Three or more doctoral positions in Education/Educational Work/Subject Matter Education within the research school ASSESS

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The Department of Education and Special Education (IPS) is one of four departments within the Faculty of Education. Central areas of interest at the department include relations between education and society, educational systems, school development and educational leadership, adult education, inclusion, learning, language and assessment, and grading issues. A substantial part of the department’s first-cycle education is provided within various teacher education programmes, but the department also offers courses and programmes at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels in areas such as education as a science, workplace learning, educational leadership, communication, school development, didactics and teaching.

For more information about doctoral education in education at the University of Gothenburg: https://www.gu.se/en/learning-leadership-health/doctoral-studies. For information about the Department of Education and Special Education:  https://www.gu.se/en/education-special-education/ 

 

Three or more doctoral positions in Education/Educational Work/Subject Matter Education within the research school ASSESS 

Subjects

The Department of Education and Special Education is recruiting three or more doctoral candidates within the framework of the graduate school ASSESS III (see below) in the third-cycle subjects Education, Educational Work, or Subject Matter Education with specialisations.For more information about the subjects, see: https://www.gu.se/en/learning-leadership-health/doctoral-studies

Education is a third-cycle subject focusing on education, teaching, upbringing, socialisation, formation and learning. The subject has a particular interest in the relationship between the individual and society, and the conditions under which institutional arrangements operate and have operated over time. Within the subject of Education, processes of influence and their significance for the relationship between structure and agency are studied, both within and outside the formal education system. Educational Work is a third-cycle subject that addresses different perspectives and aspects of work within educational institutions in society. Research within Educational Work concerns issues that are central to educational practices, professions and activities. This includes conditions for teachers’ and students’ work with teaching and learning, both in practice and in relation to policy and educational reforms. Subject Matter Education with specialisations is a third-cycle subject focusing on teaching and learning in relation to specific content, often linked to school subjects, academic disciplines or professional practices. Research in Subject Matter Education involves the study of the preconditions for, and relations between, teaching and learning. At the Department of Education and Special Education (IPS), the specialisation in language education is located, with a particular interest in the close interrelation between learning, teaching and assessment, including multilingual and second-language conditions in educational settings.

The doctoral school ASSESS III and the thematic focus of doctoral projects

The doctoral positions are funded by the Swedish Research Council through the national doctoral school Assessment of knowledge in educational systems - a national school for teacher education III (ASSESS III). The doctoral school is coordinated by the University of Gothenburg in collaboration with Stockholm University and Umeå University. Together, the participating institutions form a strong educational research environment in which doctoral candidates become part of a national network with expertise in assessment, educational measurement and the development of teacher education. (https://www.gu.se/en/assess-doctoral-school)

The overall aim of ASSESS is to strengthen research competence within teacher education and the broader field of educational sciences, with a particular focus on assessment, educational measurement, and the development of educational systems. The doctoral education provides doctoral students with opportunities to engage in in-depth research on how knowledge and competencies are assessed, analysed, and followed up at the student, school, and system levels. The programme addresses issues such as reliability and validity, differences between groups of students and schools, equity, instructional quality, and how different types of data can be used to support school development and strengthen assessment competence within teacher education. 

In ASSESS III, the third round of ASSESS, advanced quantitative analyses of national and international large-scale datasets are combined with opportunities for multi-method approaches, in which large-scale analyses may be integrated with locally collected data and practice-oriented perspectives. The doctoral education is open to applicants with diverse academic and professional backgrounds. The proposed research plan should clearly demonstrate how the doctoral project contributes to the development of teacher education and to an enhanced understanding of assessment and educational measurement in school practice. 

Doctoral projects within ASSESS III are expected to relate clearly to the doctoral school’s overarching focus on assessment and educational measurement within the education system. As part of the application, applicants are required to submit a research plan for a proposed doctoral project. The plan should demonstrate how the project contributes to the aims of the doctoral school and to the knowledge base of teacher education. 

The research plan is expected to have a clear quantitative methodological emphasis, for example through analyses of national grade data, data from national tests, or longitudinal educational datasets. Projects are encouraged to include multi-method approaches in which large-scale data are combined with other types of empirical material, such as data from classroom or assessment practices, in order to strengthen validity and interpretation. 

Examples of possible thematic foci for doctoral projects include:

• the relationship between grades and national tests, as well as differences between student groups, schools, and educational contexts;
• reliability and validity in different forms of assessment and educational measurement;
• summative and/or formative functions of assessment, and their consequences for students’ learning, motivation, and schools’ work;
• ’assessment practices and grading in teaching, including links to schools’ structural and organisational conditions and professional dilemmas faced by teachers.

The research plan serves as a work sample and is used as part of the assessment in the admission process. Applicants who are admitted as doctoral students will subsequently further develop their research plans in collaboration with their supervisors within the framework of the doctoral school’s themes and objectives.

Doctoral students and their projects are also supported by the institutional research structure. The Department hosts several strong research environments and data infrastructures that are particularly relevant to the doctoral school’s focus on assessment and educational measurement (https://www.gu.se/pedagogik-specialpedagogik/forskningsmiljoer). Doctoral students within ASSESS III will primarily be affiliated with the research environment Prerequisites, Education, Results (FUR), with additional natural links to the research environment Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Languages (LUBS).

The FUR research environment conducts quantitatively oriented and methodologically advanced research on the prerequisites, organisation, and outcomes of education at the individual, school, and system levels. The environment has extensive experience in analysing national educational data, including grade data, longitudinal cohort studies, and register-based materials. (https://www.gu.se/forskning/forutsattningar-utbildning-resultat-fur)

The LUBS research environment focuses on the relationships between teaching, assessment, and learning, with particular relevance for teacher education and school assessment practices. Some researchers within LUBS are also involved in the development and analysis of national tests, and the environment additionally engages in research on multilingual and second-language perspectives. (https://www.gu.se/forskning/larande-undervisning-och-bedomning-i-sprak-lubs)

At the University of Gothenburg, doctoral students also have access to UGU (Evaluation Through Follow-up), a unique longitudinal database that enables analyses of students’ educational development over time in relation to structural features of the education system and assessment practices. (https://www.gu.se/utvardering-genom-uppfoljning)

In addition to full-time doctoral studies, departmental duties of up to 20% may be included, involving teaching, research, or administrative work in accordance with current regulations. The duration of the doctoral employment will be extended correspondingly.

Entry requirements

Applicants admitted to third-cycle education will be employed as doctoral students for four years at the department. In order to be admitted to third-cycle education, applicants must, in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 7, Section 35), fulfil the requirements for both general and specific entry requirements, and be considered to have the ability in other respects to benefit from the programme.

A person meets the general entry requirements if he or she has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle. Eligible applicants include those who have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad

Education: A person meets the specific entry requirements if he or she has 90 higher education credits in Education, of which at least 30 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, including an independent project (degree project) comprising at least 15 higher education credits. Eligible applicants include those who have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

Educational work: One of the following alternatives is required for specific entry requirements in Educational work:

A) Second-cycle teaching qualification, or alternatively teaching qualification and independent project (degree project) comprising at least 15 higher education credits awarded in the second-cycle.

B) At least 90 higher education credits with specialisation in pedagogical vocational activities or specialisation in child and youth activities, or equivalent, of which 30 higher education credits awarded in the second-cycle, including an independent project (degree project) comprising at least 15 higher education credits. Eligible applicants include those who have acquired substantively equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

Subject matter education with specialisation: One of the following alternatives is required for specific entry requirements:

A) Teaching qualification, of which courses corresponding to at least 60 credits, within relevant area of knowledge within subject matter education, and an independent project (degree project) comprising at least 15 credits awarded in the second cycle.

B) At least 90 credits, of which at least 30 credits awarded in the second-cycle, within a relevant area of knowledge within subject matter education, including an independent project (degree project) comprising at least 15 credits awarded in the second-cycle.

Eligible applicants include those who have acquired substantively equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad. 

Assessment criteria

Among applicants who fulfil the entry requirements, selection shall, in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 7), be based on the admission committee’s assessment of the relevance of the subject area to the department and the applicant’s ability to benefit from third-cycle education.

Given the orientation of the graduate school, understanding of Swedish teacher education and the Swedish school system is considered a merit, as is experience of research work, preferably including both quantitative and qualitative analyses, as well as experience of writing academic texts. The doctoral student is expected to have good knowledge of Swedish and English in order to carry out the doctoral project, participate in the graduate school’s activities, follow and assimilate relevant steering documents and the policy debate concerning Swedish teacher education, and teach within teacher education programmes.

Selection is based on the following assessment criteria:

• Quality of the qualifying degree project (or equivalent document).
• Quality of the submitted research plan in relation to the thematic focus of the graduate school.
• Personal suitability and ability to collaborate, which may be assessed through references and/or interviews.

Familiarity with statistical software such as SPSS, SPAD and/or R may be considered an additional merit.

Admission takes place in competition on the basis of an overall assessment of the submitted application materials. The assessment of the applicant’s ability to benefit from third-cycle education will be guiding. Central to this assessment are results from previous essays and degree projects, as well as a clearly formulated research plan in which the applicant presents the intended doctoral project. If a qualifying work has multiple authors, the applicant’s individual contribution must be clearly specified. The research plan is assessed with regard to its scientific relevance, whether it addresses well-motivated and researchable questions, and whether it outlines appropriate methods and procedures for implementation.

Applications are prepared by an admission committee whose task is to rank the applications. Interviews with a selection of applicants may be conducted and are normally held in Swedish. Decisions on admission are made by the Head of Department. The department will primarily consider the applicant who, following an overall assessment, is deemed to have the best conditions for successfully completing third-cycle education, including the department’s ability to provide appropriate supervision.

The possibility of crediting previous education or professional experience towards third-cycle education may not, in the selection process, give an applicant priority over other applicants, in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 7, Section 41).

Employment

Applicants admitted to third-cycle education will be employed as doctoral students. Provisions governing employment as a doctoral student are set out in Ordinance SFS 1993:100. The initial employment as a doctoral student may be for a maximum of one year. The employment may then be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. A person may be employed as a doctoral student for a total period of no more than eight years. However, the total period of employment may not exceed the equivalent of four years of full-time third-cycle education. 

Form of employment: Fixed-term employment, corresponding to four years of full-time studies

Extent: 100%

Place of employment: Department of Education and Special Education, University of Gothenburg

Starting date: 1 September 2026 or as agreed 

Reference number: PAR 2026/86

Selection process

Applications will be prepared by an admissions committee, and decisions on admission will be made by the Head of Department. Further information about admission to third-cycle education at the University of Gothenburg is available here:

https://www.gu.se/en/learning-leadership-health/doctoral-studies  

The doctoral studies at the Department of Education and Special Education requires physical attendance in order to complete the studies. If the admitted student needs a residence permit to study in Sweden, the Department of Education and Special Education has the right to revoke the admission decision if the admitted student cannot present a valid residence permit on the date of commencement of studies.

Contact information for the position

Director of Doctoral Studies: Daniel Bergh, daniel.bergh@gu.se      

Deputy Head of Department for Doctoral Studies: Jakob Åsberg Johnels, jakob.johnels@gu.se 

Information about the doctoral school: Alli Klapp. (P.I.), alli.klapp@ped.gu.se or Marcus Warnby, marcus.warnby@gu.se  

HR: Ivana Nikolic, ivana.nikolic@gu.se 

  

Unions

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here:

https://www.gu.se/en/work-at-the-university-of-gothenburg/how-to-apply-for-a-position   

 

Application

You apply for admission to doctoral studies via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the vacancy notice and submitted to the University no later than the final application deadline. Application documents should, as far as possible, be submitted in digital form.

Please specify whether you are applying for the subject of Education, Educational Work, or Subject Matter Education with specialisation, and indicate the relevant subject specialisation if applicable. As a doctoral students admitted to ASSESS III you will be primarily affiliated with the research environment Prerequisites, Education and Results (FUR). Applicants may indicate whether their proposed project also has relevance for, e.g., Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Languages (LUBS).

The application must include the following documents:

1. A personal letter with a brief statement of motivation for applying for the position (maximum one A4 page).
2. Curriculum vitae.
3. Study documentation verifying fulfilment of the general and specific entry requirements (extract from LADOK or equivalent study documentation register).
4. A thesis/degree project comprising at least 15 higher education credits at the second-cycle level, as well as a maximum of one additional research-related text (e.g. an article, report, or equivalent).
5. One (1) preliminary research plan, maximum five A4 pages (see guidelines below and the assessment criteria above).
6. References
7. Any other merits the applicant wishes to invoke.

The preliminary research plan (maximum five pages, 12-point font, excluding the reference list) should relate to the thematic focus of the graduate school and address research questions relevant to the proposed doctoral project, including subject context, state of the art, data and methods, as well as reflections on the relevance of the project.

Given the graduate school’s focus on Swedish teacher education, the personal letter and research plan should preferably be written in Swedish, while all other documents submitted may be written in either Swedish or English.

Any scientific publications or similar materials that are not available in electronic format should be clearly marked with a reference number and sent to:

 

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

Applications must be received no later than: 19 March 2026 

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.