Doctoral student in English Linguistics

Karlstad University takes pride in combining active external cooperation with academic excellence. Karlstad University has around 16 000 students and a staff of over 1 200 members.

Democratic principles, equality and diversity are cornerstones of the University. We value the enriching presence of diverse backgrounds and competencies among students and staff.



Description

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences / Department of Language, Literature and Intercultural Studies invites applications for a doctoral studentship in English.

The doctoral thesis project is to be carried out in a field of English linguistics that connects to ongoing research in English linguistics at Karlstad University. One notable research strength of the department lies in language acquisition inside and outside of the classroom, specifically as it relates to a diverse set of mother tongues (L1s) spoken by children and young adults. The department thus in particular welcomes research proposals in this line of research.

The doctoral study programme comprises 240 higher education credits, including the doctoral thesis (overall this equates to four years of full-time study). Doctoral students are fully funded and primarily pursue their own studies but may perform teaching or administrative duties to a maximum of 20% of a full-time position, thereby extending their candidature. The successful candidate is expected to be based in Karlstad and to be involved in the daily activities of the department.

Eligibility and assessment criteria

Applicants to doctoral studies must meet the general admission requirements as well as the specific eligibility requirements and be judged to have the ability otherwise required to pursue the programme successfully.

A person who has earned a Master’s degree of at least 240 higher education credits of which at least 60 higher education credits are studies at Master’s level, or who in some other way has acquired largely equivalent knowledge, has general eligibility for admission.

Specific eligibility requirements are at least 30 higher education credits in English language and literature at Master's level, including an independent degree project of at least 15 higher education credits. The Master's level degree project may be related to other fields than English linguistics, but normally it is easier for an applicant to demonstrate ability to be successful in English linguistics if their Master's degree project also was in English linguistics. A person who has acquired equivalent knowledge abroad also has specific eligibility.

Applicants are assessed and ranked on the basis of their research proposal, their previous studies and research experience, with special emphasis on the quality of their submitted independent research-related works, especially at Master's level, and their command of English in speech and writing. In order to ensure a gender balance in the discipline’s PhD student cohort, where job applicants have the same qualifications, female applicants will be given preference.

Application

Application should be made electronically and include:

- CV (with certified copies of degree certificates, etc.)
- Submitted Bachelor and Master's theses (or equivalent), and any other research papers, such as scholarly articles or book chapters, demonstrating the applicant’s ability to successfully complete a doctoral programme
- Account of practical experiences and employments of relevance to the position (if applicable)
- Personal letter (max. 1,000 words) with description of background, why the position is of interest and of the candidate’s attitude to pursuing doctoral studies
- A research proposal (max. 1,000 words) with an account of how the proposed project relates to ongoing research in English linguistics at Karlstad University as outlined above.