It may also be possible to be considered for admission based on relevant real-life experience. Additionally, you must document required pre-qualifications and funding for the three years of study. A project description and plan for required coursework are to be included as attachments to the application.
Admission requirements
To be accepted into a PhD program, you must have a strong educational and artistic background. Generally, you are required to hold a five-year arts- and practice-based master's degree in the relevant field. Other comparable educations or equivalent artistic competency may be considered, such as professional artistic practice and experience of a scope and quality that demonstrates competency on a par with a master's degree.
In cases where an applicant’s previous education has been evaluated using pass/fail grades, the suitability of the applicant for a PhD programme will be determined by individual assessment. If the education has been approved with grades, the average grade should normally be B or higher from your master's degree programme (120 credits) or equivalent education. The calculation of the average grade should be weighed against the credits for each course and for the master's project. If you have taken your education abroad, you may take the initiative and contact NOKUT for approval of the education. Otherwise, an equivalent assessment will be made by the institution as part of your application process.
In addition to educational background, the scope and quality of your artistic experience will be considered. Regardless of educational background, it is important that you document artistic competency using CV and select documentation of artistic works.
Funding
When applying for admission, you must document how your research education and doctoral project will be funded. The funding of the doctoral program should cover salary and other operating expenses related to your employment. In addition, you must have a plan for how the costs associated with the doctoral project will be funded.
Funding of the research education
The majority of INN University's PhD candidates are employed at the Institution as research fellows. PhD vacancies are published on INN University’s website. All applications for PhD positions are processed through the JobbNorge portal. The vacancy text, application form, and the relevant faculty’s guidelines will specify the documentation requirements for each position.
Other sources of funding
It is also possible to apply for admission to research education with alternative funding. You can obtain funding through various scholarships and grant schemes. The Research Council of Norway offers support to enterprises in the private and public sector with employees who wish to undertake a doctorate. For more information, read about these schemes on the Research Council’s website:
- Industrial PhD Scheme – Doctoral Projects in Industry
- Public Sector PhD Project – Doctoral Project in the Public Sector
If you apply for admission to a PhD programme with funding other than a fellowship position at INN University, you must document this when applying for admission. The funding must be valid for the entire study period (three years) and all financial matters related to the doctoral course of studies must be clarified between the funding party and INN University before the application for admission can be approved.
As a rule, INN University requires that external funding covers an amount equivalent to the Research Council's rates for fellowship grants that fund doctoral fellows (in 2023, this rate is NOK 1,244,000 per year.) This includes salary, payroll tax, social security costs, operation costs and funds for foreign stays. For all applicants who are not fully funded through scholarship schemes, documentation is required showing that at least 50 percent of the working hours of the doctoral degree programme can be used for research education, and that at least one year may be devoted to full-time studies.
Employment as PhD research fellow
Appointment to a PhD research fellow position and admission to a PhD program are two separate processes. First, you must first apply for an advertised PhD position, and then apply for admission to the PhD study program.
The application for admission is developed in consultation with your main supervisor within the first months you take up the position as a research fellow. It is a requirement for employment that the PhD research fellow applies for admission within three months after taking up the position. If no admission agreement is secured within the first six months, the institution, as the employer, may decide to terminate the employment contract.
Application for admission
The application must contain:
- Documentation of the education and qualifications on which admission is to be based. This documentation is to include Education, CV and your Artistic Practice.
- Application form for admission to the PhD program in artistic research at Inland Norway University
- A project description that includes
- Academic account of the research project
- Progress plan
- Funding plan and description of infrastructure needs for the artistic research, cf. section 6-2
- Documentation of special needs for academic and material resources
- Any plans for an academic stay at another institution
- Plans for dissemination of results Information regarding any intellectual property rights restrictions to protect the rights of others
- Plan for the required coursework
- Proposal for at least one academic supervisor
- An account of any legal and/or ethical issues that the project raises and how these can be addressed. It must be stated in the application whether the project is dependent on permission from research ethics committees, other authorities, or from private actors (informants, patients, parents, etc.). If possible, such permissions should be obtained in writing and submitted with the application.
The application with compulsory attachments is submitted to the PhD coordinator for the artistic PhD programme. All diplomas must be originals or legally certified copies.
INN University admits applicants to PhD programmes on a rolling basis.
The PhD agreement
Upon being admitted to a PhD program in artistic research at INN University, you will receive the PhD agreement in two copies. Part A of the agreement is between you as the PhD candidate and INN University (represented by the Head of PhD). Part B is a supervision agreement that must be signed by you and your supervisor(s). If you have funding or other contributions from an external party, you will additionally receive a separate agreement (Part C) between you, the PhD program, and the external party.
The agreement is to be signed by all parties in duplicate. One signed copy is retained by the PhD coordinator, the other by the candidate.
Agreement period
The admission agreement specifies the start and end dates of the contract period, which are usually the same as the start and end dates of your education funding. If you experience statutory interruptions, the contract period will be extended accordingly. INN University can also extend the contract period upon request but may impose additional conditions.
Once the contract period expires, the rights and obligations of the parties under the PhD agreement will be terminated, which may include the loss of supervision, course participation, and access to infrastructure at INN University. However, you may still apply for final assessment of your artistic doctoral result. Application for final assessment must be submitted within 8 years from the start date, or you will lose the right to have your artistic doctoral result assessed. The candidate and the university may agree to terminate the PhD education before the agreed time. This can happen via voluntary termination or forced termination.
Get going
It is important you get started quickly with your work. We recommend that you initiate early artistic explorations and experiments that help inform the development of the artistic research. It is also important to establish routines for how to document your artistic processes and results, and to get into a habit of reflecting on your artistic practice. A diary, blog, or journal on Research Catalogue are examples of formats that are useful for recording and structuring your work. Think about how best to document your artistic practice, making use of all media and formats that may be of value, such as text, photo, sound, video, drawings, sketches, and models.
Many candidates use Research Catalogue to trace their research and present artistic practice, results, documentation, and reflection. The Norwegian Artistic Research School and Society for Artistic Research regularly offer introductions to the use of Research Catalogue. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with and start using Research Catalogue early on. Research Catalogue is also a good tool for sharing material in preparation and following up of supervisions. The INN Library and the PhD coordinator can help set up a user account for you on Research Catalogue.
Additionally, it is recommended to get acquainted with and study the research context relevant to your artistic doctoral project. This may include studying the artistic works and practice of other artists, as well as the relevant theory. The library can be of assistance, and we recommend contacting the library at the outset of your research and employment.
The library regularly offers courses in:
- Training in referencing tools and research support infrastructure
- Database search
- Publishing
You can request individual guidance from the library.
Regulations and guidelines
- Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) in Artistic Research at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences (English translation)
- Guidelines for research ethics in artistic research ethics
As a PhD candidate at INN university, you can access research support to conduct and manage your research project:
PhD on Track provides support for PhD candidates with regards to potential challenges they may face as researchers, from survey of research literature to publishing of results.