To be awarded a PhD, students must pass the courses that are included in the PhD program (60 ECTS credits) and have written a dissertation (thesis) corresponding to 180 ECTS credits (out of required 240 ECTS credits for the degree). The licentiate as well as the PhD thesis can be based either on a unified theme (a monograph) or as a collection of separate articles with an overview summary (compilation thesis). In the latter case the thesis consists of a summary and referenced articles published in scientific magazines.

Some important criteria related to the thesis content:

• There must be a Swedish summary.
• The contribution of the PhD student to the papers has to be clearly stated.
• If there is material included from your licentiate thesis, this must be clearly stated in the beginning.

The final part of doctoral studies is an oral, public defence in which PhD students defend their dissertation.

Here you find a detailed description of the preparations for a defence at the department. Observe that the formal process has to be started at least 12 weeks ahead of the defence.

The cover of the thesis

The cover of the dissertation shall be designed in accordance with the guidelines described on the Stockholm University Library's page:

Templates and Visual Identity for Dissertation

Copyright

You retain the copyright of your publication, so be sure to visually mark the copyright holder (©), yourself, and ISBN number

Observe that, in the case of a compilation thesis, the copyright holders of the copied articles are the journals. In order to include them in the printed thesis you need their permission, which should be stated in the thesis. Also observe that it will be regarded as plagiarism to copy parts (like sentences, paragraphs etc.) of published work into your own writing.

Practical information

Please note that preparation must begin at least 12 weeks before the date of the dissertation. This include booking time for the dissertation, time when the script should be ready, printing of the dissertation, nailing etc. Here you can read more:

Stockholm University regulations

Regulations concerning PhD thesis defence at the Faculty of Science

Practical information about thesis dissertation at the Department of Physics

The Handbook for Postgraduate Students from UHR, the Swedish Council for Higher Education 

Examination certificate

Students awarded a PhD or Licentiate degree will be given a degree certificate upon request. Please observe that the date of the degree certificate is identical to the application date (and not the date of the defence)

Read more about applying for our degree and diploma

Confirment of Doctoral Degrees

Stockholm University arranges Confirment of Doctoral Degrees on the last Friday in September every year. In mid-June, invitations are sent out to those who have taken a doctorate during the academic year.

Confirment of Doctoral Degrees