Course content - Learning outcome - Admission - Prerequisites - Teaching - Examination - Evaluation

Course content

This course is mandatory the first semester after admission for all candidates in the PhD program at the Faculty of Medicine. The overall goal is to give the participants a good start to research training by:
1) presenting important knowledge about the PhD program and the role as a PhD candidate,
2) promoting understanding and commitment to ethics and philosophy of science as the foundation for good research, and
3) demonstrating how the participants' research is part of a larger scientific and cultural context. The course emphasizes the Faculty's role as an interdisciplinary research institution within the fields of medicine and health sciences, and invites the PhD candidates to take an active role in this organization. (The course is not intended as training in specific methods or disciplines. That is addressed through the Faculty's portfolio of elective courses).

Learning outcome

After the introductory course, the participants should:

1. Understand the objectives, structure and challenges of the PhD programme:

• Know the rights and obligations of PhD candidates, how the programme is organized and how it may be planned and implemented at the individual level.
• Know the regulations for the PhD degree at the University of Oslo and the Faculty of Medicine.
• Know the opportunities and limitations concerning further career inside and outside universities and research institutions.
• Know how PhD supervision is organized and regulated. - Understand the value of networking and active participation in the PhD program.

2. Understand the basic principles, norms and regulations in medical and health research:

• Be familiar with various orientations in philosophy of science related to the field of research.
• Be able to apply principles of medical ethics and research ethics to make prudent choices in their research.
• Understand what characterizes irregular scientific conduct or cheating in research and publication, know the regulations that apply in the field and apply these in relation to their own and others' research.
• Know the principles of the Health Research Act and understand its relevance to their own research. Understand their own research project in a general scientific and cultural context.
• Be familiar with a range of distinctive research designs and methods in medical and health research and be able to explain their strengths and weaknesses.
• Understand and respect the fact that different problems require different scientific approaches.
• Acknowledge that other scientific perspectives than one’s own may be of value.
• Understand scientific conduct as a cultural phenomenon and the consequences this has for the interaction between different fields and traditions in research and publishing.
• Have expanded their professional networks and their scientific perspective.

Admission

Ph.D. candidates at the University of Oslo and students at the Medical Student Research Programm will get first priority to the course. Maximum number of particpants is 60.

Registration in the StudentWeb -
Autumn semester 1st June until 1st August
Spring semester 1st December until 1st February

Registration for applicants without access to the StudentWeb -
Autumn semester 1st June until 1st August
Spring semester 1st December until 1st February

Applicants will be notified by email 1 - 2 weeks after the final date for registration.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisite knowledge

No obligatory prerequisites beyond the minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway.

Teaching

The course will be taught spring 2013:
27th May - 31st May

The course is also held in Norwegian:
MF9010 - Introduksjonskurs for det medisinske ph.d.-programmet

The course includes lectures and group discussions.

NB! You have to participate in at least 80 % of the teaching to be allowed to take the exam. Attendance at lectures will be registered.

Examination

A mulitple-choice test will be given at the end of the course. The test must be completede within two weeks. Grading: pass/fail.

Explanations and appeals

Students can request an explanation of their grades, and can also appeal against their grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals

Evaluation

Feedback from our students is essential to us in our efforts to ensure and further improve the high quality of our programmes and courses. All courses are subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students on a particular course to participate in a more comprehensive, periodic evaluation of this course.