Welcome to your PhD universe

You can choose between pre-approved courses or apply to have external courses approved.

Pre-approved courses

These courses require no approval and can be found on the faculty’s website under For PhD students at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

• The courses are held in the spring and autumn semesters.
• All PhD courses on the list are free.

How to register

Twice a year, SDU Education sends an email with course registration:

• November 20th for spring courses.
• May 20th for autumn courses.
• Registration takes place via Student Self-Service and is open for 10 days.

If you start your PhD outside these periods, you must register via SPOC (Single Point of Contact) under Registration and Educational Law.

Courses without pre-approval

If you wish to take a course that is not pre-approved, you must:

• Obtain approval from the PhD study committee.
• Get signatures from both your supervisor and you.
• Submit an application with the course description to the committee chair.

Individual Study Activity (ISA) 

An ISA allows you to work on a topic that is not covered by existing courses.

• Approval: Must be pre-approved by the PhD study committee at the department.
• ECTS: Can provide 5 or 10 ECTS depending on the scope.
• Topic selection: Must not be too closely related to your PhD project.
• Supervision: Your ISA supervisor must not be your main supervisor.

How to register an ISA:

• Your supervisor sends an email with an assessment of your effort to the PhD School.
• You forward the assessment for registration in PhdWeb.
• ISA projects are not registered via SPOC.

ECTS credits for environmental change

You can also earn ECTS credits for environmental change instead of working hours if the stay involves training in new methods, theories, and/or other educational activities.

• You can earn 1 ECTS per week up to a maximum of 15 ECTS in total.

To earn ECTS credits, PhD students must after the stay:

• Write a short report (5-10 pages).
• Give an oral presentation with an internal examiner present.

It is not possible to receive both working hours and ECTS credits for the environmental change – only one or the other.

How to earn ECTS credits for environmental change

After your environmental change, you must send a confirmation from the host institution to the PhD School. Include a statement from your supervisor about your oral presentation based on the report and a declaration from the department confirming that you have not received working hours for the environmental change.

Send everything to the PhD School (natphd@sdu.dk), which approves and registers your ECTS credits in the system.

Read more about how to earn ECTS for environmental change on page 25 in the Rules and regulations for the PhD Programme at the Faculty of Science (PDF).

Participation in conferences

You can earn ECTS by participating in conferences if you present a paper or a poster.

• ECTS: 3 points per conference (maximum 6 ECTS in total).
• Requirements: You must be the first author.
• Documentation:

• Conference program with your name and presentation title.
• Acceptance email for your presentation.

Non-active participation in conferences does not provide ECTS.

External courses and summer schools

Courses from other universities can be approved upon application.

ECTS assessment based on course duration:

• 1 week = 4.5 ECTS
• 2 weeks = 7.5 ECTS
• 3 weeks = 10.5 ECTS
• 5 weeks = 15 ECTS

Summer schools

• Minimum 40 hours/week.
• First week gives 4.5 ECTS, then 3 ECTS per week.

Danish course for international students

• Passed course gives 3 ECTS.

Read more about the university’s Danish courses.

ECTS credits are registered in PhdWeb, but depend on the course:

• Pre-approved courses: Automatically registered after completion.
• ISA and external courses: Documentation must be sent to the PhD School for registration.
• Courses at other universities: Not automatically registered – you must submit the course certificate to natphd@sdu.dk.

Applications for approval of activities that provide ECTS – including courses, workshops, conferences, see sections 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5 in Rules and regulations for the PhD Programme (PDF) – must be made BEFORE they take place.

Remember to apply well in advance, as it can take time to have your application processed by the PhD study committee and the faculty.

In other words: Remember to apply for approval of external courses and activities before they take place.

A buddy acts as a source of practical information and support. Here are some examples of possible tasks.

Before arrival:

• Make contact with the new PhD student and introduce yourself.
• Arrange a meeting on the first working day.

On the day of arrival:

• Meet the new PhD student if needed (e.g. at the tram station or car park).
• Give a tour of the department – e.g. office, kitchen, meeting rooms and printers.
• Introduce the person to the research group and colleagues.
• Have lunch together.
• Talk about SDU’s employee benefits and social activities such as IMADA’s cake club.

Daily life:

• Make the new PhD student aware of the written and unwritten rules of the research group.
• Explain basics such as office hours, transport options and the use of SDU Maps.
• Inform about teaching systems such as Smartreg and itslearning.
• Tell them about PhD courses.
• For international students: Introduce Danish work culture, including working hours, holidays, traditions and social events.

Follow-up:

• Check in after the first month, the first three months and the first year to make sure everything is going well.

Even when you thrive and feel well, it is natural to experience short periods of stress. As long as the stress is temporary, it is an appropriate reaction that helps you overcome challenges.

What you can do to promote well-being and prevent stress

• Talk to your supervisor(s) about aligning expectations – both when you start your PhD project and continuously throughout the PhD process. Read more about aligning expectations here.
• Create an overview and a timeline for your PhD project. Note that SDU offers courses on how to plan and manage a PhD project.
• Regularly talk to your PhD supervisor(s) about how you are handling your project and try to address potential problems early – or even before they arise.
• Remember to stay in contact with your PhD supervisor(s), even if one of you is abroad. For example, you can schedule weekly Zoom meetings to ensure progress in the project and to make sure your expectations are still aligned.
• Remember, it is your PhD project. Therefore, it is important that you take active responsibility by talking to your supervisor if specific requirements or tasks are unreasonable or too demanding. Discuss requirements and deadlines regularly.
• Prioritize and plan activities that give you energy, such as engaging in your favorite sport, going out with friends, playing guitar, or doing something you enjoy. Learn to relax, for example, by practicing relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, or mindfulness. The faculty offers physical mindfulness sessions, and you can read more about the sessions here.
• Contribute to creating a positive and social culture in your department and research group, for example, by having lunch with your colleagues and participating in social activities and events.
• Build and maintain your social network – both professionally and privately. The page Meet fellow PhD students and colleagues has links to various associations and activities.
• Take care of yourself and maintain a healthy lifestyle: eat healthily, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly.
• Learn about stress and stress reactions and use this knowledge to prevent stress.

Long periods of stress can trigger a range of physical and psychological symptoms that can negatively impact your ability to work and your health.

Recognize and respond to unhealthy stress 

• Take your symptoms seriously and respond to them. Talk to someone in your social network whom you trust and who you know can and will support and help you.
• Try to identify what is causing your stress and what can potentially be done to reduce it.
• If possible, prioritize your work tasks. What is important and what can wait? It is a good idea to do this together with your supervisor(s).
• Talk to your PhD supervisor(s) and seek support regarding potential issues in your project that may contribute to stress.
• Remember, it is your PhD project. Therefore, it is important that you take active responsibility by talking to your supervisor if specific requirements or tasks are unreasonable or too demanding. Discuss requirements and deadlines regularly.
• If your symptoms are persistent or severe, you should contact your doctor, SDU’s psychological counselling service (see the point below), the department, and your supervisor(s).
• SDU has an agreement with Falck, a health advisory company, to offer psychological counselling to all SDU employees. It is possible to receive psychological counselling in both Danish and English. Click here to read more about the psychological counselling service.
• Prioritize and plan activities that can reduce stress and give you energy, such as talking face-to-face with someone in your social network, using relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, or mindfulness, or engaging in your favorite sport.
• Take care of yourself and maintain a healthy lifestyle: eat healthily, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly.
• Learn about stress and stress reactions and use this knowledge to prevent stress.
• You can find more information about work-life balance here.

If your stress is not reduced and balance is not restored, stress can have more serious consequences and pose a real threat to both your health and your ability to work. Although stress affects you, your surroundings also play an important role. There are factors both in your private life and in your work life that can either worsen or help protect against stress.

Managing reduced work capacity and illness due to prolonged stress

• If your symptoms are persistent or severe, you should contact your doctor, SDU’s psychological counselling service (see the point below), the department, and your supervisor(s).
• SDU has an agreement with Falck, a health advisory company, to offer psychological counselling to all SDU employees. It is possible to receive psychological counselling in both Danish and English. Click here to read more about the psychological counselling service.
• Listen to your doctor’s and/or psychologist’s advice regarding full-time/part-time sick leave. You can find more information about sick leave here.
• When you return after sick leave, you should ask your doctor and/or psychologist for advice on how to continue your PhD project and how best to resume work at an appropriate pace.
• Talk to your supervisor(s) about this advice and get help planning your work tasks in accordance with your doctor’s/psychologist’s recommendations.
• Take good care of yourself and your body. Prioritize and plan activities that can reduce stress and give you energy and try to maintain a healthy lifestyle: eat healthily, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly.
• Use your social network for support.