Admission to the PhD programme without employment at the faculty

Different categories of external funding

There are three different categories of external candidates in the PhD programme:

A.    The Public Sector PhD scheme and the Industrial PhD scheme funded by the Research Council of Norway.

B.    Academic staff at another university/college/research institution.

C.    Employees of another employer outside the research and/or educational sector who supports the individual pursuing of a PhD and allow them to do so during working hours. Self-funded projects are generally not approved.

In prioritizing applicants, those in category A and B will be given precedence over those in category C.

Admission requirements

To ensure quality, certain requirements are set regarding the research environment where the external candidate is employed.
The faculty emphasizes the importance of maintaining a good connection between the candidate and the faculty's research environment . It is advantageous to establish such a connection before submitting the application. Generally, a member of the faculty's permanent academic staff should take the role as the main supervisor.

The following requirements have to be met:

• The general admission requirements for the faculty's PhD programme also apply to external candidates. This includes the requirement of being among the top 10-15 percent of the candidates based on academic performance. For further details, please have a look at the general admission requirements for the PhD programme.
• Confirmation of funding must be provided. The funding should normally cover at least three years of a full-time position. Self-funded projects are generally not approved.
• The funding must cover the necessary operating budget for the project.
• A recommendation from the supervisor and/or relevant research environment at the faculty should be included.
• Applicants in category B and C must provide a statement from their employer endorsing the application and confirming that the employer supports the candidate in carrying out the PhD project during working hours.

Application

Applications for admission to the PhD programme as an external candidate should be sent to the faculty's PhD coordinator. The application should be submitted using the following application form and include:

1. Transcript of records for the entire study programme and the diploma for the master's degree or equivalent.
2. Project description.
3. Confirmation of employer funding the PhD project, either by allowing the candidate to work on the project as part of their employment or confirmation of a submitted application for a Public Sector PhD scheme or an Industrial PhD scheme.
4. CV.
5. Relevant certificates.
6. Publication list, if applicable.
7. Proposal for the main supervisor at the Faculty of Law and a recommendation from this supervisor or relevant academic community.

Application deadline

• Applicants in category A: No application deadline, applications are processed continuously
• Applicants in category B and C: Admission normally occurs twice a year, with application deadlines on October 1st and March 1st. The usual processing time for these applications is eight weeks after the application deadline.

After admission

Further clarification between the employer and the faculty will take place, including the signing of a cooperation agreement.