PhD Studies

The application deadline for doctoral programmes at the School of Humanities, for students wishing to enrol in the autumn semester, is 15 April or 1 February for students outside the Nordic countries. The application deadline for enrolment in the spring semester is 15 October.

Applications for admission to doctoral study may be accepted at other times in exceptional circumstances.

Applications must be submitted to the University of Iceland Student Registration using a special electronic form available on the University website.

The following information must be included along with your application:

• CV.
• Certified transcripts of degree certificates and previous academic records, if you studied somewhere other than the University of Iceland. Certified transcripts of degree certificates should be submitted to Student Registration.
• Overview of your goals and expectations (maximum 1 page).
• Study and research plan in three sections on a special form:
  • I. General description of the research project, its goals and research questions, as well as the student’s academic reasons for undertaking the project (maximum 5 pages).
  • II. Draft study plan (maximum 2 pages).
  • III. Financial Plan.
  • IV. Bibliography (maximum 5 pages).
  • It is important to take particular care over this part of the application.
• Written confirmation from supervisor. This statement (half to one page) should confirm:
  • 1) that the supervisor has agreed to supervise the applicant;
  • 2) that the supervisor has read and approved the Research and Study Plan the applicant submits;
  • 3) arguments for how the suggested research falls within the research field of the supervisor, that the supervisor is respected and active in the field and has published papers or books in this field with respected publishers, as required by standards and requirements.
    The confirmation should be submitted directly to the office of the School of Humanities.
    NOTE: The School of Humanities has adopted the requirements of the University of Iceland on a maximum number of 4 PhD students for each supervisor. Supervisors can therefore only accept new PhD studetns if they have 3 or fewer PhD students already.
• Declaration of end of MA studies. If the applicant plans to start the doctoral programme immediately after the end of a MA programme it is possible to apply before the degree has been approved. In this case a declaration from the relevant faculty must be attached, declaring that the applicant is likely to finish the MA programme with sufficient grade to enter the doctoral programme within the current semester. Within the University of Iceland this declaration can be sought from the project manager of the faculty.

A template for the Study and Research Plan can be collected here.

The department may also require you to submit a sample of your essays if considered necessary.

If the application meets formal requirements, it will be sent to the faculty or department to be discussed in detail. Finally it is sent to the doctoral studies committee for processing. Applications shall generally have been processed and answered in writing within six weeks following the application deadline, or following the day it was received if permission was given for an application to be submitted at another time. Responses will be sent to the applicant by email.

For further information, see Articles 4 and 5 of the Regulation on doctoral study at the School of Humanities.

At the end of May each year doctoral students must submit a report on the progress of their doctoral thesis with a request for a registration of credits. Supervisors will be asked to approve the report before credits are registered. It is therefore recommended that students write the report in collaboration with their supervisors (in particular parts 3 and 4). It is possible to open the report to review its content before starting work on it. Students should assume that they need a half to a whole day to work on the report.

The report is to be submitted through Ugla.

The Graduate Centre will receive a copy of the report.

See Article 7 of the Regulation on doctoral study and doctoral degrees of the University of Iceland School of Humanities.

The University offers PhD scholarships every year (deadline usually 15 January). Scholarships are offered by two funds: The Eimskip University Fund and the University's own Research Fund. They have joint deadlines and application forms. Scholarships are for salaries and can be up to a maximum of three years.

The Icelandic Research Fund has among its objectives to fund PhD students (since the Icelandic Research Fund for Graduate Students was joined with the Icelandic Research Fund).

Frequently PhD students are funded partly or fully as partners in research projects. Information on grants offered by the University are available on University's Grants and Funds website.

PhD students can get assistance from the Centre for Research in the Humanities to find grants and scholarships and in writing funding applications. 

There are two student organisations for doctoral students at the School of Humanities: FEDON, the Doctoral Association for the University of Iceland, and the Doctoral Association for the School of Humanities, which is a member of Veritas, the representative body for students at the School of Humanities and an umbrella organisation for all student organisations within the School. In the future, postdoctoral researchers will also be eligible for membership of the Doctoral Association for the School of Humanities.

All doctoral students at the School of Humanities are automatically registered in the organisation. The purpose of the Doctoral Association for the School of Humanities is to represent the interests of doctoral students at the School of Humanities, relay information to them, nominate doctoral student representatives to councils and committees in the School and organise social events for doctoral students at the School of Humanities.

The board is elected annually at the general meeting in December. Two other meetings are held, one in spring and another in autumn, for the purpose of presenting the board’s work to members and also receiving any comments or complaints about areas for improvement. Meetings are generally held in the meeting room in Gimli and are announced well in advance through the mailing list of doctoral students.

Rules of the Association of doctoral candidates in the School of Humanities at the University of Iceland

Article 1.

The name of the Association is “Félag doktorsnema á Hugvísindasviði Háskóla Íslands”.

Article 2.

Its domicile and legal venue is the University of Iceland.

Article 3.

The object of the Association is to safeguard the interest of doctoral candidates in the School of Humanities, disseminate information to its members, appoint representatives onto the Schools administrative and academic boards and committees, and to promote social activities among doctoral candidates within the School of Humanities.

Article 4.

The Association will achieve its objective by monitoring issues of vital interests to doctoral candidates at all times and stay informed on the status of all boards and committees where doctoral candidates are represented in addition to holding regular meetings and organizing social functions for its members.

Article 5.

Founding members are registered PhD. students in the University of Iceland’s School of Humanities in 2006.

Article 6.

Members are all doctoral candidates in the University of Iceland’s School of Humanities, unless they wish to be exempt.

Article 7.

The Association’s Board of Directors shall be composed of three members. Directors are elected to the Board for a term of one year at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Elected Board members allocate the offices of chairman, treasurer, and secretary at the first Board Meeting of their term. The Chairman calls the Board to meetings when he deems it necessary. The AGM shall also elect two examiners of accounts.

The day-to-day business is in the hand of the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors as a single body hold the power of attorney.

Article 8.

The operating year is from the 1st of July until the 30th of June. At the AGM the accounts and activities of the Association for the past year are submitted by the Board of Directors. Only members of the Association are permitted to attend the AGM.

Article 9.

The AGM is to be held before December 10th each year. The Agenda of the AGM must include.

1. Annual Report of the Board of Directors.
2. The Accounts of the operating year.
3. Elections.
   1. Board.
   2. Examiners of accounts.
4. Other issues.

Article 10.

Members do not pay membership fees but the Board of Directors shall seek out grants to finance the operations of the Association as needed.

Article 11.

Should the Association make any financial gain from its operations it is to be used to strengthen the social bonds among its members and other projects in accordance to both its stated objectives in article 3 of this constitution and the decisions of the Board of Directors and the AGM.

Article 12.

In the event that the Association is wound up, its assets shall be transferred to the University of Iceland’s Association of Doctoral Students and Doctoral Graduates (FeDoN). A decision to wind up the Association shall be taken by a simple majority vote at an AGM.