Reference Number: PAR 2026/522
Institution: University of Gothenburg
Department: Department of Education and Special Education (IPS)
Employment Type: Fixed-term Doctoral Studentship
Duration: Four years of full-time doctoral studies
Workload: 50–100%
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Starting Date: 1 October 2026, or by agreement
Application Deadline: 1 August 2026

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About the University

The University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. With 58,000 students and 6,800 employees, the university is a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. Through new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.

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About the Department

The Department of Education and Special Education (IPS) is one of four departments within the Faculty of Education.

The department's main areas of research and education include:

• Relationships between education and society.
• Educational systems.
• School development and leadership.
• Adult education.
• Inclusion.
• Learning.
• Language and assessment.
• Grading issues.

The department offers education at:

• Bachelor's level.
• Master's level.
• Doctoral level.

Fields include:

• Education.
• Educational Work.
• Educational Leadership.
• Communication.
• School Development.
• Didactics.
• Teaching.

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Subjects

The Department is announcing one or more doctoral student positions in:

• Education
• Educational Work
• Subject Matter Education with Specialization

Education

Education focuses on:

• Education.
• Teaching.
• Nurturing.
• Socialization.
• Formation.
• Learning.

Research examines the relationship between individuals and society and investigates how institutional structures influence educational processes.

Educational Work

Educational Work addresses various aspects of work within educational institutions.

Research includes:

• Educational practice.
• Teaching and learning.
• Educational professions.
• Educational policy.
• Educational reforms.

Subject Matter Education with Specialization

This field focuses on teaching and learning within specific subject areas connected to:

• School subjects.
• University disciplines.
• Professional practice.

Research examines the conditions and relationships between teaching and learning.

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Research Environments

The Department hosts several established research environments, including:

• FUR
• LUBS
• PRIS
• SKUL
• KRIT
• POP
• FYRK

Each research environment focuses on different educational themes while contributing to educational research, collaboration and teacher education.

The doctoral studentship will preferably be linked to ongoing research projects and commissioned research within these research environments.

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Doctoral Project

At the Department of Education and Special Education, national tests in:

• Civics (Year 9)
• English

as well as assessment guidelines in modern languages are developed.

This doctoral position specifically focuses on national tests in civics.

The doctoral student will participate throughout the complete test development process, including:

• Task construction.
• Piloting.
• Collaboration with teachers.
• Test data analysis.
• Presentation of findings.
• Collaboration with other social science subjects.
• Collaboration with the Swedish National Agency for Education.

The doctoral project may include:

• Subject-specific research.
• Content-related research.
• Analytical research.

Important research topics may include:

• Accessibility for different student groups.
• Equality in assessment.
• Disabilities.
• Gender.
• National background.
• Validity of national tests.
• Reliability of national tests.

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Duties

The doctoral student will primarily devote their time to doctoral education.

Responsibilities include:

• Planning and conducting doctoral research in collaboration with supervisors.
• Completing compulsory and elective doctoral courses.
• Preparing and presenting dissertation work.
• Participating in departmental research environments.
• Presenting research at national and international conferences.

The position may also include departmental duties of up to 20%, including:

• Teaching.
• Research.
• Commissioned activities.
• Administration.

The employment period will be extended accordingly.

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Eligibility

Applicants must satisfy both the general and specific eligibility requirements.

General Eligibility

Applicants must have:

• A second-cycle degree; or
• At least 240 higher education credits, including 60 credits at second-cycle level; or
• Equivalent qualifications obtained in Sweden or abroad.

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Specific Eligibility

Education

Applicants must have:

• 90 credits in Education.
• At least 30 second-cycle credits.
• An independent thesis of at least 15 second-cycle credits.

Educational Work

Applicants must have either:

• A second-cycle teaching degree; or
• A teaching degree together with an independent thesis of at least 15 second-cycle credits.

AND

• At least 90 creditsfocused on educational professional practice or child and youth activities, including:
  • 30 second-cycle credits.
  • A 15-credit second-cycle thesis.

Subject Matter Education with Specialization

Applicants must have either:

• A teaching degree including at least 60 credits in a relevant subject area together with a 15-credit second-cycle thesis.

OR

• At least 90 creditsin a relevant subject area, including:
  • 30 second-cycle credits.
  • A 15-credit second-cycle thesis.

Equivalent qualifications obtained in Sweden or abroad are also accepted.

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Selection Criteria

Selection is based on:

• Quality of the qualifying degree thesis.
• Quality of the submitted research proposal.

Given the focus of the project, applicants must have:

• Knowledge of the Swedish school system.

The following are considered merits:

• Research experience.
• Quantitative and qualitative analysis.
• Scientific writing.
• Experience with national tests.
• Test construction.
• Educational measurement.
• Educational analysis.

Applicants must demonstrate:

• Good written and spoken Swedish.
• Good written and spoken English.

Great emphasis will be placed on personal suitability.

Admission decisions are based on an overall assessment of:

• Academic qualifications.
• Previous research work.
• Research proposal.
• Potential to benefit from doctoral education.

Interviews may be conducted.

Admission decisions are made by the Head of Department following recommendations from the admissions committee.

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Employment

Applicants admitted to doctoral studies will be employed as doctoral students.

Employment conditions include:

• Initial appointment of up to one year.
• Renewal for periods of up to two years.
• Maximum employment period of eight years, corresponding to four years of full-time doctoral education.

The University applies local salary agreements for doctoral students.

Doctoral education requires physical presence at the Department.

Applicants requiring a residence permit must present a valid permit before the programme begins.

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Contact Information

Director of Doctoral Studies

Daniel Bergh

Email: daniel.bergh@gu.se

Phone: 0766-18 21 09

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Trade Union Information

Trade union representatives at the University of Gothenburg are available through the University's employment information.

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Application

Applications must be submitted through the University of Gothenburg Recruitment Portal.

Applicants must specify whether they are applying within:

• Education.
• Educational Work.
• Subject Matter Education with Specialization.

Required Documents

• Cover letter (maximum one A4 page).
• Curriculum Vitae (CV).
• Academic transcripts demonstrating general and specific eligibility.
• Master's thesis (15 second-cycle credits) and one additional research-related publication (optional).
• Preliminary research proposal (maximum five A4 pages).
• References.
• Any additional qualifications the applicant wishes to include.

Research Proposal

The proposal (maximum five pages, excluding references) should include:

• Research questions.
• Subject-specific context.
• Literature review.
• Materials.
• Methodology.
• Reflections on the relevance of the proposed dissertation.

All application documents must be submitted in Swedish or English.

Printed scientific publications not available electronically should be labelled with the reference number and sent to:

University of Gothenburg
Department of Education and Special Education
Ivana Nikolic
Box 300
405 30 Gothenburg
Sweden

Application Deadline: 1 August 2026

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Additional Information

The University of Gothenburg actively promotes equal opportunities and values diversity in its workplace.

Application documents are archived for two years in accordance with the regulations of the National Archives of Sweden. Documents may be returned upon request after the retention period; otherwise, they will be destroyed.

The University has already selected its recruitment channels and therefore declines further contact from recruitment agencies, staffing companies and vendors.

In your application, please refer to Professorpositions.com