Doctoral studies

Doctoral studies are an important part of the University’s mission and responsibility and, as a doctoral student, you will be making important contributions to research at the University of Gothenburg. Doctoral studies allow you to develop a deeper understanding of a scientific field of study and are provided free of charge in Sweden.

Doctoral studies comprise of 240 credits, equivalent to four years of full-time studies, and leads to a Degree of Doctor. It is also possible to finish your studies with a Degree of Licentiate (120 credits) after two years of full-time studies. Doctoral studies are divided into two parts: doctoral courses and an individual research project. The structure of your doctoral studies depends on the general syllabus for the subject you are admitted to and by your individual study plan that you establish together with your supervisor and your doctoral examiner.

Study support for students with disabilities

Doctoral students with documented permanent disabilities are eligible for different forms of study support. Examples of this are note-taking support, adapted course literature,  adjusted assessments, mentoring, and software that can make reading and writing easier.

The Doctoral Portal

More information about doctoral studies is available on the university’s website for admitted doctoral students. It provides information about rules and regulations, collaborative agreements, and much more.

Doctoral studies at the faculties

• The Faculty of Science
• School of Business, Economics and Law
• Faculty of Humanities
• IT Faculty
• Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts
• The Sahlgrenska Academy
• Faculty of Social Science
• Faculty of Education

Göteborg at a glance

Gothenburg, Sweden, welcomes a large number of international students each year and some of the reasons why you should choose to study abroad in this great city are: the chance to enrol in top ranked universities that place innovative research at the bottom line of the education system, interdisciplinary and complex university programmes and students play an active role in teaching and learning. As Gothenburg has been ranked as one of the most inventive cities in the world by Forbes, the city is particularly appealing for students interested in technology and engineering fields. Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Gothenburg is situated by the Kattegat, in the west part of the country and about halfway between the capitals Copenhagen, Denmark, and Oslo, Norway.

•  510K Population
•  742 – 1,370 EUR/monthLiving Costs
•  3Universities

Doctoral courses

The University of Gothenburg offers a wide range of doctoral courses. Doctoral students at the University of Gothenburg and at other higher education institutions can apply to these courses through the university’s application portal for doctoral courses.

Applications

Use the application portal to search for courses by filtering searches by department and faculty. If you want to apply for a course, click on the “Apply” button and then provide the requested information. When the application has been submitted, you will receive a confirmation to the email address you provided.

If you have questions about a course, please contact the department in charge of the course. 

Admission decision

When your application has been processed, you will receive an admission decision by email. If you have been admitted, it is important that you accept or decline the offer of admission in accordance with the instructions in the email. If this is not done within the specified timeframe, you will lose your place on the course.

Studying in Göteborg

In Gothenburg universities, most courses and programmes use English as language of instruction, so non-native English speakers are required either a TOEFL or an IELTS certificate. Usually only Bachelor courses are taught in Swedish and if you want to apply for one of the available programmes, TISUS (The Test in Swedish for University Studies) is the only eligible proof for Swedish proficiency.

After enrolment, international students can sign up for Swedish language courses within the language centres in the universities.

Apart from Bachelor and Master degrees, and PhD programmes, you may also apply to double Master’s degree courses, MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses), professional and executive education programmes.

Choose a specialisation in disciplines like: languages, art, design, medicine, natural sciences, music, education, economics, law, MBA, engineering, project management, nanotechnology.

The main distance degree courses available are for subject areas like: European studies, health care, geography, environmental studies, Swedish language.

Career

Career opportunities in Göteborg

The economy of Gothenburg is rich and pretty diverse. Since the Port of Gothenburg is the largest port in the Nordic countries, trade and shipping is one of the major sectors of the city. Other local important industries are: finance, shipbuilding, manufacturing, research.

Some of the top employers in Gothenburg are: Volvo Cars, Ericsson, Parker Hannifin, HP, AstraZeneca, SwedBank, Schenker, Ikea, Sodexo, Adecco, G4S Security Services.

Always check for online resources when you look for internship opportunities and you will always find places available in the field you’re interested in acquiring practical experience.

Life

Göteborg city life

The fascinating and intriguing Gothenburg blends Neoclassical architectural buildings with trendy clubs and world class restaurants. In Gothenburg, you can wander through several parks and green spaces, check fashion stores on the big and famous shopping alley, Avenyn boulevard, and admire fancy yachts from the port.

Visit some of the nicest attractions in Gothenburg:

• Gothenburg Cathedral
• The Göteborg City Museum
• The Gothenburg city hall
• Älvsborg Fortress
• The Röhsska Museum
• Skansen Kronan (Crown Keep) – a hilltop fortification
• Universeum – public science centre
• Haga district – gathers many lovely wooden houses

Other nice and unique places that are worth seeing are Fiskhallen, an indoor fish market, truly an attraction in itself, the Volvo museum and the Liseberg amusement park.

Relax or simply admire nature in parks like: Kungsparken, The Garden Society of Gothenburg, a park and a horticultural garden, Rya Skogs Naturreservat – a protected area.

Gothenburg has a pretty active night life, so have fun with your peers in the local bars, cafes and clubs.

Enjoy some of the many festivals held here, such as: The Gothenburg Film Festival, Way Out West, the annual Gothia Cup, the world’s largest (in terms of number of participants) football tournament.

Anytime you feel like getting out of the city and exploring, you are only around three hours away from Linkoping, same distance away from Oslo in Norway and Copenhagen in Denmark.

International atmosphere in Göteborg

Gothenburg gathers a pretty diverse population, including minorities from: Iran, Iraq, Finland, Yugoslavia, Norway, African countries.

With a local prosperous economy, Gothenburg has been attracting several foreign investment projects, especially in the following fields: logistics, sales, ICT, life science and technology, with China as a large foreign investor in the area.

Weather Göteborg

While in Gothenburg, you will experience general milder temperatures throughout the year compared to other cities in Sweden. During the summer, daylight is present for around 18 hours, while in the winter you will only enjoy it for around 6 hours. Summers are warm and pleasant with average high temperatures of 19 – 20 °C (66 – 68 °F). Winters are cold and windy with highest temperatures of around 3 °C (37 °F), and snow that can occur from December to March.