Up to two doctoral studentships in Media and Communication Studies

Södertörn University is a higher education institution in Stockholm that conducts education, research and collaboration with the surrounding community for sustainable societal development. Education and research are conducted in the humanities, social sciences, technology and natural sciences. The university also provides police and teacher education programmes with intercultural profiles. A significant amount of our research is multidisciplinary and specialises in the Baltic Sea region and Eastern Europe. At Södertörn University we combine subjects, perspectives, people and experiences, searching for surprising syntheses, challenges and development.

Media and Communication Studies at Södertörn University is one of Sweden’s leading environments for media research and education. Research and education are focused on the contemporary digitised media landscape, founded on a historically informed understanding in which new communication technologies and their contexts are related to their predecessors. The research environment currently comprises around 20 researchers/teachers including six full professors, six associate professors (docents), and nine doctoral students. All our doctoral students have an international profile, and the working language of the doctoral programme is English. For more information, please click here (English version) or see www.sh.se/mkv (Swedish version).

Critical and Cultural Theory is an interdisciplinary research environment which consists of seven subjects in the humanities. Research focuses on critically motivated studies of cultural artefacts and human practices. For more information, please click here. For a Swedish version click here.

The planned research for this studentship must be relevant to the Baltic Sea region or Eastern Europe, since the position is affiliated with the Baltic and East European Graduate School (BEEGS), www.sh.se/beegs, which is financed by the Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies, and part of the Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (CBEES) www.sh.se/cbees, at Södertörn University.

Entry requirements
The general entry requirements are:
1. a second-cycle qualification,
2. fulfilled requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or
3. substantially equivalent knowledge acquired in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

The Faculty Board may permit an exemption from the general entry requirements for an individual applicant, if there are special grounds. (Ordinance 2010:1064)

Specific entry requirements
The specific entry requirements are fulfilled by a student who has passed courses worth at least 90 credits in Media and Communication Studies, including a degree project worth at least 15 credits, or who has acquired the equivalent knowledge. The ability to assimilate academic material in English and a command of the language necessary for work on the thesis are prerequisites for admission to the degree programme.

Admission and employment
This position includes admission to third-cycle education, i.e. research level, and employment on a doctoral studentship at the School of Culture and Education at Södertörn University. The intended outcome for admitted students is a PhD. The programme covers 240 credits, which is the equivalent of four years of full-time study. The position may be extended by a maximum of one year due to the inclusion of departmental duties, i.e. education, research and/or administration (equivalent to no more than 20% of full-time). Other grounds for extension could be leave of absence because of illness or for service in the defence forces, an elected position in a trade union/student organisation, or parental leave.  Provisions relating to employment on a doctoral studentship are in the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 5, Sections 1-7.

Date of employment: 1 September 2023

Application procedure
For more details, see this website under FAQ. Please use Södertörn University´s web-based recruitment system “ReachMee”. Click on the link "ansök" (apply) at the bottom of the announcement.

Your application should be written in English and must include:


• an application letter
• curriculum vitae
• degree certificate and certificates that demonstrate eligibility to apply for the position (if not written in English or Swedish/Norwegian/Danish, you must enclose translated versions)
• Bachelor’s essay and Master’s dissertation in the field in accordance with the entry requirements (if not written in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English, you must enclose a summary of 5-6 pages, approx. 14,000 characters, to the copy of the dissertation).
• a research plan (project plan) of between 1000 and 1500 words. The project’s relevance to Media and Communication Studies, Critical and Cultural Theory and studies of the Baltic Sea Region or Eastern Europe must be clear.
• name and contact details for two reference persons, and a short note on their relationship to the applicant (for example supervisor).

If available, a maximum of three publications may also be attached.

Application deadline: 15 February 2023 at 23:59

Please visit our website for the full advertisement and to apply for the position Vacant positions - Södertörns högskola