How is the workday?
As a PhD candidate, you will work in an environment of committed research colleagues. You will be able to decide on your work schedule, as long as you are not engaged in PhD courses, teaching, conferences or deadlines in the project.
You will be trained to become a highly skilled analytic. At the same time, you will meet students through teaching duties and solve research questions with others in your research group – answers to questions that will provide an impact on society.
You will be able to travel abroad for research stays, join national and international conferences where you meet passionate researchers within your own field.
At UiB you will work in an egalitarian structure, where you will be given responsibility and shown confidence from the head of research.
Motivated? Skills to make you prosper
In order to succeed as a PhD candidate, you need to be structured and take initiatives. You need to see the value of teamwork. It is definitely an asset if you enjoy teaching and dissemination. In return, PhD education gives you a lot of opportunities!
Your rights as an employee
As a PhD research fellow, you receive a salary and obtain temporary staff employee rights. If you become a parent or become ill, you have the right to take paid leave from your research. Thus, the end-date of your fellowship will become extended.
How to apply for admission to the PhD programme?
Admission requires that you have completed a Master’s education, normally of at least five years. Full funding is also required, in addition to a PhD project description. The remaining requirements differ between faculties, academic fields and the specific PhD research fellow vacancy. For more information on faculty-specific requirements, please see "The PhD programmes" below.
Broadly speaking there are two ways to fund your PhD education. Firstly, you can apply for and receive a PhD research fellowship at UiB. The research fellowships are announced at
If you have obtained a PhD position at UiB, some faculties will admit you to the PhD programme in the same process. At other faculties the fellowship recruitment and admission to the PhD programme will be somewhat separated. The faculty relevant for your academic field can inform you on the applicable arrangement.
A second way to obtain funding, is through a research fellowship or other kinds of funding through a private firm or public institution outside of UiB. If you have funding and employer external to UiB you will in all instances need to apply for admission to the PhD programme in a separate process. If this applies to you, please contact relevant faculty.
If you have both funding and employer from outside of Norway, here is information on some practical and formal matters: International PhD students with external financing