1-4 PhD in Human Geography

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top 100 universities. The University has 40 000 students and more than 8 000 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

The Faculty of Social Sciences at Lund University is one of the leading education and research institutions in Sweden and operates both in Lund and Helsingborg.

The Department of Human Geography with about 55 employees, 400 fulltime students and approximately 25 Ph.D. students combines tradition with modern and highly internationalized research and education. Geography has repeatedly been the highest ranked subject at Lund University, currently ranked 16th in the world and 1st among the Nordic countries according to the QS ranking of 2018. For decades, the department has been very successful in the competition for external research funding. In addition to being embedded in numerous national and international research networks, the department of human geography has close ties with a broad spectrum of departments and faculties at Lund University. The key areas of research and teaching at the department are economic geography, development geography, urban, landscape and social geography, and GIS. The department has a Human Ecology Division (with a doctoral program of its own).

Job assignments:

The doctoral candidate program amounts to 240 credits (equivalent to four years of full time study). It formally ends with the doctoral candidate publicly defending his/her printed doctoral thesis. The holder of a doctoral position has as primary obligation to successfully fulfill the third cycle education ending with a PhD degree. Regulations concerning appointment as a full time doctoral student can be found in the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

The holder of a doctoral position is expected to participate actively in the research and teaching environment of the department and may have to perform departmental duties, above all teaching, amounting to about 20 per cent of full time. The holder of the position should direct research to the fields of human geography, preferably connected to ongoing research activities at the department (for further information see: https://www.keg.lu.se/en/research ). More information on the PhD program at the Department of Human Geography is available at https://www.keg.lu.se/en/research/phd-education/phd-human-geography

Eligibility:

To be eligible for third cycle studies an applicant must: 

- Have been awarded a second cycle degree
- Have completed studies the equivalent of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 credits are at the second cycle level, or
- Have acquired comparable qualifications in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

In addition to the requirements described above the specific entry requirements for the PhD programme in Human Geography is a master ́s degree in Human Geography, or other relevant discipline. The applicant must also have proficiency in spoken and written English corresponding to English B from Swedish upper secondary school. The assessment will be based on national guidelines.

The employment of doctoral students is regulated in the Swedish Code of Statues 1998: 80. Only those who are or have been admitted to PhD studies may be appointed to doctoral candidate positions. When an appointment to such a position is made, the ability of the student to benefit from PhD studies shall primarily be taken into account. In addition to devoting themselves to their studies, those appointed to doctoral positions may be required to work with educational tasks, research and administration, in accordance with specific regulations in the ordinance.

Basis of Assessment

In accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5, paragraph 5, particular emphasis for admission shall be placed upon the applicant’s ability to successfully complete PhD studies, as indicated by academic qualifications and merits. The proposal for dissertation topic as well as previously written theses and publications are important indicators of ability. Proficiency in spoken and written English is also of great importance.

Application

The application must contain:

1. A cover letter which contains a brief presentation of yourself and your qualifications (maximum 400 words)
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Copies of grades and examination certificates
4. Master’s thesis in human geography or in a discipline judged as relevant to human geography
5. A proposal for a dissertation topic that situates your thesis work theoretically and empirically in relation to human geographical scholarship, with reference to the main bodies of literature that motivate and frame this topic. Explain why you want to pursue your thesis work at the Department of Human Geography. (Maximum 2300 words including references.)
6. Name and contact information of two personal references

The application must be in English.

Type of employment

Limit of tenure, four years according to HF 5 kap 7§.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset. We kindly decline all sales and marketing contacts.

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