Become a researcher
Are you a curious person who is driven by learning and knowing more? Do you thrive in the academic environment? Doctoral studies provide a unique opportunity to pause for reflection, ask questions, find answers and try to understand a topic in depth.
PhD Student in the olfactory lab. Photo: Roland Fredriksson/Stockholms universitet.
How PhD studies are structured
If you have completed a Master’s (second-cycle) degree and meet specific entry requirements (see programme syllabus), you can apply to a doctoral study programme. The programme usually involves four years of full-time study. At the end of the programme, you will be awarded a doctoral degree.
Doctoral studies comprise 240 credits, divided between a course component (75 credits) and a thesis (165 credits). The studies incorporate both fundamental and demanding knowledge acquisition based on independent study and participation in seminars and courses. You receive academic supervision during your time as a doctoral student.
The thesis is an academic project that eventually undergoes a public defence. Before the thesis is defended, it is nailed to a special board on our premises in Albano to notify people of the date of the defence (and electronically via the DiVA publication portal).
The dissertation process involves two and a half years of full-time studies and is the most important and decisive element of your doctoral studies.
More information
Meet Head of PhD Studies Mats Nilsson
Professor Mats Nilsson, Head of PhD Studies
— I had previously studied philosophy and the history of religion – but psychology was the subject where I felt most at home, working with data I have collected myself! I still can’t think of anything else more exciting worth pursuing! says Mats Nilsson, Head of PhD Studies.
— Psychology as a subject presents major challenges. How do you measure experiences, memories, thoughts, feelings, values? How do you interpret the link between physiological and mental phenomena – to what extent is it cause and effect? What is specific to an individual, what is common to all, and how do we tell the difference? Just because people respond differently to the same question does not necessarily mean they are unalike, perhaps they simply interpreted the question differently.
— As a PhD student, you will soon be left to wrestle with these questions – regardless of your chosen field of psychology.
— I remember how captivating it was as a PhD student, entering into a world where all questions – even the seemingly simple ones – always led to complex yet fascinating questions of measurements, causality, scientific approach and – of course – the eternal question about the link between body and soul.
Doctoral studies
Valentina Barrios Pizarro
Head of studies – PhD level
Last updated: 2026-01-29
Source: Department of Psychology