To be admitted into the PhD programme in Engineering and Science, the applicant must meet one of the following requirements to competence in Information- and Communication Technology (ICT), Mathematic Education, Mechatronics or Renewable Energy:

• Hold a master's degree in a relevant subject area from a Norwegian university or qualifications approved as equivalent.
• Have educational qualifications and credentials corresponding to a Norwegian master's degree level which upon individual evaluation are approved as a basis for admission. Applicants with an education of less than 5 years must expect that additional requirements will be imposed upon them, and that they will only receive a conditional offer of admission.

As a general rule, the following should apply:

• The average grade for courses included in the bachelor's degree (or equivalent) should be C (or equivalent) or higher.
• The average grade for courses included in the master's degree (or equivalent) should be B (or equivalent) or higher.
• The master's thesis (or equivalent) should have the grade B (or equivalent) or higher.

When the applicant's average grades are lower than required, the hosting research group at the Faculty of Engineering and Science must document the applicant’s ability to complete the PhD programme. In such an event, the Faculty of Engineering and Science may recommend extra requirements to be included in the basis for admission.

Competence in English is a requirement for all applicants to the PhD program. International candidates that are not exempt from the English language requirements pursuant to the guidelines of the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT), must document this through one of the following tests with the stated results or better:

• TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language with a minimum score of 600 for the Paper based Test (PBT), or 92 for the Internet-based Test (iBT)
• IELTS - International English Language Testing System, with the result of 6.5

The PhD programme consists of a coursework component of 30 credits and the dissertation of 150 credits. Work with the dissertation is done under the supervision of two highly qualified scholars in the field, one of them being the main supervisor.

Compulsory courses

EX-602 Philosophy of Science 5 ECTS

TFL601 Scientific Writing in English 5 ECTS

Elective courses

IKT617 Formal Descriptions and Related Tools 5 ECTS

IKT626 Main Results and Research Topics in Security 5 ECTS

IKT703 Mobile Radio Channels 5 ECTS

IKT709 Advanced Protocols for Mobile Communications 5 ECTS

IKT710 Learning in Random Environments 5 ECTS

IKT711 Principles of Pattern Recognition 5 ECTS

IKT719 Advanced Optimization 5 ECTS

IKT720 Optimization 5 ECTS

IKT721 Fundamentals of Statistical Signal Processing 5 ECTS

IKT722 Introduction to mmWave Sensing 5 ECTS

IKT723 Wireless Prototyping using SDRs (Software Defined Radios) 5 ECTS

After satisfactory completion of their degree, PhD candidates shall have developed a high level of scientific competence in ICT. Candidates shall have acquired wide academic knowledge in ICT and specialized knowledge within a main area in ICT.

Knowledge

• Have acquired knowledge of how issues of theory and ethics of science relate to ICT
• Have acquired wide academic knowledge of key areas of research in ICT
• Be in the ‘cutting edge’ of the knowledge of the topic of their dissertation
• Be able to evaluate different research methods and relate them to topics in ICT
• Be able to contribute to the development of new knowledge, theories, methods, interpretations and documentation in ICT

Skills

• Be able to formulate research questions, plan and conduct research and professional development in ICT
• Be able to conduct research and development of high international standards ICT
• Be able to deal with complex research questions in ICT and reflect critically on the established knowledge and practice in this field
• teach and supervise within his/her own area of research at both master and bachelor level

General competence

• Be able to carry out research in ICT and have an independent and reflective approach to research in their own field.
• Be able to identify new relevant research questions and pursue their research with professional integrity
• Be able to disseminate research and development work through recognized national and international channels
• Be able to participate in discussions in the international research community in ICT (conferences, publications)
• Be able to evaluate the need for and initiate academic development, based on recent research in ICT
• Be able to manage complex and multidisciplinary tasks and projects that combine ICT and other relevant disciplines
• Have acquired qualifications for research and other work that requires high standards of academic insight and competence in ICT

Teaching in the course part comprises lectures, seminars and discussions. It is also possible to define special syllabus or to use summer schools as courses. Parts of the coursework component can be completed at other institutions in Norway or abroad, if approved by the Faculty/PhD Committee. More information about the courses can be found in the course descriptions. Teaching will normally be in English.

As part of the research education, the PhD candidate is required to:

• Participate in the departments PhD forum both as presenter and as audience.
• Present his/her work at national and international conferences, workshops and journals.

Students are expected to take full responsibility for their own learning and personal progress in. It is assumed that the students will attain major parts of the curriculum objectives through self-study. 

All courses or other activities to be included in the coursework component must have a final assessment. The assessment method used is normally an essay that builds on the literature in the course combined with the PhD candidate’s own research topic. The assessment method in the courses appears in the course descriptions.

Grading: Pass/Fail, where Pass corresponds to the grade B or higher on the master’s programme.

The doctoral programme concludes with a public trial lecture on a prescribed topic and a public defence (disputation) where the candidate presents an account of the results of the scientific investigations reported in the dissertation and defends the thesis in a discussion with two opponents. The disputation is further described in the supplementary regulations for the PhD Degree at the Faculty of Engineering and Science.

After successfully completing the PhD degree, candidates will be able to move directly into the professional field as an ICT specialist in a range of capacities. Graduates frequently obtain leading positions in industry and business. The programme has direct relevance to the computing and communication industry, but job opportunities are not limited to such activities. The program also qualifies graduates for a career in research in ICT at universities and research centres throughout the world.

PhD at the Faculty of Engineering and Science, specialisation in ICT.