This is a description of the routines and procedures for PhD candidates at IBM. You should also read NTNUs central guidelines and regulations: PhD 1-2-3.

Contact

The main Phd coordiantor at the department is Maren Berg Grimstad. She is located at Lerkendalsbygget, Høgskoleringen 7A at Room 2-068. Maren is the main contact person for PhD issues.

Please contact us using maren.grimstad@ntnu.no

Before you start at the department

If you are joining us from another country, you should start by making an appoitment with the immigration office in Trondheim. In order to get your NTNU employee access card, username, password and access to NTNU system's you will need your Norwegian 11 digit ID number. You also need the ID number for other important issues in Norway. Makean appointment in advance with the immigration office before you arrive (could take months).

For non EU citizens: Please make an appointment online (after you receive your visa) to register yourself at the immigration office upon your arrival.

For EU citizens: Please make an appointment online (to meet up at the immigration office), before your arrival in Trondheim.

Apply for admission to the PhD programme

Whether you are an internally or externally funded PhD candidate you should, in cooperation with your supervisor, start preparing the application for admission to the PhD Programme. You must apply within 3 months. The information you need and the forms to apply are found on this PhD information page from the faculty of Engineering that our Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering belongs to. The sooner you have the admission ready, the sooner you will have access to all of the courses and NTNU resources you need.

Register for courses/exams

The deadline for registering for courses is the 15th February and 15th September, so if you know that your admission to the phd programme will not be ready in time, it is reccommended to apply for access to the courses you plan to partake in. You can find study plans for courses offered at NTNU here. Fill out the application form and send it to the admissions office. Depending on your background, additional documents like diplomas and documentation of English language skills may be neccessary. If you have a Master's degree from NTNU you are entitled to access to any open courses, contact the admissions office to exercise this right. If you start taking courses before being accepted to the PhD programme, you will have to pay the semester fee. Please contact the IBM PhD coordinator if you have any questions.

Sign the PhD contract

Once you have recieved the letter of admission to the PhD programme, you have to sign the PhD Contract (also known as the ABC-agreement). Parts A and B are for all PhD candidates, Part C is for industrial PhD candidates only. Once filled out, please send the contract to the PhD coordinator for review before gathering all of the signatures. The PhD coordinator will arrange for the signatures of the Head of Department and the Dean of the Faculty.

Other practical formalities

• Very useful website for international researchers, with a lot of practical information: https://www.ntnu.edu/nirs
• Apply for a visa (if you are a non EU citizen)
• Register yourself at the immigration office (If you are an EU citizen) https://www.udi.no/en/want-to-apply/the-registration-scheme-for-eueea-nationals/
• Housing: https://www.ntnu.edu/nirs/housing
• Information on tax system: http://www.skatteetaten.no/en/taxnorway/
• Trondheim's official website : http://www.trondheim.no/engelsk/
• Transport in Trondheim: https://www.atb.no/?lang=en_GB
• DION is the doctoral candidates' lobby group at NTNU

Underway

Changing your plan for organized academic training

Should you discover that the subjects listed in your plan for organized academic training in your admission application needs to be replaced, please use the following form: English, Norwegian.

The form must be signed by both candidate and supervisor and delivered to the PhD Coordinator. You do not have to fill out the form if you only plan to change semesters, in that case an email to the PhD Coordinator is enough.

Vacation as a PhD student at NTNU

A PhD candidate is required to take 15 weeks of paid vacation over the course of the 3 year period. During the last year of the PdD contract, a minium of 15 days of vacation must be taken

Progress report

Every year a progress report is to be made. The Faculty will send information and a form to fill in, in May/June. In this report you can list which courses you have completed, papers you have written, conferences and meetings you have attended. Even if you have studied only for 4-6 months the report is to be submitted. Your supervisor is not supposed to read this report.

Completion/ Disputas

Evaluation committee

When you are nearing the completion of your doctoral work it is time to appoint a committee for the evaluation of your thesis and public defense. The main supervisor is responsible for sending a suggestion for an evaluation committee to the PhD coordinator.

Submit your thesis

Fill out the application to have your thesis evaluated, get it signed by your main supervisor and deliver to the PhD coordinator along with a hard copy of your thesis. An electronic edition should also be sent to the PhD coordinator.

If your thesis contains the work of others you also need to get co-author statements signed by each co-author.

Printing of thesis (PhD)

Once your dissertation has been approved for the public defence and is ready for printing, you should order an ISBN-number. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is an international system for identifying books/publications/reports. 

• ISBN for doctoral theses

You may submit your dissertation to the following printing shop:

• NTNU Grafisk senter

You can find more information about recommendations concerning printing format, style etc. on the printing shops' web pages.

The department will pay for up to 50 copies, of these the department will keep 16 (five for the national library, two for the faculty, five for the department archive, one for the Head of the department, and three for the comittee). You should also give each of your supervisors a copy.

Plan a doctoral dinner on the evening after the defence

It is expected of you to plan a dinner/get together after the defence. The dinner/get together is your responsibility, but you can ask the department's purchasing officer for help and advice. You should at the very least invite the members of the assessment committee and your supervisors. It is also customary to invite close family and others with whom you have worked closely with during your doctoral work. The department will pay for up to 6 persons, anything over that must be covered by yourself or (by agreement with your supervisor) any leftover money in your project.

On the day of the defence

Normally the defence will take place in Disputasrommet, but if it is already booked the department will find some other suitable room. The agenda for the day of the defence will be:

10:15-11:00 - Trial lecture
11:00-13:15 - Break
13:15-16:00 - Public defence
16:15-18:00 - Reception at the department (approximate time, depending on the duration of the public defence).