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Autumn 2014
Contents
General information on doctoral studies at Stockholm University 3
Employment for doctoral students 4
Industrial doctoral students 5
Activity reports 5
Preparations for defending your doctoral thesis 5
A final editing.. 5
A final review.. 5
Publishing a doctoral thesis 5
The minimum number of copies of the doctoral thesis that has to be printed 6
The public defence of a doctoral thesis must be announced.. 6
Finding time 7
Degree and Promotion 8
After your employment as a PhD student 8
At the Department of Statistics 8
The general study plan.. 8
An individual study plan.. 8
Supervision – see below, under Rights and Responsibilities 9
The contents of the doctoral studies 9
The Courses.. 10
The Research Seminars.. 10
The thesis.. 10
Rights and Responsibilities 10
Supervisor 10
Individual study plan as a document of rights and responsibilities 11
A workplace 12
Become a visiting researcher 12
Financing of extra costs 12
Health care 13
Insurance 13
Parental leave 13
Vacation 13
Raising your salary 14
Prolongation 14
Part time 15
Teaching 15
Sources of funding and scholarship support 15
A list of rights and responsibilities 16
Resources and advice 18
This introductory document aims to guide our new doctoral students into their doctoral studentships, and also to give information about being a doctoral student at the Department of Statistics.
We want to keep this document updated, so we are grateful if everyone, doctoral students and supervisors, contributes with their knowledge, tells us what they need to know and find in such a document, and helps to keep the information updated.
General information on doctoral studies at Stockholm University
The information at Stockholm University website states: “The general goal of research is to gain knowledge so that we may better understand the world we live in and if possible change it for the better. The purpose of PhD studies is to train doctoral students in the disciplinary and academic tradition, but above all to develop independent and critically minded researchers.”
http://www.su.se/english/research/phd-studies
http://www.su.se/forskning/utbildning-p%C3%A5-forskarniv%C3%A5
This also requires a well-functioning cooperation between department representatives, supervisors and doctoral students, where everyone is able to share their thought freely and equally.
The general rules for doctoral studies at Stockholm University are found in the Rules and Regulations, Book 2: http://www.su.se/rules/book-2/education-at-phd-level-research, and the specific rules at the Faculty for Social Sciences are stated here: http://www.samfak.su.se/polopoly_fs/1.50631.1365504657!/menu/standard/file/RiktlinjerUtbForskarniv.pdf
Employment for doctoral students
Employed doctoral students get their salary according to a fixed salary scale. The starting salary is 23700 kr. When at least half of the requirements for a doctoral degree are fulfilled the salary is raised to 25900 kr. When at least 80 % of the requirements for a doctoral degree are fulfilled the salary is raised to 27500 kr.
You may be employed as a doctoral student for no longer than eight years and the total employment may not exceed the equivalent of four years full time doctoral studies. But the employment can be prolonged if there are special reasons, such as sick leave, parental leave or commissions for the union (HsF 2006:1053).
The employed doctoral student may work for the Department of Statistics as a teacher or with administrative work, but not on more than 20 % of full time. This work entitles you to a prolongation of your employment as a doctoral student.
You have 28 days of paid vacation per year until you are 29 years old, 31 days between 30 and 39 years old and 35 days after you have turned 40 years old. Normally you should take your vacation during the summer, but exceptions can be made.
Your employment entitles you to insurances such as: employment insurance within the Swedish A-kassa, health insurance, parental leave, and all social benefits that employees at Stockholm University enjoy.
http://www.forsakringskassan.se
Industrial doctoral students
As a so called industrial doctoral student you are hired by an external employer, and do your research within this employment. You will get your salary according to your employer’s salary system. However even if you are an industrial doctoral student you must complete your doctoral studies within eight years total time, equivalent to four years full time studies. The industrial doctoral student has at least one of the supervisors at the department and the other may work at the employing company.
Activity reports
Each term your level of activity will be registered, how many percent of your employment consists of studies/teaching/other, if you are on leave full- or part time. This report lays ground for the prolongation of your doctoral studies.
Preparations for defending your doctoral thesis
A final editing..
..of the thesis may take a lot of time. It is a good idea to plan this well ahead and discuss it with your supervisor. You will also have to write a summary, and abstract with keywords, check copyrights if you are using pictures, etc.
A final review..
.. of the thesis can be made at a research seminar before the doctoral student defends his/her thesis. The thesis will also be evaluated of the department’s supervisors, “Handledarkollegiet”.
Publishing a doctoral thesis
The Faculty of Social Sciences contributes with 40000 kr for every defence of a doctoral thesis. This contribution should pay for salary and travels for the discussant (“opponent”) and travels for the examining committee (if needed). It should also contribute to the publishing costs for the doctoral thesis. If the money does not cover the publishing of the doctoral thesis, the PhD student has to seek other funding as well. The PhD student can chose between having the thesis published by a commercial publisher or by the Stockholm University Acta-series. Usually PhD students at the Department of Statistics chose the Acta-series.
For more information go to: http://www.sub.su.se/start/publicera/fragor-infor-tryckning/
http://www.sub.su.se/publish.aspx
The minimum number of copies of the doctoral thesis that has to be printed
At the latest 12 o´clock the day before the public notification date (“Spikningsdatum”) the following should be delivered in boxes to each recipient by the internal mail
3 copies in a box marked “Doktorsavhandling” to “Studentavdelningen”
97 copies in a box marked “Doktorsavhandling” to “Department of Statistics”
18 copies in a box marked “Doktorsavhandling” to “Universitetsbibliotketet”
These copies contain a “spikblad”.
The doctoral student will also receive a mailing list from his/her supervisor with all the people, departments, etc. that ought to get the thesis. The doctoral student is responsible for mailing the thesis.
(7 copies shall also be delivered by the publisher to Swedish libraries.)
http://www.su.se/polopoly_fs/1.21331.1309765903!/menu/standard/file/Minsta%20upplaga%20av%20doktorsavhandling%20vid%20Stockholms%20universitet.pdf
http://www.su.se/english/research/phd-studies/defending-your-thesis/3-title-page-swe-spikblad-1.20813
Regulations for printing a licentiate thesis
http://www.samfak.su.se/polopoly_fs/1.50637.1348043519!/menu/standard/file/Licentiatriktlinjer120905.pdf - ask your supervisor for advice!
The public defence of a doctoral thesis must be announced..
.. to the Faculty of Social Sciences at the latest six weeks ahead of the event. If the defence takes place at the beginning of the term, vacation between terms are not counted in the six weeks. It is the head of the department who informs the Faculty of Social Sciences. The information should contain a proposed chair of the defence act, a proposed opponent and examining committee. It should also contain an abstract of the thesis written by the doctoral student.
The doctoral student has to publicly notify of the upcoming defence of the thesis, by nailing the title page (in Swedish “spikdatum” and “spikblad”).
When the doctoral thesis has been publicly notified, “spikad”, we celebrate it by letting the doctoral student nail one copy of the thesis to a board in the departments lounge. The doctoral student may also expect to be celebrated with cake and coffee by his/her colleagues.
http://www.su.se/english/research/phd-studies/defending-your-thesis/3-title-page-swe-spikblad-1.20813
The doctoral student can discuss the choice of opponent with his/her supervisor. The opponent should be at least an Associate Professor (docent).
The doctoral student should also take responsibility for booking a room for the defence act, with assistance from the supervisor and the student office.
The public defence act
The public defence is usually something the doctoral student looks forward to with some nervousness. But if you attend the dissertations of your colleagues during your PhD studies you will be well prepared and have a good insight into how the defence act is usually done. Your supervisor will also support you in your preparations.
http://www.su.se/english/research/phd-studies/defending-your-thesis/doctoral-degree-1.20867
Finding time
The individual study plan (see further information on page 8 and 11) will help you with the planning of your PhD studies so that you will find sufficient time to write your thesis.
At some point in most thesis projects the author is stricken by a writer’s block. If/when this happens, the best scenario is if you can talk to your supervisor and get help sorting it out, little by little.
http://www.doktorandhandboken.nu/omutbildningen/doktorsavhandlingen/skrivkramp.4.1f7a9c7912be2e5415380002677.html
You can also ask the contact person for doctoral students for advice.
Degree and Promotion
The student counsellor will help you with applying for your doctoral degree.
When you have received your degree you will be invited to celebrate your graduation at the Stockholm City Hall, a ceremony (“Promovering”) where you will receive a diploma and a laurelwreath. The ceremony is held the last Friday in September each year, so you may have to wait for the next years’ celebration.
http://www.su.se/om-oss/akademiska-h%C3%B6gtider/professorsinstallation-doktorspromotion/n%C3%A5got-om-ceremonin-1.7414
After your employment as a PhD student
You can get help with questions regarding unemployment insurance and finding a new employment by Trygghetsstiftelsen: https://www.tsn.se/disputerad
At the Department of Statistics
The general study plan..
..for doctoral students at the Department of Statistics is approved by the Faculty of Social Sciences at Stockholm University May 21st 2007.
The study plan is currently only available in Swedish: http://www.statistics.su.se/polopoly_fs/1.101972.1348489321!/menu/standard/file/Studieplan.pdf
An individual study plan..
..should be written for each doctoral student no later than 3 months after the doctoral student is accepted at the department. The doctoral student writes the individual study plan with input from the supervisor. It should contain an outline for the following years of doctoral studies. The outline should contain both a general time plan and a description of the contents of the studies/research/work.
The individual study plan should also contain a detailed plan for the following year, and it shall be revised once a year with new detailed plans for the following term and an evaluation on how the plan has been followed. The plan should also contain information on the outline for the supervision and how the doctoral studentship is financed (Hsf 5 kap 36 §). The doctoral student, the supervisor and the head of the department should sign the individual study plan before it is binding.
http://www.su.se/regelboken/bok-2/forskarutbildning-och-forskning/2.8563/f%C3%B6reskrifter-f%C3%B6r-utbildning-p%C3%A5-forskarniv%C3%A5-vid-stockholms-universitet-1.26127
In the beginning of September the director of PhD studies reminds the PhD students to update their individual study plans. The PhD students are then required to update their study plans within a month and sign it together with their supervisors. When they are signed, the individual study plans shall be handed in to the head of the department. They are then officially registered and sent to the Faculty of Social Sciences.
The main purpose of the individual study plan is for the doctoral student to get an overview over his/her research and coursework, with a reasonable time plan which gives room for research as well as writing, attending research seminars and all other parts of the doctoral studies that has to be planned for.
The individual study plan is an important document should there be any of economic or other disagreements about the employment and responsibilities for the doctoral student. The individual study plan is in these cases binding for both parts, which for instance means that a doctoral student cannot be forced to work for the department with teaching or administration for a larger part than is agreed upon in the individual study plan.
Supervision – see below, under Rights and Responsibilities
The contents of the doctoral studies
The doctoral studies at the Department of Statistics leads to a PhD in Statistics. To earn the PhD you will have to take research courses to a total of 120 ECTS credits (not more than 60 ECTS credits of the courses can be at the master’s level) and you have to complete a thesis equivalent of 120 ECTS credits.
You may take a Degree of Licentiate in Statistics (licentiatexamen) when you have completed half of your doctoral studies; 60 ECTS credits courses and a thesis equivalent of 60 ECTS credits. The Licentiate thesis may be a part of the doctoral thesis after an agreement with the supervisor.
The Courses..
.. are partly given by the Department of Statistics, and for the rest of the coursework you will have to go to other departments/universities. Some of your conference papers can also be counted as courses. Talk to your supervisor about this. There are four mandatory courses: Inference Theory, Probability Theory, Stochastic Processes and Statistical Computation. Three of these four courses are given by the Department of Statistics, but Stochastic Processes has to be taken at another department. Our PhD students can take two undergraduate courses from the Department of Mathematics of 7.5 ECTS credits each, which together counts as a 7.5 ECTS credits course in Stochastic Processes at the PhD level in statistics.
The Research Seminars..
.. give all researchers including the doctoral students an opportunity to present their current research and receive constructive feedback from their colleagues. At the Department of Statistics the research seminars are usually given on Wednesdays, and the presentations may be made by one of the doctoral students, other researchers at the departments or by invited guests.
The thesis..
.. written at the Department of Statistics can be a compilation thesis, compiled by articles for which an introductory chapter is written to summarize the articles, or it can be a monograph. A compilation thesis should contain publishable articles.
Rights and Responsibilities
Supervisor
According to the law (Högskoleförordningen kap. 6, 28 §) all doctoral students shall have at least two supervisors, of which one should be the main supervisor. The main supervisor has the ultimate responsibility, but the assistant supervisor can take care of the main part of the supervision, if this is agreed upon.
A supervisor can help with: