F A C U L T Y O F S C I E N C E
U
NIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN
Guide to the Science PhD School Course System Contents
About the Course Portfolio ........................................................................................................... 2 ECTS Requirements ....................................................................................................................... 2 Mandatory PhD Courses ............................................................................................................... 2 Course Types at SCIENCE .............................................................................................................. 2 Links to Course Databases ............................................................................................................ 2 Register for Full Degree Master courses at SCIENCE (Type 3 courses) ......................................... 2 Type 4 Course Work ...................................................................................................................... 2 When to use Form 2A and when to use Form 2B ......................................................................... 4 Forms: application for approval of ECTS at the PhD School ......................................................... 4 How to send e‐mails to the PhD Section ...................................................................................... 4 Where to find the Rules ................................................................................................................ 4 Who makes the Decisions ............................................................................................................. 4 Revised on 8 July 2015
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About the Course Portfolio The course portfolio that is created in your PhD Plan when you apply for enrolment follows you throughout your PhD study and it is updated by the PhD Section with your help. Send in the diploma as soon as you have passed a course and send in an application whenever you make a change to your course portfolio. Please use form 2A or form 2B. All changes to your course portfolio require approval from your principal supervisor (form 2A) and possibly your PhD Coordinator (form 2B). Approval by e‐mail is accepted as long as it is absolutely clear what is being approved by whom. Below you can find information regarding courses and application for courses at SCIENCE. ECTS Requirements Your PhD course portfolio must sum up to approximately 30 ECTS. 1 ECTS corresponds to approximately 25 hours of work incl. preparation. A maximum of 35 ECTS can be approved as part of your PhD course portfolio. Language courses do not award ECTS.
For double degree PhD students the ECTS requirements vary and are agreed upon individually. Mandatory PhD Courses Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) is mandatory for all PhD students at SCIENCE. The RCR course can be taken alone, but is also a part of the Introduction Course for PhD students. So if you pass this course, you have also passed the RCR course. Please note, that the Introduction Course is not mandatory. Introduction to University Pedagogy (IUP) is mandatory for all PhD students who have teaching as part of their PhD Plan. No more Business Courses are held for Industrial PhD students. See Innovation Fund Denmark. Course Types at SCIENCE 1. Complementary skills course, e.g. Project Management, Scientific Writing
2. International or specialist PhD course (min. 10 ECTS)
3. Advanced masters’ course
4. Other course activity, e.g. journal club, ad hoc course, conference (max. 5 ECTS for
conferences). Links to Course Databases PhD Courses in Denmark or MSc database Register for Full Degree Master courses at SCIENCE (Type 3 courses) It is very important that you register for Full Degree Master courses in the right way and within deadline! Registration is necessary in order to get access to the course Absalon site and to participate in examinations. Please read more and find the form ‘Application for Admission as a Credit Student’. Type 4 Course Work Type 4 course work can consist of a number of activities and requires different documents for
approval:
Revised on 8 July 2015
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Activity Documentation & Approval Journal Club / Study Group A journal club is a group of individuals who meet regularly to critically evaluate and discuss recent articles in scientific literature. Journal clubs are usually organized around a specific topic. Form 2B and documentation: 1. A list of the literature, which has been studied
2. A list of participants
3. Number of meetings ‐ specific dates, time and duration
4. The person responsible – must be part of the academic staff
Self‐study A situation where the PhD student takes initiative to define his or her own needs of learning, formulate the learning targets, identify resources and methods for learning. Typically if no relevant course is offered on the subject. Can include reading of academic literature, instruction manuals, journals, instructions etc. but can also include the use of electronic media such as interactive tutorials. The principal supervisor must take part in the selection of appropriate literature and the student must keep a continuous dialogue with the supervisor during the process. Form 2B and documentation: 1. A short summary of the self‐study & number of hours spent on the activity
2. A reference list, which documents the knowledge obtained from the study and
how it can be used in the PhD study. 3. A list of literature that has been read – titles and authors
4. Statement from principal supervisor regarding the relevance of the activity
Seminar Series When a department or a research group organize a seminar series with presentations by department members or visitors from outside, the student may gain ECTS for his or her participation in the seminar series. Form 2B and documentation: 1. A list of seminars attended ‐ specific date, time and duration
2. The lecturers at the seminar(s) – name and institution
3. Organizer
Conferences The students may obtain ECTS for participation in international conferences. Please note: a maximum number of 5 ECTS can be approved as a total for conferences in the PhD Course Portfolio.
Form 2B and documentation: 1. Title and short description of conference
2. Date, place and organizer
3. Number of hours spent on the conference incl. academic preparation
4. URL to the conference website
5. Conference programme
Other type 4 course work Will be assessed based on the individual application and appendices Form 2B and documentation: 1. Description of the activity
2. Documentation for participation, if applicable
3. Statement from principal supervisor regarding the activity
Revised on 8 July 2015
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When to use Form 2A and when to use Form 2B
Course type Course level Danish Courses in the National PhD PhD Course Database “PhD Courses in Denmark” MSc Courses from Danish Universities Send in Form 2A Send in Form 2B Principal supervisor X Principal supervisor MSc X Danish Courses not listed in the National PhD PhD Course Database “PhD Courses in Denmark” Other Courses Type 4 Course Work Who approves at the department Principal supervisor and PhD Coordinator X PhD / MSc ‐‐‐‐ X Principal supervisor and PhD Coordinator X Principal supervisor and PhD Coordinator Forms: application for approval of ECTS at the PhD School
www.science.ku.dk/english/research/phd/student/forms/ How to send e‐mails to the PhD Section Send in applications and diplomas for passed courses to the PhD Section via your department PhD Secretary. Please send one e‐mail per course and name the e‐mail as instructed below: Application, course name, your name and abbreviation for your department. Examples: 
Certificate Introduction Course Søren Sørensen PLEN
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Form 2A Introduction Course Hans Hansen NBI
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Form 2B application for ETCS for Journal Club John Johnson BIO
All attachments must be named clearly and identify the specific content of the file. The file type must be an OCR‐readable PDF file or a Word file. We strive to process your application as fast as possible. Where to find the Rules Faculty PhD Regulations: www.science.ku.dk/english/research/phd/student/rules/ Who makes the Decisions PhD Committee and head of the SCIENCE PhD School Morten Pejrup. Revised on 8 July 2015
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