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Information for prospective students

The overall goal of the PhD in Educational Sciences (UTVIT) is to strengthen the scientific foundations of teacher education programmes and professional practices in schools, kindergartens and other learning arenas. Here you can read more about admission to the PhD programme.

Who can apply

The PhD programme educates researchers with backgrounds that combine teaching/pedagogy and various academic fields. Successful candidates typically possess subject didactic or pedagogical master’s degrees, teacher educations with an integrated master’s qualification, as well as teacher education with master's degrees in e.g. English language, Nordic linguistics, Norwegian as a second language, literary studies, musicology or pedagogy. More information about the doctoral program can be found in the study plan for UTVIT.

Available positions

There are currently no available positions at UTVIT.

A complete list of all available positions at INN can be found on our website.

Admission requirements

In order to be admitted to a research study programme at INN, you must hold a master’s degree, as well as funding for the three-year duration of the programme. You must also document prior knowledge requirements and funding, as well as prepare a project description. You can find more information below.

Educational requirements

In order to be admitted to the PhD programme, an applicant must normally posess:

A. Teacher education and a master's degree in one of the programme's subject areas

B. Master's degree or equivalent in pedagogical subjects (e.g. a master's in adapted education, pedagogy or special education) or in subject specific didactics with in-depth-studies in one of the teacher education subjects that are part of the programme.

The applicant must have a strong academic foundation. For applicants with a degree from a Norwegian institution of higher education, the grade point average should normally be B or better. In cases where the grades of passed/not passed are awarded to the whole or parts of a degree, applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. See also the supplementary provisions for admission to the PhD program at INN.

Applicants without a teacher education, or who possess the equivalent of a master’s degree other than what is normally accepted as the foundation for admission, can be assessed on a case-by-case basis. So can applicants with a lower grade point average than what is normally required for admission. These applicants must provide documentation that they will plausibly be able to complete a doctoral degree study. If necessary, additional documentation or an admissions test may be required. Applicants in this category may also be requested to complete qualifying courses and/or additional studies within a given deadline. These requirements are not included in the formal requirements for admission.

Language requirements

Applicants must normally have:

Good written and oral skills in a Scandinavian language (Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish). For projects that require data collection in Norway, good proficiency in Norwegian (or Danish or Swedish) is required.
Good written and oral skills in English. Applicants from non‑English‑speaking countries must document their English proficiency in accordance with the supplementary provisions for admission to the PhD program at INN.

Some advertised positions may include additional language requirements.

Project description requirement

At the time of application for admission, a project description must be submitted. The project description must include an outline of the project’s topic, purpose, research questions, theoretical framework, methodology, and considerations related to research ethics.

Funding requirement

All projects must be fully funded in order to be considered for admission. This usually means that candidates apply for available PhD positions at INN (posted on our website) or have an external employer who will finance the project (e.g. through a public sector ph.d.), or receive support through other means.

If you apply for admission to a PhD programme with funding other than a fellowship position at INN, you must document this when applying for admission. The funding must be valid for the entire admission period (three years) and all financial matters related to the doctoral course of studies must be clarified between the funding party and INN before the application for admission can be approved.

INN requires normally that external funding covers an amount equivalent to the Research Council's rates for fellowship grants for the funding of doctoral fellows. The rate for 2025 was NOK 1 372 000 per year. This includes salary, payroll tax, social security costs, operation funds and funds for foreign stays. For all applicants who are not fully funded through scholarship schemes, documentation is required showing that at least 50 percent of the working hours of the doctoral degree programme can be used for research education, and that at least one year may be devoted to full-time studies.

Regulations

Regulations governing admission can be found here:

How to apply

All available PhD positions at INN will be posted on our website and in the job application portal JobbNorge. Applications for these positions must be submitted electronically in the JobbNorge application portal together with the required attachments.

Those who apply for admission with other financial support may submit applications independently of posted positions at INN. Please note: all projects must be fully funded in order to be considered for admission. This usually means that candidates have an external employer who will finance the project (e.g. through a public sector ph.d.), or receive support through other means. Please contact us for more information.

Required documentation

It is the responsibility of the applicant to make certain that all required attachments are included with the application. Documents submitted after the application deadline will not be considered.

INN reserves the right to request additional documentation and to verify all submitted documents.

The minimum required documents for any application include:

1. Application for admission

All applicants must include an application for admission to the UTVIT PhD programme. Download the application form here.

2. Educational documents

Applications must include the following:

Diploma and complete grade transcript for a completed master's degree or equivalent, as required by the specific program
If relevant, diplomas and grade transcripts from other studies
Documentation of competencies in English and, if required, a Scandinavian language (Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish)

Applicants with degrees from a Norwegian institution of higher education are asked to share their diploma and grade transcripts through the Diploma registry (Vitnemålsportalen).

Applicants with degrees from abroad are asked to submit:

Final degree diploma and complete grade transcript in the original language
Translations to Norwegian or English of all documents if the originals are not issued in a Scandinavian language or English. Translations must be done by an authorised translator or other professional translator.
If available, you may also include a statement of recognition from NOKUT or HK-dir.

3. Project description (research proposal)

Within the description of the research area and the content of the research fellow position, applicants must prepare a project description that includes a proposal for a progress plan for how the doctoral work can be carried out, as well as an account of theories and methods that are envisaged to be used.

The project proposal should be a maximum of 5 pages, including the reference list
The page format for the project proposal should be A4 with 2 cm margins, 11-point font (Arial, Calibri og Times New Roman), and single line spacing
For the reference list and any captions, a 9-point font may be used
The project description can be written in Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, or English.

The scientific quality of the project description is a crucial basis for determining whether applicants will be invited for an interview.

4. A list of publications

Include a list of publications if you have publications beyond your master's degree thesis.

5. Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Include a CV that shows your education and employment history, as well as other relevant information.

6. Documentation of financial support

If you are not applying for a published doctoral position, you must include documentation of financial support for the doctoral degree and/or confirmation from external employer who will finance the project.