Post-Doctoral Programmes in Danish Higher Education Institutions

Researchers and Scientists may obtain the higher doctoral degree/doktorgrad following about  five to eight years of authentic and unique research after the Master's/candidatus degree or a mag.art. degree or PhD degree in a relevant field of study along with public defense of the dissertation. No formal study programme exists for this award. The titles are Dr. along with the field of study in Latin. 

Post-Doctoral Opportunities in Denmark

Post-doc options are available in research groups at various Danish universities. For instance, the research group POLIS at the Department of Political Science and Government at the Aarhus University at Denmark offers many opportunities for post-doc students. Research is ongoing in Scandinavia and Denmark is no exception.  External researchers are most welcome in Denmark.
The Danish education system is open to people who are not from Denmark as well though there are some rules governing the employment of the Danish language. Researchers can also contact departments they would like to conduct research at before placing a formal application here.

The well known Danish Research Council provides offers several different post-doc grants. Along with this the reputed Carlsberg Foundation also offers post-doctoral research in the social sciences as well as humanities. You can also find out more about adjunct and post-doctoral positions at the official websites of national universities.

PhD Candidates as well as Adjunkt/Postdoc students can also apply for educational positions in various universities. The popular adjunct position is also constructed to ensure candidates applying for the post of lectureship are suitable.

For those who want to make the application for lecturer and/or professor positions it is compulsory to demonstrate publications as well as teaching experience. PhD and adjunct as well as post-doc opportunities are present in three types of higher educational institutions. These include academies pertaining to professional education as well as colleges and universities. Academies of professional higher education provide programmes of two years duration in disciplines including business and IT. Theory and practical aspects combine to provide the perfect curricula for the students. Specialised colleges and renowned centres for higher education such as university colleges also provide opportunities for post-doc research.

Universities teach and conduct research accorded high status by global standards. The well known University of Copenhagen along with the Aarhus University were ranked as the 51st and 63rd in the categorisation for the QS World University Rankings for the year 2009. As per the Bologna Process, Denmark's universities follow a well established three cycle education system wherein there is a three year undergraduate programme followed by a two year postgraduate programme and a PhD programme lasting for three years.

The universities possess institutional autonomy yet they must also follow regulations concerning award structure and teacher qualification. A revised and corrected job structure has come into effect at Danish universities from the 1st of January in the year 2007.  Applicants for post-doc positions must possess a PhD and there are Post-docs that do not offer pedagogical or even any kind of teaching experience and therefore do not enable the candidate to make direct applications to higher academic posts and positions.

The total number of postdoctoral posts and funding opportunities for young academics, who have completed their PhD degree, are on the rise in Denmark. Survey conducted in 2004 shows that 31% of the post-doc scholars had attained lectureships following the completion of four years and the rest were at Post-doc levels or were employed in the well organised private sector. Only around 2% of the candidates were unemployed.

In a 2005 report named Adjunkter paa danske universiteter, reported that there need to be more lectureships available for post doctoral students. While many Post-doc as well as Assistant Professor positions are for fixed term only, the 2007 reform report gives opportunities for permanent contracts even. The tasks for academic positions are divided into 50% for teaching  and 40% for research. The type of institution and the disciplines as well as contractual specifications play a major role in the type of post-doc opportunities prevalent.

In theory, academic positions include the following tasks: 
  • 50% for teaching, 
  • 40 % for research, 
  • 10% for administrative tasks
In actuality, the division of tasks is greatly  varied depending on institution as well as the discipline and associated contractual specifications. Adjunkt/Postdoc positions are anywhere from 4,104 €/month or about 30,600 DKR to 4,560 €/month or about 34,000 DKR as per the reputed Dansk Magisterforening and internal database compiled by the Danish Centre pertinent to Research Analysis.

As per the  Rektorkollegiet 2006 there were around 262 Adjunkt/Postdoc professionals in humanities and 249 in the social sciences adding up to a total of 1,483. 75% of academics hired for positions such as Postdoc as well as Lecturer and Professor positions for the period 2001 to 2003 has internal recruitments for the position. As long as official requirements are met anyone temporary and/or permanent positions in Denmark can be applied for. Danish is the official national language but English is also commonly used here. International mobility is high for post-doc positions especially temporary ones. The international mobility is relatively high at PhD and postdoc level (temporary positions). 

Post-Doc Funding

The well known Carlsberg Foundation provides postdoctoral grants and funding for research in areas devoted to humanities and the social sciences.The eminent Danish Research Council provides postdoctoral grants that can be applied for in disciplines such as economics, law, and political science.Along with this, the universities advertise adjunct and postdoc posts/positions on their own websites which might be in either Danish and/or English.

Certain universities as well as research centres also have their own websites where they provide information about doctoral and post-doctoral programmes.

There are a lot of post-doc research opportunities in Denmark. This nation is a perfect destination for those with a passion for pure or applied research.
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