Admission to the PhD programme in War Studies

Admission to the PhD Programme in war studies occurs once a year. Open PhD student positions are announced at the end of May/early June every year, and the deadline for applications is usually in the last week of August.

The admission process runs from September to October. The candidates are evaluated and ranked (top candidates) by a committee. The admission decision is usually made in November. All open positions are announced via the Swedish Defence University's job portal, and we only accept applications submitted through the portal. To come into question a candidate must be shortlisted by this committee. The education start at the beginning of the spring term, usually the second week in January.

Eligibility

To be eligible for admission to the PhD Programme in war studies, the candidates have to meet both general and specific entry requirements. You need to have at least 240 credits, 60 of which at advanced level. 90 credits need to be in a social science (or similar) discipline, 30 of which needs to be in war studies, or a related discipline, for example, international relations, peace and conflict research, security studies or political science.

We require very good written and oral proficiency in English. Applicants who do not have a degree from a master's programme in Swedish or English must be able to present proof of language proficiency in English, for example through test results from internationally recognised English tests, such as TOEFL or IELTS. However, this only needs to be done by the top-ranked candidates. The department eill notify the candidates.

Application

The application must contain:

• A brief cover letter (max 500 words) indicating your motives for applying.
• Curriculum Vitae.
• One to three research texts (preferably a Masters thesis), authored by the applicant.
• A project proposal on the intended subject of your dissertation (three to five pages)
• Degree certificates and grades from previous first and second cycle studies confirming that you meet the general and specific entry requirements for the position. If your degree is from a foreign university the contents and scope of the degree must be clearly explained.
• Other documentation that supplements the application (e.g. publications or other samples of analytical writing).
• Contact details for two references (name, email address and phone number).

The application may need to contain:

• If the applicant is not a Swedish citizen a copy of the passport must be included. However, this only needs to be done by the top-ranked candidates. The department will notify the candidates.
• In some cases, a certificate that present proof of language proficiency must be included in the application. More information about language proficiency above.
• If the applicant have external funding, a certificate from the employer must be included in the application. More information about external funding below.

The application must be complete in order for us to be able to assess your eligibility, merits and skills.

Assessment

Applications are reviewed and evaluated by an admission committee at the department. Selection among applicants who meet the entry requirements will be made with regard to their ability to benefit from the doctoral program and will be based on the following assessment criteria:

• The scientific quality of previous work and the project plan, in regard to independence, methodological clarity and theoretical awareness, analytical ability, critical approach and the ability to communicate clearly.
• The quality and relevance of previous post graduate education (second cycle), the relevance of the thesis subject, as well as other qualifications relevant for the position.

The selection is made based on an overall assessment of the above. As basis for the assessment of scientific quality of previous work, one or more independently written academic essays or equivalent, such as analytical texts or articles, are required.

The admission committee ranks the candidates, and the ranking discussed at the war studies research committee as well as at the war studies subject council. The final decision is taken by the Head of Research at the Swedish Defence University, based on the advice of the Head of the Department of War Studies. The decision is communicated to the applicants promptly.

External funding

External funding, for example from the Swedish Armed Forces, an employer or another higher education institution, may be used to fund shortlisted candidates. The same regulations apply for externally funded PhD candidates as for regular PhD candidates. This means that the applicants have to apply to the PhD programme in the same way as other applicants. External funding must be approved by the department. Therefore, contact the Director of Doctoral Studies well before the application deadline.

The admission of an externally funded PhD student is made at the same time as PhD students funded by the Swedish defence University. A PhD student with an external employer usually starts their education at the same time as the regular start of the PhD programme in war studies.

In addition to the documents that follow from the entry requirements in the General Syllabus, an application for admission must also include a certificate from the employer that the applicant guarantees the applicant’s salary for a total of four years of full-time study (which can be spread over a maximum of eight years).