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PhD in Sociology

Doctoral degree

The PhD program in sociology is a research education program culminating in the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD). This is the highest academic degree you can take within a subject. The program provides a high academic competence that is relevant to research, administration and business.

Three year study
The PhD programme in sociology is an educational programme scheduled to take three years of full-time study, leading to the PhD degree in Sociology. 

The PhD programme is made up of a training component equivalent to at least 30 ECTS credits (one semester of full-time study) and a dissertation.

The dissertation is an independent piece of scientific work meeting international standards within the subject area. After approval, the dissertation is then defended at a public disputation.

The training component includes the theory of science, ethics and research methods, together with courses providing a deeper understanding in topics relevant to the dissertation. 

The training programme is provided in full at Nord University. Students can also choose to follow courses approved by Nord University at other institutions or universities in Norway or abroad.

Why take a PhD degree?
A doctoral degree qualifies candidates for research activity and for other work in society for which a high level of scientific insight and competence is required.

Programme description

The PhD program in sociology is a research education program culminating in the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD). This is the highest academic degree you can take within a subject. The program provides a high academic competence that is relevant to research, administration and business.

Three year study
The PhD programme in sociology is an educational programme scheduled to take three years of full-time study, leading to the PhD degree in Sociology. 

The PhD programme is made up of a training component equivalent to at least 30 ECTS credits (one semester of full-time study) and a dissertation.

The dissertation is an independent piece of scientific work meeting international standards within the subject area. After approval, the dissertation is then defended at a public disputation.

The training component includes the theory of science, ethics and research methods, together with courses providing a deeper understanding in topics relevant to the dissertation. 

The training programme is provided in full at Nord University. Students can also choose to follow courses approved by Nord University at other institutions or universities in Norway or abroad.

Why take a PhD degree?
A doctoral degree qualifies candidates for research activity and for other work in society for which a high level of scientific insight and competence is required.

Study model

The information applies to the current academic year. Changes may occur.
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Admission requirements

The admission is based on individual application.

The applicant must hold a Master's degree in social science (e.g. Master in Sociology, Master in Social Work, Master in Politics and Social Change) with an average mark of B or better in the European marking system (ECTS), or corresponding to a B average if other marking system is used. The applicant must hold a satisfactory theoretical and research prerequisite for completion of a doctoral degree in sociology. Applicants must document broad knowledge in social science theory and analysis and have a broad knowledge of social science methodology, corresponding to 20 ECTS.

To become eligible for admission adequate funding is required beforehand. The funding must cover both living costs and the costs relating to the research project for the entire doctoral training period. This could be a university fellowship of three or four years, a three-year scholarship from the Research Council of Norway or another external funding source. Announced positions as PhD fellowship at Nord university can be found under vacancies. Please note that it is only possible to enrol as a PhD candidate after you have been appointed to a PhD fellowship or have documented other sufficient funding.

Please send the completed application along with the relevant documentation to the following address:

Nord universitetet

Faculty of Social Sciences

8049 Bodø

Norway

Job opportunities

The PhD study is a great opportunity for those who want to achieve the highest academic qualification relevant for a future career in research, management or business.

Further education

A doctoral degree is the highest academic degree you can take within a subject.

How to Enroll

Faculty of Social Sciences admits highly qualified PhD students every year.
 
The admission is based on individual application. The applicant must hold a Master's degree in social science (e.g. Master in Sociology, Master in Social Work, Master in Politics and Social Change) with an average mark of B or better in the European marking system (ECTS), or corresponding to a B average if other marking system is used. 

Applicants with other Master’s degrees might be admitted provided that the student can document sufficient theoretical and methodological training in sociology and the social sciences. To become eligible for admission adequate funding is required beforehand. 

The funding must cover both living costs and the costs relating to the research project for the entire doctoral training period. 

This could be a university fellowship of three or four years, a three-year scholarship from the Research Council of Norway or another external funding source. 

Announced positions as PhD fellowship at Nord University can be found under vacancies. 

Please note that it is only possible to enrol as a PhD candidate after you have been appointed to a PhD fellowship or have documented other sufficient funding.

Application form:
Application form for admission.pdf

Rules and regulations:
University rules and regulations

Supplementary guidelines for the PhD in Sociology at the Faculty of Social Sciences.pdf

Please send the completed application form along with relevant documentation to the following address:

Nord University
Faculty of Social Sciences
PhD administrative coordinator
NO-8049 Bodø
Norway

Learning outcomes

The following are the total knowledge, skill and general competency learning outcomes for fully qualified PhD Candidates in Sociology at Nord University:
 
Knowledge
       
The candidate should:
• have extensive knowledge in the subject Sociology and deep insight into the subject's basic perspectives, theories of science and current debates
• be in the forefront of research within their specialty
• be able to critically evaluate the appropriateness and application of various research strategies, methods and research design
• have the ability to contribute to the theory and methodology and the development of new knowledge and new perspectives in sociology
 
Skills
    
The candidate should:
• be able to take individual responsibility for the development, planning and implementation of research projects
• be able to carry out research and development work at a high academic level
• be able to handle complex theoretical issues and to challenge established knowledge and practices within the discipline
 
General competence

The candidate should:
• in the conduct of research be able to identify and deal with ethical challenges and to maintain high academic integrity
• be able to manage complex multidisciplinary tasks and projects
• be able to disseminate research through reputable national and international journals
• be able to contribute to national and international debates in the discipline

PhD Courses

PhD courses are regularly offered every autumn term and irregularly in the spring term. In addition to these courses, our candidates can choose from a wide range of courses at other national institutions and abroad.

Sociological analysis; How to use theory in the analysis of empirical data

June 4-5, 2019

Course code: SOSXX (full course code will be published soon)
Number of points: 2,5 ECTs including essay
Campus: Bodø
Course start: June 4, 2019
Course language: English
Prerequisites: Applicants must be admitted to a PhD-program   
Faculty: Professor Johans Tveit Sandvin, Faculty of Social Sciences, Nord University

Introduction
How do we generate knowledge about the human world? How can we make valid claims about social phenomena? The simple answer is by conducting good analyses of relevant data. But what does it mean to conduct (good) analyzes in social sciences? Analysis in social science always involves the use of theory in some way or another. But how do theory and evidence interact? How should we perceive theory in relation to empirical data? And, how do we go about to utilize theory productively in our analyses?

These are the questions we aim to answer in this course, which uses as its main source the book of Isaac Ariail Reed (2011): Interpretation and Social Knowledge: On the Use of Theory in the Social Sciences. While Reed is a sociologist, and course has a particular focus on sociological analyses, the book is aimed at social science in general. Professor John R. Hall at University of California, Davies, says about the book:

“This pithy, deeply intellectual account—strongly based in classic sources and contemporary debates—demands the attention of the widest range of scholars in the social and historical disciplines because it offers all of us an understanding of how diverse practices contribute to our larger enterprise”.

The course offers a theoretical and practical approach to the use of theory in sociological analysis. The course aims to give the participants both a deeper understanding of how valid knowledge about the human world can be created, and practical knowledge about how to proceeds in order to develop such knowledge. 

The course is organized as a two-day workshop with lectures and practical assignments, and a short paper that is delivered afterwards. An optional paper seminar will be organized before the deadline for submission.
Active participation in discussions and practical assignments is compulsory. An individual paper (3-4000 words) delivered after the course will be evaluated for the grades ‘passed’ or ‘non-passed’.
Learning outcomes:
These are the following learning outcomes expected upon completion of the course.

Knowledge
After completing the course, students should have gained advanced knowledge about:

  • What constitutes social knowledge
  • Different modes of knowing
  • How theory and evidence interact 
  • The relation between interpretation, understanding and explanation
Skills
After completing the course, students should have advanced their ability:

  • To choose theory applicable to a given set of evidence
  • To actively use theory in analyzing data
  • To make theoretical claims about the human world
  • To validate and justify theoretical claims
General competence
After completing the course, students should have advanced their ability:

  • To analyze empirical data
  • To develop social theory 
  • To generate knowledge
Program first workshop:
Tuesday, June 4:
09:00-10:30: Social knowledge
10:30-10:45: Coffee, tea and refreshments
10:45-12:00: Modes of understanding the world
12:00-13:00: Lunch
13:00-14:30: Social realities
14:30-14:45: Break
14:45-16:30: Theory and inquiry

Wednesday, June 5:
08:30-10:30: Meaning
10:30-10:45: Coffee, tea and refreshments
10:45-12:15: Meaning continues
12:15-13:00: Lunch
13:45-14:30: How to explain
14:30-14:45: Break
14:45-16:30: What’s Different about Narrative Inquiry?

Optional paper seminar (June 19, 2019)

Required reading:
Isaac Ariail Reed (2011). Interpretation and Social Knowledge: On the Use of Theory in the Social Sciences. The University of Chicago Press. 216 pages.

Application form:

Application form PhD course_Faculty of Social Sciences.pdf

Application deadline: May 31, 2019
Sport and Society: Power, Inequality and Technology

September 17-20, 2019

Public Defence

The final stage of doctoral training is the public defence (disputation).

After the Evaluation Committee, appointed by the faculty, unanimously has accepted the dissertation for a public defence the doctoral candidate must give a one hour trial lecture on a given topic. The trial lecture must be held and passed before the defence of the dissertation can be held the same day. 

The public defence of the dissertation usually last for 2,5 hours. All the members of the Evaluation Committee and the audience can question the candidate.  

When the trial lecture and disputation is approved and the Evaluation Committee concludes unanimously that the candidate fulfilled the requirements for awarding the degree Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) in Sociology the University Board will confer the PhD degree.

Scholarship and Funding

In order to become eligible for admission and enrol as a PhD candidate, you must document satisfactory funding that covers both living costs and the costs relating to the research project for the entire doctoral training period. 

This could be a university fellowship of three or four years, a three-year scholarship from the Research Council of Norway or another external funding source.
 
With a PhD fellowship at Nord University you are employed as an early stage researcher for a period of 3 or 4 years in order to complete doctoral education and achieve a PhD degree. 

Fellowships at the faculty may be advertised very openly in which case applicants are invited to present their own ideas for a research project. However in most announcements lately, the fellowship is related to a specific research project. 

The announcement of the PhD fellowships will describe the guiding requirements for the fellowship.
 
Please note that it is only possible to enrol as a PhD candidate after you have been appointed to a PhD fellowship or have documented sufficient funding to cover the costs relating to the doctoral training period otherwise.

For information about vacant PhD fellowship positions at Nord University please check our web site.

For other opportunities regarding PhD and funding please look at The Research Council of Norway's web site.

Forms

Application deadline and admission

Application deadline Admission based on individual applications
ECTS Credits 180
Study level Ph.D
Scope Full time
Teaching language Norwegian
Police certificate of conduct No
Campus Bodø

Application deadline and admission

Application deadline Admission based on individual applications

More information