It is central in the psychosocial research field to explore what elements promote and improve human psychosocial health and the opportunities to cope with life-challenges. Furthermore, the research seeks to address societal factors that creates ill-health, stigmatisation, functional impairment, and social exclusion. The aim of this research field is to develop research-based knowledge to enable practitioners, administrative and political community developers to promote inclusive and sustainable communities and local environment.
Description
The PhD specialisation in psychosocial health consists of four components:
- The faculty PhD programme´s mandatory core courses
- The faculty PhD programme´s elective methods course(s)
- Specialisation courses in psychosocial health
- The thesis
The coursework aims at providing the candidate with
a) a thorough rooting in literature in psychosocial health
b) a thorough philosophical and methodological foundation
c) an opportunity for in-depth focus in areas relevant to psychosocial health in which the PhD candidate has specific interest
In addition to the PhD courses offered by UiA, the candidates may take doctoral courses offered by other national and international academic institutions.
Admission requirements
General requirement: Applicants who have at least a master´s degree or equivalent in a relevant area of study will be considered for admission. In addition, there is a requirement of at least 90 ECTS credits (one and a half years of study on a master level) in subjects related to psychosocial health. This may include (1) the Department of psychosocial health’s own 120 ECTS Master´s programmes in Psychosocial health, (2) other similar Master´s programmes from other institutions, or (3) other educations which the department considers to be equivalent. Previous knowledge in psychosocial health methodology must be documented.
See also Supplementary regulations for the PhD degree at the Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences
Specialisation components
The PhD specialisation is normally organised so as to be completed in a three-year period. The coursework component comprises the faculty PhD programme’ s two mandatory core courses:
- Researching Health and Sport Sciences: Philosophical and Methodological Foundations, 7,5 ECTS
- Research Dissemination in Health and Sport Sciences: Scientific presenting and practice, 7,5 ECTS
The faculty PhD programme comprises elective methods course(s) (at least 5 ECTS) and elective specialisation courses (10 ECTS). These must be approved by the supervisors.
In total, the coursework component consists of 30 ECTS credits. The coursework will normally be completed in the first 2-3 semesters of the PhD specialisation. The thesis project will be carried out in parallel with the coursework, guided by appointed supervisors. Thesis seminars and seminars in research groups will also support the candidates in developing their thesis work and will give the opportunity to present and discuss this with other PhD candidates and faculty staff.
Course work
Mandatory core courses
The course Researching Health and Sport Sciences: Philosophical and Methodological Foundations (7,5 ECTS) will introduce the candidate to the different philosophical and methodological approaches within health and sport sciences in general. The philosophical underpinnings of method and methodologies, both in general to health and sport sciences and specifically in the relation to the specialisations, will be emphasised in the course.
The course Research Dissemination in Health and Sport Sciences: Scientific presenting and practice (7,5 ECTS) runs throughout the full PhD period, and it is also a social meeting point for the PhD candidates. The overall aim of the course is to supply the participants with relevant practical skills as researchers. The candidate will be given an introduction in how to write and publish a scientific article, how to present research findings in a scientific manner, and how these findings may be popularised for presentation to the public. In addition, the course will prepare the candidate for designing and defending the thesis. The course is a continuing course throughout the candidate´s whole PhD period and the candidates are automatically registered for this course.
The purpose of these courses is to provide the candidate with a thorough philosophical and methodological foundation that should be followed up in supervision and reflected in the PhD thesis.
Elective methods courses
The purpose of these courses is to provide the candidates with a thorough foundation in relevant scientific method(s). A minimum of 5 ECTS credits is required and should be approved by the supervisors.
The faculty offers these methods courses:
ME-617 Systematic Reviews and Evidence Synthesis, 2,5 ECTS
ME-618 Qualitative Research Methods, 5 ECTS
ME-626 General Quantitative Research Methods, 5 ECTS
ME-627 Logistic Regression Analysis, 2,5 ECTS
ME-628 Regression Models Illustrated through Linear Regression, 2,5 ECTS
ME-629 Analysis and Design of Studies with Repeated Measures, 2,5 ECTS
ME-630 Survival Analysis, 2,5 ECTS
ME-634 Phenomenological Lifeworld Perspective, Methodology and Analysis, 5 ECTS
ME-636 Epidemiology: Concepts and Methodological Approaches, 5 ECTS
Elective specialisation courses
The specialisation courses go into depth in specific topics currently on the research agenda in sport science and physical education areas. These courses are intended to give the PhD candidates sufficient knowledge in a subfield of sport science and/or physical education related to the thesis subject, thus enabling them to conduct research in this field.
Depending on the thesis subject, the specialisation courses will be offered internally or completed at other universities in Norway and/or abroad.
The specialisation offers these specialisation courses:
HEL605 Phenomenological Approach to Mental Health, 5 ECTS
HEL606 Recovery in Mental Health and Substance Abuse – Perspectives and Practices, 5 ECTS
HEL608 Dialogical and Collaborative Practices – Ontology, epistemology and Methodology, 5 ECTS
HEL619 The Science of Behavior, 5 ECTS
HEL621 Evidence Based Practice: Critical Perspectives, 5 ECTS
PhD thesis
The PhD thesis should be an independent piece of academic work that meets international academic standards in the subject area. It must contribute to the development of new scholarly knowledge and must achieve a level of academic quality meriting publication as part of the literature in its field.
According to the supplementary regulations for the PhD programme in Health and Sport Sciences, the dissertation may be a monograph or a collection of articles accompanied by an extended summary and an in‑depth discussion of the research results presented in the articles. An article‑based dissertation must include a minimum of three articles. At least one article, for which the candidate is the first author, must be accepted for publication at the time of submission. The remaining articles must have been submitted to scientific journals. The candidate must be the first author on at least two of the articles.
Contact person for the specialisation
- tore.d.boe@uia.no
- Phone
- +47 37 23 31 18