Responsibility for the doctoral education
The responsibility for the PhD programme is regulated in the Regulations for the PhD degree at Østfold University College §4.
(1) The Østfold University College Board has the overall responsibility for the doctoral education.
(2) The Board determines which faculty will have the academic and administrative responsibility for the doctoral education. The Rector manages the responsibility on behalf of the Board.
(3) The dean has the academic and administrative responsibility related to the execution of the PhD programme. Regarding interfaculty PhD programmes, the deans of the participating faculties have joint academic responsibility. The host faculty is responsible for organising this collaboration and has the administrative responsibility for the PhD programme.
(4) The Rector establishes the mandate and composition of the Central PhD Committee at Østfold University College. The Rector appoints members to the Central PhD Committee.
(5) The Rector establishes the mandate and composition of each individual PhD programme committee, hereinafter the programme committee. The dean(s) appoint/s members to the programme committee based on proposals from the academic community.
Mandate for the Central PhD Committee
The central PhD committee shall be a strategic, coordinating and advisory body for the institution's management regarding PhD education.
The committee has an overall responsibility for quality assurance of the PhD education, and administers guidelines and routines in accordance with the regulations for PhDs at Østfold University College.
Chair of the central PhD committee reports to the Rector.
The committee has delegated the following authorities from the Rector in these individual cases, ref. Østfold University College's PhD-regulations:
- Decide on extension of the agreement period following a justified application (§ 6-5 (2))
- Make decisions on compulsory termination of the PhD education before agreed time (PhD regulation OUC § 8-2 (1))
Composition of the Central PhD committee
- Vice Rector of research and dissemination Kristi G. Bache (Chair)
- Vice Rector of education Annette Veberg Dahl
- Dean of host faculty Harald Holone
- Dean or Vice Dean of research at faculties with responsibility for the PhD education
- Representative on the consortium board for the joint degree in artistic development/research
- Chair of PhD Forum
Permanent, attending observers:
- Chair of PhD programme committees for PhD education at Østfold University College
- Representative from the Academy of Performing Arst as a member of the joint degree programme board
Secretary: PhD-advisor, Section of Research Administration
The Deans' areas of responsibility and authority
- The Dean has academic and administrative responsibility with the implementation of the PhD programme. In the case of interdisciplinary PhD education, the Deans of the participating faculties will have shared academic responsibility. The host faculty will have responsibilty to organize this collaboration and the academic responsibilty for the PhD education, ref. PhD-regulation § 4 (3).
- The Dean appoints members to the PhD programme committee based on proposals from the academic community, ref. PhD-regulation § 4 (5).
- The Dean at the host faculty enters into an agreement on admission to the PhD programme. The agreement shall regulate the parties' rights and obligations during the admission period. The institution, including the Central PhD committee, establishes the agreement form, ref. OUC's PhD-regulation § 7.
Mandate for the PhD programme committee
The PhD programme committee consitutes the academic leadership of the PhD programme and has the formal responsibility for ensuring that the programme is implemented in relation to the study plan and that the study plan is developed.
Academic responsibility involves a responsibility for ensuring that the training component, together with the doctoral work, provides education at the highest academic level and in accordance with international standards. The training, together with the research work, will contribute to the achievement of the expected learning outcomes in relation to the national qualifications framework § 10-1 (2).
The committee shall ensure that teaching and supervision of the PhD programme happens in accordance with the study plan.
The Committee's Chair will report to the Central PhD Committee.
The PhD programme committee has the following authorities delegated by the Rector:
- Approving minor revisions to the study plan
- Quality assurance of teaching, assessment forms, etc. in accordance with the University College's quality system.
- Assess measures in order to ensure a good learning environment for PhD education.
- Make decisions on admission to the PhD programme, § 6-4 (1)
- Appoint supervisors to each PhD candidate, § 9-1 (2)
- Approval of any significant changes to the project description after admission, § 9-2 (2)
- Appoint a committee for the mid-term evaluations, § 11-2 (2)
- Decide which language can be used in the dissertations, § 12-1 (5)
- May grant dispensation from the requirment limiting the use of older published work (older than 5 years) if extraordinary circumstances so warrant it, § 12-4 (2)
- Process applications to have the scientific thesis assessed, § 14-4 (1)
- Appoint an assessment committee, on the recommendation from the supervisors, § 15 (4)
- Permit minor revisions to the thesis when the assessment committee recommends it, § 16-1 (4)
- Decide whether the doctoral thesis is worthy to be defended on the basis of the assessment committee's recommendation, § 17
- Appoint opponents for the public defense of the doctoral thesis, §20-2 (4)
- Decide on the approval of the doctoral exam on the basis of the assessment committee's recommendation, § 21 (1)
Composition of the PhD programme committee
The PhD programme committee shall consist of academic staff at Østfold University College with relevant academic backgrounds for the PhD education, and for which together cover the themes for the PhD programme. For example, all four thematic Digi areas must be represented in the PhD programme committee for the PhD programme, Digitalisation and Society.
In inter-disciplinary PhD programmes, must all four participating faculties be represented in the PhD programme committee.
The members shall primarily have professorial competence and documented experience with the supervision of PhD candidates up to the awarded doctoral degree. If the requirements for professorial competence is waived, then the experience of supervising PhD candidates up to the awarded doctoral degree must be demonstrated.
The academic responsibility for PhD programmes shall be managed by the PhD programme committee and have responsibility for the daily operation and coordination of the programme committee's activities.
Chair of the PhD programme committee shall report to the Central PhD committee.
The committee shall include a PhD candidate who has been admitted to the PhD programme.
Confidentiality must be taken into account with the appointment of members to the PhD programme committee and when processing the cases.
- Academic responsibility for PhD Education at Østfold University College Professor Geir Afdal (Chair)
- Academic Specialist DigiEd, Professor Ingeborg Krange
- Academic Specialist DigiHealth, Professor Lilliana Del Busso
- Academic Specialist DigiTech, Professor Stefano Nichele
- Academic Specialist DigiWork, Professor Marit Kristine Helgesen
- Fellow admitted to the programme - pending
Secretary function: PhD-advisor Liv Simensen, Section of Research Administration.