Social Sciences

In Norwegian institutions of higher education, there is no tradition for direct application and admission to PhD programs.

Admission to a program is sought either after you have received funding for a project from a funding organization, equivalent of a full time position for minimum three years in Norway,  or by applying to a research fellow position in an institution of higher education. These positions are listed throughout the year, with different application dates. 

You must have completed a master's degree of 120 ECTS in social sciences, the humanities, and/or fields relevant to the specialisations in the PhD programme.

A completed master's degree of 90 ECTS may be considered as a basis for admission if your master's degree contains an independent work with a master's thesis of at least 30 ECTS. In addition, one of the following three criteria must be met:

• Advanced methodological knowledge in the form of completed master's course or documented exam in methods / theory of science at master's level
• A Scientific article assumed in a peer-reviewed journal and/or book article in a peer-reviewed book
• Relevant research experience

Grade requirements

Applicants must have a B or better on the master's thesis and an average grade B or better on the master's degree. In special cases, applicants with a grade of C may be considered for admission. In such cases, particularly relevant experience related to one's own research project and / or scientific publications may contribute to strengthening the application.
Admission is based on a comprehensive assessment of the application, including the relevance and quality of the project description, and funding.

Applications for admission must contain the following:

• Project description. The project description shall describe the topic, research question, theoretical basis, and choice of method
• Progress plan for the doctoral work.
• Documentation of the applicant's educational background and completed research work
• A plan for the training component
• A funding plan
• A proposal for academic supervisor(s)

In addition, you should provide information in which the language you wish to write your doctoral thesis. You may also be asked to provide information about possible problems in accordance with rights to intellectual property and if relevant special needs regarding infrastructure. In you have comprehensive data collection, you must clarify how this will be financed. 

Admission is based on a total assessment of the application, including the relevance and quality of the project description. The quality of the applicant's master's degree thesis/thesis at second degree level and other written work can also be taken into consideration. Admission is subject to funding being approved.

Decisions on admission are made by the Research Education Board (DGU) at the Faculty of Social Sciences, OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University. Upon admission to the programme DGU will assign you a supervisor/supervisors. The main supervisors or one of the supervisors has to be  employed at the Faculty of Social Science or otherwise formally associated with the programme's specializations.

The PhD program is an organised research education, and candidates shall participate in research groups. Externally funded candidates participate in research groups at their own workplace or in one of the faculty's research groups.

You will find the requirements for application in the programplan PhD programme in social sciences  (student.oslomet.no).

• General information about admission (ansatt.oslomet.no).
• Template for the project outline

Application for single PhD courses

The single PhD courses are only for PhD candidates.

• Internal PhD candidates  sign up for the courses in StudentWeb (fsweb.no), and send a summary of their project, max one page, to the PhD Administration.

• External PhD candidates apply through Søknadsweb (fsweb.no) and upload  required documentation such as:
  Certified copy of admission to a PhD programme, programme summary of approximately one A4 sized sheet including information about your PhD project, topic, method, theoretical approach, and why this course will be relevant for your project.

Maximum number of participants varies from 10 to 15.

The programme has four specialisations, based in each of the faculty’s four departments:

• Business Administration, Innovation and Governance, BIG (Oslo Business School)
• Journalism and Media Studies, JMF (Department of Journalism and Media Studies)
• Information, Library and Archival Studies, IBA (Department of Archivistics, Library and Information Science)
• Social Work and Social Policy, SASP (Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy)

All PhD candidates must be affiliated with one of the four specialisations. The Social Work and Social Policy and Information, Library and Archival Studies specializations are continuations of SAM’s two existing PhD programmes, which will be incorporated under the umbrella of the new PhD in Social Sciences.

The PhD in Social Sciences is a full-time, 180 ECTS credit programme. Upon completion and passing of the programme, the candidate will be awarded the degree PhD in Social Sciences. The candidate’s specialization will be named on the transcript and diploma.

For more information about this PhD programme and an overview of the PhD courses, take a look at the programme description (student.oslomet.no). 

The PhD programme consists of an educational (coursework) component (30 ECTS credits) and a research component comprising the doctoral thesis (150 ECTS credits). The programme is intended to be completed within an effective researcher training period of three years, alternatively four years including mandatory duties (pliktarbeid).

Research component (doctoral thesis)

The doctoral thesis is the main component of the PhD degree, comprising 150 ECTS credits. The doctoral thesis consists of independent research work carried out in active cooperation with a supervisor (or supervisors) and other researchers. 

Training component

The training component is intended to underpin the PhD candidate's research. The training component comprises a mixture of obligatory and common courses/ requirements (required for all candidates to the programme); obligatory but not common components (specialization-specific requirements; methods requirements); and an elective component. 

The obligatory and common requirements at the programme level total 10 ECTS credits. 

• Philosophy of science (5 ECTS credits) will give candidates a deeper understanding of foundational philosophical issues in knowledge production. The Philosophy of science (oslomet.no) is offered by the Centre for the Study of Professions (SPS) at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.
• Research ethics (5 ECTS credits). Research ethics considers ethical issues that arise in all stages of research and introduces tools and guidelines to conduct research responsibly. The Research ethics (oslomet.no) is offered by the Centre for the Study of Professions (SPS) at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

The educational component also comprises a specialization-specific requirement amounting to 5 ECTS credits. The goal of the obligatory course at the specialization level is to provide candidates with an understanding of the foundational theories, concepts, and approaches within the field(s) of study, including how these relate to methodological choices. 

• BIG: Business Administration, Innovation and Governance.
  Candidates will be required to take a 5 ECTS credit course on fundamental concepts and discourses in business administration, innovation and governance. 
• JMF: Journalism and Media Studies.
  Candidates will be required to take a 5 ECTS credit course that introduces central theories and research traditions in media production, and examines political, economic, social, technological and cultural developments in the media field in the Norwegian and international contexts. 
• IBA: Information, Library and Archival Studies.
  Candidates will be required to take a mandatory course (5-7.5 ECTS credits) on Theories of Information and Library Science and Archival Science. The course is structured such that 5 ECTS credits are mandatory and 2.5 ECTS credits are an elective component.  
• SASP: Social Work and Social Policy.
  Candidates will be required to take a mandatory theory course (5 ECTS credits) on Concepts in Social Work and Social Policy. 

Methods training amounting to 10 ECTS credits is also obligatory. Doctoral candidates are free to choose which courses are relevant to their project. Methods courses can be taken at OsloMet or at other universities in Norway and abroad, subject to approval from The Faculty of Social Sciences Research Education Board. In the case of candidates in the PIBA specialization, 5 of the methods credits may be waived if deemed appropriate due to the topic of the doctoral thesis.

The final 5 ECTS credits will be used on an elective course of the candidate’s choosing, in consultation with her/his supervisor(s). Elective courses can be taken at OsloMet or at other universities in Norway and abroad, subject to approval from The Faculty of Social Sciences Research Education Board.

For courses you would like to take outside the PhD programme, you have to apply for pre-approval. To be approved as part of your 30 credits training component,  the course should involve a written assessment.  This means that participation in a seminar, workshop or similar, will normally not yield any credits.

Specialization courses, all 5 credits

• BIG: Fundamental Concepts and Discourses in Business Administration, Innovation and Governance, PS9100
• JMF: Media Development and Media Production, PS9200
• IBA: Theories in Library and Information Science, PS9300 
• SASP: Ideas and concepts in social work and social policy, PS9400

Mandatory courses

• Philosophy of science, SPOVIT, 5 credits. The course is offered at OsloMet, the Centre for the Study of Professions (SPS) each spring
• Research ethics, PHDPR9110, 5 credits. The course is offered at OsloMet, the Centre for the Study of Professions (SPS),  fall 2024

Elective courses

• Action Research and Practice Research, SP9250, 5 credits, spring 2024
• Current Research in Library and Information Science, PBIB9300, 5 credits, on demand
• Children in the welfare state: Understanding and research approaches, SP9260, 5 credits, spring 2023
• Dialogues of knowledges in research, PS9700, 5 credits. Language of tuition: Spanish, fall
• Critical Engagements: Social Sciences in a Changing Society, PS9001, 5 credits, fall 2024
• Intersectionality: Interaction of Social Categories, SP9230, 5 credits, fall 2023
• Safety of journalists, PS9500, 5 credits, fall
• Qualitative methods, SP9100, 10 credits, spring
• Social inequality, health and work inclusion: theory, research approaches and empirical findings, SP9300 5 credits, fall 2024

For courses you would like to take outside the PhD programme, you have to apply for pre-approval. To be approved as part of your 30 credits training component,  the course should involve a written assessment.  This means that participation in a seminar, workshop or similar, will normally not yield any credits.