Application

New positions will be announced on the homepage twice every year: 2^nd of April and 20^th of October, with last application date 2^nd of May and 20^nd of November, respectively. All PhD positions are connected to a project, which will be described in the announcement.

 

Application content

If you'd like to apply for a PhD position at the department, please fill in the application form together with CV and documentation of study merits, where your eligibility is clearly documented, as well as a "Letter of intent", describing your expectations of the PhD studies connected to that project.

 

PhD candidates: Applications, study support and employment at MMK

This English version is an extract from the general rules, and also includes local policy at MMK. The detailed rules are found in Högskoleverkets doktorandhandbok. In the event of a discrepancy in the present text from the Swedish rules, the Swedish version prevails.

 

Application and selection procedure

New places in the Research education programmes should be announced.

Common announcements for the Faculty of Science take place twice every year:

1. April 2, final application date May 2;

2. October 20, final application date Nov 20. 

The Board of the department decides about other dates, which should be announced at the homepage.

 

Applications are made in accordance with the procedure described on the homepage.

 

The eligibility and suitability for PhD studies at MMK will be tested and ranked by the Evaluation committee in the same way for all applicants, before the candidate can be approved by the Board of the department (see below). The final decision of acceptance is taken by the Dean of Section Chemistry for students who have made agreements in the individual study plan of shorter study time than corresponding to the normal 48 months of study support (see below).

 

General study plans for each research education subject are found on the Department's home page. At the time of application also project descriptions, requirements for eligibility, and requested documentation for the application are announced on the home page. An Evaluation committee judges the capacity of the candidates for the education offered in the research education programmes, invites short-listed candidates for interviews, and makes a priority list. The Strategy group of the department proposes to the Board of the department the number of candidates to be offered a place in the programmes. The final decision for students with normal study support is taken by the Board of the department..

 

An individual study plan must be written in connection to the formal acceptance, where the candidate together with the supervisor make a time plan for the study activities and when the required results are expected for the PhD exam. The individual study plan, which must be signed by the candidate, the supervisor and the Head of department, also regulates the amount of assistent employment and other departmental duties, which can be up to max 20% of full time every calendar year.

 

Study support and employment

Places for doctoral candidates are normally offered (after the evaluation procedure) with 48 months financing of the study support part. The study support normally starts with a taxable type of scholarship, "utbildningsbidrag", followed by employment as "doktorand". Employment as "doktorand" (doktorandanställning) is required when 24 months full time studies are left of the PhD period, as judged from the individual study plan. Special funding or shorter time than 48 months of study support has to be approved by the Dean before the candidate can be accepted by the Board of the department. The minimum amount of "utbildningsbidrag" or doktorandanställning is 50% of full time.

 

 

Shorter study times than 48 months may occur, but require a special agreement in the individual study plan, which then must be signed by the doctoral candidate and the Head of department (prefekt), and approved by the Dean of Section Chemistry. The time with "utbildningsbidrag" can be combined with assistent employment with max 20% of full time (current full time salary in 2011: SEK 22 600 / month). The amount of assistent employment may vary and is regulated by an agreement in the individual study plan. The amount of study support with "utbildningsbidrag" will then normally be reduced by the same amount, i.e. to 80% when combined with 20% assistent employment.

 

From 2009-01-01 the amount of the taxable study support in the form of 100% "utbildningsbidrag"  is SEK 15 500/month, which after tax gives about SEK 12465/month. Salaries when employed as "doktorand" are regulated according to ALFA-SU (from 2011-05-01):

- Starting salary SEK 22 600/month.

- After fulfilling 50% of the requirements for the PhD exam (see below):

  SEK 24 700/month.

- When 80% is achieved: SEK 26 000/month.

 

General rules for employees (allmänna anställningsvillkor ALVA) are found (in Swedish) in www.arbetsgivarverket.se. Local regulations for the University that is the formal employer for PhD students, are found in ALFA-SU, at www.su.se/anstalld, see "Personal" and Regelboken. Prefekten (Head of Department) is responsible for matters concerning the personnel at the department, and formally accepts and employs the doctoral candidates, to which the Board has offered a place. PhD students (doctoral candidates) only supported by "utbildningsbidrag", are formally students, not employees (except when partially employed as assistent).

 

Prolongation of study support. The time limited employment as doktorand can be prolonged only for special reasons, e.g. absence for illness or child care (with doctor's certificate and/or with a signed declaration to the department, see below) or for parental leave (HF 5 kap. 7 §). For work in student organisations etc, special rules apply at SU, see: http://www.sus.su.se/sites/sus.su.se/files/attachments/prolongationsregler.pdf.

 

For prolongation due to short term absence for illness or child care the absence must be reported within a week to the department with a declaration on a special form. From day 8 a doctor's certificate is needed. At MMK the Director of research education studies is responsible for registering all documented short term absences. The prolongation will be reported every year to the supervisor. A PhD student with utbildningsbidrag and/or scholarship will keep that study support during absences due to documented illness, child care or parental leave. Pregnancy should be reported at an early stage to the Head of department for proper adjustment of the working conditions.

Insurance. All students are insured for accidents in connection to the studies. Former employment as doktorand is a base for support in the event of unemployment (A-kassa, for citizens or holders of work permits). After totally 3 years employment as assistent and doktorand special unemployment assistance and benefits are available from Trygghetsstiftelsen (external link).

 

Local regulations at MMK

The calendar time with study support in the form of "utbildningsbidrag" (full or partial) should normally not exceed 2 years for a doctoral candidate with full time activity at MMK.

 

In employment as doktorand the 50% level is considered to be reached after:

• 60 hp are registered in courses within the research education study programme and one manuscript to be included in the thesis is submitted for publication.
• 40 hp in courses, together with one paper accepted or published and one manuscript submitted for publication, within the research education study programme
• Corresponding level of achievements of courses and papers/manuscripts within the research education study programme
• Achieved licentiate degree or passed half-time seminar with a substantial research summary in writing.

 

The 80% level is reached after:

• 60 hp are registered in courses and two papers accepted or published and one manuscript close to submission for publication within the research education study programme
• 40-50 hp registered and at least 3 papers accepted or published and one manuscript close to submission for publication within the research education study programme
• Corresponding level of achievements of courses and papers/manuscripts within the research education study programme

 

 

Formal work hours (used for calculating holiday time and assistent hours)

• 1 756 hours/year until the year when getting to the age of 29 (28 days of holiday).
• 1 732 hours from the year reaching the age of 30 (31 days of holiday).
• 1 700 hours from the year reaching the age of 40 (35 days of holiday).

 

Holidays

Summer is normal holiday time and a formal application must be made for leave of absence when employed, also when employed as assistent. Utbildningsbidrag is not employment, however "holiday" time can normally be taken for up to 5 weeks in agreement with the supervisor.

 

When employed as doktorand the working time for the doctoral candidate can, with permission of the supervisor, be spent at another place than at the department provided that is beneficial for the studies. This special permission means that holiday time should formally be used within the current year, and that "saved" holiday time from one year will not be reimbursed as salary. If the PhD exam is achieved before the end of the 48 months of study support and the employment as doktorand continues after the exam, the employee should be at the work place within normal working hours, unless the Head of department grants special permission otherwise.

 

Travel and expenses.

Travel within the project is decided by the project leader. Before travelling abroad a special form (reseanmälan, available from the MMK homepage) must be filled in for insurance reasons. Daily allowance (taxfree when abroad) will be paid only if agreed in advance by the project leader on the form reseanmälan, and can also be adjusted in a special agreement written on the form.

 

 

Eligibility

Basic eligibility

For basic eligibility to doctoral level studies, the applicant will have:

1. taken a second (master) level academic degree, or

2. fulfilled course requirements for at least 240 academic credits, of which at least 60 should be at the second level, or

3. in some other way, in Sweden or abroad, acquired generally corresponding competence.

The Board of the Faculty of Science may exempt an individual applicant from the basic eligibility requirement, if there are specific reasons.

 

Specific eligibility requirements

For specific eligibility to doctoral level studies in physical chemistry, the applicant should have taken a BSc (fil. kand.) degree with chemistry, chemical engineering or physics as major subject, and should have carried out and passed an independent task within the subject area, comprising at least 30 second level academic credits.

For specific eligibility the applicant may also in some other way, in Sweden or abroad, have acquired generally corresponding competence.