Terms of employment for doctoral students

Quick links to page content:

• Salary
• Reporting your degree of activity and funding
• Extension of Doctoral student employment
• Leave of absence
• Work environment and health
• Information on what to do in case of a conflict with your supervisor
• Handbook for Doctoral students
• Employee organisations

Salary 

The Faculty Board of Social Sciences decides that doctoral education that is covered by salary setting according to STYR 2023/1007 shall have a division into two stages. These two stages occur when the doctoral student has achieved 120 credits and 180 credits. For each stage of doctoral education achieved, the doctoral student receives the following stage increases:

• 120 credits 2500 SEK
• 180 credits 1000 SEK

Process description for doctoral students

Roles and responsibilities

Head of Department/Prefect

• Responsible for establishing the doctoral students' individual study plans (ISP) and the department follows up on these annually.
• Responsible for ensuring that the department conducts annual development discussions with the doctoral students.
• After preparation by HR and the director of studies for FU, makes a decision on the stage and certifies the case in Primula.

Director of Doctoral Studies/equivalent

• Responsible for ensuring that the ISP is approved before the head of department establishes it.
• Assesses, in consultation with the principal supervisor, whether the doctoral student has achieved the criteria for stage lifting.

Supervisor

• Responsible for drawing up an individual study plan in consultation with the doctoral student and carrying out annual revisions.

HR

• HR calculates and notifies the doctoral student and the director of studies for doctoral studies/equivalent annually of how much time remains of the employment.
• Register new salary and update skills in Primula.

Process for salary stages

Annual reconciliations

The Director of Doctoral Studies and HR conducts semi-annual reconciliations to identify doctoral students who are relevant for stage lifts.

Credits in the doctoral programme are calculated as follows:

• 60 credits correspond to one year of full-time studies in doctoral education, which includes doctoral courses and/or concrete thesis work.
• Time spent on departmental duties (e.g. teaching) or leave of absence and absence is not counted as study time.

Registration of new salary stage in systems

HR registers the stage increase in Primula and in the competence module when a doctoral student achieves the criteria for stage lifting.

Decision and approval

The head of department makes the final decision on the stage and certifies the matter in Primula.

Information on employment benefits on Lund University's Staff Pages

Reporting your degree of activity and funding 

Doctoral students shall report their degree of activity and funding to the department administrator by the end of each semester. You will receive an email from our department administrator asking you to provide information on your degree of activity and providing instructions on how to count this. The department administrator enters this information into Ladok and is available to answer questions on how to report.  

Extension of Doctoral student employment

The time of employment as doctoral student is extended in proportion to teaching assignments at the department, sick leave and/or parental leave. There are also rules for extension of an employment period due to special assignments at the department or faculty levels.

Information on compensation rules for doctoral students

Guidelines for prolongation of doctoral studies period following commissions of trust in student organisations and student representation at Lund University (on Lund University’s Staff Pages)

Leave of absence

There are different formal kinds of leave of absence (the below links go to Lund University's Staff Pages).

• Information on annual leave for doctoral students
• Information on sick leave
• Information on parental leave

The dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences decides on authorised leave of absence from a doctoral studentship if the leave depends on circumstances other than parenthood or military service. Contact the assistant head of department with responsibilities for doctoral students if you have questions on leave of absence on other grounds than sick leave, parental leave or annual leave. 

Work environment and health 

Work environment management includes all physical, psychological and social matters of importance for the working environment. If you wish to raise issues regarding your work environment, you are welcome to contact the department’s health and safety representatives as well as the head of department, the assistant heads of department and/or the director of doctoral studies.

• You find the department’s work environment policy and contact information on the department's external website
• Information on work environment and health matters on Lund University's Staff Pages
• Finish on Time for postdocs: Finish on Time Workshop for Postdocs: Academic productivity and stress management – the road to effectiveness (lu.se)

Job modification and rehabilitation

If you are ill or injured you may need job modification and rehabilitation. What measures are appropriate depends on your needs. Read on to find out who is responsible for what, and what you need to consider:

Job modification and rehabilitation | Staff Pages

Occupational Health Service

You can turn to the section Occupational Health Service for work-related medical, psychological and ergonomic advice. As an employee of Lund University, you can contact the Occupational Health Service with questions on work environment, work-related illness and rehabilitation.

Information regarding Occupational Health Service on Lund University's Staff Pages

If you get into conflict with your supervisor(s) 

The head of department, assistant head of department or director of doctoral studies should be promptly informed of potentially contentious issues between the doctoral student and the supervisor in order to prevent conflict. You may also turn to the department’s health and safety representative for guidance and support. 

The Faculty of Social Sciences has developed detailed procedures for departments for preventing and managing conflicts between supervisors and doctoral students.

Regulatory documents and forms | Internal Faculty of Social Sciences (lu.se)

Impartial doctoral student ombudsman

At Lund University, there is an impartial doctoral student ombudsman (DOMB) whom you can contact if necessary. 

The Doctoral Student Ombudsman (DOMB) is tasked with assisting doctoral students at Lund University when they encounter challenges concerning third cycle studies. No matter how small or serious the problem is, you are welcome to contact DOMB for support (free of charge).

Email: domb [at] ldk [dot] lu [dot] se (domb[at]ldk[dot]lu[dot]se)

The below links go to Lund's Doctoral Student Union's website where you can find out more about the DOMB and your rights: 

Lund's Doctoral Student Union | Lunds Doktorandkår | LDK

Your Rights | Lunds doktorandkår

Handbook for Doctoral students

This doctoral student handbook is compiled by Sweden’s United Student Unions.

Read the doctoral student handbook on the PhD Handbook's website

Moreover, the Lund University Social Sciences Doctoral Student Council has compiled a handbook on doctoral studies and Postdoctoral guide for life at Lund University.

Find the handbook here, on the Faculty of Social Sciences' website

Employee organisations

Do you want to contact your employee organisation, become a member or get involved as a representative?

Employee organisations are tasked with safeguarding their members’ interests in working life. They do this for example by providing support and advice, negotiating on behalf of their members, and so on. You can also get support and advice in case of sick leave, workplace conflicts or other changes that may affect your work situation. 

Membership often also entails insurance and other benefits. 

Here you can find contact details for the three organisations with which the Swedish Agency for Government Employers has signed collective agreements.

Read more about the employee organisations

At Lund University there are three major employee organisations with which the Swedish Agency for Government Employers has signed collective agreements:

• The Saco-S Council: The Saco-S website at Lund University
• OFR/S: The ST local website at Lund University (in Swedish)
• Seko: Seko’s central website (in Swedish)