PhD opportunities

A master's degree or similar qualifications enables you to apply for a PhD programme in a field related to your degree. The university typically allows 3 years for the completion of a PhD, but the position can be extended to 4 years, including a 25 percent work requirement that's often fulfilled by teaching.

Successful graduates are qualified to conduct research in an academic setting, although more and more NTNU PhDs find themselves at work in the business world – whether pursuing innovative search engine applications at multinational giants like Microsoft or Google, developing new approaches to designing marine structures for groups like Aker Kværner, or managing and developing oil and gas fields for companies such as StatoilHydro.

High wages, worker rights

In contrast to the United States and a range of European countries, Norway offers its PhD candidates staff positions at the university, with good pay and a range of benefits. In fact, Norway's PhD candidates are among the best paid in the world.

As staff members, PhD candidates are covered by the Working Environment Act (pdf) and the Civil Service Act, which together guarantee a range of workers' rights in connection with everything from temporary positions to pay for illness and permitted leave (such as maternity leave). PhD candidates are also welcomed as full employees in their respective departments.

Moving abroad

A move to a new country is not without its challenges, but Norway, with its ranking consistently at the top of the United Nation's Human Development Index, is probably one of the world's easiest countries to which you can relocate. We've provided a variety of useful information to help with relocation on the Living in Trondheim web page or on the New in Norway webpages.

It's also possible to go directly to a number of official government web pages that provide basic information on making a successful move to Norway.

The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration provides information on the national health insurance programme and child benefit payments, in which parents of children under age 18 are given a monthly allowance to help with costs associated with food and clothing.

Skatteetaten is the Norwegian Tax Authority, and provides information about paying taxes in Norway (pdf) and about obtaining the all-important "personal number", the number that identifies you as a taxpayer and that financial institutions and other quasi-official organizations will want to have when they do business with you.

The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration has information on work and residency permits.