Regulation on doctoral study at the University of Iceland School of Education, no. 440/2018
with subsequent amendments
(page last updated 29 May 2024)
| Authorised translation |
Article 1. Objective of doctoral studies and degrees at the University of Iceland School of Education.
The primary purpose of doctoral programmes at the University of Iceland School of Education is to strengthen research and knowledge in those academic fields studied at the School. The objective of doctoral studies is to enhance the competence of doctoral students in conducting independent research and academic work and prepare them for specialist positions in educational science both within Iceland and abroad.
A doctorate from the School of Education, awarded on completion of a doctoral programme in accordance with this Regulation, confers the academic title of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD).
Doctoral students and their academic supervisors must familiarise themselves with and comply with regulations on doctoral studies at the University of Iceland and current University Council resolutions on standards and requirements for the quality of doctoral studies at the University of Iceland.
Doctoral students may be awarded a joint degree from the University of Iceland School of Education and another university, or another school at the University of Iceland.
The University of Iceland Graduate School shall oversee and follow up established standards and requirements for the quality of graduate studies at the University of Iceland, see Article 66 of the Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009. Any information requested by the Graduate School must be supplied.
Article 2. Management of doctoral studies.
Doctoral programmes at the School of Education are organised across the School's faculties. The School board shall make decisions on matters pertaining to doctoral studies on behalf of faculties. The School of Education doctoral studies committee shall manage matters pertaining to doctoral studies on behalf of the School board in accordance with item 1, Article 69 of the Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009 on standing committees. The doctoral studies committee shall comprise the following seven members: a chair, appointed by the School board and also representing the School dean, representatives of all four faculties, one representative of School administration, who is also the coordinator for doctoral studies, and one doctoral student representative. The doctoral studies committee is appointed for a two-year term. The chair of the doctoral studies committee, or the chair's proxy, shall represent the School of Education on the board of the Graduate School.
The role of the doctoral studies committee is to formulate policy on the organisation of doctoral studies and take responsibility for its implementation. The committee promotes the study programmes on offer, discusses applications and monitors the progress and quality of teaching and learning through, e.g., evaluation of the status of research projects during the study period. The committee shall prepare matters to be dealt with by the board of the School of Education, such as recommendations concerning the admission of doctoral students and the appointment of academic supervisors, doctoral committees, external examiners and opponents.
Article 3. Admission to a doctoral programme.
Doctoral programmes at the School of Education are publicised on the University of Iceland website. The board of the School of Education shall determine – upon receiving the recommendation of the doctoral studies committee – which applicants will be admitted to doctoral programmes.
Article 4. Admission requirements and evaluation of previous study.
Those who have completed a Master's degree or equivalent qualification from a recognised university may apply for admission to a doctoral programme. Applicants shall generally have completed a 30 ECTS Master's thesis. An applicant's academic performance and work experience shall be taken into account.
Students wishing to commence a doctoral programme directly after completing a Master's degree may apply before they obtain their degrees, if the faculty in question can confirm that they are likely to complete their programmes to a satisfactory standard before the doctoral programme begins.
Undergraduate courses (Bachelor’s or equivalent level) may not form any part of a student’s doctoral studies. Courses at a Master’s level may, however, be approved as part of a doctoral programme, for a maximum of 20 ECTS, provided that these courses have not previously been credited towards a Master’s degree. A Master’s thesis may not be re-used as the basis for a doctoral thesis.
In accordance with item 4, Article 69 of the Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009, a member of academic staff at a faculty, see paragraph 1, Article 28 of the same Regulation, may not be admitted to doctoral studies at that faculty. Since doctoral programmes at the School of Education span all faculties at the School, a member of academic staff at the School of Education may generally not be admitted to doctoral studies at the School.
Article 5. Processing of applications.
Applications for admission to doctoral studies must be submitted to the School of Education’s Office of Academic and Student Affairs. The application process is as follows:
- An application for admission to doctoral studies shall be submitted in accordance with instructions published on the School of Education website. An application must be accompanied by copies of degree certificates, a draft study plan, a statement describing the applicant’s academic goals and a draft research plan. If the applicant has a specific academic supervisor in mind for the thesis, or has already been in touch with a potential academic supervisor, this should be noted in the application.
- Applicants must also submit reference letters from two independent parties who are in a position to assess the applicant's fitness for doctoral studies and who have experience or knowledge of research in the relevant field.
- A School administrator reviews applications and ensures that the required documents are enclosed.
- The doctoral studies committee discusses and evaluates applications and the results of interviews held with those applicants that meet requirements. The committee seeks the opinion of specialists at the School where appropriate. The doctoral studies committee prepares a proposal for the board of the School of Education recommending which applicants to admit, based on the following requirements:
▪ The applicant is deemed competent to undertake doctoral studies and carry out demanding research work.
▪ Experts in the proposed area of research are available to supervise the applicant and evaluate the research project.
▪ The School has enough funding to accommodate the PhD student and suitable study facilities are available. - The doctoral studies committee's proposal shall be accompanied by a reasoned argument covering all main sections of the application and suggesting academic supervisors. The recommendation is discussed by the School of Education board.
- After the board of the School of Education has processed the application, the applicant will receive a written response on behalf of the School dean. Applicants will receive a written response by the deadline set in the Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009.
Article 6. Number of credits and length of study.
A doctoral study programme at the University of Iceland School of Education is a minimum of 210 ECTS. A maximum of 240 ECTS is permissible. Courses should make up a minimum of 30 ECTS. The doctoral thesis shall be 180 ECTS. All study requirements must, as a rule, have been met within four years of commencing full-time study or eight years of commencing part-time study. Study shall be considered to commence on the date of initial enrolment. Doctoral students are expected to complete 60 ECTS per year.
If the programme is not completed within the expected time-frame, the doctoral studies committee will ask the PhD student and administrative supervisor to explain the reasons for this. Depending on the circumstances, the committee may grant an extension or recommend that the student be enrolled on an M.Phil. programme, see paragraph 19, Article 69 of the Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009. Students may be required to comply with current regulations, even if they began their studies whilst other regulations applied.
A student may take a maximum leave of absence of one year. Students must be registered and pay the registration fee for the duration of the period of study, including any leave of absence.
Article 7. Supervision and appointment of the doctoral committee.
Upon commencing study, each doctoral student will be assigned an administrative supervisor with whom to discuss the programme structure, selection of courses and other aspects of the programme. The administrative supervisor is generally also the student's main academic supervisor and chairs the doctoral committee. The administrative supervisor must be a permanent member of academic staff at the School, but academic supervisors and other specialists on the doctoral committee may be external to the School. Proposals for the appointment of academic supervisors shall be reviewed by the doctoral studies committee. Each student shall generally have two academic supervisors, who must come to an agreement on FTE and division of responsibilities.
On admission to the programme, each student is assigned at least one academic supervisor. If the relationship between the student and the academic supervisor breaks down during the study period, the doctoral studies committee at the School of Education will endeavour to assign a new academic supervisor.
The doctoral committee shall comprise the academic supervisors and between one and three specialists in the academic field of the thesis. At least one committee member shall hold a position outside the School of Education. If a doctoral student changes the research topic, the doctoral studies committee will review the composition of the doctoral committee.
The role of the doctoral committee is to ensure that student progression is in accordance with the study plan and that research work meets academic standards in the relevant field. The administrative supervisor shall chair the doctoral committee. Doctoral students may consult the committee on the writing of the study plan, organisation of the programme, course selection, writing of the research plan, implementation of the research and writing of the thesis.
It is generally assumed that the doctoral committee for a full-time student will be fully appointed within two years of admission. The committee shall not, however, be fully appointed before completion of an interim evaluation of the student’s research project, see Article 10. Academic supervisors must, as a rule, hold a doctorate and have undergone a qualifications assessment for academic work, as well as having been recognised by the University of Iceland Graduate School. Care shall be taken to ensure that academic supervisors have demonstrated research activity and that they have, for example, published works in channels that meet rigorous academic standards. Generally, they must have experience of supervision, international collaboration and applying for research grants. Doctoral students' projects must fall under the specialisations of their academic supervisors.
The doctoral student and academic supervisors shall come to an agreement regarding each party's rights and obligations and the nature of their collaboration.
Should a conflict arise between supervisors or between the student and a supervisor, the issue may be referred to the doctoral studies committee. Depending on the circumstances, the committee will recommend a solution or refer the case to another party.
For further details about supervision and appointment of the doctoral committee, see the Handbook on Doctoral Studies at the School of Education.
Article 8. Student progression.
A revised study and research plan should have been submitted within one year of commencing study, see Article 9. The student and academic supervisors shall work together to prepare the study plan. The study plan shall include a list of courses the student proposes to take and their weighting in the study programme.
Doctoral students shall take part in seminars as part of the doctoral programme and present their research at these seminars as well as at domestic and international conferences. They shall spend some time at a university outside Iceland or participate in equivalent formal collaboration with academics abroad. Academic supervisors shall monitor and encourage the doctoral student's active participation in the academic community within the School and international scholarly activities.
The PhD Portal, the administration system for doctoral studies, includes an academic transcript for each doctoral student stating when the student was first enrolled and how many ECTS have been completed. The transcript shall also contain study and research plans, information on supervisors and experts involved in the study programme, progress reports and assessment results.
Article 9. Responsibilities of doctoral students.
Doctoral students are required to submit the following reports and to respond to surveys relating to their studies when asked to do so:
- Twice a year the student must submit a progress report, in accordance with the instructions in the Handbook for Doctoral Studies at the School of Education. The student's academic supervisors must approve the report. If a student’s progress is unsatisfactory, the doctoral studies committee may place conditions on the student’s continuing in the study programme. The doctoral studies committee may require doctoral students who fail to submit a progress report to withdraw from the programme.
- Students shall submit a revised study plan and research plan to their academic supervisors within one year of commencing study.
- Doctoral students are expected to attend doctoral seminars regularly and discuss their project as explained in greater detail in the Handbook for Doctoral Studies at the School of Education.
- Students shall submit a report on their research project to the doctoral committee for interim evaluation around halfway through the programme (see Article 10).
- They shall spend some time at a university outside Iceland or participate in equivalent formal collaboration with academics abroad. The student's academic supervisors shall approve a report on the study period abroad and/or collaboration; this shall form part of the progress report.
Doctoral students are required to acquaint themselves thoroughly with the rules and ethics pertaining to academic work and to adopt recognised academic practice in research and the handling of sources. For example, staff and students shall show one another respect in their conduct, speech and writing, exchange opinions in a constructive manner and work together with integrity. The responsibilities of doctoral students are otherwise outlined in Article 51 of the Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009, the University of Iceland Code of Ethics, and the Standards and requirements for the quality of doctoral studies.
Article 10. Interim evaluation of research project.
A formal interim evaluation of the research project shall be conducted around halfway through the programme. The doctoral thesis itself is worth 180 ECTS. PhD students must register for the thesis project each semester, for which they will receive credits that accumulate as the programme progresses. PhD students may not complete more than 90 ECTS before undergoing the interim evaluation.
A report on the research project, presented by the student for evaluation, shall outline the theoretical premises underpinning the research, a summary of prior research in the field, a description of the acquisition and processing of data and a timetable for the research project. The student shall also submit any completed chapters or journal articles.
The administrative supervisor shall submit a request for interim evaluation of the research project to the coordinator for doctoral studies two months in advance. The request must be accompanied by a letter from the doctoral studies committee arguing that the student is ready to undergo interim evaluation.
The interim evaluation of the research project is carried out by an evaluation committee comprised of the academic supervisors and two external examiners, who are experts in the research field in question and shall generally hold a position outside the School of Education. These external examiners are expected to meet the requirements made of academic supervisors, see Article 7. The project and the doctoral student’s performance shall be evaluated and a report submitted to the doctoral studies committee. This report shall outline whether the doctoral student’s knowledge and research competence are deemed satisfactory and what the student must do in response to the comments of the evaluation committee, see rules of procedure on the interim evaluation of research projects, published in the Handbook for Doctoral Studies at the School of Education.
Article 11. Doctoral thesis requirements.
A doctoral thesis shall be a comprehensive work, either in the form of a single work or a collection of academic articles forming a coherent whole.
In the case of a thesis based on a collection of academic articles, the student must compose a special overview explaining the academic premise of the work, theories, methodology and ethical considerations, summarising the content of the individual articles, providing academic links between them and presenting overall conclusions. A PhD thesis composed of articles must include a total of at least three articles. When the thesis is presented for defence, at least two of these articles must have been accepted for publication in international, recognised peer-reviewed channels and at least one other must have been sent for peer review. The PhD student must be the primary author of at least three of the articles.
In accordance with the University of Iceland Language Policy, the main language used for doctoral theses is English. Theses may, however, be written in Icelandic. In this case steps must be taken to ensure that Icelandic-speaking specialists with sufficient knowledge are available, so that it will definitely be possible to appoint a doctoral committee and find eligible opponents. The doctoral thesis may, however, be written in a language other than English or Icelandic with the consent of the doctoral studies committee.
All theses (written in Icelandic) must include a detailed abstract in English. If a student wishes to write the thesis in Icelandic, this must be approved by the doctoral studies committee, to ensure that it will be possible to appoint a doctoral committee, external examiners for the interim evaluation, and opponents for the defence.
Article 12. Submission and format of doctoral thesis.
When the doctoral committee deems a doctoral thesis to be ready for defence, the administrative supervisor shall submit a final draft to the doctoral studies committee, along with the reasoned verdict of the doctoral committee, see Article 7. Upon receiving the approval of the doctoral studies committee, the coordinator for doctoral studies shall send the thesis to opponents.
An overview of the student’s academic transcript shall be submitted at the same time as the doctoral thesis is presented for defence. The coordinator for doctoral studies at the School of Education will review the student's academic transcript before the defence, in consultation with Student Registration at the University of Iceland.
When the opponents have agreed that the thesis is fit for defence and then determined that the doctoral defence will take place, the doctoral candidate shall submit a digital copy of the final version, at least four weeks before the defence. The thesis should be formatted in accordance with the instructions in the Handbook for Doctoral Studies at the School of Education. The thesis must be saved in digital format in accordance with the Rules of procedure on the digital submission and archiving of PhD theses. Students who choose to close access to their thesis must submit one printed copy to the University Library and one copy to the coordinator for doctoral studies at the School of Education. The introductory chapter must clearly indicate that the project was completed at the University of Iceland, the name of the academic supervisors, school and research institute, if applicable, any University of Iceland grants or other funding sources, and any external institutes or companies which the doctoral student has consulted concerning the project. The logo of the University of Iceland must appear on the front page of the thesis. In the case of joint doctorates awarded with another university or universities in accordance with an agreement thereon, the logos of both or all universities involved must appear on the front page of the thesis.
Article 13. Opponents.
Opponents for the doctoral defence must be two independent parties who are not members of the doctoral committee. They are appointed by the board of the School of Education upon receiving the recommendations of the doctoral committee and with the approval of the doctoral studies committee and Graduate School.
Opponents must not be employed by the School of Education and at least one shall be external to the University of Iceland. Care must be taken to ensure that opponents are recognised scholars who have published works in channels that meet rigorous academic standards and who meet all the conditions set in the Standards and requirements for the quality of doctoral programmes at the University of Iceland.
Opponents shall receive a copy of the thesis at least four months before the defence is planned to take place. Six weeks later, they must have sent a reasoned statement on whether they consider the thesis acceptable for defence, along with suggestions for necessary changes, should there be any. The doctoral student shall take a position on these comments, along with the supervisors, and explain this position in a report sent to the opponents within one month. In order for a doctoral defence to be held, the doctoral student must have made satisfactory amendments, as determined by the opponents and supervisors.
If an opponent rejects the thesis manuscript as not ready for defence, the proper procedure is described in the Rules of procedure after one or both opponents reject the thesis manuscript as not ready for defence, which were approved by the University Council on 9 December 2021.
Article 14. Doctoral defence.
The doctoral candidate shall publicly defend the thesis at the University of Iceland. The thesis shall be assessed and defended in accordance with the University regulations on doctoral studies. Grades are not awarded for doctoral theses. The doctoral defence should be organised in accordance with the instructions in the Handbook for Doctoral Studies at the School of Education. If members of the evaluation committee disagree on whether the candidate should be awarded a doctorate, the proper procedure is described in the Rules of procedure after one or more members of the evaluation committee are opposed to awarding a doctorate following the doctoral defence, which were approved by the University Council on 4 November 2021.
Article 15. Entry into force.
The Regulation on doctoral study at the University of Iceland School of Education is established in accordance with Articles 47 and 68-69 of the Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009, and the authority of the Act on Public Higher Education Institutions no. 85/2008. This Regulation has been approved by the faculties and governing board of the School of Education and confirmed by the University Council, having received a statement from the Graduate School, cf. Articles 66 and 69 of the Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009. This Regulation enters into force immediately. At the same time Regulation no. 641/2011 on doctoral studies at the University of Iceland School of Education is repealed.
University of Iceland, 17 April 2018.