Information for course leaders within doctoral education

NJ Faculty

S Faculty

LTV Faculty

VH Faculty

All courses at SLU must have a syllabus describing entry requirements, scope, learning outcomes, purpose, content, form of teaching, timetable and pass grade requirements. Courses must include an element of personal performance, where newly-acquired knowledge and proficiency are tested and applied in a suitable pedagogical form.

SLU has a template syllabus for doctoral courses. 

All syllabuses for doctoral subject courses must be approved by the faculty board, and all syllabuses for basic courses must be approved by the Council for PhD Education (FUR). Syllabuses must then be registered in the on-line searchable database SLUkurs forskarutbildning. The course date must be registered no later than six months before the start of the course.

Courses (examinations) are assessed with the grades pass or fail.

All students who do not have citizenship in the EU, EEA countries or Switzerland must pay for courses at Bachelor or Master level. This also applies to doctoral students, even though postgraduate education is free in Sweden.

SLU does not want to charge fees for course participation from its doctoral students. Therefore, the following is recommended:

In order for a doctoral student to be able to read a course at Bachelor or Master level free of charge as part of his / her education at doctoral level, the corresponding course must be established as a course at doctoral level. That is, the Faculty Board shall approve a syllabus in which learning objectives and examination form and level have been adapted to the level of postgraduate education. The student can then read the course together with the other students.

Basic courses in transferable skills in a doctoral programme are intended to support the student's personal development and foster general knowledge and proficiency in for example statistics, philosophy of science, research ethics, communication and pedagogy. The aim of the subject courses is to give broader or deeper knowledge of subjects.

Model for economic compensation for general basic courses funded by FUR

During a doctoral education at SLU, the student is required to acquire both subject knowledge and more general skills that are not bound to a particular topic. These more general skills are offered through general basic courses, and these courses can be given by departments/units with economic compensation from the Council for doctoral education (FUR).

"The general basic courses support the doctoral students' personal development and foster general knowledge and proficiency in statistics, philosophy of science, research ethics, information competence, communication and pedagogy, for example. The aim of third-cycle subject courses is to inculcate broader or deeper knowledge of subjects." From SLU Guidelines for third-cycle (doctoral) education DNR: SLU ua 2015.1.1.1-2467.

Requirements for economic compensation for a basic course

• The content of the course should be essential for SLU's PhD students.
• The course contents should be linked to the skills and approaches stated in the degree outcomes of the doctoral education.
• The course structure should be adapted so that PhD students from all SLU locations can participate (eg through video link, the course leader alternates between locations or custom scheduling).
• The course will be offered in English if there is a need.
• Course syllabus and course occasion must be registered in SLUkurs forskarutbildning.
• For the course to qualify for compensation from FUR, at least 5 SLU doctoral students (SLU-DS) must be admitted at the start of the course.

Economic compensation model

• 5-9 SLU – DS: 2500 SEK/HEC and SLU-DS
• ≥ 10 SLU-DS gives 25 000 SEK/HEC and an additional 1 000 SEK extra for each DS over 10 (for example, a 3 credit course with 12 participants will give 77 000 SEK)

A course can never get more than 180 000 SEK per year from FUR.

New courses can apply for a one-time planning grant of 50 000 SEK.

Courses can apply for one-time development grant of 50 000 SEK, for example for developing a course into a distance learning course.   

Some major, recurring courses receive compensation according to negotiation.

Report

After the course is finished a report should be sent to Lotta Jäderlund. The report should contain schedule, list of participants and a summary of the course evaluations.

Course evaluations for doctoral courses are carried out using Evald Doctoral courses. 

SLU is one of the founding members of the Nordic Forestry, Veterinary and Agricultural University Network - NOVA. Since the start in 1995, the main activity within the network has been jointly organised PhD courses.

More information about Nova courses. 

More information about Nova.