PhD Handbook
This handbook provides you with a brief overview of the most important information you will need to complete a PhD at the Department of Geological Sciences (IGV).
On this page you will find the regulations specific to IGV but you should refer to the faculty’s (Regler för forskarutbildning vid det naturvetenskapliga området pdf, 213.7 kB.) as well as Stockholm University’s documentation for the most up to date university and national rules.
Regulations for third cycle education and summative assessment pdf, 458 kB.
Regler för utbildning och examination på forskarnivå pdf, 450 kB.
PhD Defence Procedure
Ready to Defend?
There are General Qualifications for the Degree of Doctor set out by the Högskoleförordning that you must consider when deciding if you are ready to defend.
They state that:
In terms of courses: the student should have completed a study program of 240 hp. This includes 45 hp taken during your PhD studies.
In terms of knowledge and understanding: the student should demonstrate broad knowledge and systematic understanding of the research field as well as advanced and up-to-date specialised knowledge on a limited area of this field; and demonstrate familiarity with research methodology in general and the methods of the specific field or research in particular.
In terms of competence and skills: the student should demonstrate the capacity for scholarly analysis and synthesis as well as to review and assess new and complex phenomena, issues and situations autonomously and critically; demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate issues with scholarly precision critically, autonomously and creatively, and to plan and use appropriate methods to undertake research and other qualified tasks within predetermined time frames and to review and evaluate such work; demonstrate through a dissertation the ability to make a significant contribution to the formation of knowledge through their own research; demonstrate the ability in both national and international contexts to present and discuss research and research findings authoritatively in speech and writing and in dialogue with the academic community and society in general; demonstrate the ability to identify the need for further knowledge; and demonstrate the capacity to contribute to social development and support the learning of others both through research and education and in other qualified professional capacities.
In terms of judgment and approach: demonstrate intellectual autonomy and disciplinary rectitude as well as the ability to make assessments of research ethics; and demonstrate specialised insight into the possibilities and limitation of research, its role in society and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used.
PhD Defence Steps
- Overview
The procedures for defending your PhD is dictated by IGV, Stockholm University and national regulations. You should begin organizing your thesis defence well in advance (the term before!) of your planned thesis defence date, as there are many formal regulations and deadlines that you must comply with. Be sure to visit the faculty’s website and read the full faculty rules about the PhD defence as well as on the University’s website (https://medarbetare.su.se/utbildning/forskarutbildning/disputation) to make sure the process goes smoothly. Rules and regulations can change at any time and this is where you will find the most up to date information. Please also make sure that all your courses are in Ladok before you start this process as you are not allowed to defend your thesis until you have completed 45 hp of studies. You can make your life easier by making sure the Ladok entries fit with the requirements for taking out your degree once you have finished.
A simplified timeline is given below but again, check the university website for any changes:
- Book Your Defence Date and Time
Once your supervisory team, in consultation with the Head of Subject, deem that you are ready to defend your thesis you should set a date. This will necessarily involve a discussion with your potential opponent and defence committee.
Note however:
– Your defence should occur between August 15th to June 15th.
– Your thesis should be made public at least 3 weeks before your defence date and
the period between June 16th and August 14th cannot be counted in those 3 weeks.
To avoid defences with a similar topic being held on the same day you must book your date with Stockholm University centrally. See how to do this and the calendar of currently booked dates.
You will have to provide basic details of yourself and your thesis to disputationer@su.se. If you plan to defend during “peak defence” periods such as just before Christmas vacation or the summer holidays, be sure to book your slot early. You are then responsible for booking the room for the defence. It is good to check beforehand what rooms are available and make a preliminary booking before you make everything official. At IGV defences are typically held in William-Olsson lecture theatre. Once you have made contact with disputationer@su.se they will inform the library who will help you with the different steps of getting your thesis published and printed. The library will generate a timeline (see example below) that helps you establish your deadlines and understand who (you, the library, the printers) does what when:
If you have not heard from the library within 10 days or if you have questions regarding the printing process, please contact avhandlingssupport.sub@su.se. They provide good support for PhD students. Regardless, you should contact them at least 30 days prior to the “nailing” of your thesis.
- Your Defence Committee
There are a number of considerations that need to go into the selection of your committee and this is the responsibility of your supervisor and the Head of Subject. The opponent should be working outside of Stockholm University and have no conflict of interest with you or your supervisors. The examination committee should consist of 3 members as well as a reserve/substitute. Opponent and committee members should all be working independently at different academic institutions. Of these 4 individuals at least 2 should be working outside Stockholm University and not more than 1 can come from the same institution as you. The opponent and the committee members should have docent competence or equivalent and both men and women should be represented on this committee. The combined expertise of the committee should be sufficient to evaluate the scientific content of your thesis. The defence chair is not part of your committee but should be from Stockholm University, be docent competent and not have a conflict of interest with you or your supervisors.
- Your Thesis
A PhD thesis is not a life’s work; it is a document that demonstrates that you are capable of carrying out independent research. The thesis generally consists of a “kappa” (or, directly translated, "a coat"), which is an overview and discussion of what has been achieved during the PhD project, as well as appended articles/manuscripts. The kappa should be written for a broad audience and explain what you have done, why you did it, and what contributions you have made to the field. It should present the red thread of your work and how your manuscripts relate to one another to form a cohesive body of work.
Be sure to look at past theses to get an idea of how to structure your kappa as best suits your work. There is no set number of manuscripts required for a thesis as each project is different. Be sure to have clear goals and expectations of what goes into your thesis that you have set with your supervisor. It is required to have all theses undergo an internal departmental assessment. At IGV this is performed by the Head of Subject.
The faculty has established guidelines for structuring your thesis.
You must send a near-final draft (i.e., only small changes in text or figures might be made) of your thesis to the Head of Subject at least 11 weeks before your intended defence and they have 2 weeks to get back to you with feedback/suggestions and a decision on if you can go to defence. If you have articles already published you can send these to your Head of Subject early to give them a little extra time.
There are templates available for your thesis which you are encouraged to start using earlier then later. These can be found by logging into SU’s production tool for our visual identity: https://su.bmc.nu (when you are logged in search for Avhandling template).
You will have to get an ISBN from the library, contact the publishers of any published articles to get permission to reproduce these in your thesis. You will also need an IGV communication number which you can get from Inês Jakobsson (ines.jakobsson@geo.su.se).
- Notify the Faculty of Your Defense and Committee
At 10 weeks before the intended defence a Disputation form pdf, 726.8 kB. which must be sent to the faculty providing the details of your defense. This form details the PhD candidate and thesis title, opponent, examination committee, examination committee reserve/substitute and motivation for their selection as well as the chair of the PhD defence. This application must first be approved by the Head of Subject and the Director of PhD Studies. It is then passed on to the Head of Department who sends it on to the Faculty of Science. This application is formally approved by the dean of the Section for Earth and Environmental Sciences.
- Approval of Your Thesis by the Committee
At 9 weeks before your intended defence you have to mail an electronic copy of your thesis to your committee. Again, this is a near-final copy – you will still be able to make adjustments to language, formatting, etc. The opponent will be given 2 weeks to evaluate whether the thesis is of suitable quality to be defended or not. The evaluation committee has the opportunity to raise any major issues at this point. The individual papers should be of the quality to be accepted to an international, peer-reviewed journal after revisions. If for some reason the thesis is not considered suitable for defence, a new date for your defence will be negotiated.
- Spikning (“Nailing”) of Your Thesis
Once your thesis has been given the go ahead by your committee, you can print your thesis. They will have been informed that no changes can be made to your thesis once it is printed. The library supports you with the printing of your thesis and a lot of the deadlines relate to the day of you “spikning” (or “nailing” of your thesis in the way of Martin Luther in 1517) which should happen at the latest 3 weeks before your intended defence. This is the announcement of the upcoming PhD dissertation defense, and your thesis becomes available to the public in DiVA and in printed form. In order for the electronic announcement to take place you must enter the bibliographic information about your dissertation in DiVA before you send your thesis for printing. The “spikblad” will be generated from this system as a pdf.
There is usually a small celebration at the department where you nail both your “spikblad” and a copy of your thesis to the wooden post. Be sure to inform the IGV website administrator so that the announcement of your defence also goes up on our webpage. The faculty recommends as a minimum that at least 30 copies should be printed (7 go to the library, 5 to Stockholm University, 8 to IGV and the committee and 10 to be available at the defence itself). IGV will pay up to 50 copies. If you find mistakes in your thesis you can make a list of erratum which can be included with your printed thesis. There is also a template available for this.
- Your Defence
The defence is open to the public. The Chair of the Defence first presents you, your thesis title, supervisor and co-supervisors. The Chair of the Defence will then introduce the opponent and the examination committee (where the Disputation Form is a good basis for this information) and quickly brief the audience on the day’s procedure.
The Public Defence in Brief
- The PhD candidate makes a 30-minute presentation.
- The opponent makes a 10–15-minute presentation putting the thesis into the context of the research field.
- The opponent and PhD candidate then have a scientific discussion about the thesis.
- The examination committee questions the PhD candidate.
- The audience has the opportunity to question the PhD candidate.
- The public defence is closed.
After this you have the opportunity to give any errata to your thesis before giving a presentation of approximately 30-minutes describing your work. The floor is then given to the opponent who is asked to place the thesis into a broader scientific context. This could be by giving a short overview of the research field relevant to the PhD candidate’s thesis work (10–15 minutes but can be longer). It may include a wider, more general or historical perspective about the field of study – normally from the angle of their specialisation. The aim of this presentation is to show where the PhD candidate’s thesis advances the field of study.
You and the opponent will then have centre stage (either sitting or standing), and engage in a discussion. While minor issues may be raised at this time (language, references, typos) the focus of the discussion should be on the scientific results and the strengths and weaknesses of your work. At the end of the discussion, it is common for the opponent to give you their general impression of your work. This discussion generally runs to an hour but there is no official time limit. When the opponent is satisfied, the floor is given to the examining committee who will ask you additional questions. If there are outstanding matters, either textual clarifications, matters of science, general interest, etc., this is their time to query you. This is normally 2–4 questions per committee member, not lasting much more than 10–15 minutes per member. This means that the public defence normally lasts 2 to 3 hours. The floor is then open for questions from the public. Once these are satisfied the public defence is closed.
When the defense is closed, the Chair of the Defence will complete and sign a faculty document stating that the thesis defense has properly taken place, and hand it over to the examining committee chair. The committee will then retire to a meeting room to discuss a pass or fail. The student’s main supervisor and the opponent may participate in this meeting for the discussions prior to the vote, but they must leave the room before the examining committee votes. The examining committee will report their decision on the faculty document, sign it and return it to the Chair of the Defence who will pass it on to the Director of PhD Studies and ultimately, the faculty.
- When It is Over
It is common to have refreshments, including possibly a little cake or champagne or alternatives in the lunch room while awaiting the committee’s decision. The committee usually joins the gathering to make their announcement. This must be organized by the student and it is a good idea to ask your colleagues to help out. The department will order flowers, cake and alcohol-free beverages but the student needs to inform the administration. The lunch room can be reserved for a party in the evening to celebrate your accomplishment.
Remember to apply to get your formal degree which you can do by logging into Ladok. To make this process easier it really is important that you have checked the information in Ladok earlier and given the administration a few days to get your completed thesis and defence details into the system. In the autumn you will also be invited to a conferment ceremony that takes place at Stockholm City Hall.
Last updated: 2026-09-01
Source: Department of Geological Sciences