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The PhD programme in health sciences at VID Specialized University is a course that offers researcher training for postgraduate students with a relevant 2-year master’s degree or similar qualification, and whose research topic for their PhD project centres on the health sciences. The programme will recruit people with a background from the health sciences as well as candidates with a background from the social sciences, education or the humanities, whose research topic aligns with the programme’s academic field.
The programme is anchored in the health sciences and aims to develop new knowledge to better understand and analyse practices and challenges relating to health promotion, disease prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, nursing, care and palliation. The programme seeks to generate new knowledge and solutions to address future local and international challenges and will employ a range of health science perspectives and methodologies to fulfil this objective.
Society is constantly evolving, as is the health service. Ethnic and cultural diversity, complex cohabitation and life situations, and new and complex diagnoses, demand nuanced and individualized approaches where patients and service users are understood as unique individuals with specific needs and resources. By highlighting the human dimension of clinical practice and health research, the programme profile emphasizes the individual as the principal focus of our work to develop new knowledge about health and disease.
The PhD programme is based on our holistic perspective on humanity and our commitment to solidarity with people in vulnerable situations. Vulnerabilities may be linked to physical, mental, cognitive, existential and sensory matters, or chronic illness. This emphasis aligns with VID’s ethos, which highlights the importance of being committed to people – locally and globally. Implicitly, this involves a value system founded on critical thinking and an awareness of ethical standards, and where human dignity, community and interaction are highlighted as important values.
Technological developments facilitate new ways of collaboration and help create new approaches to the provision of treatment and care for people with acute and chronic disorders. This means that there is a need to develop evidence-based practices that can promote the health of patients/service users. Interactions arise in relationships between patients/service users, relatives, healthcare personnel and other medical professionals. In this interactive context, qualities like trust, willingness to co-operate, good communication skills and respect are essential. Furthermore, interactions take place within the health service and with relevant actors outside the health service – such as social services, user organizations, and the voluntary sector. Accordingly, the PhD programme involves a focus on various forms of collaborative research practices in health promotion, disease prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, nursing, care and palliation, in which collaborative research, service user involvement and co-production are key aspects. The PhD programme’s research module will have a clinical emphasis. This means that PhD projects can be developed and conducted in collaboration with the clinical field and the voluntary sector.
The programme’s subjects and focus areas
The courses offered under the programme align with the programme profile and cover the students’ need for broad knowledge (mandatory courses) as well as in-depth knowledge (elective courses). The programme trains researchers of a high international standard within the health sciences. Graduates will be qualified to work in research, education and development in clinical and academic fields, and will be suited for work that requires a high level of scientific understanding and analytic thinking within the subject areas.
The PhD degree in health sciences is awarded on the basis of:
Target group
The target group for the PhD programme in health sciences are applicants who have completed, in Norway or abroad, a relevant 2-year Master’s degree (120 ECTS credits) of which the Master’s thesis accounts for at least 30 ECTS credits. Recruitment is directed at applicants who want to train as researchers in the field of health sciences and whose research question is relevant to this field.
Reflecting the programme’s foundation in the health sciences, student recruits will have a background from the health sciences or from the social sciences, education or the humanities (such as sociologists, social workers, teachers, anthropologists and philosophers).
Programme content and structure
The set duration for the PhD Programme in Health Sciences is three years of full-time study. It is structured around two modules: coursework amounting to 30 ECTS credits, and research amounting to 150 ECTS credits.
For the coursework module, 15 ECTS credits are from mandatory courses, while the remaining 15 ECTS credits can be chosen from the programme’s elective courses, or from relevant courses offered under VID’s other PhD programmes or by other educational institutions. The PhD programme’s most important component is the candidate’s independent research, carried out under active supervision. On completion of the PhD programme, candidates are awarded the degree of Philosophiae Doctor at VID.
The programme offers 11 courses, including the thesis. Mandatory courses that all candidates on the programme will need to take, and Candidates are required to take at least one elective methodology course, but can choose between 3 courses. In combination, the programme’s courses comprehensively cover the expected learning outcomes.
The learning outcome descriptions align with the 3rd cycle /doctorate level as set out in the National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education. On completion of the programme, the candidate should have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:
Knowledge
The candidate:
Skills
The candidate:
General competence
The candidate:
The PhD programme will employ a variety of teaching, learning and assessment methods. The coursework module will include lectures, seminars and student presentations as well as independent study. Lecturers from a variety of academic backgrounds will contribute to classes, thus ensuring that students receive a broad introduction to the programme’s academic field.
Students will take part in learning activities by contributing to discussions, providing input and presentations and taking on the role of opponent. All courses attach importance to interaction through dialogue-based modes of learning, critical reflection and discussion. By including both oral and written student activities, the programme encourages the PhD candidates to develop their dissemination skills. Additionally, this enables students to form and develop their own researcher role and competence through active participation in a learning environment where academic content and research are topics for discussion and scrutiny.
The coursework module will generally encourage PhD candidates to draw on their own PhD project. Most courses achieve this by allowing candidates to personally choose some of their reading, thereby increasing the relevance of the course to their own thesis. The form of assessment used for many of the courses will also support the candidate’s work on their own PhD project, for example by asking them to choose a theme for their home exam which is closely associated with topics of relevance to the candidate’s own PhD project.
Courses are organized as block sessions, usually lasting one week, alternating between lectures and student-centred seminars. The programme values personal attendance, but hybrid teaching/hybrid solutions via digital platforms such as Zoom, Teams and Canvas are facilitated. This is to ensure that the course is widely accessible; students associated with different campuses will not have to undertake long, unnecessary journeys. Hybrid teaching programmes will also enable international students to take part even if unable to attend in person. Furthermore, hybrid solutions facilitate contributions from international guest lecturers without the need for in-person attendance. In this way, the PhD programme facilitates broad and international participation whilst also striving to achieve social sustainability.
Work on the doctoral thesis is the most important component of the PhD programme. This work involves independent research carried out under supervision. The Regulations relating to the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at VID Specialized University emphasize the importance of individual guidance in the research process and work on the thesis. Candidates will normally have two supervisors, one of whom will be appointed main supervisor. The main supervisor has the principal academic responsibility for the PhD candidate, including his/her academic development. It is also a requirement that supervisors have a doctorate in a relevant field and are actively engaged with research. At least one of the appointed supervisors should have previous experience of supervising PhD students.
The Regulations relating to the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at VID Specialized University emphasize the importance of regular contact between the PhD student and their supervisors. Supervisors offer advice on the wording and delimitation of themes and questions, discuss methodologies, findings and interpretations, consider the structure and presentation of the narrative, including its outline, language, documentation, etc. and assist with finding appropriate academic literature etc. Supervisors also give PhD students guidance on ethical issues associated with the research for their thesis.
The table below describes the workload involved for each of the courses by organized learning activities (lectures and seminars) and personal study.
Total workload, coursework and thesis
Course Organized learning activity Personal study Total
5 ECTS credits Number of hours Number of hours Number of hours
1: Health Sciences 15 120 135
2: Philosophy of science 15 120 135
and methodology in health research
3: Research ethics and 15 120 135
legislation in health research
4: Qualitative methods 15 120 135
in health research
5: Quantitative methods 15 120 135
in health research
6: Mixed methods in 15 120 135
health research
7: Health promotion 15 120 135
and preventive measures in a life course perspective
8: Innovative health 15 120 135
services and collaboration
9: Collaboration in 15 120 135
vulnerable life situations
10: Gender and health 15 120 135
11: Thesis 0 4050 4050
In addition to completing the mandatory and elective coursework modules, and attending any generic courses, candidates must contribute to a research group, preferably one of which their main supervisor is a member. Research groups offer interaction with an active academic research community where candidates present their own work and receive feedback, and where they will also have an opportunity to assess and give feedback to other people’s research. It is important to participate in research groups to become a part of a research culture and to develop critical thinking and academic discretion. At least once a year, candidates are expected to present written work for feedback from a fellow student and a researcher. They will also be expected to give feedback to a fellow student once a year. Such presentations are primarily organized by the research group.
VID organizes PhD forums where PhD candidates meet up regularly for academic discussion, exchange of experiences and social networking across campuses. The PhD forum can also be used to organize seminars with external invitees, and to present conference papers and rehearse trial lectures.
Candidates are expected to present their work at a minimum of one international conference during their time on the doctoral programme. PhD candidates are also encouraged to take part in popular dissemination of research within their own academic field.
VID also encourages their PhD candidates to apply for membership of national and international researcher schools so that they can attend courses and build networks beyond the community offered at VID. The main supervisor assists with advice and guidance in relation to relevant researcher schools, courses and PhD summer schools to ensure that the candidate acquires the academic foundation required to complete their PhD project.
Every semester, the PhD candidate and their supervisor report independently, on separate forms, on the candidate’s rate of progress and any problems that may have arisen. If a problem arises, the person in charge of the PhD programme will contact the candidate and/or supervisor to seek solutions to ensure optimal progression for the candidate’s project.
The forms of assessment used in the coursework modules are closely linked to the expected learning outcomes for each course. All exams are marked as pass/fail and have a summative as well as a formative function. This means that candidates, in addition to their grade, will receive written feedback that provides a basis for further learning. Assessments give candidates an opportunity for in-depth study and a chance to demonstrate the level of competence they have attained after completing a course. Assessments also give candidates an opportunity to focus their in-depth study to optimally support their work on their doctoral thesis.
Exams for the three mandatory courses are in the form of an essay where students discuss their own project in relation to the course themes as well as the set and individually selected reading.
There is greater variation in the forms of assessment when it comes to the elective courses. Two of the methodology courses are assessed by a home exam in the form of an essay, while the Mixed methods course requires an oral presentation of the student’s own project as well as written feedback in response to the project of a fellow student. As for the four thematically elective courses, candidates who opt for Innovative health services and collaboration will be asked to choose between making a popular science podcast or writing an opinion piece, while candidates who opt for Gender and health are asked to choose between writing a blog post or a feature article, or making a popular science podcast.
At the programme’s halfway point, candidates give a presentation of their own work and are assessed by at least two individuals, one external and one internal. This -mid-term assessment will consider the academic status and progression of the doctoral work and will provide feedback to the candidate as well as their supervisors.
The candidate must also present their work to at least one international research conference. At least once a year, candidates are also expected to give a presentation, and act as respondent to a presentation given by others. Furthermore, candidates are expected to participate in a research group.
Once the candidate’s coursework module and thesis have been approved, they will take their PhD exam, which consists of a trial lecture on a given topic, and public defence of their thesis.
The PhD programme facilitates internationalization. All courses are taught in English, including lectures and seminars. Literature for the coursework module is in English and has an international focus, which enables recruitment of international candidates for the programme. International guest lecturers are invited to contribute to the coursework modules and, if appropriate, can be appointed as supervisors for the candidates’ PhD projects.
VID has entered into international agreements with universities in Europe, the USA and Brazil, thereby ensuring that the programme’s PhD candidates can travel abroad for research residencies. Similarly, VID welcomes PhD candidates from foreign universities who would like a research residency in Norway. Most of the programme’s international agreements are based on well-established partnership arrangements that have been developed by the PhD programme’s academic community over several years.
Candidates are expected to take up at least one research residency abroad while on the PhD programme. VID will provide information and guidance concerning residency opportunities abroad when the PhD period commences. All candidates are also expected to present their research at one or more international conferences, and they are encouraged to take part in international research partnerships.
Admission requirements
Applicants must complete an admission application form in accordance with set standards and must document all relevant education and any research experience. The application must include a project description which explains why the applicant seeks admission to this PhD programme.
See further details in the Regulations relating to the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at VID Specialized University and VID’s digital PhD handbook.