Supervision
Only holders of a PhD degree may be appointed supervisor. At least one of the postgraduate student's supervisors must be a professor or an associate professor (docent) at Karolinska Institutet, and at least one of the supervisors must be active at the department in which the student is to be enrolled. For postgraduates enrolled after 1 July 2007, at least one of the supervisors must have undergone supervisor training or possess equivalent competence. As of 1 July 2008, however, the principal supervisor must have undergone supervisor training or possess equivalent competence.
Supervisor competence is acquired in one of the following ways:
- Whoever has been principal supervisor for at least one postgraduate student who has since obtained a Swedish doctoral degree is required to undergo online supervisor training arranged by the Board of Postgraduate Education.
- Whoever has not been a principal supervisor for at a postgraduate student who has obtained a Swedish doctoral degree is required to undergo more thorough supervisor training on a course approved by the Board of Postgraduate Education.
All supervisors must be fully familiar with Karolinska Institutet's rules for postgraduate education.
Even though the student may only enrol at one department, it is advisable that the education takes place at more than one. On admission, agreement should be reached as to how the supervision and related activities are to be organised and divided up between the different supervisors. This must also be specified in the individual study plan.
Postgraduate supervisor training course
The Postgraduate Education Board provides courses in supervision of PhD students. The aim of the courses is to strengthen the role of the supervisor.
