointed supervisors should have previous experience or training in supervising PhD candidates.

Main supervisor and co-supervisor

As a rule, all PhD candidates should have two supervisors, one main supervisor and one co-supervisor. Adjustments may be made to your supervision arrangements in the course of the PhD period. This concerns both adjusting the time resources between supervisors, changing supervisors and bringing in new supervisors. Matters concerning the appointment of a new main supervisor are considered by the  Doctoral degree committee.
With regards to new co-supervisor(s), your programme's Programme Committee is responsible for appointment.

The supervisor(s) will have a total of 210 hours available for supervisory work. This includes all work in connection with supervision, supervision meetings, preparation, follow-up, participation in PhD seminars etc. It is important to understand that this does not mean that 210 hours of active supervision is available to you as a PhD candidate. This number represents the totality of the hours allocated to the supervisor(s).
If a co-supervisor is appointed, the hours will normally be divided between the main supervisor and co-supervisor 140h/70h, respectively.

Roles and responsibilities

Supervisor’s Main Role:

1. Guidance and expertise: Offer expert academic guidance, including feedback on research proposals, research problem, methodologies, and written work.
2. Support and encouragement: Provide support, encouragement, and constructive criticism to foster the candidate’s confidence and independence.
3. Professional development: Advise on career opportunities, networking, and skills development relevant to the candidate's future career path. Include your candidates in your labs or research groups.
4. Availability: Ensure regular and scheduled meetings with the candidate to discuss progress, setbacks, and future plans.
5. Ethical standards: Promote and adhere to ethical standards in research and professional conduct.
   
   

Candidate’s Main Role:

1. Initiative and independence: Take ownership of the research project, including planning, execution, and problem-solving.
2. Feedback reception: Actively seek, accept, and constructively respond to feedback from the supervisor.
3. Professional conduct: Maintain professionalism in all aspects of work, including timeliness, communication, and adherence to ethical guidelines.
4. Progress monitoring: Regularly report progress, challenges, and changes in research direction to the supervisor.
5. Skill development: Proactively seek opportunities for professional and academic development.
   
   

Challenges sometimes arise in the relationship between the supervisor and PhD candidate. The most important thing you can do if problems arise is to bring them up as soon as possible and preferably with the supervisor in question. If, for any reason, it is difficult to bring the matter up with the supervisor or if it does not lead to improvement in the situation, the faculty/centre must provide the necessary assistance. Who you contact will depend on what the problem is and who you feel comfortable discussing it with. It could be the head of the programme, the person with administrative responsibility for the programme, or your personnel manager. The most important thing is that you contact someone and together agree on the way forward.

And finally, remember that your supervisors are your primary contacts for acacemically related questions. You should never be afraid to contact them for help. For anything else, the PhD administration is there to help you.

The link to the annual progress report will be distributed by the PhD coordinator in the spring semester every year.

It is important to know that it is mandatory to respond to the progress report. Failure to complete this form and submit the report may result in termination from the PhD programme.

The responsibility for this interview lies with the host school, and your personnel manager. The interview is set up to ensure that you have the chance to evaluate the past year and plan the coming year in cooperation with your employer.

The template for the interview should be completed by both yourself and your personnel manager. A link to this template will be sent in advance.

You must submit the documentation required for the WiP seminar at the latest 3 weeks before the Work-in-Progress seminar takes place.
The documentation should be sent to the PhD coordinator, who will distribute them to the opponent and your supervisors.

The documents you must submit for the WiP seminar are as follows:

The initial project proposal & feedback on that proposal that was accepted by Kristiania for admission. 

Provide a 1-2-page cover brief that:  

• Reflects on how the project has evolved since admission.
• The degree to which feedback has been incorporated into project revision.
• Provides an updated project plan based on feedback and project evolution.

Copies of completed coursework and feedback from instructors (if available). 

Provide a 1-page cover brief that:

• Reflects on how the coursework has informed the development of the PhD project.
• Identifies plans for future coursework (if relevant).
• How the coursework fulfills the program requirements.
• Identifies if there are needs for coursework that is difficult to find/ get support for.

In no more than 2-3 pages summarize other activities including:

• Other projects/publications the PhD student is collaborating on (not related directly to the PhD).
• Conferences attended/ presentations given.
• Networking events.
• Professional presentations, guest lectures, etc.
• Briefly explain how these activities provide value-added to the PhD process.
• Presentation of data collection activities; planned and completed.

PhD-related work produced by the PhD student leading up to the WIP – this should include completed paper(s) and any paper(s) that are in the write-up stage of the research. 

Provide a 1-page cover brief that: 

• Maps the paper(s) against the project plan.
• On co-authored paper(s) certifies the PhD student’s contribution to the collaboration.
• Reflects on the piece’s contribution to the PhD project.

Finally, you must attach any completed research work produced up to this point. Including any articles and cover article-drafts you have written.

On the day of the seminar, you are expected to give a presentation (approx. 30 min.) of your project followed by an open discussion with the opponent and the seminar participants (approx. 60 min). The main supervisor leads the seminar which should be held in English.  

No later than one week after the work in progress seminar has been completed the internal opponent will submit a report from the WIP seminar.  As soon as this report has been approved by the Head of Programme, the PhD coordinator will send it to you and your supervisors.
As part of the quality assurance system at Kristiania, the report will be presented to your programme's Programme Committee. The report will not be available to the public.

The Midterm seminar takes place when there is approximately one year left of your PhD. The purpose of this seminar is to provide an assessment of the progress you have made in the first two years of your PhD work, and to ensure that you are on track to complete your PhD thesis on time.

One internal opponent and one external opponent will be appointed by the Head of Programme and the Dean of School of Doctoral Studies.

The seminar is conducted on Kristania’s premises.

At least one month prior to the set seminar date, you must submit the following documents to the PhD coordinator:

• Feedback report from the Work in Progress seminar.
  • Provide a 2-page cover letter that:
    • Reflects on how the project has evolved since the WiP.
    • The degree to which feedback has been incorporated into project revision.
  • A brief report detailing your plans for completion of your thesis.
  • The articles that are to form the basis for your thesis, whether they have been submitted at this stage or not.
  • A preliminary draft or a plan for the cover article, “Kappe”.
    OR
  • Preliminary draft of the monograph.

These documents should be sent to phd-studies@kristiania.no

Seminar content

This seminar is structured as a presentation and discussions that last approximately 2 hours in total.

On the day of the seminar, you are expected to give a 30-minute presentation of your project, before both the internal and the external opponents have one hour in total for discussion and dialogue with you on topics they have selected based on the documentation you have submitted. This part of the seminar is open to the public. The seminar is concluded with two rounds of closed discussion:

First, the opponents have a discussion with your supervisors.

Then you have a discussion with the opponents alone.

In these two settings, the outcome of the seminar, plans for the PhD project, challenges and strengths etc. will be addressed.

Oral presentation at the evaluation seminar

Topics for presentation should cover:

• Project status related to the date of admission and position and related to the original project description (proposal) including the coursework component and research stays.
• Reasons for changes related to the academic content and original schedule.
• Publications, covering the article(s) published and those that are planned.
• Substantial status and plans, covering contributions, data, method, analysis, etc.

Approximately one week after the seminar, the PhD coordinator will send you the report from the opponents.

It is your responsibility, together with your supervisors, to follow up any suggestions and points of improvement addressed by the opponents in the report.

You are by law entitled to extension of both the fellowship period and admission period for absences due to the following:

• If you are sick and cannot work, you are entitled to extension from day one of your absence. This is registered either through:
  • Self-certification registered in Kristiania HR
    OR
  • Doctors’ certification sent directly to Kristiania through NAV
    
    
• Parental leave. You are entitled to parental leave at the same level as any permanent staff member. You can read more about this in the Employee handbook (please note that this is only in Norwegian. If you have questions, please contact the PhD coordinator)
  
  
• Necessary care of own children or family. This should be registered as welfare leave in Kristiania HR.
  
  

It is also important that you register your absence through this nettskjema-link. This ensures that you get all the extensions you have rights to for your fellowhip period.

There are instances that MAY grant you extension, but that require you to apply in advance:

You may be granted extension for short term teaching- or research positions, or research stays abroad not related to the PhD project, if this does not entail a delay longer than six (6) months. To get an extension on this basis, an application must be submitted and approved prior to the start of the absence.

Please note that the PhD coordinator does not have access to information about your absences, and you will therefore have to inform the School of Doctoral Studies if you have been absent for any of these reasons, to ensure that your admission period is extended.

Doctoral theses at Kristiania University College are regulated according to the provisions of the Regulations for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) at Kristiania University College, which states in Section 11 (Regulations) that: 

“An academic thesis must be an independent piece of research work or research and development work that meets international standards in terms of ethical requirements, academic level and methodology in the discipline.” 

The thesis can consist of a monograph, a collection of articles, or a written component in combination with a permanently documented product or production. For a thesis that consists of a collection of articles or a written component in combination with a permanently documented product or production, an account must be provided of how they are related (a Cover Article).  

The thesis must contribute to the development of new academic knowledge and must be at a level that merits publication or presentation to the public in an appropriate format as part of the research- based development of knowledge in the discipline. 

A thesis may also consist of a written component in combination with a permanently documented product or production. In these kinds of cases, the works must meet the requirements for independent research work for the degree of PhD in accordance with international standards in the discipline. Kristiania University College may set additional requirements regarding the proportionate share made up by the product or production in terms of scope or content. The thesis can be submitted in English, Norwegian or another Scandinavian language. 

Thesis Scope 

The thesis should include at least 3 articles of high international quality within the respective field of research. At least one of the articles/book chapters should be accepted for publication in an academic peer-reviewed international outlet before the thesis submission. The candidate must normally be listed as the lead author of at least 50% of the articles included. (ref. Section 11-2 of the Regulations). It is also required that the candidates highlight and communicate their work in a dissemination article before thesis submission. In addition to the three articles, the thesis must include a Cover Article (known in Norwegian as “Kappe”). 

Cover Article 

A Cover Article is not merely a chapter, but an independent document that should be coherent and narratively complete in itself. It should effectively tell the entire story, weaving a comprehensive tapestry of the research. The individual papers, which are appended to the Cover Article, serve as integral components that bolster and illuminate the main narrative. Importantly, the Cover Article must include a chapter that adeptly summarizes these papers, highlighting how each, both individually and collectively, contributes to the overarching thesis. In essence, the papers act as a foundational base, supporting and enriching the narrative presented in the Cover Article. 

The Cover Article of the PhD thesis must summarize and connect problem statements, research questions and/or hypotheses, theory- and methodology-related aspects, key findings, and discussions and/or conclusions presented in each research article, in order for the thesis to acquire cohesion. Therefore, the Cover Article should present a meta-perspective that allows for an in-depth explanation and clarification of the thesis’ contents beyond what is stated in each article. The candidate must be the sole author of the Cover Article. It should be written and designed according to the scientific tradition of the research field. The candidate must follow the template provided by School of Doctoral Studies (SDS) for guidance on formatting, structuring, and required chapters/sections. The PhD Coordinator and supervising team will be able to assist with this. 

Cover Article´s key components: 

• The Cover Article should demonstrate originality in its synthesis and analysis of the included papers. 
• The introduction should emphasize the topic's relevance within the broader scope of research, clearly articulating the study's purpose. 
• In the introduction, the thesis's central problem statement, along with the research question(s) and/or hypothesis(es), should be precisely formulated. Contextualize the research area and state the overarching research questions or hypotheses. 

• The Cover Article needs to include a comprehensive review of pertinent academic literature, providing detailed explanations of the theoretical and methodological approaches and considerations, and providing an overview of the gaps that your research covers.  
• A methodological discussion must be part of the introductory chapter, addressing methodological and ethical challenges, including the researcher's role, the sustainability of the methodology and results, and the limitations of the work completed. Describe the research methods used across the different papers, ensuring consistency and coherence among the articles. 
• The results/findings section in the Cover Article should concisely and methodically present the main findings derived from the published/publishable papers. This section should discuss how each paper contributes to the field, and how they collectively advance understanding. This section should also examine how these findings enhance the current academic discourse in the field and discuss the theoretical, pedagogical, or didactic implications. Additionally, it should align the conclusion with the thesis's problem statement, research question(s), hypothesis(es), and results, highlighting potential avenues for future research. Critically evaluate your research, acknowledging limitations and discussing the implications of your findings.  
• The candidate must be able to reflect upon their own and other’s research within the field. The candidate’s research should be viewed in a greater perspective. 
• The scope of the cover article should be according to the traditions within the discipline. The average number of pages varies based on topic and research area. 
  
  

Declaration(s) of co-authorship 

The co-author declaration must be completed and signed by the candidate and co-author upon completing each article and the candidate is personally responsible for collecting all necessary signatures.  The candidate must send a form of co-authorship to all co-authors. Each co-author must complete one co-author declaration. The candidate must also complete this form and sign each co-author declaration and must make sure that the declaration and signatures are on the same page.  The completed form with confirmations and signatures is to be submitted together with the thesis and application for assessment to the PhD coordinator at SDS. This documentation is forwarded to the evaluation committee together with the thesis and is included in its processing. 

In the event of co-authorship, Kristiania follows the Vancouver Recommendations (ot.prp no. 58, 2005-2006). Authorship shall be based on the following four criteria: 

• significant contributions to ideas and designs, or development and analysis of theoretical models or data collections, or analysis and interpretation of data. 
• drafting the manuscript itself or critically revising the article’s intellectual content. 
• approving the version of the article that is or may be published. 
• agreeing to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that issues related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are properly investigated and resolved. This includes identifying the specific contributions of co-authors for different parts of the work.  
  
  

All criteria must be met in order to justify co-authorship. If the supervisor meets the criteria for co-authorship, this should be clarified at the earliest possible moment with the candidate and co-author declaration completed separately for each article. 

Publication and works that are not accepted. 

Published articles cannot be approved for use in the doctoral thesis if more than five (5) years have passed since the date of publication. The programme committee may allow an exception to this rule in extraordinary cases. (ref. Section 11-3 of the Regulations). 

The purpose of these guidelines is to clarify how contributions are recognized and responsibilities are distributed among co-authors, ensuring that all individuals who have made significant intellectual contributions to the work are appropriately credited and accountable. This document establishes transparent criteria for authorship eligibility, delineates the roles and contributions of each co-author, and outlines the process for resolving disputes regarding authorship to maintain integrity and mutual respect within the research team. 

The role of a co-author is not solely defined by the extent of their contribution to a manuscript. To enhance transparency, many journals currently request detailed information about each co-author's specific contributions to the paper. This practice is increasingly common, and when submitting to such journals, you will be required to provide this information, which may also be published with the paper. 

As a PhD student at Kristiania, if your publication will be part of your PhD thesis, you are obligated to gather and record the contributions of each co-author. Detailed guidelines on this process can be found below. 

Guidelines on Co-Authorship 

Traditional rules for co-authorship are limited, but the widely accepted Vancouver Recommendations provide a framework for determining co-authorship eligibility. While not legally binding, Kristiania strongly encourages adherence to these guidelines. According to the Vancouver Recommendations, a co-author must meet the following four criteria: 

• Substantial contribution: The individual should have significantly contributed to the conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the work. 

• Involvement in manuscript preparation: The individual must have participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript for important intellectual content. 

• Approval of published version: The individual must have approved the version of the manuscript to be published. 

• Accountability: The individual must agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that issues related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are properly investigated and resolved. This includes identifying the specific contributions of co-authors for different parts of the work. 
  
  

For a person to be credited as a co-author, all the above criteria must be met. Conversely, if all these conditions are satisfied, the individual should be recognized as a co-author. In instances where an individual meets some but not all of these criteria, the Vancouver recommendations advise acknowledging their contribution in the paper, but not granting them co-authorship status. 

Co-Author Listing (order) and Corresponding Author Roles 

Determining the order of co-authors in academic publications can often be a source of conflict, with practices varying across different fields. Generally, the co-author who has made the most significant contribution to the research paper is acknowledged first. In some disciplines, it is customary for the second most contributing co-author to be listed last. Often, this last position is held by a group leader or, in the case of a PhD student author, their advisor. However, this is not a strict rule. 

For publications involving multiple authors, at least one must be designated as the corresponding author and must be listed on the paper. Typically, there is one corresponding author - during the pre-publication and post-publication processes. The corresponding author is responsible for manuscript submission and handling all pre-publication communication with the journal, including addressing reviewer queries. The corresponding author is also responsible for the post-publication process, including responding to queries and requests from the public and academic community after the paper's publication. In the context of PhD students, it is common for the student to undertake the role of submitting the manuscript and managing journal correspondence during the review process. However, it is less common for a PhD student to be designated as the corresponding author in the published paper. The corresponding author role is preferably assigned to someone in a permanent position, ensuring availability for responding to inquiries even years after publication. 

The Vancouver recommendations do not provide specific directives regarding the entitlement to last or corresponding author roles. These decisions should be collaboratively determined by the co-authors. Often, the last author is also the corresponding author, but this is not a mandatory practice. If more suitable, any co-author, irrespective of their position in the author list, can be designated as the corresponding author. For more information, please refer to the Vancouver Guidelines.  

Doctoral Thesis: Declaration of Co-Authorship 

For PhD students writing a thesis that includes co-authored articles, each co-author must provide a signed declaration of co-authorship. This declaration should detail the contributions of both the students and the co-authors to the article. It is crucial to clearly identify the independent contributions of the PhD student. Additionally, this declaration should include consent for the inclusion of the article in the student's thesis. 
The template for the co-author declaration can be downoaded here.

Open Access funding at Kristiania

Kristiania has a funding scheme for researchers for publishing through Open Access channels. This means that PhD candidates do not need to use their operational budget to cover this type of expenses. Please see this website for more information.

1. You are enrolled in a PhD programme at Kristiania or at an external institution
2. You are in the process of applying for admission to a PhD programme at Kristiania
3. You are employed at Kristiania University College and minimum hold a masters’ degree.

 
For applicants outside Kristiania (external applicants are candidates that are neither employed nor enrolled at a PhD program at Kristiania): You must complete and upload the form Application form for external candidates to attend PhD courses which you will find here.  

You must also upload a signed confirmation from your PhD programme stating that you are an active PhD candidate at your programme and institution.

Application for external candidates: please apply through Søknadsweb

You can find an overview of courses on the webpage of the different PhD programmes under electable courses in addition to the joint PhD course Research, Ethics and Society (RES9100)

Here are the PhD courses offered at Kristiania autumn 2024:

RES9100 - Research ethics and society

• Updated teaching dates: Every Thursday October 3 - 31 and November 6, 14, 21 and 27, 2024
• Deadline for applying: September 3, 2024
  
  

PCL9206 - Practical and Critical Perspectives on Leadership 

• Teaching dates: October 7 - 8 and December 5 - 6, 2024
• Deadline for applying: September 7       
         

PIT9209 - Qualitative Research Methods

• Teaching dates: November 7 - 8 and 28 - 29, 2024
• Deadline for applying: October 7, 2024
  
  

PIT9204 - Data Analytics for Business

• Teaching dates: December 16 - 19, 2024
• Deadline for applying: November 16, 2024.
  
  
  
  
  

Courses that will be taught in the Spring semester 2025:

PIT9202 - Seminar in Software Architecture

• Teaching dates: 03. - 07. March 2025
• Application deadline: 03. February 2025.
  
  

PIT9205 - Design Science Research

• Teaching dates: 17. - 21. March 2025.
• Application deadline: 17. February 2025.
  
  

PIT9210 - Set-Theoretic Methods

• Teaching dates: 05. - 07. May 2025.
• Application deadline: 05. April 2025.
  
  

PCL9202 - Foundations in Communication and Leadership

• Teaching dates: 25. and 27. February og 18. March 2025.
• Application deadline: 25. January 2025.
  
  

PCL9200 - The Green Transition: Leading and Communicating Sustainability

• Teaching dates: 5. - 8. May 2025.
• Application deadline:: 5. April 2025.
  
  

PCL9101 - Field-based Research in Organisations

• Teaching dates: 11. - 13. February 2025.
• Application deadline: 11. January 2025.
  
  

If a low number of students are signed up for a course, it may be cancelled or offered as a reading course with one start-up lecture and supervision.

If you have any inquiries, do not hesitate to contact us at phd-studies@kristiania.no

• Templates for PhD

• Regulations on the degree of philosophiae doctor (PhD) at Kristiania University College