Our doctoral education

To be able to enter doctoral-level education at Södertörn University, you must fulfil the general and specific entry requirements.

General entry requirements

You fulfil the general entry requirements if you have

1. has been awarded a Master’s degree,
2. completed the course requirements for at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits were at Master’s level in the relevant subject, or
3. acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

The university may permit an exemption from the general entry requirements if there are special grounds.

Specific entry requirements

Specific entry requirements vary from subject to subject, but they must be necessary for ensuring that students are able to assimilate knowledge from the doctoral programme. They may include knowledge from higher education or the equivalent, specific professional or vocational experience, necessary language skills or other factors.

Information on specific entry requirements is available in the subject’s general syllabus.

Appended documentation

Everything you wish to refer to and all your appended documents, including your transcripts, must be submitted via our ReachMee application system, where vacancies are published and applications submitted. Assessment panels cannot access transcripts in LADOK.

Information about vacant doctoral positions at Södertörn University is found on the page for Vacant Positions.

Södertörn University has an annual call for applications for doctoral positions. Vacancies are generally advertised from mid-January to mid-February. Admission decisions are made in the spring, usually in April/May, and the programme and employment start on 1 September in the same year.

Occasionally, doctoral positions may also be advertised at other times during the year.

For information about current vacancies, please visit Vacant positions. You can use the “Subscribe” link to sign up for email notification of doctoral positions.

Where can I find information about doctoral education at Södertörn University?

Information is found on the webpages for doctoral-level education, as well as on the employee web’s pages for doctoral students.

I am applying from abroad. Where can I find information about moving to Sweden to study?

The “Foreign doctoral students” page on the employee web has links to relevant pages.

Can I apply for more than one doctoral position?

Yes, you may apply for multiple positions.

Will I need to pay tuition fees?

No.

Do I need to know Swedish to apply?

Only if this requirement is stated in the advert.

Do I need to know English to apply?

The ability to assimilate scholarly work in English and to command the language necessary for work on the thesis are necessary for admission to the programme.

What are the language requirements for the application and associated documents?

An application for a place on a programme can be made in Swedish, English, Danish or Norwegian, unless otherwise stated in the advertisement. Applicants with degree projects in a language other than those listed above must append them in their entirety, along with a summary of about 14,000 characters in one of the abovementioned languages. Certificates, grades and degree certificates in other languages must be translated to Swedish or English. The translation must be done by an authorised translator.

Do I need to include essays/dissertations from Bachelor’s and Master’s levels?

If the specific entry requirements demand essays/dissertations from both levels, the assessment panel wants to assess your progress between your Bachelor’s and Master’s work. However, not all subjects require this; please check the advertisement for the specific entry requirements.

What is a project plan/research plan?

The project plan/research plan should present the research problem, appropriate theories, methods and delimitations, as well as previous research in the field. If you are applying to the Baltic and East European Graduate School, your project plan must also describe the project’s relevance to the Baltic Sea and Eastern European region. Please refer to the advertisement for information about the scope of the plan.

Do I need to submit grades that are in Swedish systems for study documentation (such as LADOK)?

Yes, you must. The assessment panel cannot retrieve grades from LADOK (or equivalent systems).

Do I need to append my degree certificate?

If you have a degree certificate, it must be appended. If you do not have a degree certificate, you can append an extract from LADOK or a similar study documentation system. This must clearly show that you have the higher education credits to fulfil the general entry requirements (at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 must be at Master’s level) and the subject’s specific entry requirements (see the entry requirements in the advertisement or in the subject’s general syllabus).

Whom should I choose as a referee?

Your references should be familiar with your academic performance and able to attest to your academic progress and ability. We need the contact details of two people.

Are previous publications necessary to be able to apply?

You do not need to have published work in Swedish or any other language to apply for a doctoral position. If you have published work, you can append up to three publications.

Can I submit additional information after the application deadline?

An application for a place on a programme must have been received by the university by the deadline stated in the advertisement. Submit your application, together with any supporting documents, before 23:59 on the day of the deadline.

Applicants may supplement their application with grades and certificates that prove their eligibility and/or qualifications up to ten working days after the deadline. However, this only applies provided that the education or qualifications to which the applicant refers have been completed with a pass grade by the application deadline.

As a doctoral student at Södertörn University, what will I be paid?

Your pay is regulated in a local collective agreement (the salary scale for doctoral students) and is decided by the university after negotiation with the unions. The salary scale has four levels and is based upon the length of employment.

All levels on the salary scale for doctoral students are on the university’s intranet, the employee web.