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One or more doctoral student positions in Education, Educational Work, or Subject Matter Education w
Göteborgs universitetPublicerad: 2026-06-12
Ansök senast: 2026-08-01
Beskrivning
The University of Gothenburg tackles society's challenges with diverse knowledge. 58 000 students and 6800 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.
The Department of Education and Special Education (IPS) is one of four departments within the Faculty of Education. Central areas of interest in the department include relationships between education and society, educational systems, school development and school leadership, adult education, inclusion, learning, language and assessment, as well as grading issues. A significant part of the department's undergraduate education takes place within various teacher education programs, but we also offer education at Bachelor's, Master's, and doctoral levels within our educational fields: educational as a science, work life education, educational leadership, communication, school development, didactics, and teaching.
For information about the Department of Education and Special Education: https://www.gu.se/en/education-special-education
For more information about doctoral studies at the Department of Education and Special Education (IPS): https://www.gu.se/en/education-special-education/doctoral-studies
Subjects
The Department of Education and Special Education is now announcing one or more doctoral student positions in the subjects: Education, Educational Work, or Subject Matter Education with specialization. More information about the subjects is available at: https://www.gu.se/en/learning-leadership-health/doctoral-studies
Education is a subject focusing on education, teaching, nurturing, socialization, formation, and learning. The subject has a particular interest in the relationship between individuals and society, and the conditions under which institutional structures operate and have operated over time. Research in Education examines processes of influence and their significance for the relationship between structure and agency, both within and outside the formal education system.
Educational Work is a subject addressing various perspectives and aspects of work within educational institutions in society. Research in Educational Work deals with issues relevant to educational practices, professions, and activities. This includes conditions for teachers' and students' work with teaching and learning, both in practice and in relation to policy and educational reforms.
Subject Matter Education with Specialization is a subject concerning teaching and learning with a focus on specific content often connected to school subjects, university disciplines, or professional practice. Subject Matter Education with Specialization is concerned with the prerequisites and conditions for, as well as the relationships and connections between, teaching and learning.
Research Environments
IPS hosts several strong research environments that contribute to increased dynamism between research, education, and collaboration with society. These environments include FUR, LUBS, PRIS, SKUL, KRIT, POP, and FYRK each with its own unique focus but all sharing a commitment to educational issues. https://www.gu.se/en/education-special-education/research-environments
The doctoral studentship will be affiliated with the department's research environments and preferably linked to ongoing research projects and commissioned research.
The research environment FUR focuses on classical educational questions within three main areas: individual prerequisites for education, the organization and resources of education, and educational outcomes at both individual and system levels. LUBS, with its focus on learning, teaching, and assessment in language, works to integrate these aspects into both internal and external activities, including teacher education and collaboration with society outside academia. PRIS aims to combine special education issues with aspects of school development and leadership. The research environment SKUL concentrates on school development and leadership, with particular focus on what teachers and school leaders do to promote children's and students' development and learning. It also addresses how preschools and schools manage processes of change and improvement. KRIT addresses research questions related to power, subjectivity, and resistance within educational institutions, grounded in a critical sociology of education tradition. This environment uses methods such as critical ethnography, policy studies, and narrative analysis to explore its themes. POP studies the political aspects of educational phenomena, linked to traditions within curriculum theory, comparative education, and analyses of educational processes and systems. FYRK is a relatively newly established research environment that focuses on pressing research issues within vocational education and training.
The Doctoral Project
At the Department of Education and Special Education, University of Gothenburg, national tests in civics (Year 9) and English, as well as assessment guidelines in modern languages, are being developed. The current doctoral student position is specifically directed towards the national tests in civics.
The work on national tests in civics is currently in an expansive and dynamic phase where scientific anchoring is particularly important. The doctoral student will have the opportunity to participate in the entire test development process - from task construction, piloting, and collaboration with teachers, to analysis and presentation of test data, as well as collaboration with other social science subjects and the Swedish National Agency for Education.
This means that the doctoral project may include both content- and subject-related components as well as analytical components. An important aspect involves ensuring that different groups of students are given equal opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge; therefore, accessibility may constitute a central aspect of the doctoral project (for example disabilities, gender, and national background). In addition, issues of validity and reliability of the tests may be of central importance in the doctoral project.
Duties
The doctoral student shall primarily devote their time to doctoral education. In collaboration with supervisors, the doctoral student will formulate and carry out a dissertation component as well as coursework consisting of compulsory and elective doctoral courses in accordance with both a general and an individual study plan. During the doctoral period, the dissertation work will be presented and discussed in seminar form with invited discussants on at least three occasions. The doctoral student is expected to participate in the relevant research environment at the department. The department encourages and supports presentations of dissertation work at national and international conferences.
In addition to pursuing doctoral studies with the aim of completing them within the stipulated time, some departmental duties (maximum 20%) may occur within teaching, research, commissioned activities, and administration according to specific provisions in the ordinance. The employment period will then be extended correspondingly.
The studies shall be conducted within one of the doctoral subjects education, educational work, or subject matter education with specialization.
Eligibility and Qualifications
Applicants admitted to doctoral education will receive a four-year doctoral student position at the department. In accordance with Chapter 7, Section 35 of the Higher Education Ordinance, admission to doctoral education requires that the applicant meets the general and specific eligibility requirements and is otherwise considered capable of benefiting from the education.
General eligibility is held, according to Chapter 7, Section 39 of the Higher Education Ordinance, by anyone who has completed a second-cycle degree, or completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 credits are at second-cycle level. Eligibility is also granted to applicants who have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad.
For specific eligibility in Education,
A) 90 credits in Education are required, of which at least 30 credits must be at second-cycle level. The qualifying education must include an independent degree thesis of at least 15 credits at second-cycle level.
For specific eligibility in Educational Work, the following is required:
A) A teaching degree at second-cycle level, alternatively a teaching degree together with an independent degree thesis comprising at least 15 credits at second-cycle level.
B) At least 90 credits focused on educational professional practice or child and youth activities, or equivalent, of which at least 30 credits must be at second-cycle level, including an independent degree thesis of at least 15 credits.
For specific eligibility in Subject Matter Education with Specialization, the following is required:
A) A teaching degree, including courses corresponding to at least 60 credits in a relevant Subject Matter Education with Specialization knowledge area, and an independent degree thesis comprising at least 15 credits at second-cycle level
B) At least 90 credits, of which at least 30 credits must be at second-cycle level, in a relevant Subject Matter Education with Specialization knowledge area, including an independent degree thesis of at least 15 credits at second-cycle level.
Eligibility is also granted to applicants who are otherwise deemed to have acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or abroad.
Selection Criteria
Selection among applicants who meet the eligibility requirements shall, according to Chapter 7 of the Higher Education Ordinance, be made with regard to the admissions committee's assessment of the subject's relevance to the department and the applicant's ability to benefit from doctoral education.
Selection is based on the following assessment criteria:
Given the project's focus, experience and knowledge of the Swedish school system are required. Experience of research work, both quantitative and qualitative analyses, and writing scientific texts are considered merits. Experience of working with national tests, test construction, educational measurement, or similar educational analysis work is particularly meritorious. Good language skills in both English and Swedish, spoken and written language, are required. Great importance will also be attached to personal suitability.
Admission takes place in competition based on an overall assessment of the submitted application materials. The assessment of the applicant's ability to benefit from doctoral education will be decisive. Central to this assessment are results from previous theses, as well as a clearly formulated research proposal in which the applicant presents their planned dissertation area. If several authors are involved in a qualifying work, the applicant's individual contributions must be clarified.
The research proposal will be assessed based on its scientific relevance and whether it addresses justified and researchable questions and specifies appropriate forms of implementation.
Applications are processed by an admissions committee whose task is to rank the applications. Interviews with a selection of applicants may be conducted. Admission decisions are made by the Head of Department.
The department will primarily consider the applicant who, after an overall assessment, is deemed to have the best conditions to benefit from doctoral education, including the department's ability to provide supervision.
According to Chapter 7, Section 41 of the Higher Education Ordinance, the possibility of having prior education or professional experience accredited towards doctoral education may not give an applicant priority over other applicants in the selection process.
Employment
Applicants admitted to doctoral education will be employed as doctoral students. Regulations regarding doctoral employment are found in ordinance SFS 1993:100. The initial employment as a doctoral student may be valid for a maximum of one year and may be renewed for up to two years at a time.
A doctoral student may be employed for a maximum of eight years, although the total employment period may not exceed the equivalent of four years of full-time doctoral studies.
Type of employment: Fixed-term employment corresponding to four years of full-time study
Extent: 50-100%
Location: Department of Education and Special Education, University of Gothenburg
Starting date: 1 October 2026, or by agreement
Reference number:PAR 2026/522
The University applies local agreements regarding salary setting for doctoral students.
Doctoral education at the Department of Education and Special Education requires physical presence in order to complete the studies. If an admitted applicant requires a residence permit to study in Sweden, the department reserves the right to revoke the admission decision if the admitted applicant cannot present a valid residence permit by the start date of studies.
Selection process
Applications are processed by an admissions committee, and admission decisions are made by the Head of Department. The position is subject to the necessary formal decisions being made. More information about admission to doctoral education at the University of Gothenburg is available here: https://www.gu.se/en/learning-leadership-health/doctoral-studies
Contact Information
Director of Doctoral Studies:
Daniel Bergh, daniel.bergh@gu.se, 0766-18 21 09
Trade Union Organizations
Trade union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here: https://www.gu.se/en/about-the-university/work-at-the-university/help-for-applicants
Application details
Applications for admission to doctoral studies are submitted through the University of Gothenburg recruitment portal. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that the application is complete in accordance with the advertisement and submitted to the University no later than the application deadline. Application documents should, as far as possible, be submitted in a digital format.
Applicants must specify whether you are applying within the subject area of Education, Educational Work, or Subject Matter Education with Specializations.
The application must include the following:
The preliminary research proposal of no more than five pages (12 pt font, excluding references) should address research questions relevant to the dissertation project, subject-specific context, state of research, material and methodological issues, and reflections regarding the relevance of the dissertation project.
All attached documents must be in Swedish or English.
Scientific publications, writings, and similar materials not available electronically should be labelled with the reference number and sent to:
University of Gothenburg
Department of Education and Special Education
Ivana Nikolic
Box 300
405 30 GOTHENBURG
SWEDEN
Application deadline: 1 August, 2026
The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.
In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden's regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.
In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.
The Department of Education and Special Education (IPS) is one of four departments within the Faculty of Education. Central areas of interest in the department include relationships between education and society, educational systems, school development and school leadership, adult education, inclusion, learning, language and assessment, as well as grading issues. A significant part of the department's undergraduate education takes place within various teacher education programs, but we also offer education at Bachelor's, Master's, and doctoral levels within our educational fields: educational as a science, work life education, educational leadership, communication, school development, didactics, and teaching.
For information about the Department of Education and Special Education: https://www.gu.se/en/education-special-education
For more information about doctoral studies at the Department of Education and Special Education (IPS): https://www.gu.se/en/education-special-education/doctoral-studies
Subjects
The Department of Education and Special Education is now announcing one or more doctoral student positions in the subjects: Education, Educational Work, or Subject Matter Education with specialization. More information about the subjects is available at: https://www.gu.se/en/learning-leadership-health/doctoral-studies
Education is a subject focusing on education, teaching, nurturing, socialization, formation, and learning. The subject has a particular interest in the relationship between individuals and society, and the conditions under which institutional structures operate and have operated over time. Research in Education examines processes of influence and their significance for the relationship between structure and agency, both within and outside the formal education system.
Educational Work is a subject addressing various perspectives and aspects of work within educational institutions in society. Research in Educational Work deals with issues relevant to educational practices, professions, and activities. This includes conditions for teachers' and students' work with teaching and learning, both in practice and in relation to policy and educational reforms.
Subject Matter Education with Specialization is a subject concerning teaching and learning with a focus on specific content often connected to school subjects, university disciplines, or professional practice. Subject Matter Education with Specialization is concerned with the prerequisites and conditions for, as well as the relationships and connections between, teaching and learning.
Research Environments
IPS hosts several strong research environments that contribute to increased dynamism between research, education, and collaboration with society. These environments include FUR, LUBS, PRIS, SKUL, KRIT, POP, and FYRK each with its own unique focus but all sharing a commitment to educational issues. https://www.gu.se/en/education-special-education/research-environments
The doctoral studentship will be affiliated with the department's research environments and preferably linked to ongoing research projects and commissioned research.
The research environment FUR focuses on classical educational questions within three main areas: individual prerequisites for education, the organization and resources of education, and educational outcomes at both individual and system levels. LUBS, with its focus on learning, teaching, and assessment in language, works to integrate these aspects into both internal and external activities, including teacher education and collaboration with society outside academia. PRIS aims to combine special education issues with aspects of school development and leadership. The research environment SKUL concentrates on school development and leadership, with particular focus on what teachers and school leaders do to promote children's and students' development and learning. It also addresses how preschools and schools manage processes of change and improvement. KRIT addresses research questions related to power, subjectivity, and resistance within educational institutions, grounded in a critical sociology of education tradition. This environment uses methods such as critical ethnography, policy studies, and narrative analysis to explore its themes. POP studies the political aspects of educational phenomena, linked to traditions within curriculum theory, comparative education, and analyses of educational processes and systems. FYRK is a relatively newly established research environment that focuses on pressing research issues within vocational education and training.
The Doctoral Project
At the Department of Education and Special Education, University of Gothenburg, national tests in civics (Year 9) and English, as well as assessment guidelines in modern languages, are being developed. The current doctoral student position is specifically directed towards the national tests in civics.
The work on national tests in civics is currently in an expansive and dynamic phase where scientific anchoring is particularly important. The doctoral student will have the opportunity to participate in the entire test development process - from task construction, piloting, and collaboration with teachers, to analysis and presentation of test data, as well as collaboration with other social science subjects and the Swedish National Agency for Education.
This means that the doctoral project may include both content- and subject-related components as well as analytical components. An important aspect involves ensuring that different groups of students are given equal opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge; therefore, accessibility may constitute a central aspect of the doctoral project (for example disabilities, gender, and national background). In addition, issues of validity and reliability of the tests may be of central importance in the doctoral project.
Duties
The doctoral student shall primarily devote their time to doctoral education. In collaboration with supervisors, the doctoral student will formulate and carry out a dissertation component as well as coursework consisting of compulsory and elective doctoral courses in accordance with both a general and an individual study plan. During the doctoral period, the dissertation work will be presented and discussed in seminar form with invited discussants on at least three occasions. The doctoral student is expected to participate in the relevant research environment at the department. The department encourages and supports presentations of dissertation work at national and international conferences.
In addition to pursuing doctoral studies with the aim of completing them within the stipulated time, some departmental duties (maximum 20%) may occur within teaching, research, commissioned activities, and administration according to specific provisions in the ordinance. The employment period will then be extended correspondingly.
The studies shall be conducted within one of the doctoral subjects education, educational work, or subject matter education with specialization.
Eligibility and Qualifications
Applicants admitted to doctoral education will receive a four-year doctoral student position at the department. In accordance with Chapter 7, Section 35 of the Higher Education Ordinance, admission to doctoral education requires that the applicant meets the general and specific eligibility requirements and is otherwise considered capable of benefiting from the education.
General eligibility is held, according to Chapter 7, Section 39 of the Higher Education Ordinance, by anyone who has completed a second-cycle degree, or completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 credits are at second-cycle level. Eligibility is also granted to applicants who have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad.
For specific eligibility in Education,
A) 90 credits in Education are required, of which at least 30 credits must be at second-cycle level. The qualifying education must include an independent degree thesis of at least 15 credits at second-cycle level.
For specific eligibility in Educational Work, the following is required:
A) A teaching degree at second-cycle level, alternatively a teaching degree together with an independent degree thesis comprising at least 15 credits at second-cycle level.
B) At least 90 credits focused on educational professional practice or child and youth activities, or equivalent, of which at least 30 credits must be at second-cycle level, including an independent degree thesis of at least 15 credits.
For specific eligibility in Subject Matter Education with Specialization, the following is required:
A) A teaching degree, including courses corresponding to at least 60 credits in a relevant Subject Matter Education with Specialization knowledge area, and an independent degree thesis comprising at least 15 credits at second-cycle level
B) At least 90 credits, of which at least 30 credits must be at second-cycle level, in a relevant Subject Matter Education with Specialization knowledge area, including an independent degree thesis of at least 15 credits at second-cycle level.
Eligibility is also granted to applicants who are otherwise deemed to have acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or abroad.
Selection Criteria
Selection among applicants who meet the eligibility requirements shall, according to Chapter 7 of the Higher Education Ordinance, be made with regard to the admissions committee's assessment of the subject's relevance to the department and the applicant's ability to benefit from doctoral education.
Selection is based on the following assessment criteria:
- Quality of the qualifying degree thesis (or equivalent document)
- Quality of the submitted research proposal
Given the project's focus, experience and knowledge of the Swedish school system are required. Experience of research work, both quantitative and qualitative analyses, and writing scientific texts are considered merits. Experience of working with national tests, test construction, educational measurement, or similar educational analysis work is particularly meritorious. Good language skills in both English and Swedish, spoken and written language, are required. Great importance will also be attached to personal suitability.
Admission takes place in competition based on an overall assessment of the submitted application materials. The assessment of the applicant's ability to benefit from doctoral education will be decisive. Central to this assessment are results from previous theses, as well as a clearly formulated research proposal in which the applicant presents their planned dissertation area. If several authors are involved in a qualifying work, the applicant's individual contributions must be clarified.
The research proposal will be assessed based on its scientific relevance and whether it addresses justified and researchable questions and specifies appropriate forms of implementation.
Applications are processed by an admissions committee whose task is to rank the applications. Interviews with a selection of applicants may be conducted. Admission decisions are made by the Head of Department.
The department will primarily consider the applicant who, after an overall assessment, is deemed to have the best conditions to benefit from doctoral education, including the department's ability to provide supervision.
According to Chapter 7, Section 41 of the Higher Education Ordinance, the possibility of having prior education or professional experience accredited towards doctoral education may not give an applicant priority over other applicants in the selection process.
Employment
Applicants admitted to doctoral education will be employed as doctoral students. Regulations regarding doctoral employment are found in ordinance SFS 1993:100. The initial employment as a doctoral student may be valid for a maximum of one year and may be renewed for up to two years at a time.
A doctoral student may be employed for a maximum of eight years, although the total employment period may not exceed the equivalent of four years of full-time doctoral studies.
Type of employment: Fixed-term employment corresponding to four years of full-time study
Extent: 50-100%
Location: Department of Education and Special Education, University of Gothenburg
Starting date: 1 October 2026, or by agreement
Reference number:PAR 2026/522
The University applies local agreements regarding salary setting for doctoral students.
Doctoral education at the Department of Education and Special Education requires physical presence in order to complete the studies. If an admitted applicant requires a residence permit to study in Sweden, the department reserves the right to revoke the admission decision if the admitted applicant cannot present a valid residence permit by the start date of studies.
Selection process
Applications are processed by an admissions committee, and admission decisions are made by the Head of Department. The position is subject to the necessary formal decisions being made. More information about admission to doctoral education at the University of Gothenburg is available here: https://www.gu.se/en/learning-leadership-health/doctoral-studies
Contact Information
Director of Doctoral Studies:
Daniel Bergh, daniel.bergh@gu.se, 0766-18 21 09
Trade Union Organizations
Trade union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here: https://www.gu.se/en/about-the-university/work-at-the-university/help-for-applicants
Application details
Applications for admission to doctoral studies are submitted through the University of Gothenburg recruitment portal. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that the application is complete in accordance with the advertisement and submitted to the University no later than the application deadline. Application documents should, as far as possible, be submitted in a digital format.
Applicants must specify whether you are applying within the subject area of Education, Educational Work, or Subject Matter Education with Specializations.
The application must include the following:
- Cover letter with a brief motivation for applying for the position, maximum one A4 page
- Curriculum vitae
- Academic transcripts documenting general and specific eligibility (LADOK transcript or equivalent academic records)
- Thesis comprising 15 credits at second-cycle level, as well as a maximum of one additional research-related text (for example article, report, or equivalent)
- One (1) preliminary research proposal, maximum five A4 pages (see guidelines below and the assessment criteria above)
- References
- Other qualifications the applicant wishes to invoke
The preliminary research proposal of no more than five pages (12 pt font, excluding references) should address research questions relevant to the dissertation project, subject-specific context, state of research, material and methodological issues, and reflections regarding the relevance of the dissertation project.
All attached documents must be in Swedish or English.
Scientific publications, writings, and similar materials not available electronically should be labelled with the reference number and sent to:
University of Gothenburg
Department of Education and Special Education
Ivana Nikolic
Box 300
405 30 GOTHENBURG
SWEDEN
Application deadline: 1 August, 2026
The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.
In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden's regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.
In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.
