UiT The Arctic University of Norway
PhD in ScienceTromsø, Norway
DURATION
3 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
15 Nov 2025*
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
Request tuition fees
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* non-EU/EEA applicants: 15 november | EU/EEA and swiss applicants: 1 march
Key Summary
Introduction
The PhD program in Science offers research education in several disciplines, including physics, geosciences, computer science, chemistry, technology, mathematics, statistics, bio-informatics, molecular- and structural biology.
The candidates will be able to work with research on a high international level after graduation. The program includes components teaching the candidates to consider options regarding the potentail of innovation and commercializing their ideas.
After graduation, the candidates will be well fit to work both in academia and in private businesses. They are able to work independently, acquire new knowledge and complete complex projects. The PhD candidates will also receive training in teaching and presenting scientific projects, both oral and written.
Program description
- Duration: 3 years
- Credits (ECTS): 180
- Admission requirements: Completed master's degree
- Degree Name: PhD in Science
Admissions
Curriculum
Program Structure
The PhD program in Science consists of 180 ECTS, where 30 ECTS is the instruction component and 150 ECTS is the thesis (research project) itself. The trial lecture and public defence are counted as parts of the thesis.
The thesis is the main focus of the education. The thesis is to be an independent piece of academic research that meets international standards of ethics, scholarship and method in its field. Through the thesis, the student will contribute to the development of new knowledge, and the thesis shall be at a level meriting publication as part of the scientific literature in the field.
The thesis can be a monograph or a collection of several smaller research papers - an anthology. Such collections must have a connection between the various components, and the connection must be explained in a summary.
The instruction component for PhD students in Science must contain courses equivalent to 30 ECTS, comprising 20-27 ECTS in the field of mathematics and natural science, 3-6 ECTS in the philosophy of science and ethics, and if desired, 4-7 ECTS in transferable skills. All courses must be at PhD level (8000 courses). The maximum amount of ECTS allowed for philosophy of science and ethics and transferable skills is thus 10 ECTS.
For candidates with projects relating to didactics, the instruction component must contain courses equivalent to 30 ECTS, comprising 20-27 ECTS in mathematics and natural science and/or subject didactics, 3-6 ECTS in philosophy of science and ethics, and if desired, 4-7 ECTS in transferable skills.
The following types of courses may be included in the instruction component:
- Ordinary PhD courses and special curriculums at UiT
- Ordinary PhD courses and special curriculums at other accredited higher education institutions
- National and international PhD courses arranged by or in collaboration with accredited higher education institutions
- National and international PhD courses arranged by research institutions or other actors
It is expected that all candidates present their research project and their work at conferences and/or seminars. Presentations such as a lecture or a poster will not be credited with ECTS.
Program Outcome
Learning Outcomes
A candidate who has completed his/her qualification should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:
Knowledge:
The candidate..
- is at the forefront of knowledge within his/her academic field, physics, geosciences, computer science, chemistry, mathematics, bioinformatics, molecular and structural biology, statistics, technology and the intersection between two or more of these, and masters the field’s philosophy of science, issues, methods and techniques
- can evaluate the expediency and application of different methods and processes in research and scholarly development projects within their scientific field
- can contribute to the development of new knowledge, new theories and new methods in their scientific field
- has knowledge of relevant channels and forums for research dissemination in their scientific field
Skills:
The candidate..
- can formulate problems, plan and carry out research and scholarly development work in science
- can carry out research and scholarly development work in science of a high international standard
- can handle complex academic issues and challenge established knowledge and practice in their scientific field
General competence:
The candidate..
- can communicate research-based knowledge orally through lectures in a way that the lecture can be followed by students with prerequisite knowledge equivalent to the level one would expect to find among advanced students in the subject
- can disseminate research-based knowledge in writing at a high international level
- can participate in debates in international forums within their scientific field
- can manage complex assignments and projects within a scientific field or in the intersection between two or more scientific fields
- can identify new relevant ethical issues and carry in their research and carry out their research with scholarly integrity can assess the potential for innovation and/or ideas that may be commercialised within their research