PhD Programme in Innovation for Sustainability Programplan

The PhD programme in Innovation for Sustainability at OsloMet is a full-time, 180 ECTS credit programme based at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design (TKD), in cooperation with The Centre for Welfare and Labour Research (SVA). The goal of the programme is to qualify candidates for research, teaching, development work, and other highly qualified work in the field of innovation for sustainability. The programme is based on core competence from the departments of Product design, Art, design and drama and Computer science at TKD, and SVA.

The courses are also offered to other PhD programmes at OsloMet and to candidates outside OsloMet, provided there are vacant places.

The overall aim of the PhD programme is to contribute to sustainable development and welfare for all through human-centred and cultural research and innovation strategies. The programme combines theoretical and practice-oriented perspectives through a social constructivist approach with various types of knowledge suitable to a diversity of contexts and professional practices. It is thus rooted in OsloMet’s position as a university directed towards professional studies, with close links to the community and working life outside academia. The PhD programme will prepare the candidates for societal needs, related to private and public sector as well as academia.

The programme’s unique approach is its combination of design and aesthetics with computer science and social sciences in an interdisciplinary setting. The programme is characterized by interdisciplinarity and ethical awareness, and by theoretical and methodological pluralism. It offers 3 mandatory courses, each 5 ECTS, in philosophy of science, method, and innovation, which introduce basic theories and practices with a special focus on sustainability and interdisciplinarity. Additionally, the programme offers 5 elective courses addressing different perspectives on sustainability: place-based, social, individual, aesthetic, and educational.

Sustainability is understood as a result of cultural, social, artistic, technological, economic and environmental factors and contains an awareness of ethicality and responsibility. Culture, defined here as human thinking, behavior, habits, and attitudes, is regarded as the foundational component. Innovation, understood as ideas or inventions that are practically implemented for value creation, is necessary to achieve transformation to a sustainable development. The programme will push the candidates to develop new and improved products, systems, and processes through interdisciplinary approaches and various technologies. Design thinking, creativity and entrepreneurship are key elements, and interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and problem - based methodologies that involve a broad spectrum of societal stakeholders in defining and executing research, are central. Sustainability science is an emerging field of research dealing with the interactions between natural, social, and cultural systems, and with how those interactions affect the challenge of sustainability. The field is in constant development, and the programme will therefore be continuously revised and updated.

Interdisciplinarity is a foundational factor in the programme, both as a competence and a skill. The courses constitute a main factor to develop interdisciplinary skills. Multidisciplinarity, transdiciplinarity and co-design will also be included. Multidisciplinarity will constitute a starting point for developing interdisciplinarity and transdiciplinarity. In this way the candidates will be able to share their own fields of interest and thereby learn to integrate their competences in larger projects with different participants.

Innovation is understood as new or improved solutions and practices that are practically implemented to create value or to meet societal needs or challenges. The values can be ecologic, economic, social, cultural, or ethical. Innovation is recognized as necessary to achieve a transition to a more sustainable society. The programme will enable the candidates to find improved solutions.

The programme will have a certain flexibility within its frame and scope. The content of the courses will be adapted to the candidates' field of interest, and thereby subject to minor variations. It will also be developed according to response from the candidates, teachers and external stakeholders as well as the scientific development of the topic and the research agendas of the departments and research institutes involved in the programme.

The PhD programme consists of an educational (coursework) component (30 ECTS credits) and a research component comprising the doctoral thesis (150 ECTS credits). The programme is intended to be completed within an effective researcher training period of three years, alternatively four years including mandatory duties such as teaching and applications for external funding. The requirements for the PhD degree are established in the Provision for the Degree of Philosophiae doctor (PhD) at OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University.

Upon completion and passing of the programme, the candidate will be awarded the degree “PhD in Innovation for Sustainability”. The candidate’s specialization will be named on the transcript and diploma. Reference is made to Section 2 of the Regulations Relating to the Degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at Oslo Metropolitan University (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations relating to the PhD Degree at OsloMet).

The programme is aimed at persons with a background in engineering, information technology and similar technological disciplines who wish to acquire research skills at the highest level within the field of engineering science, and who wish to obtain a skillset that is valuable both in an academic research setting and in society as a whole.

On completion of the programme, the students will be qualified for careers in engineering and engineering management, in advanced technical consulting, and in research and teaching at universities and research institutes

The programme will build on a master's degree in an engineering discipline, applied mathematics or physics, or a similar master's degree relevant to the PhD programme.

Formal requirements:

3.1.Norwegian master's degree in an engineering discipline, applied mathematics or physics worth 120 ECTS

OR

3.2.Foreign degree-equivalent in an engineering discipline, applied mathematics or physics, equivalent to a master's degree in the Norwegian higher education system. In cases where the foreign master¿s degree does not comprise 120 ECTS, admission may be granted subject to individual assessment, provided the qualification presented grants access to PhD studies in the country of origin.

3.3.The average grade awarded for the bachelor's degree must not be lower than a C.

3.4.The average grade awarded for the master's degree must not be lower than a B.

3.5.A minimum grade of B must be awarded to the master's thesis.

Documentation of the completed education on which the decision regarding admission should be based (certified copies of original certificates) must be submitted.

Students seeking admission to the programme, must submit an application providing the following information:

1. A description of the research work that will lead to the thesis. This description shall consist of:

• A problem statement that is related to a societal problem that can be solved - completely or partly - through engineering preferably pointing out interdisciplinary aspects.
• A project plan describing the background and identifying a research gap to demonstrate that the student has an overview of the research field.
• The project plan should include a proposed research design to solve the problem.
• A milestone plan for finishing the thesis.
• A publication plan.
• A plan for internationalisation.
• Specification of language in which the dissertation will be written
• Information about any possible restrictions connected to intellectual property rights that may affect the planned project.
• If the project calls for special academic or material resources, this must be documented in the application.

2. A list of coursework to fulfill the 30 ECTS coursework requirement

3. Supervisor's signature

4. A funding plan.

5. An account of prospective judicial and/or ethical issues the project may present.

6. Information on whether the project requires approval by research ethics committees, other public authorities or private actors. This kind of approval should be collected pre-submission when possible, and attached to the application.

Excellent English language skills are required for all participants in this PhD programme. International students must document this before appointment by taking one of the following tests and achieving the stipulated minimum total scores:

• TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language, internet-based test (IBT). Minimum total score: 92. Or Paper based test with a minimum score of 600
• IELTS - International English Language Testing Service. Minimum overall band score: 6.5. Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) and Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) from the University of Cambridge.
• PTE Academic - Pearson Test of English Academic. Minimum overall score: 62.

The following applicants are exempt from the abovementioned language requirements:

• Applicants from EU/EEA countries
• Applicants who have completed one year of university studies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or the US
• Applicants with an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma

Decisions on admissions are based on an overall assessment of the applications. The doctoral committee at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design at OsloMet shall consider admission applications.

Admissions to the PhD Programme in Engineering Science are considered on an ongoing basis. Pursuant to the PhD Regulations, section 2-6, admission to PhD programmes is formalised by a written contract between the PhD student, the supervisor(s) and the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design.

An application for admission to the PhD programme should normally be submitted within three (3) months after the start of the research project which will lead to the degree.

The programme is divided into two main parts:

Training component (30 ECTS credits).

Research component (150 ECTS credits).

The programme structure is flexible in that students may choose when to take the courses in order to adapt the training component to their individual theses. All courses are concluded with an examination. The academic year lasts for 40 weeks, and students are expected to work 37.5 hours per week. This includes scheduled activities, individual activities, and the examination.

Students who wish to use external courses to fulfil an elective element in the training component will be given supervision in finding such courses at other units at OsloMet or at other national or international institutions. The doctoral committee at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design shall consider the approval of such courses in individual applications. Students are advised to apply for approval in advance. The doctoral committee considers the approval of external courses only if the course is not provided at OsloMet. This has to be argued by the supervisor in the application for appoval.

The PhD Programme in Engineering Science is built on education and research related to the following engineering disciplines:

• Civil engineering - where OsloMet has activities in structural engineering, building technology, energy and indoor climate, transport and urban planning.
• Digital engineering and Computational Science - where OsloMet and SimulaMet have activities in universal design, scientific computing, security and reliability, IT management, software engineering, learning systems, autonomous systems and networks, modelling and simulation.
• Electrical engineering - where OsloMet has activities in robotics, automation and health technology.
• Mechanical engineering - where OsloMet has activities in solid mechanics and materials technology, fluid mechanics and mechatronics.

The programme will be structured as follows:

5 ECTS - Engineering Science and Ethics - compulsory course

5 ECTS - Scientific Research Methods and Data Analysis in Engineering Science - compulsory course

20 ECTS - Combination of specialisation courses each worth 5 or 10 ECTS, chosen from the list of elective courses offered by OsloMet, or external courses approved on an individual basis.

150 ECTS - Doctoral thesis

The study will build on a master's degree in an engineering discipline, applied mathematics or physics, or on a similar master's degree relevant to the PhD programme. Based on this requirement, students will be required to:

1. Complete 30 ECTS of coursework comprising two compulsory courses each worth 5 ECTS and 20 ECTS of either elective courses chosen from the list of courses offered in the programme or courses from other faculties/institutions, subject to approval by the doctoral committee.

2. Write a thesis at the forefront of research. The thesis will account for 150 ECTS, and may be submitted in either monograph or article-based format.

The PhD programme may be undertaken either as a full-time programme over three years or as a part-time programme over four years combined with 25% required duties.

Training component

The training component promotes the students' research and competence development. It comprises courses offering theoretical and methodological training in writing the thesis. The compulsory courses will provide students with a joint theoretical and methodological platform. The content and curricula of the compulsory courses are composed in order to cover the entire scope of Engineering Science.

The elective element of the PhD programme forms multidisciplinary arenas that will support interdisciplinary research. The courses integrate scientific theories and methods that are relevant to the areas of research in engineering science. The elective courses are thematically and methodically rooted in the research activities of the faculty and SimulaMet, and offer students the opportunity to specialise in approaches and ways of thinking that are particularly relevant to their thesis.

The PhD programme is closely linked to current research, and students will contribute to developing the respective fields of study through their own projects.

Compulsory courses, worth a total of 10 ECTS credits (each offered once a year):

Engineering Science and Ethics (5 ECTS credits)

Scientific Research Methods and Data Analysis in Engineering Science (5 ECTS credits)

Elective courses, worth a total of 20 ECTS credits. Students choose freely from the following courses:

Advanced Project within Structural Engineering and Building Technology (10 ECTS credits)

Finite Element Modelling and Simulation of Structures (10 ECTS credits)

Advanced Topics in Building Services Engineering (10 ECTS credits)

Universal Design in Multidiciplinary contexts (10 ECTS credits)

Cloud Computing and Security (10 ECTS credits)

Topics in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (10 credits)

Applied Mathematical Modelling and Analysis (10 credits)

Advanced Topics in Biomedical Engineering (10 ECTS credits)

Advanced topics in Robotics and Control (10 ECTS credits)

Evidence based Engineering (5 ECTS credits)

Internet Architecture and Measurements (10 ECTS credits)

Smart cities for a Sustainable Energy Future - From Design to Practice (5 ECTS credits)

Advanced Topics in Mathematical Methods: Applications to Natural Sciences (10 ECTS credits)

Probabilistic Machine Learning for Predictive Maintenance of Energy Systems (10 ECTS credits)

The elective courses will be offered once a year provided 3 or more students sign up for the course. If less than 3 students sign up for the course, the course may be cancelled for that year but not necessarily.

The students are responsible for acquiring knowledge and skills in research methods relevant to their chosen field of expertise. Methodology courses can be chosen from OsloMet's portfolio or at other institutions. External courses must be approved by the programme committee, preferably prior to starting the course.

Research component

The research component amounts to the work on the doctoral thesis (150 ECTS credits). Work on the thesis is spread across all six semesters and includes planning and conducting the research project, processing the results, and structuring and writing the thesis. The thesis may be produced as a compilation of articles or as a monograph; see the PhD Regulations under 'Training component' above.

An article-based thesis must contain at least three articles and an introductory chapter displaying the relationship between the articles. The student must be the sole author of the introduction and the main author of at least two of the articles. If articles are included where the student is not the main author, he/she must confirm in writing that he/she meets the requirements for co-authorship by stating her/his material contribution to the article in terms of collecting data, interpreting results, and which parts of the article he/she has written. On submission of the thesis, at least one of the articles must already be accepted for publication.

Assessment

Examination and grading systems

Assessment of examinations in the training component is conducted in accordance with the provisions regarding examinations and cheating in the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet; see the PhD Regulations, section 4-3. All examinations in the training component will be specified on the certificate.

The form of assessment for all courses is pass or fail. The reason for this is that all students should possess a sufficient level of knowledge, skills and general competence in their chosen modules to work well in cross-disciplinary cooperation. The forms of examination vary to allow for developing and testing different types of skills.

Written home exams enable students to write over some duration of time to mature their ideas and plan their work. Short written exams test students¿ ability to solve problems within a certain time limit. Oral exams serve to evaluate the students' ability to present and communicate their knowledge. Project work serves to assess how students are able to apply their knowledge, skills and general competence in a more complex context and to collaborate with fellow students and other partners. The written thesis followed by an oral presentation and defence gives the opportunity to assess the students ability to independently construct and present an engineering science project within a given time frame.

There is a progression in the forms of assessment, moving from structured assessment to more complex and individual assessment of the thesis. In some modules it is necessary to use several forms of assessment, such as both written and oral examinations.

Candidates are required to keep up to date about international research in the subject area and to network with foreign colleagues in the field. Periods of study abroad will be facilitated, and the department will invite researchers from foreign institutions to give lectures.

In a sustainability perspective the PhD candidates will be encouraged to find new and low carbon footprint ways of communicating with the international research community in their field, such as alternative forms of exchange and meetings on digital platforms and long term stays instead of frequent short-term ones.

Candidates are encouraged to present at least one paper at an international conference. Candidates are also encouraged to communicate about their projects via relevant forums and channels.

The fundament of the PhD is independent work. Candidates must take an independent and active role in his/her learning process, both in the doctoral thesis and in the educational component/coursework. All courses therefore require the active participation of candidates in a multitude of ways, such as identifying relevant research questions and problems, deducing the best way to analyse problems, and structuring and writing a research paper. All courses in the training component are intended to underpin the PhD candidates’ own research.

The courses are seminar-based and have a standard duration from three to five days, with an ideal participation level of 10-15 candidates. Candidates are expected to actively participate in the course, via advance preparation (doing the readings and other preparatory work), participation in course discussions, and respectful engagement with other candidates’ ideas and work. Participation is mandatory, and candidates are expected to attend all days of teaching. Unless stated otherwise in the course descriptions, a minor absence (up to 20 percent of the course duration) can be accepted in special cases such as documented illness/ sick leave (upon application). In the event of absences that are not approved, candidates will lose their right to have their essays assessed. Digital attendance can be offered to candidates if possible. Course requirements are assessed as confirmed or not confirmed.

Assessment of examinations in the educational (training) component will be conducted in accordance with the provisions regarding examinations and cheating in the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet; see the PhD Regulations, section 4.3. The form of assessment for all courses will be a pass or fail.

In all courses, the PhD candidates must hand in a paper based on their own research project, of typical lengths of 4000-5000 words. In the courses with a portfolio exam the candidates must also document the development and execution of a practical workshop.

The standard expectation is that the essay must be submitted within 2 months of course completion, although specification is found in each course description. In addition to passing the essay, course requirements (participation) must also be confirmed to be awarded the ECTS credits.

The form of assessment for the doctoral thesis (including assessment of the thesis by a committee and completion of a trial lecture and public defence) is as follows. Upon submission, the doctoral thesis will be examined by an assessment committee comprising two external members and one internal (OsloMet) member. OsloMet’s existing guidelines for assessment of the doctoral thesis state: To be approved, the doctoral thesis should be of a standard that would justify publication as part of the scientific literature in the given field of research. The thesis must satisfy the minimum requirements of research expertise, expressed through requirements pertaining to formulation of research questions, precision and logical stringency, a good command of relevant methods of analysis and an ability to reflect on their possibilities and limitations, as well as an overview and understanding of, and a reflective attitude to, other research in the field. When evaluating the thesis, emphasis is placed on determining whether the thesis represents an independent and comprehensive piece of scientific work of high academic standard. It is particularly important to consider whether the material and methods applied are relevant to the questions raised in the thesis, and whether the arguments and conclusions posited are valid. If the thesis is found worthy of public defence, a trial lecture and public defence will be held at OsloMet and chaired by the Rector, or someone appointed by the Rector.

The PhD degree is obtained by fulfilling the following requirements:

• approval of the educational component
• approval of the doctoral thesis
• approval of the trial lecture on a given topic
• approval of the public defence of the thesis