Course credit requirements
Third-cycle programmes must include both general basic courses and subject courses.
Course credits
Doctoral students at the LTV Faculty must complete a minimum of 45 course credits and a maximum of 60 credits as part of their doctoral degree. Of these, at least 12 credits must come from general PhD courses and at least 30 credits from subject courses.
Licentiate students must complete a minimum of 22 course credits and a maximum of 30 credits. Of these, at least 6 credits must come from general PhD courses and at least 15 credits should be from subject courses.
General courses
General courses (also called basic courses) develop skills that all doctoral students need, such as statistics and scientific writing. Doctoral students are required to complete credited training in philosophy of science and research ethics. The Ethics and Philosophy of Science course (4.5 credits) is one way to fulfil this requirement and is recommended to be taken during the first or second year of doctoral studies, so that its content can inform and benefit the doctoral student's work throughout the remainder of their doctoral education. Pedagogical courses arranged by the Unit for Educational Development (EPU) are also categorised as general courses.
Subject courses
Subject courses provide advanced study and/or broadening within the doctoral student’s research field, covering both theory and methodology.
Also all Individual PhD courses (Introductory paper; Individual subject course; Seminar series; and Conference) count as subject courses (see Individual courses at LTV for more information).
Master-level courses (half the original credits)
Where it is relevant to the research project, for example to gain foundational knowledge in a field that is new to the doctoral student, they may take a master-level course and be awarded half the original number of credits. A maximum of 10 credits from master-level courses may be included in the doctoral degree.
Massive Open Online Courses/ MOOCs (maximum 3 credits)
A maximum of 3 credits from MOOCs may be included in a doctoral degree. The faculty study director of doctoral education and the main supervisor will assess whether the course standard is sufficient. The doctoral student must contact the faculty study director of doctoral education before registering for a MOOC so that this assessment can be made.