Dr.Philos. degree

What is the Dr.Philos. degree?

The Dr.Philos. degree is aimed at candidates who have qualified for a doctoral degree without participating in a PhD programme. This is an entirely independent endeavour: you research and write the thesis on your own, in your own time and without even being registered as a doctoral candidate at the university. This also means that you do not get any support from the university, neither academically, financially nor practically.

You only apply to be admitted for the doctoral examination once you have finished writing the doctoral thesis. You do not apply for anything before this point, and will only be registered at the university as a doctoral candidate if and when your thesis has been accepted for evaluation. If accepted, an adjudication committee will be appointed to evaluate all parts of the examination.

The Dr.Philos. doctoral examination consists of the following parts:

1. The evaluation of the thesis
2. Two trial lectures, one on a topic you choose yourself and one on a topic given by the adjudication committee
3. A defence of the thesis in a public disputation 

Each part must be successfully completed before the next can commence.  

How does this differ from the PhD degree?

To get a PhD degree at the University of Oslo, you must be admitted to and complete a PhD programme - a structured research training programme with compulsory courses, formally appointed supervisors and close connections to our research environments. PhD studies will usually be a full-time occupation financed through a fellowship position or a scholarship. 

Also, the thesis work is expected to be more extensive for the Dr.Philos. degree than for the PhD degree, to compensate for the lack of course work. The two doctoral degrees are considered to be of equal academic value.  

Who may apply?

To be eligible for permission to the Dr.Philos. examination, you must

• have completed at least five years of higher education, i.e. a master's programme or equivalent studies 
• have finished writing your doctoral thesis

In addition, you must be a citizen of Norway or one of the Nordic countries.

If you are not a citicen of Norway or another Nordic country, an application may only be considered if

• the thesis treats topics or make use of material directly related to Norway, and/or
• the thesis' topic is closely related to Norwegian research within the discipline, and/or
• the research for the thesis has been carried out at a Norwegian university or research institute, or in close contact with Norwegian researchers, and/or
• you have a valid Norwegian residence permit

You may not apply if...

• your thesis, or parts of your thesis, has been evaluated previously at another Norwegian or foreign institution, even if it has been rewritten since. This applies whether it was found worthy or not worthy for defence for a doctoral degree.
• your thesis, or parts of your thesis, has been delivered and approved for previous examinations or degrees. However, data, analyses or methods used in previous degree work may still be used as a basis for the Dr.Philos. thesis.
• you are not willing to make your thesis publicly available.
• you plan to submit the thesis to more institutions. If you have already submitted the thesis to any other institution in Norway or abroad, it will not be accepted at UiO. If you submit it to another institution after submitting it to UiO, evaluation procedures at UiO will cease.

As a general rule, you may not apply if your thesis (in part or whole) has been written while you have participated in an organized doctoral programme, whether at UiO or any other institution, in Norway or abroad.  

Thesis requirements

The thesis must be an independent scientific work that fulfils international standards regarding ethical requirements, academic standards, methodology and documentation. It must contribute to the development of new scientific knowledge and of a standard that qualifies it to be published as part of the scientific literature in the field. If the thesis is found worthy of public defence, it will be made available to the public two weeks before the disputation.

Article-based theses

A compilation of several shorter papers/articles may be approved as a thesis provided that the papers are related and the relationship between them is clearly explained. It is important that you adhere to the requirements for such theses in the Dr. Philos. regulations and the recommended guidelines for doctoral theses consisting of several lesser works (theses compiled of articles) (Norwegian text only).

How to apply 

You apply to be admitted to the Dr. Philos. examination by sending an application to the relevant faculty (depending on the thesis' topic). There is no general application form. The following documentation must be attached to the application:

• one copy of the thesis

• documentation of the educational qualifications that forms the basis for the application

• documentation of the equivalent qualifications, if relevant

• summary of previous scientific work/papers (must be shown on request)

• Norvegian residence permit, if applicable

• non-Nordic citizens must in addition document the thesis' connection to Norway

The application is evaluated by the faculty. If your application is successful, the faculty will provide you with the necessary information about the further process.

For more information, please see the Regulations for the degree of Doctor Philosophiae (Dr. Philos.) at the University of Oslo.