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The admission process to the PhD programme

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The admission process to the doctoral education at the Faculty of Medicine aims to ensure that all admitted PhD students are provided with the opportunities and resources necessary to complete a high-quality research education.

The Admission Process

The admission process can broadly be divided into three steps:

  1. Establishment
  2. Recruitment
  3. Decision
Image showing the different steps of admission

Step 1 – Establishment

All proposed projects must be deemed suitable for PhD studies before a decision is made to admit a PhD student to work on it. All new doctoral projects must be entered into the doctoral project database. An assistant supervisor is selected who also reviews the project and certifies that they are ready to take over supervisory responsibilities if the main supervisor is unable to fulfil their commitment.

The supervisor applies for approval of the PhD project via the link below. (Use your Lucat ID to log in.)

Database for PhD project

All PhD projects must meet certain requirements, and all applications are assessed based on three areas.

The main supervisor must be able to demonstrate sufficient resources to fund the PhD student's education throughout their PhD programme. Only the main supervisor's own research funds should be specified in the project plan. Potential salary funds for the main supervisor should not be specified, only funds that can be used for the PhD student's salary or other project-related expenses.

For admission to full-time doctoral studies, this means that there must be sufficient funds to finance the PhD student's salary for four years.

For admission of a part-time doctoral student employed, for example, by Region Skåne, the following conditions apply:

  • The main supervisor must, at the time of admission, demonstrate sufficient own research funding (in relation to the PhD student's salary level, at least three months of full-time salary funding (salary + lkp)  over a minimum of two years (departmental differences may occur).
  • Funds for teaching (v-branch 11) should not be used for PhD student financing.
  • The employer must approve the funding and certify that enough time is allocated within the student's regular employment position for them to be able to work on their thesis and participate in PhD courses and other elements of the PhD programme.
  • A maximum of three months of clinically relevant service per year may be counted as part of the doctoral education time.

Admission with an external scholarship is currently under review and therefore not possible at this time.

It is important that the PhD project is designed – in terms of content and time – in a way suitable for the doctoral programme. Therefore, the project plan is reviewed to ensure that it is reasonable in terms of content depth and breadth, thesis components and the timetable for the studies

The supervisors' qualifications, experience and suitability as supervisors must be assessed in order to initiatethe admission process of a PhD student. The constellation of supervisors and the role of each supervisor must be conducive to the specific PhD project. The review of the supervisors includes ensuring:

That the principal supervisor meets the requirements, i.e.:

  • The main supervisor is an associate professor or
  • The main supervisor is the principal investigator of at least a two-year ongoing research grant obtained in competition and has completed the course "Perspectives on Learning."

  • That the supervisors have completed supervisor training

    In addition to the above, the main supervisor's other ongoing doctoral projects must continue as planned, with the required time and funding.

The department's assistant head of the PhD programme reviews the project (if necessary in consultation with the head of department and administrative manager at the department), its funding, supervision and feasibility, and approves or rejects the project.

Decision by the Vice Dean

If approved, the case is forwarded to the Vice Dean responsible for PhD-studies, who makes a formal decision. The project is then ready to be advertised. Even in the case of a part-time project that is not to be advertised, the project must be entered into the database, approved and officially decided upon before a PhD student can be admitted. There are three possible outcomes:

  1. Approved
  2. Approved with reservations, or
  3. Rejected

When assessing the project, its funding, and the suitability of the supervisor, the department and the Vice Dean may decide to reject an application.

The following are examples of grounds for rejection:

  • The project is not considered suitable as a PhD project.
  • The financial conditions for a PhD project are insufficient.
  • The supervisor will retire during the supervision period and there is no clear succession plan for the supervision of the PhD student.
  • The supervisor already has a large number of PhD students and is deemed to have neither time nor space for more.
  • The supervisor has been involved in conflicts with previous PhD students (or with others in the workplace).
  • The supervisor has been involved in inappropriate ethical assessments on several occasions.
  • The supervisor has shown a lack of accessibility and a lack of supporting the learning process with former PhD students.

Those whose applications are rejected have the right to reapply if the reasons for rejection have changed. When changing departments, any rejection decisions must be notified to the new department. However, the new department makes its own assessment.

Step 2 – Recruitment

Once the doctoral project has been approved, the recruitment process can begin. Unless otherwise stated below, the description applies to both part-time and full-time doctoral student recruitment.

All full-time studies in the PhD programme that are funded through employment as doctoral student must be advertised. Applications for the positions are made in open competition. Full-time positions must be advertised via vacancies on Lund University's website at least three weeks before the last day for applications.

Preparation

Regardless of whether the position has been advertised, a review panel must be appointed to propose a suitable candidate.

The decision to appoint a selection committee is made by the vice dean in connection with the approval of the project plan. The panel shall include at least two members of teaching staff holding the qualifications for docentship, of whom at least one shall be someone other than the prospective supervisor. At the Faculty of Medicine, the review panel consists of the deputy head of department with responsibility for PhD studies, the prospective main supervisor and an additional teacher or researcher with at least a doctorate degree.

The committee may be supplemented with additional members, such as a clinical department head, to ensure a thorough assessment of the applicant(s).

PhD students are entitled to be represented on the review panel.

The review panel shall compile its assessment in an opinion statement containing information on the candidate's qualifications and ability to benefit from the doctoral education. In the case of an advertised position, the statement must also include an account of the selection process, including how many candidates were considered for the doctoral position based on eligibility and other qualifications.

Templates for the statement are available in a Box folder.

Further information about the recruitment process can be found in the faculty’s guidelines for admission to doctoral education (pdf 292kB, new tab).

Step 3 – Decision

The department's assistant head of the PhD programme then performs a final eligibility review, signs the statement, and submits it to the PhD Studies Office along with the application for admission to the doctoral program.

The application must include, in addition to the statement:

  • Application for admission using the designated form (see link to the form on the right side of this page)
  • The applicant’s CV and degree certificate(s)

Thereafter, the vice dean makes the decision regarding admission to doctoral education.
This decision cannot be appealed. The PhD Studies Office is responsible for informing the selected candidate about the admission.

 

 

Contact us regarding your PhD studies

The PhD Studies Office

The Supervisor's Duties and Responsibilities

You can read more about the responsibilities of the main supervisor here.

Forms and certificates needed during the PhD programme

Here you will find forms that may be needed during the PhD programme

Admission process for the future PhD student

Admission process | Faculty of Medicine, Lund University

Last updated: 25 Jun 2025 | webbredaktionen [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se