Each postgraduate subject has a general study plan and each doctoral student must have an individual study plan with individual learning objectives.
General study plan
Each subject for doctoral studies has a general study plan. This regulates the main content and structure of the programme, the eligibility requirements and the criteria applied to the selection and assessment of applicants.
It also contains a description of the compulsory elements, the distribution between the thesis credits and course credits and subject-specific learning outcomes, as well as whether it is possible to finish the studies with a licentiate degree.
Individual study plan
Each doctoral student shall have an individual study plan. At Umeå University, there is a university-wide template for the individual study and funding plan with a follow-up which the faculties and departments have supplemented. This is a tool for planning and monitoring each doctoral student's studies. It shall be followed up at least once a year, when the doctoral student and the supervisor will discuss together how the studies are progressing. Doctoral students admitted after 1 January 2014 will also have a reference group meeting in conjunction with the annual follow-up. The doctoral student and the supervisor will sign the individual study plan when it is initially drawn up on the commencement of the studies, and then at each follow-up.
Learning outcomes
Each doctoral student should have follow-up individual learning outcomes as a support to ensure that he or she achieves the national degree objectives. At the time of the examination, all doctoral students must have achieved the knowledge and skills specified in Appendix 2 of the Higher Education Ordinance.
The path to graduation differs from doctoral student to doctoral student and the education is adapted to each persons individual conditions and prior knowledge, but also to the nature of the individual research project. The individual learning outcomes therefore differ between doctoral students and also need to be revised as the studies and the individual research project progress.
The individual learning outcomes are formulated in the individual study plans.