Before applying

Are you a new applicant? Read this first to ensure that you meet the requirements
before proceeding with your application for admission to a PhD programme.

• Facts about the NMBU PhD education

  • Requires a completed master's degree or five-year programme of professional study
  • Three years of full-time studies
  • Independent research work of 2.5 years
  • Educational component of 30 credits
  • Is concluded with a public trial lecture on a specified topic and a public defence
  • NMBU has approx. 90-100 public defences annually
• Admission criteria

  The admission requirements are fully described in the Regulations for the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (In Norwegian language).
  

  Requirements for relevant education

  To be considered for admission to a PhD programme, you must have relevant education, such as a Master's degree, a degree in veterinary medicine (cand.med.vet.), or an equivalent qualification approved by the faculty. In some cases, the faculty may approve other equivalent qualifications after evaluation. You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies, and it must be academically relevant to the PhD programme you are applying for. Some faculties at NMBU have specific grade requirements. See more information about the faculties supplementary rules here.
  

  Requirements for English proficiency

  Documented proficiency in English, both written and spoken, is required when applying for admission. Read more about how to meet the requirements here (In Norwegian language).
  

  Requirements for funding

  Funding for the entire PhD education must be documented. There are various types of funding, which will be described below. The most common form of funding is employment in a PhD fellowship position. If the funding is linked to a PhD fellowship position at NMBU or with an external party, it is a requirement that you have an employment contract.
  

  PhD scholarship / PhD fellowship position at NMBU

  A PhD fellowship means that you will have a temporary employment with a workplace at one of the university's faculties. PhD fellowship positions are normally granted for three years. The position may also include other career-enhancing tasks and can have a duration of up to four years. To obtain a PhD fellowship position, you must apply for a posted position. New positions are continuously announced at NMBU. See the list of available PhD fellowship positions here.
  

  External funding

  It is also possible to be admitted to a PhD programme with alternative funding. Examples of such funding may include employment in a PhD fellowship position or in a position with sufficient research time at an institution other than NMBU. Your employer (and you) may be able to apply for an Industrial PhD or a Public Sector PhD. There are also other forms of external funding, such as scholarships from a charitable organization.

  If you secure external funding and/or have a position outside of NMBU, there may be requirements for affiliation with an academic environment at NMBU, as well as a requirement to spend a period of your PhD education at NMBU. This is called a residency requirement. You can find more information in the detailed supplementary rules of the faculties here.

  If you have external funding, you must be able to document full funding for the entire admission period, including operational funds.
  

  Other requirements

  The faculty to which you are applying may require you to complete specific courses and/or pass a special exam before admission. For more information, please refer to the faculty's detailed supplementary rules.

• Organization and regulations

  NMBU has seven faculties and eight PhD programmes, meaning one PhD programme per faculty. Each faculty is responsible for its own programme(s).

  NMBU has one general PhD regulation that applies to all faculties and programs, and each faculty also has its own supplementary rules, which provide more detailed information, such as the admission requirements for the faculty’s programme. You can access the regulations, supplementary rules, and guidelines through here.

  It is important that you familiarize yourself with the specific PhD programme's guidelines before applying. You can find more information about each faculty in the program description. Explore our PhD programmes here.

• How to submit an application

  If you wish to apply for admission to a PhD programme through an advertised PhD fellowship position at NMBU, you must first apply for the position. See the list of available PhD fellowship positions here. Admission requirements and contact persons are provided in the job posting. It is not necessary to contact the faculty before applying unless you have specific questions that are not addressed in the announcement.

  If you have external funding (see explanation above), you must submit your application for admission to the PhD programme directly to the relevant faculty. You can find the application form here. We recommend that you contact the faculty before applying. A list of contact persons for each faculty is available below.

Do you have questions about admission and documentation
requirements?

Contact us by email at forskerutdanning@nmbu.no.