During

Training Component

The PhD programme's training component covers four mandatory courses and includes lectures and student activities. 

Annual amount

The research fellow will have an annual amount stipulated by the Board at their disposal (currently NOK 25,000 per year) for materials, books, travel etc. in connection with the research work and publication of the work. The annual amount rules are described in more detail in the personnel regulations for research fellows.

Midway seminar

The midway seminar is an optional milestone where the candidate presents their thesis work in an open seminar. If the candidate chooses to have a midway seminar, this should be done in addition to the PhD Colloquium. Ideally, the presentation should be given in the third semester and include:

• A description of the research project, research questions and choice of method.
• A description of the project's results so far.
• An updated progress plan for the research project with dated sub-goals, as well as an assessment of which points in the plan have the potential to be the most time-critical.

• Substantiation that the work will be completed as planned (as of now) and on schedule.

  The candidate begins by presenting their work (approx. 20 minutes). The work will then be discussed by one/two opponents (internal/external opponents). They will have approximately 20 minutes for comments. Finally, the other participants at the seminar will have the opportunity to ask the candidate questions. 

The main supervisor chairs the seminar. The candidates, opponents and supervisor(s) must also participate. The seminar is otherwise open to anyone who is interested.

The candidate shall send out a written supporting document for the presentation two weeks before the seminar. The supporting document shall contain an overview of the whole of the thesis work so far, including the key research questions, theoretical framework and methodology. The supporting document shall also contain a plan for the remaining work.

Progress reporting

All students admitted to the PhD programme at AHO must fill in an ISP (Individual Study Plan) yearly. An exception applies to candidates whose public defence has been confirmed or who are on long-term sick leaves/leaves of absence. The Research Administration and Head of the PhD programme will send out a reminder prior to each scheduled report. 

The ISP is divided into three parts. Parts 1 and 2 are public and used to keep the school updated on the project’s content, activity plan and publications, as well as completed courses. Part 3 is confidential and will not be made public. This part will be filled in by the supervisor in cooperation with the candidate.

The updated ISP shall be submitted to the Research Administration by the deadline. As a follow-up, candidates will be invited to a 25-minute meeting with the Head and the Coordinator of the PhD Programme.

The PhD Programme Board will be informed about the progress reporting at least once a year. 

• Individual study plan template

Absence and extension of periods

In cases of approved absence, an extension of the research fellowship period may be granted. For information about what constitutes approved absence, see AHO's personnel regulations (in Norwegian).

Approval of ECTS points

During your PhD, you are required to complete 30 ECTS credits. The mandatory courses in the training component account for a total of 18 ECTS credits. These include the first-year courses Apparatus Reading and Designing Research Methods, as well as the two courses Apparatus Writing and Apparatus Framing, which are taken during the second or third year of study. The mandatory courses are automatically approved, and you therefore do not need to apply for approval of these courses.

In addition to the mandatory 18 ECTS credits, you must obtain approval for activities equivalent to 12 ECTS credits, bringing the total training component to 30 ECTS credits. The PhD Programme Board is responsible for approving ECTS credits. You may apply for approval of credits for the following activities:
Advanced institute seminar presentations at AHO (up to 2 ECTS credits)

• External courses related to your individual field of study, taken through, for example, national or international research schools
• PhD courses or specially designed collaborative courses with AHO’s master's programmes
• Research dissemination

Please refer to the application form for examples of what may be considered research dissemination. One ECTS credit should correspond to approximately 25 to 30 hours of work.

How to Apply for Approval

• The application form must be completed by the candidate and signed by the main supervisor.
• Use one application form for each activity.
• Documentation for each activity must be attached to the relevant application form and submitted as a single PDF file to the PhD Coordinator.

Example:

If you wish to apply for approval of five different activities, you should submit five PDF documents, no more and no less.

Examples of documentation:

• A screenshot and a link to a website where your name is listed.
• A programme or schedule listing your name.
• Other documentation confirming your participation in the activity.

Candidates are responsible for keeping their own overview of approved ECTS credits and retaining all relevant supporting documentation, including confirmations from the Programme Board (via the PhD Coordinator) of approved credits. As only limited information can be recorded for each credit registration, maintaining such records will make it easier to identify and document approved activities at a later stage, if needed.

​Download form for approval of ECTS points for external courses and other activities (PDF)