PHDINTOP PhD Innovation in Services in the Public and Private Sectors (INSEPP)
PhD Innovation in Services in the Public and Private Sectors (INSEPP)
- Number of credits180
- Part-time/full-timeFull-time
- Start semester2024 Autumn
- Language of instructionNorwegian/English
- CampusLillehammer
The PhD programme is standardised to three (3) years of full-time studies and includes a training part consisting of 35 credits. The most important part of the PhD programme is the independent research work, which will be conducted under active academic supervision. Completion of the PhD programme leads to the degree of Philosophiae doctor at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences.
At INSEPP, there are requirements for 35 credits, of which 30 consist of compulsory courses, and five of optional courses. The compulsory courses will cover 10 credits in theory of science and research ethics, 10 credits in innovation in public and private services, and 10 credits in the social science method. 20 of the compulsory credits are covered by courses at INN University, while 10 credits in scientific method must be taken at another institution. INSEPP offers a supplementary course in qualitative method where several approaches and methods are presented, and which amounts to 2.5 credits.
At INSEPP, total three credits can be awarded in total in the training part for presentation of papers at research conferences. One credit can be awarded for participation with paper at national conferences and two credits for participation with paper at international conferences. 2011
Learning Outcome
Upon completing the PhD programme, PhD candidates will have acquired:
- General scientific methodology and theory at PhD level
- Knowledge corresponding to the forefront of research within innovation in public and private services
- A high international level of knowledge in their specialist field within service innovation
- A knowledge platform that equips candidates to teach and supervise within the field of service innovation and their own area of specialisation at university college and university level.
- Academic prerequisites for continued work in research at a high national and international level
- Knowledge of ethical standards and guidelines enabling candidates to comply with the high ethical requirements that apply to research and education
- Knowledge of how to disseminate research, as well as knowledge of development work through recognised national and international channels
The wording used in the Norwegian National Qualifications Framework is as follows:
Candidates are at the forefront of knowledge relating to the subject:
- regarding the areas they have chosen to specialise in
- they acquire extensive and detailed knowledge of theories and approaches within the field of innovation, with the main emphasis on innovation within the service sector
- they master scientific methodology and theory in relation to the field
- they are able to consider the appropriateness and application of various methods and processes in research and academic development projects
- they are able to contribute to the development of new knowledge, theories and methodologies in the field
Candidates can
- formulate research questions, plan and implement research projects or academic development work within the field of innovation
- manage complex academic questions and challenge established knowledge in the field
- conduct research at a high international level, communicate with researchers in the field, as well as other doctoral students within their own and other fields
Candidates can
- identify ethical research issues in their own and others’ research and conduct research with professional integrity
- participate in and manage interdisciplinary projects
- disseminate research and development work through recognised national and international channels and participate in debates within the field in international forums
- reflect upon the relationship between research into innovations and innovation processes and the field of practice, including innovation as the result of research
- through this, consider the need to contribute to innovation and development work in the field of practice
The PhD programme comprises a training part and a research/thesis element. The programme aims to establish a balance between general research expertise, general theoretical and empirical expertise within the field and the PhD candidate’s specialisation within the subject area on which they will be writing their thesis.
The composition of the course will ensure high academic quality, with PhD candidates, in collaboration with academic supervisors, ensuring that they select courses so that the composition fulfils the requirements that apply to the course element. Parts of the course element will be completed at other institutions, which also helps PhD candidates obtain external feedback and provides the opportunity to build networks.
The requirements concerning academic specialisation are included in the framework of the training element, through which PhD candidates will acquire experience through
- delivering a series of lectures or seminars, about which the academic supervisor or other specialists provide feedback to the candidate
- dissemination of their own research through participation in seminars To the extent possible, the academic environment will assist in achieving dissemination at international conferences
Learning environment
Good learning outcomes depend on a strong learning environment. When admitted to INSEPP, PhD candidates become part of a large and robust academic environment established in 2006.
PhD candidates’ projects will be linked to research areas and/or research groups at INN University. We have a goal of maintaining, and preferably increasing, the number of INTOP PhD candidates that are associated with major projects. There will also be room for individual projects. We seek to maintain the stability of the learning environment in several different ways:
Guest lectures and seminars are arranged and key names in Nordic innovation research are invited to speak.
Seminars are arranged at which PhD candidates present their PhD projects (in different phases).
Regular meetings are held, at which PhD candidates, the PhD leader and others discuss mutual challenges and questions.
Academic supervision and seminars
Proper academic supervision is a prerequisite for ensuring academic work at a high level, progress in thesis work and completion within the standardised timeframe. PhD candidates will normally be assigned two academic supervisors, appointed by the PhD Committee. The Main Academic Supervisor will be responsible for the academic follow-up of doctoral students.
In order to ensure progress and quality in thesis work, INSEPP will arrange follow-up seminars during the thesis work period. At these seminars, the candidates will present their theses during various phases and will receive feedback on parts of the thesis. Using the Karlstad University and Swedish Universities model, INSEPP arranges two formalised feedback seminars with internal or external commentators after 50 and 80 per cent of the scheduled time has elapsed.
Training part
The PhD Committee and the Faculty will ensure that all PhD candidates are given the opportunity to access training at a high scientific level. The composition of the course will ensure high academic quality, with PhD candidates, in collaboration with academic supervisors, ensuring that they select courses so that the composition fulfils the requirements that apply to the course element. Parts of the course element will be completed at other institutions, which also helps PhD candidates obtain external feedback and provides the opportunity to build networks.
The requirements concerning academic specialisation are included in the framework of the training element, through which PhD candidates will acquire experience through
- delivering a series of lectures or seminars, about which the academic supervisor or other specialists provide feedback to the candidate
- dissemination of their own research through participation in seminars To the extent possible, the academic environment will assist in achieving dissemination at international conferences
The training part will include the academic and methodological training required for work on the thesis and to provide detailed insight into the field. Furthermore, it will also provide training in how to disseminate academic work to peers, students and the general public. During the programme, all PhD candidates will be expected to submit at least one contribution to research dissemination, with the form of this dissemination being assessed and selected in consultation with academic supervisors. Such contributions may take many different forms, such as teaching at bachelor’s or master’s level, giving lectures, writing opinion pieces, popular science works or presentation of papers at conferences or research seminars. PhD candidates appointed for a 4-year period will have 25% required duties and will thereby receive excellent training in academic dissemination and academic supervision.
The target group for the doctoral programme is people with a background in the social sciences or equivalent, who are seeking to acquire high levels of research expertise within innovation in service provision.
Admission requirements
See admission requirements in «Forskrift for graden philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) ved Høgskolen i Innlandet»:
For admission to the PhD programme, applicants must normally have an approved master’s degree of 120 credits/ECTS. Applicants should have a strong academic background from previous study.
The minimum academic requirement is a weighted average grade B. Calculation of this takes place in accordance with Section 5-1 of the Regulations relating to the philosophiae doctor (PhD) degree at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences.
Given the scope of the service industries in Norway (and elsewhere), knowledge development relating to innovation in public and private services will be of major relevance to working life. Major reforms, for example, have been implemented within the provision of welfare services and several major changes are likely to be introduced in the future. Increased knowledge of the prerequisites for such service development, the service design itself, as well as the impact of new services, will therefore be useful to service providers, policy-makers and users alike. Another example is the need for better knowledge and expertise in innovation in a number of industries that can be classed as tourism and experience industries. This need has been expressed both in public documents and by industry. Our PhD candidates will possess knowledge that enables them to consider the need to contribute to innovation processes.
Research into innovation in service provision has accelerated over the last decade. Nevertheless, leading researchers and research communities are still calling for greater investment in systematic research-based knowledge-building.
It is also likely that private and public sector organisations will increasingly recruit a workforce with PhD qualifications. People possessing such expertise will be able to enter into specialist roles and development units and meet the need for specialist expertise. This would constitute a continuation of the developments seen over recent decades in Norway, with increasing requirements relating to the knowledge and expertise of the workforce.
Research institutes, as well as the university and university college sector, are part of working life and obvious target groups for those with PhD qualifications. These sectors have a need for a highly qualified workforce and, in the immediate future, there will be significant recruitment needs when the large post-war cohorts reach retirement age.
The doctoral programme Innovation in Services in the Public and Private Sectors will be designed to train candidates in the types of expertise described above.
INN University wants to stimulate PhD candidates to complete a stay at a foreign teaching / research institution as part of their studies.
INN Unviersity has a collaboration agreement with Karlstad University (KaU) and an agreement with the University of California, Berkeley, on research stays, which is also open to PhD candidates.
Various forms of assessment are used in the PhD programme: oral presentations, both compulsory and optional, in which an opponent/commentator is normally used to assess the work and the candidate’s progress. The training element consists of courses and the requirement in order to pass will normally be written examinations in the form of e.g. essays or papers. The examinations will be graded as passed/failed. Further descriptions of the assessment schemes for each course can be found in the course descriptions.
For courses taken at institutions other than INN University, the requirements may differ for certain courses. Documentation forms such as exercises, course assignments, essays, reports, popular science/scientific articles, presentation of own papers/prepared oral academic presentations or other academic contributions to courses, as well as oral or written reports may be used.
Based on the approved training part and written thesis, the candidate will defend their doctoral thesis through a test lecture on a given subject and the public defence.