Södertörn University has around one hundred active doctoral students in the humanities, social and natural sciences. Most of them undertake their doctoral education in one of the five areas for which the university has degree-awarding powers. There is cooperation with other Swedish universities around doctoral education and Södertörn University is a partner in multiple national graduate schools. The areas, each of which also comprises a strong research environment, are:

• Historical Studies: Historical Studies is an area of the humanities in which aspects of society, culture and heritage are studied from the perspectives of a range of subjects.
• Critical and Cultural Theory: Critical and Cultural Theory is a research area dedicated to the critically motivated study of cultural artefacts and practices.
• Environmental Studies: Södertörn University has shouldered the task of integrating the approaches of the Natural Sciences and Social Sciences to create a modern, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary area: Environmental Studies.
• Politics, Economy and the Organisation of Society: This area studies changes and interactions in the institutions of modern society, in its organisation and in people’s lives.
• Studies in the Educational Sciences: Studies in the Educational Sciences is a research area that examines changes to and the preservation of culture, knowledges and values in relation to educational institutions.

An international, multidisciplinary graduate school has also existed since 2001:

• BEEGS – the Baltic and East European Graduate School

A doctoral programme covers four years of full-time study (240 credits) and concludes with a doctoral degree. It is also possible to end the programme half-way and receive a licentiate degree. Eligibility requirements are available via the Eligibility and Admissions link.

A doctoral programme consists partly of courses and partly of an autonomous research project that leads to a scholarly thesis. The Swedish Council for Higher Education has more information about doctoral education and on the rights, obligations and conditions for doctoral students.