What does it mean to be a PhD student?

The motivation to seek a PhD often stems from a desire to contribute to the development of the legal profession in a specific field – and also often from some curiosity or fascination that has helped to awaken this desire. It may be that you have worked in a field that has sparked this fascination – or it may be that you have come across something theoretical that could be interesting to investigate further. Whatever your motivation, the application must be based on curiosity and a drive to delve into a specific legal topic. You should also be motivated to learn and have the courage to produce new legal knowledge based on the research you carry out.

When you apply for a PhD in law, you need to have a legal or business law background – but in addition to that, you must want to immerse yourself in a field for a three-year period in which the focal point of your working life – indeed, of your whole life – will be the field of research you delve into. Some PhD vacancies are within a specific legal field. However, for most PhD positions at the Department of Law, you define the topic of your thesis yourself. This is done in what is called a project description, which is a very important – and time-consuming – part of the application for the PhD position. The importance of the project description should not be underestimated – neither in relation to the application, in which you have to convince the Employment Committee that it is your project they should choose, nor in relation to the subsequent three years, in which the project description is very much the starting point for your work.

It is a good idea to get some competent feedback on your project description – drop by the Department or contact PhD coordinator Nina Legind, who will put you in touch with a relevant researcher. 

In some cases, you can have contact with a potential supervisor beforehand, but this is not a requirement. You will be assigned an internal supervisor, who will be your principal supervisor, and a co-supervisor, who could be an external person with particular expertise in the area you want to cover. These people will be in contact with you during all three years – in terms of sparring, supervision, concrete problems, etc. – but also in terms of making a realistic plan for the three years. The plan should describe the work commitments you will have at the University (in the form of teaching, PhD courses and change of research environment) while ensuring that you have a continuous progression in the writing process that allows you to finish on time. 

The PhD programme is based on four pillars: the thesis itself, teaching, PhD courses and change of research environment (stay abroad). These four elements form the foundation for building the necessary competences that enable you to call yourself a researcher after three years.

The thesis itself is the focal point of the PhD programme. You work independently on a project chosen from your own interests. The project will use one or more legal methodologies and can be written either as a single book (monograph) or as several articles published in legal journals. As part of the PhD programme, you must complete a so-called change of research environment at a foreign university (read more about change of research environment below).

As a PhD student, you will teach on either the law or business law programme. Typically, you will teach a subject that is at the core of the field in which you are writing your thesis. However, it depends on the needs of the Department to cover teaching on the Department’s programmes. As part of the teaching obligation, there is typically also exam work, consisting of the preparation of exam assignments and subsequent marking work. You also have the opportunity to become a supervisor on bachelor and master’s projects.

Danish universities offer a number of PhD courses in which PhD students from all over the country can participate. All courses are related to the PhD programme and may, for example, deal with methodology, legal theory or foreign legal practice. During the three years, you must obtain 30 ECTS credits (one course day corresponds approximately to one ECTS credit) to strengthen your methodological and jurisprudence competences.

As a PhD student, you have a great deal of influence over the organisation of your own work. If you work best in the evenings, you are not required to work between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. In addition, it is possible to work from home to a certain extent.

Being a PhD student is not a continuation of being a master’s student:

• Although the post contains the word ‘student’, you receive a salary during employment, are entitled to holidays and maternity leave, etc.
• You have colleagues and are part of the Department of Law.
• You will be part of the Department’s PhD group, which meets frequently and organises both academic and social events.
• Finally, you will be part of a research group that can contribute relevant input to the PhD project and programme.

 

 

During the PhD programme, the PhD student must complete a so-called change of research environment (stay abroad), in which the student stays at a university abroad.

During the change of research environment, a researcher from the foreign university is assigned to act as a sparring partner on the PhD thesis. You will also have the opportunity to participate in various research activities. The change of research environment thus contributes to the development of the PhD student’s professional and personal skills and helps the PhD student gain an international perspective of both the PhD project and the research field in general.

The duration of the stay is generally between 3 and 6 months, but this can be adjusted on an individual basis. The stay abroad is planned by the PhD student in collaboration with the supervisor, and the destination for the stay abroad is typically determined by the topic of the thesis. Prior to the stay, the PhD student must apply for funding from various foundations to cover expenses (accommodation, transport, etc.). However, the Department of Law will cover the PhD student’s expenses for the stay if funding cannot be obtained via funding applications.

If you wish to take your family abroad, this is also possible. However, the Department does not cover family expenses but encourages you to apply for funding to cover these.

Specialised knowledge is in high demand in society – both nationally and internationally – and a PhD is proof that you are an expert in a field. During a PhD programme, you become highly specialised and thus qualified to take on a wide range of knowledge-intensive jobs – both in academia and in the private and public sectors.

If you choose to stay in academia after obtaining your PhD, you can continue as an assistant professor. As an assistant professor, the main tasks are research and teaching. You can also seek a knowledge-intensive job in the private or public sector (e.g. as a lawyer or specialist in your field of research).

In other words, the PhD programme further develops the competences acquired in law school. These competences can be applied in both specialist and generalist positions, and with a PhD you are well placed for whatever career path you choose afterwards.

What are the benefits of a PhD?

The three years as a PhD student are intense, but also very instructive and rewarding. Receiving the degree feels like reaching a milestone, and it is proof that you are now a ‘trained’ researcher and have delivered research at a high international level.

The PhD programme is not a continuation of studying nor a very long master’s thesis. It is a job with the responsibility for carrying out an interesting research project, building up specialist knowledge along the way and, through PhD courses, conferences and stays abroad, building up a network in your field of research. Although a PhD programme involves a lot of independent work, at the Department of Law you will have many good colleagues for academic sparring on the project, and the network you build up both within and outside the University will be of great benefit in the future.

A PhD is a unique opportunity to become highly specialised in a field of law. There is a great sense of professional pride when the knowledge you have produced as a PhD student is applied in society, for example, as a basis for the work of lawyers, as part of the curriculum in university courses or as a reference in a court ruling.*