Doctoral Program

The doctoral program is a 4-year program in which two years are devoted to research and the remaining time to courses. By the end of the program, a doctoral thesis containing original research shall be defended in public. The courses range from theory of probability and statistical inference to applied and interdisciplinary topics. Together, the doctoral project and the courses aim to equip the student with an integrated set of skills for tackling complex, multifaceted problems regarding data collection and interpretation of collected data. A doctoral program is sometimes combined with a teaching duty corresponding to 20% of a full-time job. In such cases, the program is prolonged to five years. Admission rules are given below.

The doctoral thesis

A Swedish doctoral thesis is either a collection of scientific articles equipped with a summary or a monograph on a specific research topic. The major part of thesis shall be of such quality that it can published in international journals of good quality. It is an advantage if some of the material is published or accepted for publication before the dissertation.

Courses

The following courses are compulsory: Probability theory, 5 credits Stochastic processes, 5 credits Statistical inference, 10 credits Additional courses can be taken in the following fields: Sampling theory Nonlinear time series models Linear and nonlinear regression methods Spatial statistics Sensitivity analysis Nonparametric statistics Courses in mathematics or specific applications may also be included in the curriculum. The total coursework amounts to 80 credits, i.e. two years of full-time studies.

Admission to the doctoral program

Admission to doctoral programs in Sweden is closely linked to the question of financial support. In general, the doctoral student is employed by the university for a period of four years. Vacant positions are advertised on the web page of the Division of Statistics when funding is available. Both Swedish and foreign students are welcome to apply, provided they have a B.Sc. or a M.Sc. with a minimum of 60 credits in statistics or mathematical statistics. Foreign students who have received a scholarship from their native country may be admitted without being employed, if adequate supervision is available. At present, there are no tuition or bench-fees at Swedish Universities. For further information, contact the research staff or any of the doctoral students at the Division.

Page responsible: Anders Grimvall
Last updated: 2007-06-27