The individual PhD plan 

Within three months of the commencement of the PhD programme, the PhD students must have an approved PhD plan. This also applies to PhD students having commenced their PhD programme in connection with their master’s degree programme.

As a minimum the individual PhD plan must describe the planning of the following elements of the PhD students work:

• Time schedule 
• Agreement on the type and scope of the supervision
• Plan for completing the PhD project
• Plan for participation in PhD courses 
• Plan for participating in active research communities
• Plan for teaching activities and knowledge dissemination 
• If relevant, agreements on intellectual property rights and publication
• A plan for funding the project (budget).

In connection with the conclusion of the agreement on the type and scope of the supervision provided, the mutual expectations of the PhD student and his or her supervisor(s) must be reconciled.

The principal supervisor is responsible for preparing and keeping the PhD plan up to date. However, at the Faculty of Social Sciences, it is in fact the PhD student who is responsible for updating the PhD plan throughout the study. The plan must be made in writing, signed by both the supervisor and the PhD student and approved by the head of the PhD school. The head of PhD programme at the department also plays an important part since he/she is responsible for the department’s PhD study programme. The plan is a project management tool and as it forms the basis for the semi-annual assessments, it should go into detail. The plan is dynamic and must be continuously updated, e.g. in connection with major changes to the project, changes in relation to stays at research environments/institutions, leave of absence etc. The principal supervisor must approve all changes to the PhD plan.

The PhD student should upload the individual study plan onto his/her group room on KUnet along with the assessment reports and the cumulative form where all the student's activities are noted.