• The Ministerial Order No. 1039 of 27th of August 2013 in Danish
• The Ministerial Order No. 1039 of 27th of August 2013 in English
• The Ministerial Order No. 1039 of 27th of August 2013 with the Doctoral Schools comments

PHD PLAN
The PhD plan is a crucial element in any PhD study and it is therefore of outmost importance that it is executed correctly. It must be done in collaboration with your supervisor and it is important that you agree upon the contents of the PhD plan. Ensure to discuss your expectations with your supervisor and to eliminate all miss allignments. 

The content and extent of the PhD plan is thoroughly described in the template provided by the doctoral school. Find the template here.

The PhD plan is to be uploaded no later than 2 months after the enrollment date. When the plan is ready for assessment please upload it through the PhD manager portal found here. An AAU email/login is required.

TIMEFRAME

• 2 months: deadline for submission of 2-month plan
• 10 months: start preparing the status seminar and the 12-month PhD plan
• 11 months: status seminar
• 12 months: deadline for submission of 12-month plan

UPDATED PHD PLAN

12 months after your enrollment date you are obligated to submit an updated version of your PhD plan. This must reflect the progress made in relation to the initial PhD plan. Please apply the template found here. It is similar to that of the 2 month version with the focus points for the updated version accentuated in italic.

The updated plan must also be uploaded timely through the PhD manager portal found here.

THE 11-MONTH ORAL STATUS SEMINAR

The purpose of the seminar is to improve the evaluation of the first 11 months of the PhD study and the 11 months update of the PhD plan. The seminar is moreover an opportunity for the PhD student to present to a broader audience of colleagues the results obtained so far and the ideas for the future research.

The oral status seminar takes place immediately after 11 months of study with an audience including supervisor and co-supervisor(s), a discussant (see below) as well as possibly (optional) the head of the doctoral programme and/or the section's PhD representative, if one exists. The seminar is public and should be announced accordingly. The 11-month update to the PhD plan is forwarded to the discussant no later than two weeks before the status seminar. The discussant must review the plan carefully before the seminar.

At the seminar the PhD student has 45 minutes to present the 11-months update to the PhD plan. The presentation must cover current state-of-the-art in the field, how the study has been carried out the first 11 months, and how the progress measures up to the objectives stated in the 2 months PhD plan. Future plans with regard to a timeline, courses, research and an external research stay must next be addressed. The presentation must put special emphasis on research plans, how the project expands state-of-the-art and the resulting publications. After the presentation the discussant takes over and leads the discussion of the PhD plan, with the participation of all persons present. The discussion should address

Results obtained in the first year
Plans for future research (scientific level and feasibility)
Plan for stay abroad (relevance scientifically and for the development of the PhD student)
Plan for PhD courses (relevance and coverage in terms of specific and general)
The PhD student takes notes regarding comments and suggestions during the discussion. The status seminar should not last longer than 1.5 hours.

After the status seminar,the student writes a summary of the comments and suggestions given at the seminar and sends the summary to the discussant for review. The student finally updates the PhD plan according to the reviewed summary and uploads the plan INCLUDING the template from status seminar as one merged document.

Discussant: A discussant is appointed by the head of the doctoral programme possibly based on a recommendation from the supervisor. The discussant must have experience with PhD supervision.

Follow-up:  Based on the  updated PhD plan and possibly consultations with the PhD student and/or the supervisor, the programme head decides whether or not to approve the updated PhD pla

• Application for enrollment

Forms applied during the PhD study

• PhD plan template
• Portfolio document
• Template status seminar
• Process status seminar
• 10 month status talk (former one year)
• Supervisor student agreement (discuss and complete when commencing the PhD study)
• Paradigme for outcome of a study circle
• Paradigme for outcome of conference participitation

Forms in connection with submission

• Co-author statements
• Supervisor statement
• Declaration of good scientific practice

MISCELLANEOUS

• Application for financial support - E-form, no signatures needed.
• Application for extenstion of your PhD study (enrollment)
  • You do not need to use the full duration of the extension.
  • You can always submit your thesis - also if you are not enrolled.
  • Make sure all signatures are present when submitting the application.
  •  If applicable you also need to renew your work/residence permit.
• Application for leave of absence

It is required by the Ministerial Order that the Doctoral School continuously monitors the progress of the individual PhD studies. As a result of this your are asked to confirm/comment on a progress report made by your supervisor after 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 months.

You will receive an email notification when a progress report is ready for you. The process is fully automatic and you are not required to take any action before receiving a notifcation email.

Progress reports are found in PhD manager.

RECOMMENDED PROCEDURE
 
The Doctoral School of Engineering and Science recommends an ongoing discussion between the student and supervisor(s) in order to track the progress of the PhD study. In addition to the progress reports done every 6 months, the Doctoral School suggests the following procedure:

The student gives an oral presentation for all supervisors (main- and co-supervisors).

The oral presentation secures that the supervisors are kept up to date with the status of the project. If deemed necessary, it is recommended that a revision of the updated study plan is elaborated. Such a revision will secure that both the student and the supervisor(s) deal with the new/altered study plan and deadlines in the project.

The evaluation of the project work is suggested to comprise the following;

15-20 minutes presentation of the project work performed within the last 6 months
Are there any changes according to the study plan?
How does the student evaluate the work performed and the project in general?
In which courses has the PhD student participated?
The extent of working obligations performed by the PhD student? (Number of hrs. and types of working tasks)

DISCUSSION

• The work performed by the PhD student
• The future prospects of the project
• Future course participation
• Future working obligations
• How should the supervisor and PhD student deal with unexpected circumstances introducing a delay in the project?
• External/international collaboration. What has been established within the last 6 months? What should be done the next 6 months?

EVALUATION OF THE SUPERVISOR-STUDENT COLLABORATION
A meeting is suggested between the student and the main/ co-supervisor with whom the student is mostly in contact with, (or including all supervisors if one of the parties want this) where the methods of supervision and the collaboration are discussed.
If the supervisor or the PhD student wants it a 'third' party can be invited to lead the discussion. The below mentioned list indicates some of the points, that could serve as a base for the discussion.

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE SUPERVISOR AND THE PHD STUDENT
How is communication established and maintained between the PhD student and the supervisor?
What does the student expect from the supervisor? And has that been fulfilled within the last 6 months?
What does the supervisor expect from the PhD student? And has that been fulfilled within the last 6 months?

EVALUATION OF MEETINGS/CONTACT DURING THE LAST 6 MONTHS
Which type of communication has been performed? (e-mail, single questions, informal talk in the hall way, longer meetings with a planned agenda)
Has it been difficult to establish meetings/contact between the PhD student and the supervisor?
How was the structuring of the meetings?
How was the mutual orientation of the work during the period?
Which functions does the PhD student expect the supervisor to take on?
Which functions does the supervisor expect the PhD student to take on?
The supervisor and PhD student are encouraged to make a note on the most important decisions about the future collaboration between the two parties, and the future work of the PhD student.

During the course of a PhD study, the Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme states that you must complete PhD courses totalling approx. 30 ECTS:

• 10 ECTS from specific PhD courses
• 10 ECTS from general PhD courses
• 10 ECTS for free distribution

In some cases, conference participation can be considered equivalent to course activities. This necessitates that the PhD student produces a thorough report from the conference and that the PhD supervisor provides a written statement that the conference participation is equivalent to course activity.

A total of 6 ECTS can be achieved from conference participitation - Your supervisor must approve the ECTS you wish to obtain from conference participitation. if you wish to obtain more than 6 ECTS it must be approved by the head of programme.

It is possible to gain ECTS from master courses/study circles. For more information regarding this, see the template for the PhD plan.

Applications for financial support in connection with studies abroad should be submitted to the Doctoral School. The application form must be duly filled out and signed by both the applicant and the supervisor.

By signing the application, the supervisor annotates the application with a positive recommendation. Please note that the application should be submitted well in advance and no later than one month prior to the commencement of studies abroad.

The support covers transport, tuition fees and an amount to cover own expenses for food and small necessities according to the rules in the Tax Assessment Act (Ligningsloven) Section 9 A.

According to AAU’s internal guidelines the amount is maximum 4,300 DKK per month in Europe and maximum 5,000 DKK per month overseas. When accompanied by spouse/cohabitor and child(ren) the monthly amount for the PhD student can be increased by 1,000 DKK and 500 DKK per child.

The monthly grant is paid in advance and calculated relatively according to the whole duration of the study abroad. The Doctoral School provides financial support between 1-6 months. 

The amount is paid as an advance. Therefore a final settlement with the university must take place immediately upon return (no later than 10 work days after return according to AAU’s guidelines). It is extremely important that this deadline is met in order for AAU to comply with SKAT’s guidelines for correct filing.

In some cases it is possible to obtain a tax deduction (Differencefradrag). However it is not possible to calculate this before the end of the stay abroad and final settlement with the university. If you wish to take a tax deduction (and are eligible to a deduction) the Doctoral School must be contacted.

The application for a tax deduction takes place by contacting SKAT directly bringing along the final settlement from AAU (Please do not contact SKAT before talking to the Doctoral School).

• Apply for funding for stays abroad (online form no signatures required)
• Apply for funding (PDF)

A PhD student may apply for leave of absence from the Doctoral School. Applications for leave of absence must be sent to the Doctoral School. A leave of absence will normally be granted in relation to the following: 

• Illness
• Childbirth
• Military service etc

Leave of absence means that the applicant’s PhD program is prolonged by the duration of the leave of absence.

If the leave is due to PhD related activities the leave must be for a period of minimum three months. Please note that an application for leave must generally be received by the Doctoral School no later than one month before the beginning of the leave.

Please note that if you are employed, the HR department will require additional forms to be completed.

If you have any questions regarding a leave of absence please contact Maria Bredvig at the Doctoral School

The following sections present information regarding the requirements in relation to the submission of PhD theses through the VBN portal (www.vbn.aau.dk). 

FORMAT
Prior to beginning the actual writing on your PhD thesis it is advised that you familiarize yourself with the advices in relation to the format. The requirements that are found are only related to the provided templates, the templates are NOT mandatory to use. 

If you have any questions regarding the format, consult the VBN website. If the issue remains unresolvable contact Aalborg Universitets Forlag. It is required that your thesis follows the formatting guidelines (if you wish to submit in the standard format).

The VBN office provides fixed templates for a variety of formats. These are found here: https://www.en.team.vbn.aau.dk/phd-submission/

REQUIREMENTS FROM THE DOCTORAL SCHOOL
Before uploading/submitting your thesis the following elements must be in order:

• Assessment committee: Your assessment committee must be established and approved. You will receive information from the Doctoral School once this matter is handled.
• Co-author statements: If your thesis is a collection of papers you must have submitted co-author statements for all included articles to the doctoral school. Once these are approved by the PhD Study Director you are informed by the doctoral school.
• Your supervisor must have submitted a supervisor statement to the Doctoral School. Once this is approved by the PhD study director you are informed by the Doctoral School.
• You must have submitted a declaration concerning good scientific practice to the Doctoral School.
• Your thesis must contain a Danish and English Summary.
• 3-4 weeks prior to submission your PhD thesis must undergo a reference check -read more here

If any of the elements above are not in order, you must not upload your thesis.

Please contact the Doctoral School if you have any questions.

THESIS THAT ARE UPLOADED WITHOUT HAVING THE ELEMENTS ABOVE IN ORDER WILL BE REJECTED AND A NEW SUBMISSION MUST BE MADE.

Once you have uploaded your thesis it is considered as being submitted. It is therefore crucial that all references and so on are entered correctly. You cannot alter the thesis in any way or form once it is submitted. Only in the case of a negative preliminary assessment is this sometimes possible.

The submission date is when the thesis is received at the Doctoral School from the printers.

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU HAVE SORTED ALL POTENTIAL ISSUES REGARDING COPYRIGHT/PUBLICATION. IT IS THE PHD STUDENTS RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE RIGHTS TO RE-USE HIS/HER MATERIAL IN THE PHD THESIS.

FAQ from Aalborg University Press (pre-print, printing and other important elements) 

If you want to include your papers in the published version of your PhD theses, please ensure copyrights from the publisher (not required if OA).

VBN office - checklist for submission, procedures, requirements, templates and support.

VBN portal - submit your thesis here (login at the bottom of the site using your AAU single sign-on). If you are unable to log in - contact your Department or the Doctoral School.

The challenges are many, doing a PhD, and therefore the Doctoral School has launched a coaching initiative for PhD students. The ambition is that coaching will support the process of the project and the wellbeing of the PhD student.
Coaching is a process oriented dialogue between a coach and a PhD student aiming at enhancing the reflections, potentials and actions of the PhD student. The overall goal is to facilitate the development of good working routines and satisfactory work relations, in order to keep up motivation and use time and resources in an effective manner during the entire research project.

You can get more information about the initiative and the coach in the leaflet here.

You can access this service by contacting the coach directly..

Normally you can expect to get an appointment within a week or 14 days.

Contact
PhD Coach and Associate Professor Pia Bøgelund
Department of Developement and Planning
Mobile: ( 45) 31313397
Email: pb@plan.aau.dk

It is now possible for all PhD students at Aalborg University to receive support in relation to scientific computing, mathematics and statistics.  The offer is free of charge for PhD students and primarily consists of two meetings with a member from the consultancy team.
See the website www.phdconsult.aau.dk for more information,

Being enrolled as a PhD student at the Doctoral School means that you automatically joins the PhD student organisation PAU

PAU is the PhD association and network for all PhD students at the faculties of engineering and science, the Technical Faculty of IT and Design and medicine at Aalborg University. PAU stands for "PhD Network of Aalborg University".

If you wish to address the PAU board, please use board@pau.aau.dk

All PAU information and activities are posted on our Facebook group. Please visit:

PAU Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/PAUNetwork/

As a PhD student at Aalborg University you have access to a variety of career supporting initiatives - including DISC profiles and other offers. Read more on the PhD career website.

All Danish Universities must comply with the FAIR (Findable​, Accessible​, Interoperable​, Reusable)​​ principles for data mangement.

Short cut to knowledge about FAIR data? See our explainer video, where CLAAUDIA's Carina et al. provides an "easy to eat" introduction to FAIR data at fair.aau.dk 😃