Progress
The doctoral education has a nominal duration of three years. A continuous progression is important, therefore, to ensure that you finish on time.
Main content
The department is responsible for reviewing and following up on the annual progress reports for its candidates. This applies to both the research project and coursework component. The reports must be processed by the department's PhD education committee. A summary report from the department shall be submitted to the faculty and processed by the PhD programme board. The PhD programme board reviews the department's summary reports and assesses the need for systematic measures.
The information below is a guide to systems and procedures that help candidates and supervisors keep track of their progress. You will also find information on different circumstances that may influence the progress in your PhD education.
PhD registration
All PhD candidates at UiB are required to register every semester to confirm that they are active in the PhD education. Deadline for registration is 1 February and 1 September. The registration takes place via Studentweb where candidates can register for courses, plus update and keep track of the information that is registered on the candidate.
Section 1 is an introduction listing the rights and duties of students/candidates at UiB.
Section 2 displays the education plan. Here you can pick courses from your own department or faculty. It is also possible to search for courses at other departments and faculties, and courses in future semesters.
Section 3 is Status and overview. This section displays the training component and other obligatory elements that are a part of your education plan. It also displays the courses you have passed. Section 3 also has a sub section called PhD. This shows registered supervisors, leaves of absence and the expiry date for your doctoral education, amongst other things.
Section 4 shows your registered, current contact information. You can edit this information.
When you have completed the registration, an e-mail will be sent to you.
The PhD registration must be completed by 1 September in the autumn semester and 1 February in the spring semester.
Frequently asked questions
What about courses taken other places than UiB?
Documentation on external courses must be sent to the relevant department/faculty immediately upon successful completion. After it has been accredited, the course will be displayed in Studentweb.
To whom does PhD registration apply?
All candidates, including candidates admitted the same year, must register. PhD registration also applies to external candidates who have been admitted to doctoral education at UiB. PhD candidates who are on leave of absence or are absent for other reasons must also complete the PhD registration in order to confirm that they are still in the doctoral education, explaining that they are on leave of absence or are absent for other reasons.
What if the training component already has been approved?
All candidates must register. If the entire training component has been approved, you will only need to check information related to aspects other than the training component, and confirm that your status is still active as a PhD candidate. You must still complete the registration, even if you do not add subjects or have subjects in the plan for the current semester.
Can you log on to Studentweb outside the ordinary registration periods?
It is possible to log on to Studentweb and register for PhD courses outside the ordinary registration periods.
What about semester fees?
Most PhD-candidates are employed as research fellows and are therefore exempt from paying the semester fee.
Good luck!
Progress reporting
PhD candidates and main supervisors are required to submit separate written reports on the progress in the doctoral education. Every autumn semester the Division of Research Administration will send out an e-mail with a link to the survey. The deadline for submission is 1 November.
The relevant department and faculty will read through completed reports. In order to ensure that the doctoral education is completed within the nominal timeframe, the faculty, the department, supervisors and the PhD candidate are obliged to actively follow up matters that can lead to delays or non-completion of the education.
Deficient or unsatisfactory progress reporting may lead to mandatory termination of the doctoral education before the end of the study period. Supervisors who neglect progress reporting may lose the right to supervise.
Leaves of absence, duty work and expiry of funding
Leaves of absence for legally authorized reasons will lead to a corresponding extension of the study period. Examples of such leaves are parental leave, absence due to illness and various kinds of welfare leave. It is therefore important that candidates with external employers inform the faculty or department about all leaves that have been authorized.
As a rule, a UiB PhD research fellow is not allowed to take a second job during the contract period of the fellowship. The research fellow may apply for a leave of absence, however, to take on another assignment relevant to the PhD project. If such an application is approved, the study period will be extended correspondingly.
Many research fellows will have duty work in addition to the doctoral education period of three years. The standard period of duty work is one year and may consist of lecturing, leading seminars, administrative tasks, assistance provided for an affiliated research project or representation on boards or committees. The employer must make sure that the duty work provides the research fellow with relevant competence. It is of utmost importance that the employer and research fellow agree on efficient arrangements for planning and keeping track of the duty work.
If the PhD candidate does not complete the doctoral education by the prescribed date, he/she must apply for an extension of the study period. The application must include a realistic plan for completion. The study right will be terminated if the candidate does not apply for an extension or if the application for extension is rejected. The faculties have different routines for following up candidates who do not complete the doctoral education within the standard three-year period.
Midway assessment
All PhD candidates at UiB must undergo midway assessment. As a rule, the midway assessment will include academic input from researchers within the PhD candidate's field and related fields.
As with the regular reporting, the purpose of the midway assessment is to help the PhD candidate identify issues that entail a risk of delaying the project or bringing it to a halt, and to offer input intended to enhance the quality of the work. The faculty, supervisors and the PhD candidate are required to follow up actively on issues that entail a risk of delays or a risk of failure to complete the PhD education.
It is up to the faculties to decide the most suitable way of implementing the midway assessment. However, the following elements should constitute a minimum standard for the midway assessment of the candidates:
- Must be a part of the overall follow-up of the candidate
- Must include an evaluation of the status of progress of the research project and the training component
- Must be carried out as a seminar
- Must result in a realistic plan for the completion of the doctoral education
- Should result in a fixed plan of action for candidates who does not satisfy the expected progression
- in cases where the candidate does not satisfy expected progression, a meeting should be held between the candidate, supervisor and at least one representative from the department leadership, around six months after the mid-way assessment
Extension of PhD periode
