How to become PhD
The PhD programme at the Royal Danish Academy's PhD School qualifies PhD students at an international level to undertake independent research, development and teaching assignments in the private and public sectors, for which a broad knowledge of research is a prerequisite. The PhD programme is completed primarily through research under supervision.
If you would like to be a PhD student at the Royal Danish Academy's PhD School, a number of things will be useful to know first.
Enrolment in and completion of the PhD programme at the Royal Danish Academy will be in accordance with applicable regulations in force at any given time for PhD programmes in Denmark, currently this means the Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Artistic Educational Institutions (the PhD Order) from August 2013.
The programme is prescribed to comprise 180 ECTS credits, corresponding to three years' full-time study. The three years are calculated from the date of enrolment through to the day you submit your thesis. The assessment process is not included in the three years.
If you have acquired corresponding qualifications in some other way, you can apply for a credit transfer, which will shorten your PhD study programme.
The programme includes:
- Completion of independent research work under supervision
- Completion of PhD courses or similar study elements totalling approx. 30 ECTS credits
- Participation in active research environments, including stays at other, primarily foreign, research institutions, with private research enterprises etc.
- Gaining experience of teaching activities or another form of knowledge dissemination related to the PhD project
- Completion of a thesis based on the PhD project
Within the first three months of a PhD course, the PhD student is to prepare a PhD plan and get this approved by the PhD Committee. The PhD programme must be completed in accordance with this plan. The PhD plan is to contain, among other things, an overview of the course activities the student intends to participate in, the scope and frequency of the supervision, changes of environment, teaching activities or other forms of knowledge dissemination, and when the student expects to submit his/her PhD thesis.
You can enrol as either a PhD student for a full-time period of three years or as a PhD student part-time for up to a maximum of six years.
You can find notices about PhD fellowships at The Royal Danish Academy, InnovationsFonden – Denmark and The Danish Council for Independent Research here: