Doctoral education
If you are admitted to a doctoral programme at Lund University you will normally have an employment as a doctoral student with associated benefits. This gives you staff status in addition to your student status. Staff status does not apply if your funding comes from external grants or employment.
Daily matters for employed doctoral students
If you are an employed doctoral student at Lund University, the following information is important for your daily work:
As regular doctoral students have both staff and student status, your terms of employment may differ from those of other university staff. Find out more about what applies to you in terms of working hours, salary, different types of leave, health promotion benefits, etc.
The dual staff–student status also means that you will be assigned two different user accounts: a staff account or 'Lucat ID' and a student account. It is important to be aware of this, as access to various IT services and systems may depend on which account you use.
Supervision and management for doctoral students
As a doctoral student you will have at least two supervisors to guide you through your doctoral programme, as required by the Higher Education Ordinance. One of them will be appointed as your main supervisor.
Your main supervisor is your academic manager and you should contact them with any issues relating to your doctoral studies or doctoral thesis (also called a research thesis or dissertation).
On the other hand, your head of department is responsible for your employment and working environment. They act as your non-academic manager, and you should contact them for any employment-related matters.
Content, structure and organisation of the doctoral programme
There are a number of documents, rules and regulations that determine how the doctoral programme is organised.
General syllabus and individual study plan
The study programme's content, structure, and organisation are influenced by a subject-specific general syllabus and an individual study plan.
In addition to the individual study plan, each research subject has its own general syllabus. This provides information on:
- the main content and general structure of the doctoral programme
- any compulsory examinations, and
- whether it is possible to complete part of the programme with a so-called 'licentiate degree' (see below on this page).
The general syllabus also includes details about entry requirements, such as prior knowledge and skills. In addition, it outlines the selection criteria used by the relevant recruitment committee to rank applicants for specific doctoral positions.
Read more about general syllabi on the faculty websites:
- Faculty of Engineering, LTH – Study plans
- Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts – Information on admissions
- Faculties of Humanities and Theology – General syllabi
- Faculty of Law – Before admission
- Faculty of Medicine – General study plans
- Faculty of Science – General syllabi and individual study plan
- Faculty of Social Sciences – General syllabi
- School of Economics and Management, LUSEM – PhD studies
The individual study plan is the most important document for doctoral students. It is a personalised agreement outlining the content and structure of your doctoral studies, developed in consultation with your main supervisor. This plan includes your commitments and those of the University, as well as a time and financial plan.
The individual study plan is a dynamic document that will be regularly updated in collaboration with your main supervisor. It serves as a valuable tool throughout your doctoral studies to help you complete your programme within the specified timeframe (typically four years for full-time study).
The Swedish Higher Education Ordinance governs the individual study plan. It contains rules and guidelines for its development and implementation.
Higher Education Ordinance – the Swedish Council for Higher Education website
Components of the doctoral programme
A complete doctoral programme consists of 240 ECTS, with a doctoral thesis of at least 120 ECTS. Successful completion of all the components of the doctoral programme, such as any compulsory courses or coursework, a thesis and a public defence, leads to the award of a doctoral degree.
If your defence is successful and your thesis is approved, you can apply for your doctoral degree and receive it at the festive and traditional doctoral degree conferment ceremony. You can then call yourself a doctor.
Degree and public defence of a doctoral thesis
Please note that different faculties may have organised their doctoral programmes in different ways. Find links to faculty information below.
- Faculty of Engineering, LTH – PhD studies at LTH
- Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts – Doctoral education
- Faculties of Humanities and Theology – Doctoral studies
- Faculty of Law – Doctoral studies
- Faculty of Medicine – Postgraduate research studies
- Faculty of Science – PhD studies
- Faculty of Social Sciences – Doctoral studies
- School of Economics and Management, LUSEM – PhD studies
If you complete a 120 ECTS research programme at the doctoral level with a thesis of at least 60 ECTS, you will be awarded a licentiate degree.
Services and support for doctoral students
Navigating doctoral education can be challenging at times. See the list below for various services and support options for doctoral students at Lund University.
Services and support for doctoral students
Opportunities for doctoral students
Doctoral opportunities at Lund University include postgraduate research schools, summer schools, travel and research grants, and exchanges:
- Postgraduate research schools – lunduniversity.lu.se
- LERU Doctoral Summer School
- Travel and research grants
- Exchanges with an Erasmus+ grant
For more information about research conferences, visit your faculty/department website.
Decisions concerning doctoral education at Lund University
All documents below will open in a new tab.
- Admission rules for doctoral education at Lund University (PDF 249 kB)
- Regulations for third-cycle education at Lund University (PDF 140 kB)
- Guidelines on the extension of employment as a doctoral student due to duties within student organisations and as an elected student representative at Lund University (PDF 63 kB)
- PM extension of doctoral studentship on the special grounds of Covid-19 (PDF 254 kB)