Practical information to applicants for PhD position in Multilingualism

Doctoral position (Third cycle)

The PhD program starts on 1 February 2025. The content and scope follows the general syllabus for a doctoral degree in Swedish as a Second Language (pdf). General and specific entrance requirements are described below. The monthly salary follows tariffs decided by the University of Gothenburg. Those appointed for the positions as PhD students are expected to locate their studies in the Department.

Application

The application is to be made by means of the electronic form in the University of Gothenburg’s online recruitment portal by clicking the “Apply” button. For technical support concerning the Job Application Portal, please contact rekrytering@gu.se.

NOTE: The application must include five (5) kinds of information. The following must be submitted with the application in order for it to be considered, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Applications not including all of the enclosures listed below will be considered incomplete and consequently not eligible on formal grounds.

1. Educational certificate (name of file:”Applicant surname education”)

You must enclose an attested educational certificate that lists the courses you have completed. The certificate must demonstrate that you meet the entrance requirements for postgraduate study as well as the specific entrance requirements specified in the general study plan for the postgraduate subject to which you are applying. If you do not meet the requirements specified under the heading “Behörighetskrav och förkunskapskrav” (”Entrance requirements”) in the study plan, then you must submit a separate document (”Applicant surname entrance requirements”) where you clearly state on what grounds your knowledge can be said to correspond to the general and specific entrance requirements.

2. Cover Letter (name of file: ”Applicant surname cover letter”) with a brief motivation of why you are applying for post graduate studies in multilingualism.

3. CV/curriculum vitae

You must enclose a letter in which you reflect on the reasons for applying to the postgraduate program. This text may be no more than 3,000 characters (incl. blank spaces), which corresponds to around one page of text with normal density, and may be written in Swedish or English.

4. Project description (name of file:”Applicant surname project”)

You must attach an independently written description of your intended thesis project. The project description may be 5 – 10 pages (24,000 characters, incl. blank spaces) including references, and may be written in Swedish or English.

Your thesis plan should contain a clear research problem in connection with your area of investigation, and you must motivate why this particular problem is worthy of closer investigation. The introduction of the research problem should lead to a description of the precise purpose of the investigation, which in turn may include examples of the questions you will seek to answer or the hypotheses you wish to test.

It should contain a survey of the research field to clarify what has previously been done in this area and how your own investigation relates to the existing works: what you wish to incorporate or develop further, but also what has so far been dealt with in an incomplete or unsatisfactory manner.

It should also contain a methodology section where you discuss and explain the tools and analytical techniques you wish implement within your research problem. Here you should also clarify the theoretical framework that serves as a foundation for your investigation, and also define the materials that you mainly intend to work with. The plan may also contain a preliminary outline of your dissertation, a list of envisaged research stages, as well as reflections on an overriding timeframe for the research process.

The plan should preferably be written in such a way that the points listed above are treated as links in a structurally and logically coherent argument where the initial formulation of your research problem serves as a foundation for everything that follows.

Note that the thesis plan is to be written by the applicant independently. Discussing the project with a potential supervisor, or asking general questions about what should be included in a project plan, is permitted but seeking help with writing the actual text is not. If the applicant has consulted someone regarding the thesis project, this must be stated explicitly along with contact information about the consulted person.

5. Texts (name of file:”Applicant surname text 1”,”Applicant surname text 2” etc.)

Submit your advanced-level degree projects and any relevant publications. You may submit up to five texts; any additional texts can be added on a separate list.

For technical support concerning the Job Application Portal, please contact rekrytering@gu.se. Questions related to the content of your application can be directed to Johan Järlehed, professor of multilingualism with specialisation in sociolinguistics (johan.jarlehed@svenska.gu.se), tel: 0709-632673) or to the Director of postgraduate Studies at the Department, Julia Prentice (julia.prentice@svenska.gu.se )

General entry requirements

To meet the basic entry requirements of doctoral programmes at the University of Gothenburg, applicants must have obtained a second-cycle degree, have completed studies of at least 240 higher education credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, have completed a corresponding programme in some other country or be able to demonstrate the possession of equivalent qualifications.

Specific entry requirements, multilingualism

At least 120 higher education credits in Swedish as a second language, Nordic languages or General linguistics are required for admission to the third-cycle program, including at least 30 credits from the advanced level courses and a research paper of at least 15 credits, or corresponding competence. Applicants must have such knowledge of Swedish and English as is required to assimilate compulsory course elements and actively participate in seminars and other research activities at the university.

Admission and selection

Applicants’ merits are to be reviewed by staff from each discipline. The committee for research and PhD-studies at the Department will subsequently place the most qualified of applicants in order of preference. The Head of Department will make the final decision on admission. All applicants will get a written statement.

The selection among qualified applicants shall be based on their ability to benefit from the study programme as provided in Chapter 7 of the Higher Education Ordinance. Exams, essays, publications and project drafts are assessed based on the following criteria: a) Relevance of research (significance to knowledge development in the research area, together with relation to previous research, theory and method). b) Feasibility of research (pertinent methods and sources) c) Novelty of research (independence in relation to traditions of the subject)

Admission and selection will be done according to the merits of the applicants, but is also conditional on the Department’s supervisory resources within the doctoral student´s focus.

A preliminary decision and evaluations of applicants will be communicated to the applicants by 15 May 2025.