Phd Programme

The PhD programme qualifies you to carry out research, development and teaching assignments at international level in both the private and the public sector.

Introduction
Application
PhD School and student life
Funding
FAQ
PhD projects
Contact

Introduction

The PhD programme is an internationally recognised research programme and an independent extension to the Master's programme

It is standardised to 180 ECTS, corresponding to three years' full-time study.

The PhD programme comprises:

independent research work, supervised by a main supervisor and a project supervisor
courses corresponding to 30 ECTS (a half FTE)
participation in active research environments, e.g. visits to other institutions (typically abroad), and conferences
teaching and dissemination

You complete your PhD by handing in either a monograph, a dissertation based on your own articles, or a dissertation based on your own artistic development work, which you then defend.

Application

Application and requirements

If you wish to apply, you must have a Master’s degree or equivalent, based on five years’ study (A Bachelor’s degree and a two-year programme at post-graduate level, totalling 300 ECTS).

Your application must include a project description that demonstrates how your project positions itself within the field of design research. The project must fall within the school’s strategic focal areas in order for the school to provide supervision. To learn more about the project description, check out our FAQ below.

There will be a professional assessment of your application based on an overall assessment of your qualifications and the relevance of your project.

Vacant PhD positions are regularly posted on our website. In the posts you can see the specific requirements related to each position.

PhD School and student life

PhD School, courses and student life

Kolding School of Design has a joint research school with Aarhus School of Architecture. You will be enrolled at Kolding School of Design, which will have the professional responsibility for your individual education and supervision.

You will be included in the school's professional research team and will be affiliated with one of the school's three laboratories: The Lab for Sustainability and Design, The Lab for Social Design, or the Lab for Play and Design.

You will have access to the school's facilities and to professional dialoge with peers. We expect you to contribute to the professional environment in terms of education and research.

PhD students are represented in the school's professional, formal forums.

The PhD programme has a well-functioning social setting where students take responsibility for organising events, study groups, etc.

“According to the Ministerial PhD Order, PhD students must complete courses corresponding to 30 ECTS (1/2 full-time equivalent) as part of their PhD education. The joint PhD school run by Kolding School of Design and Aarhus School of Architecture therefore offers courses and engage in national collaborations across institutions. See current courses below.”

Funding

There are various funding options for the PhD programme

A PhD position can be fully funded by the Kolding School of Design, covering salary and all expenses for three years. These positions are posted regularly on this website.

A PhD position can also be fully or partially externally funded through private or public foundations, one or more companies, or public institutions, or be part of one of the Kolding School of Design's collaboration agreements.

An industrial PhD is funded by a company and enrolled under the same conditions as other PhD students, meaning it must meet the same requirements, but the student is employed by the company funding the project. To learn more about industrial PhDs, visit this website: http://www.erhvervsphd.dk.

FAQ

Thinking of applying for a PhD position? Find the answers to your questions here

How do I get a PhD position at Kolding School of Design?

In Denmark, a PhD position is typically a paid position. Kolding School of Design has a limited number of vacant PhD positions each year.
You can find the vacancies here. In addition, Kolding School of Design collaborates with several external parties on Industrial PhD positions funded by The Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation. Finally, it is possible to self-fund a PhD.

In which subject areas can I get a PhD position at Kolding School of Design?

Kolding School of Design's research is centred in laboratories within the school's strategic focal areas: Sustainability, Social Design and Play & Design. In order for us to guarantee high-quality supervision, your project must be placed within one of these three areas. More information about the laboratories is available on the website.

Lab for Sustainability and Design
Lab for Social Design
Lab for Play and Design

What is required to apply for a PhD position at Kolding School of Design?

I graduated from Kolding School of Design prior to 2010 and hence do not have a Master's degree. Can I still apply?

If you want to apply for a PhD position at Design School Kolding you must submit a 4-6 page project description.

The project description must include the following items:

a motivated application that explains the research that is the focus of the project, as well as your qualifications in the field

a preliminary research plan, including an assessment of the project's feasibility as well as a work and a time schedule

an account of the empirical material that forms the basis of the project

research questions

the theoretical basis of the project

the methodology

a brief state of the art (an overview of existing knowledge in the field)

references/bibliography

considerations regarding publication and dissemination of the research results.

What is a research question?

The research question had to be very clear indeed meaning a concrete question that could be answered by conducting an inquiry which involved experiments in design. A research question is not a “how might we” question. It is based on an understanding of theory and empirical data and seeks to close a gap in the knowledge in the field e.g. “If theory X is reliable, and this data A,B,C is well-founded then what is the relation between X and some new thing Y?”. That would be a plausible formula for a research question. Any research question that can be answered with a yes or no is not the basis for a design PhD.

What font and font size should I use?

How do I ensure that my PhD project will be considered?

Do I need to identify a supervisor before submitting my PhD application?

What is my expected salary?

How many days of the week should I plan to spend at the school?

Should I reside in Kolding?

Submission of PhD dissertation without prior enrolment in the joint PhD programme at Kolding School of Design and Aarhus School of Architecture.

A dissertation can be submitted for assessment without prior enrolment in the joint PhD programme at Design School Kolding and Aarhus School of Architecture, provided Design School Kolding determines that the candidate has acquired comparable qualifications, and that the subject area is within Design School Kolding's research foci in Social Design, Sustainability and Design for Play.

The total cost is DKK 65,000. *
This amount must be paid in two instalments:
1) DKK 5,000 for an initial evaluation and the associated administration costs, at which time it is decided whether the dissertation is of sufficient quality to initiate an actual assessment.
2) DKK 60,000 provided Kolding School of Design determines that the dissertation meets the requirement for an assessment. This amount covers printing of the dissertation, two external examiners and one internal examiner, including travel and accommodation in connection with the defence presentation.

* Please note that if, for example, travel expenses for the external examiners or similar costs exceed the estimate, this amount can be increased. This will always occur in dialogue with the candidate. Conversely, the amount will be reduced if the costs are significantly lower than estimated.

In connection with an application for an initial assessment, it must be stated if the PhD thesis has previously been submitted at another institution.

PhD projects

Projects and publications

PhD project

Design af strikbluser til lang levetid

Ph.d.-projektet undersøger, hvordan tekstildesigneren kan bidrage til bæredygtige løsninger, som kan medvirke til at forlænge levetiden af strikbluser.

Designer and children participating in a design process at Play User Lab

PhD project

Exploring a Child-Centred Design Approach – from tools and method to approach and mindset

The PhD research explores the notion of a child-centred design approach and the influence on the design practitioner when experiencing the world seen from the perspective of the child.

PhD project

Kinæstetisk empati i et pædagogisk perspektiv

Forskning

PhD project

Evaluering af læreprocesser og afholdelse af prøver der inddrager Playful Learning

Forskning

PhD project

Designing for pedagogical competencies and a bodily engaging playful learning approach

Research

Re-designed enabling artefacts: 3D printed mending mushroom and darning tool.

PhD project

Mending the future Wisdom, memory and emotional bonds with our clothes

The PhD project examines the understanding of aesthetic codes of mending; explores mending as private and collective practices, and attempts to bridge the participants’ knowledge from different social settings to allow articulation of imaginaries across places, to open possibilities for shared worlding through co-exploration and participation, and to envision the futures of these practices.