3 PhD positions in Studies of Bildung and Pedagogical Practices

12th April 2026
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English

• English
• Norsk Nynorsk

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PhD position

3 PhD positions in Studies of Bildung and Pedagogical Practices
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Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

With about 16,500 students, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is one of the largest higher education institutions in Norway. A broad range of academic programmes are offered at Bachelor, Master and PhD levels, spread out on five campuses Førde, Sogndal, Bergen, Stord og Haugesund.

Our ambition is to build stronger and more solid academic and research environments that will interact nationally and internationally. The aim is to become a recognized actor on the international higher education arena. Increased international cooperation and engagement in externally funded projects will work towards this goal.

The Faculty of Education, Arts and Sports has four departments with staff in Bergen, Sogndal and Stord. This Faculty is one of the largest teachers training institutions in the country with around 5 700 students and a staff of 530, offering kindergarten teacher training, primary and secondary school teacher training for Classes 1-7 and 5-10, practical pedagogical education and Bachelor’s, Master's and PhD programmes.

The faculty will offer an extensive programme of continuing and further education. Research activities at the Faculty are organised into research programmes and research groups.

At Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, there are 3 vacant positions as PhD research fellows in Studies of Education and Pedagogical Practices at the Faculty of Teacher Education, Arts and Sports.

About the positions:

At Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), Faculty of Teacher Education, Arts and Sports (FLKI), there are 3 temporary positions available as PhD fellows. The PhD projects must be thematically relevant to the faculty's research activities and to the PhD program "Studies of Bildung and Pedagogical Practices".

The faculty's research is organized in strategic research programs, one research center, and 49 research groups. The research program structure is currently under review. Information about the various research groups can be found through the old program structure HERE .

The PhD program "Studies of Bildung and Pedagogical Practices" includes about 85 doctoral candidates, all of whom are currently engaged in their PhD projects. See description, study plan, and admission requirements for the program HERE.

The doctoral position is a recruitment position intended to contribute to an active research environment at HVL. It is important that the Ph.D. projects are closely linked to the research activity at the faculty. Applicants for the position must, before the application is developed, contact one or more research group leaders themselves to present their idea for the Ph.D. project topic and discuss its relevance in relation to the research group's activities, including potential supervisors from the research group.

They must thereafter obtain a short statement from the relevant research group leader confirming contact, mutual interest, and relevance to the project. This statement must be attached to the application. If the applicant is unsure about which research group may be relevant, the vice dean for research can be consulted. The total PhD period is 3 years.

If the department where the PhD candidate is employed has a need to solve work tasks that can be assigned to the PhD period, the PhD period may be 4 years, during which 25 percent of the time will constitute career-promoting work (mandatory work) for the department (career-promoting work in the form of, among other things, teaching and administration as needed at the departments). The career-promoting work shall be carried out at HVL.

It is a requirement that the person who is appointed has their workplace at the Bergen, Stord, or Sogndal campus during the appointment period. Deductions may be made in the appointment period for any previous recruitment period. It is desirable that the doctoral research fellow starts in the position on August 1, 2026.

Responsibility and scope of work:

The doctoral candidate shall participate in a training program for a PhD degree within a timeframe of 3 years, or possibly 4 years where 25 percent of the time will constitute agreed career-promoting work. 

In addition to completing the PhD project, the doctoral candidate is expected to:

• contribute constructively to the research group
• present own research in writing and orally in various forums, including at national and international scientific conferences and journals
• actively contribute to the Ph.D. program's doctoral forum with text proposals and feedback on others' texts

Qualification requirements:

It is a prerequisite that the doctoral candidate is admitted to the PhD program 'Studies of Bildung and Pedagogical Practices' at HVL and meets the requirements for admission to the PhD program:

The research field for the current PhD program is Bildung and pedagogical practices. We understand this field broadly. We are particularly interested in projects that contribute theoretically and methodologically to studying Bildung and Pedagogical practices as this area of concern is expressed within the education system, the cultural sector, the sports sector, and other sectors that require special insight into the inter-relations between Bildung and Pedagogical practices.

We are particularly interested in projects that contribute to a better understanding of how knowledge is implemented in the field of practice, and what impact the research-based practices can have in the field of practice.

Applicants must include a project outline of 5 pages (the bibliography can be added separately) that briefly, but with clear grounding in relevant research and methodological literature in the field, justifies the topic/problem statement and the choice of theory and methodological approach for a potential project. This will be used in the assessment of the candidate's qualifications. Project outlines of high scientific quality in research areas relevant to FLKI will be prioritized.

The applicant must normally have completed a master's degree or another degree at the level of a Norwegian 120 ECTS master's degree, which includes a master's thesis of at least 30 ECTS, and be able to document good academic results. Normally, it will be a requirement that the applicant has the following grade:

• Master's thesis or equivalent: Grade normally B or better
• Master's studies; average for coursework part: Grade normally B or better
• All else being equal amongst applicants, applicants with a master's degree obtained within the last 5 years will be prioritized.
• Applicants with a master's degree without a pedagogical or didactic component must document a minimum of 5 credits in pedagogical education or 1 year of full-time practice in pedagogical/didactic work.

More information about the doctoral program can be found HERE . Applications for admission to this Ph.D. program should first be sent after any potential appointment. No later than 3 months after appointment, the doctoral candidate must be admitted to the Ph.D. program. During this period, the doctoral candidate further develops their project outline into a full project description under supervision and applies for admission to the Ph.D. program. More information on how to apply for admission to the Ph.D. program can be found HERE . Doctoral candidates who are appointed will be encouraged to apply for a stay abroad during the Ph.D. period.

Desired qualifications:

• The PhD candidate must have good knowledge of empirical methods to be able to carry out their project. This may include quantitative and/or qualitative research strategies.
• It is expected that the applicant has good English skills.

Personal characteristics: 
The person to be employed must 

• Have good cooperation and communication skills 
• Have the ability to work independently, take initiative, and be flexible 
• High ethical awareness in research work is required (this is especially the case when individuals within one's own field of education will participate in data production)

 

HVL/Ingvild F. Melien via Unsplash HVL/Ingvild F. Melien
How to apply:

Submit your application and CV by clicking the “Apply for this position” button on this page.

Applications will be assessed based on information submitted in www.jobbnorge.no by the application deadline. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all relevant attachments are uploaded.

• master’s thesis
• up to five scientific works
• full publication list
•  project description
• certificates, and transcripts
• a statement from the relevant research group leader confirming that contact has been made, that there is mutual interest, and that the project is relevant

If documents are not in English or a Scandinavian language, certified translations must be uploaded. If the master's thesis is not written in a Scandinavian language or in English, it is sufficient to upload a certified translation of the abstract. Attachments exceeding 25 MB must be compressed or provided as a link.

Applicants with foreign education must document equivalence to a Norwegian bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD degree. See www.hkdir.no for more information. Automatic recognition may apply for some degrees from selected countries.

Applicants for scientific positions will be evaluated by an expert committee based on documented competence and up to five scientific works. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview and trial lecture.

The hiring authority is the Appointment Committee at HVL. Applications are submitted electronically to the expert committee. Applications cannot be sent by email to individual staff members.

We offer:

• Attractive pension, insurance, and loan schemes through the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Exciting academic environment with opportunities for professional development
• Opportunity for exercise during work hours

• PhD stipend position is paid according to position code 1017. Salary progression occurs according to seniority.
• 2% contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted from the salary. 

General Information:

Under the new Freedom of Information Act, applicant information may be disclosed even if the applicant requests not to be listed. Applicants will be notified if such a request cannot be accommodated.

The public workforce should reflect the diversity of the population. HVL aims to achieve balanced age and gender composition, recruit individuals with minority backgrounds, persons with disabilities, and candidates with career gaps.
 

HVL is subject to export control regulations, which may apply to the processing of applications.

Contact persons at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences are:

1) Vice-Dean for Research, Oded Ben-Horin, oded.ben@hvl.no

2) Leader of the PhD programme, Solvejg Jobst solvejg.jobst@hvl.no

via Unsplash
Questions about the position

Oded Ben-Horin

Prodekan for forsking

oded.ben@hvl.no

Solvejg Jobst

Fagleg leiar for Ph.D programmet

solvejg.jobst@hvl.no

Apply for this job
Deadline

12th April 2026

Employer

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

Municipality

Bergen
Sogndal
Stord

Scope

Fulltime (3 positions) Fulltime (%)

Duration

Fixed Term

Place of service
Inndalsveien 28, 5063 Bergen
Røyrgata 6, 6856 Sogndal
Klingenbergvegen 8, 5414 Stord

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