May I submit my project proposal or otherwise appeal for advice regarding my application in general or my project proposal in particular prior to the application deadline?
• No. We are unable to provide such guidance and requests for advice will be declined.
I would like to contact the Department to express my interest in the position. Is this advised?
• No. Contacting the Department to express your interest in the position in no way strengthens your application. Initial contact is fielded by people other than the selection committee and is not registered or otherwise taken into consideration.
The position is for a period of 3 years without compulsory work or four years with compulsory work (primarily teaching duties). What does this entail?
• Applicants for such positions will be considered for teaching duties if the applicant’s interests and skill sets match teaching needs as defined by the Department at the time of hiring. If teaching duties are assigned, the successful applicant will be given a contract for four years with 25% teaching duties. Contracts without teaching duties are for three years.
Applicants must have a master's degree. How do I document my degree status?
• Applicants must submit a copy of their master's diploma by the closing deadline.
• Candidates who have completed their degree studies and/or have submitted their thesis for review by the closing date and are waiting for final documentation may submit a statement that their diploma and/or transcripts are forthcoming. The review committee is, however, not obligated to consider incomplete applications and incomplete applications may be disqualified.
Applicants must have a master’s degree in sociology/human geography (depending on the position) (or equivalent). What does this mean?
• Applicants who do not have a degree in sociology or human geography (depending on the position) may still apply for a fellowship if they can demonstrate in their application letter that their training has prepared them to complete a PhD in said field. Furthermore, the project itself must fall within the scope of the relevant field.
• Please note that the applicant must themselves evaluate these questions and demonstrate relevance, we are unable to advise in questions regarding relevance or scope.
Applicants must have prior education that corresponds to 5 years at the university level, with two years (120 ECTS) at the master's level. What does this mean?
• Prior education must correspond to 5 years of education at the university level in Norway in a relevant field, with two years (120 credits) at the master's level.
• Applicants with a one-year master's degree must submit an appeal for an individual assessment (max 1 page) in which they demonstrate that they have completed research work equivalent to at least half a year's relevant scientific workload.
May I apply with a one-year master's degree?
• Applicants with a one-year master's degree must submit an appeal for an individual assessment (max 1 page) in which they demonstrate that they have completed research work equivalent to at least half a year's relevant scientific workload.
May I apply without a master's thesis?
• Only candidates submitting a master's thesis will be considered.
• Extended essays or collections of essays are not accepted as a substitute for a master's thesis.
What is the required grade point average?
• Applicants must have average grades of A or B. This applies to the master's degree in general and to the master's thesis and methods courses in particular.
What should be included in the application letter?
• Please describe your motivation for applying for the position and how your background is relevant for the position. Describe how your project fits with the Department's research profile.
• If your educational background is not within the discipline specified in the call, describe how your background and/or project fall within the scope of the Department's research profile.
Is there a required template for the project proposal?
• No. You may, however, find the following useful: Guidelines to writing a project proposal: Guidelines for the project proposal when applying for admission - Faculty of Social Sciences
What format should supporting documents be in?
• We do not currently require any specific format for CVs or other supporting documents.
Applicants who have completed their education outside of the EU/EEA-area and who do not have English as a native language or who have not completed an English-language master's degree program must meet language requirements. How do I document this?
• The Faculty of Social Science requires indicate the skill level needed in order to successfully complete the PhD programme:
- OEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language, with a minimum result of 550 on the Paper-based Test (PBT), or 80 on the Internet-Based Test (iBT).
- IELTS – International English Language Testing Service, with the result 6.0.
The following applicants are exempted from the above requirements:
- Applicants from member countries of the EU/EEA and/or the European Council / UNESCO-Cepes, and whose first foreign language is English, taken over a period of at minimum 7 years in primary and secondary school. The applicant must provide documentation of this.
- Applicants who have completed a Bachelors' degree and/or Master's degree in which English was the language of instruction.
- Applicants with an A-level examination in English.
Residence in Norway is expected. Is this an absolute requirement?
• Yes. We expect fellows to take up residence in the greater Oslo- metropolitan area and daily presence at the Department.
• PhD fellows are, however, encouraged to spend time abroad during the fellowship period in conjunction with fieldwork or research visits at another institution.
Applicants will be assessed on the quality and the relevance of the project proposal, the quality of the master's thesis, their academic grades and their academic and personal prerequisites to carry out the project. What does this mean?
• Applicants will first be assessed on the basis of their project proposal, master's thesis and their academic grades. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview, during which academic and personal prerequisites will also be evaluated.
• Applicants who have scientific publications may list these in their CV or provide a separate list of publications but actual publications are not to be submitted. This is in line with current thinking that PhD fellowships are to be regarded as recruitment positions. Any scientific work the applicant may have published will be considered in relation to the length of time and work experience after completion of MA studies, but these will not be weighted significantly.
May I submit publications as part of my application?
• No. Please see above.
The application with attachments must be submitted in our electronic recruiting system. Is this an absolute rule?
• Yes. No documents may be submitted via email or by mail.
Please note that all documents must be in English (or a Scandinavian language). Is this an absolute rule?
• Yes. In order to ensure our ability to assess all applicants, only documents in English or a Scandinavian language will be reviewed.
• Transcripts and diplomas should be issued in English. If your institution does not provide this, copies of the original documents should be provided with official translations.
• Translated summaries of master’s thesis will not suffice. If submitting a translated master's thesis in full, please indicate how the thesis was translated.
Are there templates available for the project proposal?
• The Faculty of Social Sciences provides guidelines for the project proposal but it is not compulsory to follow the suggested format.
Are page limits for the proposal and letter of application absolute?
• Yes. If the position specifies a page limit then this is to be considered absolute. All aspects of the required document (footnotes, references, etc.) must fall within the set limit.
My academic training and/or background is not in sociology or human geography (depending on the position). May I still apply?
• Please refer to question 2.
When is the starting date for the position?
• If not stated explicitly, the starting date may be negotiated. We generally expect fellows to start within three months of having been made an offer. The PhD programme of study starts in the Fall semester and starting dates may be coordinated accordingly.
How long does the hiring process take and when will applicants be notified of the result?
• The hiring process will in general take at least three months.
• Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview.
• Shortlisted candidates will be informed of the final hiring decision as soon as the Department Board has voted.
• Non-shortlisted applicants will receive information through JobbNorge once the position has been filled.
Are applicants expected to secure a supervisor or otherwise establish contact with the Department before applying?
• No. A supervisor will be assigned upon hiring and enrollment in the PhD programme.
I have already have a PhD. May I still apply?
- The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research has stated that someone who has completed a doctoral degree in a subject area cannot be re-employed in such a position to pursue another doctoral education within the same subject area.
- No one can be employed for more than one fixed-term period in the same position category at the same institution. This excludes candidates who have already been employed as a PhD 1017 at UiO from consideration.
I am not a Norwegian citizen nor currently resident in Norway. May I still apply?
• Yes. All nationalities are invited to apply.
• Residence in Norway is expected once taking up the position.
How should my documents be submitted?
• Please ensure that your documents are submitted in the order presented under How to apply.
• Documents should be uploaded individually and named accordingly, e.g. Letter of application, Project proposal, CV.
• Please do NOT create a single PDF or other file for all documents.
When will listed references be contacted?
• References will only be contacted for shortlisted candidates and then only after an interview has taken place. References do not need to be included at the time of application.