A PhD student shall divide his time between

•    A research assignment which shall lead to a licentiate or doctoral degree

•    Courses at postgraduate level, providing introduction, depth and diversification

•    Possible departmental duties, e.g. assistant teaching to basic or advanced-level students

All PhD students must have adequate funding during the whole period of their studies, guaranteed by the department to which they are attached.

Planning and monitoring

Planning and monitoring of research studies is a joint engagement for the graduate student, the appointed supervisor and others involved in the department’s research training. Key factors are the individual study plan, which should be revised annually, and regular discussions between the research student and the head of the department or his appointed representative.

If the research concept or its results are deemed commercially viable, some form of agreement should be established in writing between those involved. At an early stage before publication of the results, assistance should be sought from Patent Guidance for Scientists and/or Uppsala University Development Ltd.

Employment and study 

The main areas that concern the rights and duties of doctoral students with regard to paid and unpaid study are listed below. Students at postgraduate level find themselves in a borderland between studies and employment, more often with emphasis on the latter, depending on how they are funding their studies.

• Rights and obligations, medical care and health issues, insurances and other social benefits are diffent if you are employed (PhD studentship), have a doctoral grant or other funding – see Personnel Administration Office website.
• Study grants and other funding.
• Health care. The university has an agreement with the county health service Länshälsan which covers all who have at least 20% employment.
• Supervision and relations with one’s supervisor, change of supervisor
• Personnel training. Holders of PhD studentships and study grants, as university employees, have the right to participate in internal training courses, such as those organized by the Office for Development of Teaching and Learning, the facultys Council for Educational Development (TUR) and Competence forum.
• The working environment
• Withdrawal of funding and supervision – see University guidelines
• Change of degree subject, see "before PhD degree or licentiate degree"

Parental leave of absence

Doctoral students are entitled to up to three months extension of their postgraduate appointment as compensation for the time taken to start up research after a longer period (min. 4 continuous months) of parental leave of absence. Extensions are allowed only until the public defence of the dissertation. See also the Faculty’s equal opportunity programme and information available from the Personnel Office.

Early termination or change of subject

When a postgraduate student terminates his/her studies or changes subject /specialisation, this must be notified in Uppdok. See further in the university regulations and guidelines under ‘Documentation of information on doctoral students: Termination of Studies’ (in Swedish).