Application and admission

Vacancy announcements for doctoral positions financed by the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology are usually published once a year, on 20th November, with an application period of at least four weeks. The vacancy announcements can be found on the Lund University pages under Vacancies. On this page you will find information about what you need to know when applying and how the selection is made. Please note that we assess applications for doctoral studies only in relation to announced positions.

Vacancy announcements for doctoral positions financed by the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology are published once a year, usually on 20th November, with an application period of at least four weeks. The vacancy announcements are made in Swedish and English.

Doctoral positions within externally funded projects or research schools are usually announced at the same time, so that applicants can be evaluated in relation to one another. When necessary, externally funded doctoral positions are announced on 1st February each year.

See all current vacant doctoral positions at the HT-faculties, as well as other positions at Lund Univeristy.

The entry requirements are available in the general syllabus for each subject.

All general syllabi at the HT Faculties.

The entry requirements must have been met when the application is submitted. It is not possible to supplement the application with additional qualifications after the application deadline. Applicants may, however, be asked to submit proof of the qualifications cited in their application.

Applications are to be submitted through Lund University's recruitment system Varbi.

See the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology’s instructions for applying for a doctoral position (see information box to the right).

If you have any questions, please get in touch with the contact persons stated in the vacancy announcement. The faculty secretary can answer questions about the recruitment system, what the application is to include and the admission process. The director of doctoral studies, the head of subject or the director of project can answer questions about the content of the doctoral education, the subject's delimitations and current research within the subject.

Please do not contact individual researchers within the subject.

More information about the recruitment system Varbi. 

Decisions on admission to doctoral studies and awarding of doctoral employment are first prepared by the department for each respective subject through the supervisory committee or equivalent body, then by the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology's Board of Third-Cycle Studies.

The department's assessment of the applicants' capacity to benefit from doctoral education is made on the basis of all the documents that applicants attach to their applications and is done based on the criteria of quality, quantity, development and relevance. The department can decide to supplement the evaluation through interviews with a shortlist of applicants.

Applicants without prior doctoral education are given priority over those with a completed doctoral education leading to a doctoral degree in a related subject.

Once the department has established a ranking, it is shared with the applicants for objections. This means that all applicants have the opportunity to submit statements about the proposed ranking within two weeks.

The Board of Third-Cycle Studies reviews the department's assessment and then makes a decision to recommend to the dean to decide on admission to doctoral studies and awarding of doctoral employment. The board also decides upon reserves for the doctoral position(s).

Decisions on admission to doctoral studies and the awarding of doctoral employment are made by the Dean for Third-Cycle Studies.

Once the dean has made their decision on admission, doctoral position(s) and employment(s) are offered to the successful applicant(s). If an applicant declines the offer, the offer is made to a reserve.

Applicants who are not admitted are informed of this no later than seven days after the final decision, via the recruitment system. Decisions about admission and the award of doctoral employment cannot be appealed.