sport phd in norway

PhD program

NIH is an international leading university and serves at the premier education and research institution of sport science in Norway. A doctorate from NIH qualifies candidates for an academic career as well as other professions requiring a high level of competence. There is no online PhD program offered at NIH.

The PhD process

• Application and enrollment
• Practical information
• The doctoral thesis
• Submitting, evaluation and public defence
• Supervision
• Course information
• Internationalization

Regulations, roles and responsibilities

• Candidates enrolled before 1st August 2020
• Candidates enrolled after 1st August 2020
• Regulations
• Roles and resposibilities
• Meeting schedule for KFU
• Reports and evaluations 

PhD-programme in Health and Sport Sciences

A PhD degree provides you with the opportunity to deepen your knowledge and understanding in the fields of health and sports sciences, as well as to develop skills in planning and conducting high-quality research. It also allows you to contribute to important discoveries and address societal challenges. Additionally, obtaining a PhD can open up new career opportunities for you.

Facts about the program

About the research programme.

The PhD program includes all the faculty’s subject areas and relevant research fields. The aim of the program is to give the doctoral candidates thorough theoretical and methodological knowledge, as well as experience in completing a significant research task (the doctoral thesis) of international standard. The program is adapted to the faculty’s academic interests.

The doctoral degree is awarded based on approved completion of compulsory coursework, an academic thesis, a trial lecture and a public defense of the doctoral thesis.

The PhD program corresponds to 180 ECTS credits, corresponding to three years of full-time studies. It may also be possible to agree to spend four years on the studies with a work component, depending on individual agreements and specialisation.

Norwegian description of the PhD-programme in Health and Sport Sciences .

Specialisations

The PhD programme offers the following specialisations:

• Health and Nursing Science
• Psychosocial Health
• Public Health
• Sport Science and Physical Education

Planned PhD-courses

Autumn 2024

ME-624 Research Dissemination in Health and Sport Sciences: Scientific presenting and practice,   7,5 ECTS Seminars Autumn  2024: Thursday 29. and Friday 30. August in Kristiansand Thursday 10. and Friday 11. October in Grimstad Thursday 5. and Friday 6. December in Kristiansand

ME-626 General Quantitative Research Methods , 5 ECTS  Week 36 (2. - 6. Sept) 2024 in Kristiansand

HEL608 Dialogical and Collaborative Practices - Ontology, Epistemology and Methodology , 5 ECTS  Week 43 (22. - 25. October) 2024, in Grimstad ME-618 Qualitative Research Methods , 5 ECTS  Week 45 (4. - 8. November) 2024, in Grimstad

HEL611 Nutritional Epidemiology , 5 ECTS Week 46 (11. - 15. Nov.) 2024, in Kristiansand -cancelled / postponed

Jobs and carriers

Candidates from the PhD-programme work in academia, the health sector in municipalities and hospital trusts, in education, organizations and in the private sector.

Where do our candidates end up?

Many of the graduated doctoral candidates work in academia, both at UiA and other educational institutions. Externally funded candidates in health sciences usually return to their permanent jobs and continue with research in addition to clinical activities in hospitals and municipalities. Some have got jobs in municipalities in various advisory positions, e.g. within public health work or in business.

Previous candidates

Anne Lene Nordengen will defend the thesis "DNA damage and repair in colorectal cancer patients." Nordengen has followed the PhD-programme at the Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences.

See all our disputations her

When you have accepted a research fellow position with us, or have received a funding guarantee from an external source, you can apply for admission to our PhD programme. Applications for admission are sent electronically to the PhD advisor, which you will find at the bottom of the page.

Informasjon about admissions

Regulations for admission to the PhD programme

Doctoral degree and PhD

The University offers research training of a high international standard, with a broad range of subject areas and strong research environments. A doctorate from the University of Oslo qualifies candidates for an academic career as well as other professions requiring a high level of competence.

Before applying

To be eligible for admission to a PhD programme, certain educational and financial requirements must be met. If you have not applied to a PhD programme before, we recommend that you read this before you proceed to the programme pages.

Facts about the PhD programmes

• Requires a completed Master’s degree.
• Stipulated length of three years’ full-time studies.
• 2.5 years of independent research work.
• Educational component worth 30 credits.
• In 2018, 468 PhD candidates successfully defended their theses at the University of Oslo.

PhD programmes

Each faculty has its own PhD programme. The programme pages give details on how to apply, the programme structure, thesis and public defence.

PhD in the Humanities

PhD at The Faculty of Law

PhD in medicine and health sciences

PhD at The Faculty of Dentistry

PhD at The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

PhD in Social Science

PhD at The Faculty of Theology

PhD at the Faculty of Educational Sciences

Courses and seminars

Find information on courses and seminars offered at PhD level.

Doctoral conferment

When your doctoral examination is approved by the faculty, you will be invited to a conferral ceremony in the University’s ceremonial hall, the Aula.

Public defences

Dr.philos. – another route to a doctoral degree.

The Dr.Philos. degree (Doctor Philosophiae) is awarded to academics who have qualified for a doctoral degree on their own, without formal supervision. They have no affiliation to the university as a doctoral candidate until their application for the doctoral examination has been approved.

Contact information

Questions about PhD and doctoral degrees?

Regulations

The research training is governed by the Act relating to universities and university colleges and local regulations.

Jobs at UiO

Browse through available doctoral research fellowships , read more about working as a researcher at UiO, and find the support site for international researchers.

• PhD Programme in Health Sciences

Duration : 3 years

Duration: 3 År

• Study catalogue

The PhD programme in Health Sciences is a structured research education and consist of independent research work with a doctoral thesis (150 credits) and a training component (30 credits).

Anine T. Andersen

Senior adviser

• Telephone: +4777645363
• Campus: Tromsø

Monica Karlsen

Senior Advisor at the Faculty of Heath Sciences

• Telephone: +4777623279

Stian Løkken Myrvold

Rådgiver

• Telephone: +4777645741

Kenneth Webb Berg Vollan

Seniorrådgiver

• Telephone: +4777623164

The programme is standardized to a three year duration, extended to four year for mandatory duties. Part-time study is possible, with a requirement that at least 50 % of the working hours will be dedicated to the PhD programme.

The PhD programme follows this structure:

• HEL-8900 Doctoral thesis in Health Sciences (150 credits)
• Training component (30 credits)

Training component:

Courses within the training component should be at a doctoral level and cover topics including scientific theory, ethics, and communication. The training component is worth 30 credits, with a minimum of 20 credits completed after admission.

Mandatory courses:

• HEL-8040 Theory of Science, Research Ethics and Research Design (7 credits)
• HEL-8045 Innovation and Public Research Communication (3 credits)
• Courses in Laboratory Animal Science are mandatory for candidates with research projects involving the use of laboratory animals.
• For candidates conducting laboratory research, it is mandatory to complete relevant Health, Safety and Environment courses at UiT.

Optional courses (20 credits):

• PhD courses from UiT or other accredited institution in Norway or abroad
• Specialized curriculum may be approved based on a satisfactory course description in line with UiT’s education quality system
• Courses taken at a Norwegian or foreign research school
• Scientific communication
• Popular science representation

Upon successful completion of the PhD programme, the candidate will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

The candidate can:

• Critically assess scientific methods and research design suitable for addressing various issues within the field of health science
• Evaluate and analyze scientific-theoretical questions in their own and others’ research.
• Critically analyze the methodological and acandemic quality of existing knowledge within their specific field of study
• Assess the need for research and innovation within their own field of study
• Recognize and analyze ethical issues in research
• Evaluate the utility and appropianess of different communation channels and methods
• Critically reflect upon and justify the choice of research methods in a health science research project.
• Select, justify, and discuss new issues within their own research area.
• Develop projects in accordance with research ethics requirements and guidelines (including Health Research Act).
• Design, execute, and lead a research project at a high international level.
• Evaluate and utilize various communication channels for their own research project and field of study.

General Competence:

The candidate:

• Is innovative and pioneering within their own field of study.
• Actively contributes to networks within their field of study nationally and internationally.
• Is an active contributor to societal discussions within their field of study nationally and internationally.
• Communicates and discusses thoughtfully the issues within health sciences.
• Please note that this is a translation of the learning outcomes provided, and some nuance in the original language may not be fully captured.

A PhD degree in Health Sciences qualifies individuals for a wide range of position both within and outside academia, where candidates are needed to:

• Be at the forefront of knowledge within their field of expertise.
• Possess a strong grasp of scientific theory and methods.
• Contribute to the development of new knowledge, theories, methods, interpretations, or documentation forms.
• Gain an overview of and analyze complex problem areas.
• Formulate research questions, plan, and execute research or developmental work.
• Tackle intricate academic questions, challenge established knowledge and practices.
• Communicate knowledge from their field to society and engage in academic discussions.
• Evaluate the need for, initiate, and drive innovation

For admission to the PhD programme in Health Sciences, the following requirements are stipulated:

• The candidate must have completed a five-year Norwegian master’s degree, Norwegian higher-level professional education, or an education deemed equivalent by the faculty. Candidates with foreign higher education will be evaluated in accordance with the Universities and University College Act (§3-5, third paragraph)
• The candidate must have achieved a grade of C or better on the master’s thesis and as an average for the master’s degree.
• Foreign candidates must provide evidence of English proficiency that meets the requirement for Norwegian general study competence.
• The candidate must have satisfactory funding for the study, typically a salary equivalent to that of a research fellow position, including salary, operational funds, infrastructure and indirect costs. Requirement for funding can be waived exceptionally and in special cases for candidates who have passed student research programme. The condition for such an exception is that the candidate is nearing completion of their doctoral work.

For more information about admission to the PhD programme, go to uit.no/phd

Teaching methods for courses within the training compoentn may include lectures, seminars and/or guidance through written or oral presentation. The specific teaching methods and extent are further detailed in the individual course description.

For the doctoral thesis, the primary teaching method consist of guidance provided by appointed main- and co-supervisor(s).

At the midpoint of the study period, the candidate’s progress will be evaluated. This mid-way assessment take form of a seminar where the candidate and the supervisor meet with an evaluation committee consisting of two faculty members with a doctoral degree or equivalent. Successfully completing the mid-way assessment is a mandatory requirement to be eligible for submitting the PhD thesis for evaluation, unless the candidate is admitted to an abbreviated PhD programme.

Learning amd assessment methods are described in more details in the course outline for HEL-8900 Doctoral Thesis in Health Sciences

The teaching language for PhD courses in the training component is Norwegian/ Nordic and/or English.

The thesis, including the abstract, should have a consistent language. As a general rule this should be English. Norwegian or another Nordic language may be accepted. The choice of language should be specified in the admission application and approved by the admission committee.

The study program utilizes the following measures for internationalization:

• English-language teaching and course literature
• Incorporation of international conference participation with credit in the training component
• International PhD student enviroment (ToDoS)
• International exchange agreement and collaboration agreements.