A docotral student in political science

Gaskeuniversiteete/Mid-Sweden University is located in the middle of the Southern Sami area in Sápmi. The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences operates at Campus Sundsvall and Campus Östersund. Activities include research and education within the subjects of Civics, Comparative Literature, Criminology, English, Gender Studies, History, Political Science, Sociology, Southern Sami, Swedish as a Second Language, and Swedish Language. The research is conducted within each respective subject and within the Risk and Crisis Research Center (RCR), Forum for Gender Studies (FGV), and DEMICOM (an interdisciplinary centre for research on journalism, crisis communication, media development, and organizational and political communication).

Political Science is a unit within the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
(HSV). The subject of political science is based in both Sundsvall and Östersund.
Education in the subject is offered at the undergraduate, advanced, and doctoral levels.
Mid Sweden University also serves as the host institution for Sweden’s participation in
the European Values Study. 

Political science at the Mid Sweden University has an active research environment
undergoing strong expansion. The research profile of the subject has two main
orientations.

One research orientation focuses on the interaction between voters, parties, elections,
and public opinion. From a voter perspective, attention is directed, among other things,
toward how well the democratic system functions in terms of representation and
accountability. From a party-political perspective, the focus is on how parties organize
internally, how they act in the parliamentary arena, and how their actions influence
voters and public opinion.

The second research orientation focuses on policymaking and the implementation of
political decisions. This specialization is particularly aimed at regional and local political
levels and often adopts a comparative perspective, emphasizing variations in
policymaking. This research orientation explores how policies are formulated and
implemented, as well as how decisions are shaped in collaboration with the surrounding
society, across different policy areas, and from a multi-level governance perspective.

The subject is linked to three strong research centres: the Risk and Crisis Research
Centre (RCR), the Forum for Gender Studies (FGF), and the Centre for Study of
Democracy and Communication (Demicom).

The advertised doctoral position is directed toward one of the two research orientations
mentioned above. For more information about research in the subject, see
https://www.miun.se/en/Research/subject-research/political-science/.

Job description
Independent third-cycle studies encompassing research 80%, teaching and
administrative tasks 20%. The position requires presence at the workplace and active
participation in the shared responsibilities of the subject and the department.

Entry requirements
General entry requirements include a second-cycle level qualification, or fulfilment of
courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits must be at secondcycle level, or the equivalent knowledge gained in some other way in Sweden or abroad.
Specific entry requirements include at least 90 credits in the subject of political science
or a related subject, or who have otherwise acquired essentially equivalent knowledge
within or outside the country.

Other Requirements
Proficiency in English, both spoken and written, is required, as well as the ability to use
IT tools for teaching.

Assessment criteria
A decisive selection criterion for admission to doctoral education is the ability to
successfully pursue doctoral studies, previous academic performance, and the quality of
the submitted research proposal, as well as its relevance to the subject's two research
profiles.

Since the position may include teaching in Swedish, proficiency in spoken and written
Swedish is considered an advantage.

Employment process
Processing of the appointment will comply with the provisions in Chapter 5 of the
Higher Education Ordinance, and will be carried out in accordance with Mid Sweden
University’s Employment Procedures.

Terms of employment
The doctoral studentship position is a five-year appointment and is expected to lead to a
Degree of Doctor. In addition to doctoral studies, which constitute 80% of full-time
employment, the position includes 20% teaching and administrative duties, making it a
full-time position. If the pace of doctoral studies changes, the duration of the
employment will be adjusted accordingly.

Initial doctoral student positions are valid for a maximum of one year, after which the
position may be renewed by no longer than two years at a time. Provisions regarding
doctoral studentship employment can be found in the Higher Education Ordinance
(1993:100), Chapter 5, Sections 1-7.

The entry date is 2025-09-01 or as agreed.

Place of employment: Sundsvall or Östersund

Salary: In accordance with Mid Sweden University’s salary scale for docotral students. 

Information
For more detailed information contact the Head of Department Glenn Svedin,
glenn.svedin@miun.se, +46 10-142 82 47, or Subject Representative Niklas
Bolin, niklas.bolin@miun.se, +46 10-142 86 11.

Application
Application documents must be submitted in Swedish or English.
The application should include a CV, certified copies of academic documents, a
maximum of two academic papers or articles (e.g., theses written as part of the
education), and a research proposal of no more than four pages.

Please send in your application through our recruitment system no later than 2025-06-
09.

Mid Sweden University has two campuses; in Sundsvall and in Östersund, both located close to students, colleagues and the surrounding society. At the same time, it is located conveniently close to the sea, forests and mountains, which provides a great quality of life. Here, new knowledge is created by means of internationally successful research and education that contribute to the development of our society. This way, we actively contribute to a sustainable future and a better world. Mid Sweden University works actively for equal opportunities and strives to embrace the qualities that diversity and equality bring to the organization. Prior to any recruitment work, Mid Sweden University has taken a position on consulting support, recruitment channels and marketing. We therefore kindly ask media vendors, recruitment sites and the like not to contact us.

• Contract type

  Full time

• First day of employment

  2025-09-01 or as agreed

• Salary

  In accordance with Mid Sweden University’s salary scale for doctoral students

• Number of positions

  1

• Working hours

  100%

• City

  Sundsvall eller Östersund

• County

  Västernorrlands län

• Country

  Sweden

• Reference number

  MIUN 2025/1121

• Union representative
  • Per Bergman, Fackförbundet ST, 010-1428371
  • Börje Norlin, SACO , 010-1428594
• Published

  2025-04-17

• Last application date

  2025-06-09