PhD studies at Stockholm University
Stockholm University stands as an attractive destination for those considering PhD studies. With a strong commitment to research excellence and a growing network of international collaborations, the university offers a favourable environment for advanced research and academic growth.
Stockholm University has a long tradition of research excellence spanning various fields of study, both in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Many faculty members are at the forefront of their respective disciplines, producing influential research that addresses pressing global challenges and contributing to the shaping of industries, policies and societies.
Doctoral students are employees
Moreover, Stockholm University recognizes international collaborations as an essential part of scientific research, thus actively fosters partnerships with esteemed institutions and scholars from around the world. This global perspective enriches the academic experience for PhD candidates, providing valuable insights and opportunities for cross-cultural engagement.
- Stockholm University is one of the 100 highest-ranked universities in the world and one of the top 50 universities in Europe
- We offer a wide range of research subjects within science and human science
- There are no tuition fees for doctoral education in Sweden
- Doctoral students are employees at SU and receive salary and other standard benefits of employment.
As the academia constitutes the cradle of knowledge, I am proud of being part of this community which actively contributes in the generation of innovative ideas which target to solve everyday problems. I also enjoy the close connection to the industry in Sweden.
- Varvara Apostolopoulou Kalkavoura
Read the full interview with Varvara
Doctoral studies in Sweden
Our doctoral studies take four years and result in a degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), the highest academic degree in Sweden. During this period you will both take advanced courses in your field of interest and work in a original research project. However, after two years, you might have the possibility to take an intermediate degree of licentiate.
Admission requirements
To be admitted to PhD studies, you need to meet the general entry requirements, the specific entry requirements, and have the ability to successfully complete your studies.
General entry requirements include a completed master’s degree from a Swedish university or at least 240 higher education credits including at least 60 at the master’s level, or the corresponding international equivalents.
Institutions may have specific eligibility requirements. Verify the requirements for your area of interest with the relevant institution.
How to apply
One thing that differentiates PhD programmes at Stockholm University and Sweden from those elsewhere is that most of our PhD students are treated like full employees of the university. PhD positions are posted alongside other jobs on our website and applications are made for specific positions. PhD positions can be announced once or twice per year, depending on funding availability.
Before sending your application, you can check the department’s website for further information about the faculty and the possibilities connected with the PhD position. You can also find specific information about the application process in the announce for the position, along with the contact person if you have further questions.
There is usually an opportunity to apply for doctoral studies both in the autumn and spring. On the institutions' websites about doctoral studies, you can find the specific dates applicable to that institution. You can also see the current doctoral positions advertised.
Funding and financing doctoral studies
In most cases, doctoral students are treated as employees at Stockholm University, which means they receive a salary and other standard benefits of employment. There is even the possibility for you to extend your period of studies by working with teaching or administrative tasks within your department, up to 20% of a full-time position, which can result in a full extra year of employment as PhD student.
However, it is possible to pursue doctoral studies at Stockholm University also in case you have an external scholarship or special agreement with a company or other external employers. In these special cases, you will be subject to your employer-specific conditions only, and be considered solely a student at Stockholm University.
Residence permits (if applicable)
If you are an international student from a country outside the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), or Switzerland and you plan to pursue a PhD in Sweden, you will need a residence permit to study in the country. The residence permit is required for stays longer than three months.
You will find more information on the Swedish Migration Agency's website:
Faculty information
Faculty of Science
Research at the Faculty of Science covers broad knowledge areas, ranging from the elementary particles of atomic nuclei to the outermost limits of the universe, for example. Several of the faculty's institutions have been behind discoveries and scientific breakthroughs that receive recognition worldwide.
The Stockholm University BioResearch School organizes PhD courses for students at any of the Biology departments at SU no matter their subject area.
Stockholm University BioResearch School
Faculty of Humanities
Research in the humanities maintains high quality, with a wide range of subjects, allowing university researchers to engage in collaborative efforts across scientific domains. Philosophy, history, art and literary studies, journalism, linguistics, and Swedish as a second language for the deaf are examples of subjects in which research is conducted.
Those admitted to doctoral education have the opportunity to participate in the Faculty of Humanities Research School.
Faculty of Humanities Research School
Faculty of Law
The Faculty of Law achieves nationally leading and internationally outstanding research. The researcher's freedom characterizes the scientific work. Legal discussions are expected to be lively, open, and ongoing.
Faculty of Social Sciences
The Faculty of Social Sciences conducts qualified and high-quality research within its various established disciplines and interdisciplinary research fields. Strong connections to current challenges for society and politics generate central research questions.
The Faculty of Social Sciences offers doctoral education courses for those admitted to an institution belonging to the Faculty of Social Sciences.
The departments provide education at the PhD level
The individual departments often publish specific information doctoral studies programmes at their respective website. All institutions offering education at the PhD level are categorized into the following fields: humanities, languages, social sciences, and law, as well as natural sciences.
Humanities
Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies
- General Archaeology
- Ancient Culture and Society
- Laboratory Archaeology
- Osteoarchaeology
Doctoral studies at the Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies
Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
- Languages and Cultures of Asia
- Languages and Cultures of the Middle East
Doctoral studies at the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Department of Culture and Aesthetics
- History of Ideas
- Art History
- Literary Studies
- Musicology
- Theatre Studies
- Journalism
- Media and Communication Studies
- Fashion Studies
- Film Studies
Doctoral studies at the Department of Culture and Aesthetics
Department of History
- History
Doctoral studies at the Department of History
Department of Philosophy
- Practical Philosophy
- Theoretical Philosophy
Doctoral studies at the Department of Philosophy
Department of Teaching and Learning
- Didactics of Mathematics
- Didactics of Natural Sciences
- Language Didactics
- Subject Didactics with a focus on the didactics of aesthetic, humanistic, or social science subjects
Languages
Department of English
- English
Doctoral studies at the Department of English
Department of Linguistics
- Linguistics
Doctoral studies at the Department of Linguistics
Department of Romance and Classical Languages
- Romance Languages
- Classical Languages
Doctoral studies at the Department of Romance and Classical Languages
Department of Slavic and Baltic Studies, Finnish, Dutch and German
- Baltic Languages
- Finnish
- German
- Slavic Languages
Doctoral studies at the Department of Slavic and Baltic Studies, Finnish, Dutch and German
Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism
- Nordic Languages
- Bilingualism
- Translation Studies
Doctoral studies at the Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism
Department of Teaching and Learning
- Didactics of Mathematics
- Didactics of Natural Sciences
- Language Didactics
- Subject Didactics with a focus on the didactics of aesthetic, humanistic, or social science subjects
Social sciences and law
Department of Child and Youth Studies
- Child and Youth Studies
- Preschool Didactics
Doctoral studies at the Department of Child and Youth Studies
Department of Computer and Systems Sciences
- Computer and Systems Sciences
- Information Society
Doctoral studies at the Department of Computer and Systems Sciences
Department of Criminology
- Criminology
Doctoral studies at the Department of Criminology
Department of Economic History and International Relations
- Economic History
- International Relations
Doctoral studies at the Department of Economic History and International Relations
Department of Economics
Doctoral studies is provided in collaboration with:
Programs at the doctoral level at the Department of Economics
Department of Education
- Education
Doctoral studies at the Department of Education
Department of Human Geography
- Geography with a Cultural Geography focus
Doctoral studies at the Department of Human Geography
Department of Political Science
- Political Science
Doctoral studies at the Department of Political Science
Department of Psychology
- Psychology
Doctoral studies at the Department of Psychology
Department of Public Health Sciences
- Public Health Sciences
Doctoral studies at the Department of Public Health Science
Department of Social Anthropology
- Social Anthropology
Doctoral studies at the Department of Social Anthropology
Department of Sociology
- Sociology
- Sociological Demography
Studies at the doctoral level at the Department of Sociology
Department of Social Work
- Social Work
Doctoral studies at the Department of Social Work
Department of Special Education
- Special Education
Doctoral studies at the Department of Special Education
Department of Statistics
- Statistics
Doctoral studies at the Department of Statistics
Department of Teaching and Learning
- Didactics of Mathematics
- Didactics of Natural Sciences
- Language Didactics
- Subject Didactics with a focus on the didactics of aesthetic, humanistic, or social science subjects
Doctoral studies at the Department of Teaching and Learnin
Institute for International Economic Studies (IIES)
- International Economics
- Research and higher education in economics
Stockholm Business School
- Business Administration
- Financial Economics
Doctoral studies at Stockholm Business School
Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI)
- Doctoral candidates at SOFI are enrolled in either the Department of Sociology or the Department of Economics.
Doctoral studies at the Swedish Institute for Social Research
Law
Department of Law
- Jurisprudence
Natural Sciences
Biology
Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences
- Ecology and Evolution
- Ecotoxicology
- Marine Biology
- Plant Physiology
- Plant Systematics
Doctoral studies at the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences
Department of Molecular Biosciences, Wenner-Gren Institute
- Molecular Biosciences
Doctoral studies at the Department of Molecular Biosciences, Wenner-Gren Institute
Department of Zoology
- Ethology
- Functional Zoomorphology
- Population Genetics
- Zoological Ecology
- Zoological Systematics and Evolution
Doctoral studies at the Department of Zoology
Stockholm Resilience Centre
- Sustainability Science
Doctoral studies at Stockholm Resilience Centre
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Department of Geological Sciences
- Geochemistry
- Geology
- Marine Geology
Doctoral studies at the Department of Geological Sciences
Department of Environmental Science
- Environmental Science
Doctoral studies at the Department of Environmental Science
Department of Physical Geography
- Physical Geography
Doctoral studies at the Department of Physical Geography
Chemistry
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Biophysics
- Biochemistry
- Biochemistry towards bioinformatics
Doctoral studies at the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry
- Materials Chemistry
- Neurochemistry with Molecular biology
- Inorganic Chemistry
Doctoral studies at the Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry
Department of Organic Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry
Doctoral studies at the Department of Organic Chemistry
Math/Physics
Department of Physics
- Physics
- Chemical Physics
- Medical Radiation Physics
- Theoretical Physics
Doctoral studies at the Department of Physics
Department of Astronomy
- Astronomy
Doctoral studies at the Department of Astronomy
Department of Mathematics
- Computational Mathematics
- Mathematics
- Mathematical Statistics
Doctoral studies at the Department of Mathematics
Department of Meteorology
- Atmospheric Science and Oceanography
Doctoral studies at the Department of Meteorology
For a general study plan in any natural science subject, please contact utbildning@science.su.se.
The graduation ceremony
Every year, over 200 PhD students defend their thesis at Stockholm Universit, and get a chance to celebrate their achievement at the Stockholm City Hall.
Opportunities abroad for PhD students
There are several ways to participate in international mobility experiences during your PhD studies.
Find possible exchange opportunities for PhD students here
Contact
Available PhD Student Positions
On the employee web portal PhD students will find more detailed information about the dissertation defence process.
Last updated: February 6, 2024
Source: Offices of Human Science and Science, Communications Office and Student Services