Course administration

Types of PhD courses

The purpose of the course load of the PhD programme is to provide the PhD student with a solid scientific background within their research field, to provide specific prerequisites for completing the planned research project, and to provide general prerequisites for taking part in research within the technical and natural sciences, teaching, innovation and private and public sector services.

PhD courses are usually different from bachelor’s and master’s courses in that they require preparation before meeting with the course instructor, e.g. by covering part of the curriculum through self-study and study groups.

Overall, PhD courses can be divided into four categories:

1. Professional identity courses

• Courses that deal with the basis of the subject and create a common professional identity at PhD school/department level or section level. Course content will probably span over what is covered by the underlying master’s programmes at DTU, and moreover the courses will service PhD students with other backgrounds. Courses under this category will typically provide the students with knowledge of a wide range of topics, methods and tools within the subject. The courses will usually be taught as journal clubs or seminars during a period (a semester).

2. Professionally focused courses

• Courses with a more narrow scientific focus. The course level is advanced and will often require extensive preparation and/or follow-up. Courses in this category will typically provide the student with knowledge and skills within a scientific subject close to the state-of-the-art. The courses are usually offered as intensive courses, such as e.g. summer schools or seminars, journal clubs and self study. These courses often have an international perspective in the form of guest professors or participants from other (foreign) universities.

3. Service courses (professional skills)

• Courses that aim at giving the PhD student a particular specialist skill which typically lies within the PhD student’s own research field and which is necessary in order to complete the research project. It applies to a large number of these courses that the specialist knowledge is available at DTU and that it is offered through different types of courses offered in DTU’s degree programmes. Also in several cases it is necessary that the PhD schools – alone or together – offer courses that are aimed at PhD students from other departments. These courses may typically be offered through e-learning and be of long as well as short duration.

4. General service courses (generic skills)

• Courses that are not naturally rooted at DTU’s PhD schools and are offered by or together with central units and external suppliers. The courses will typically cover topics of a non-technical/scientifical nature which however are useful or necessary in order to complete the research project and the technical/scientifical researcher programme. These courses are typically taught as short intensive courses or seminars. The topics cover e.g. teaching and learning, scientific writing, innovation, venture, industrial PhD course, project management, science theory and scientific integrity, patenting, and literature search.

It is emphasised that all courses must be concluded with an evaluation of the participating students. This may be done either through a regular exam, report, seminar or in another suitable manner.