Syllabus
(approved by the vice-president to apply from May 17 2005. Ref. nr. C2005/604)
(revised 2012-12-05)
1 Subject description and goals of the programme
The research in this subject comprises the following areas:
Development of knowledge about
the relationship between humans, technology, and design in broad terms,
and how this relationship can be shaped with regard to the needs of
individuals as well as of the environment and society. Technology refers
here to particular products, product systems, and systems for
production. By design is meant the determination of products in a wide
sense including both formal and functional aspects. The relationship
signifies not only interaction but also, for example, adoption and
acceptance, attractiveness and emotion, usability and safety, learning
and understanding.
Knowledge about processes, methods
and tools, concerning on the one hand how requirements for the shaping
of products and systems of products and production can be identified and
communicated, and on the other hand how different design solutions can
be evaluated. The system perspective, i.e. the interplay between humans,
technology, task and context, is central. The context is here to be
understood as comprising the physical, psychosocial and
historical-cultural environment. The preconditions for a viable dialogue
between the different actors in the design process constitute a special
theme.
Knowledge about the shaping of
products and systems on the basis of individuals’ physical and cognitive
capabilities, emotional requirements, as well as on semantic and
aesthetic aspects. Development and evaluation of methods and tools for
dealing systematically with design-related issues are an especially
important theme. The goal is to find good design solutions that
contribute to people’s well-being and avoidance of injuries and ill
health, but also to the productivity and competitiveness of
manufacturing companies.
Problems within this field of research
arise largely on the borders between different disciplines, for instance
between technology and behavioural science, or between technology and
ergonomics/physiology/medicine. The research is therefore essentially
interdisciplinary.
The research requires a deep understanding
of modern technology as an expressive design material. It also calls for
well-conceived methods of representing a product’s intended use. The
questions involved range from the product’s physical interface to ethics
and aesthetics of use.
The graduate education should lead to
deeper knowledge in the subject area as well as to knowledge and skill
in the independent planning and execution of research activities. The
doctoral candidate, after completing the education, should be highly
prepared for continued work in academia or industrial research and
development, both nationally and internationally.
2 General requirements for admission
Whoever is admitted as a doctoral candidate
in Human – Technology – Design has completed the Swedish university
undergraduate education of at least 240 credits in educational
programmes with further work of relevance for the graduate education
subject, or has a foreign university education of corresponding extent
and content.
For applicants with foreign undergraduate
education, the knowledge prerequisites correspond to those for
applicants with Swedish undergraduate education, but applicants from
abroad whose native language is not English or a Scandinavian language
must also normally pass an English language test in order to be
admitted.
Anyone who does not satisfy the
qualification requirements in the curriculum may be accepted according
to a special acceptance procedure. For such applicants, supplementary
work can be prescribed.
3 The plan of the graduate programme
Two graduate degrees may be taken: a
licentiate degree and a doctoral degree. Regardless of the final aim,
the studies are devoted first to the licentiate degree and subsequently
to the doctoral degree. The graduate education for the doctoral degree
comprises 240 credits, which correspond to four years of full-time
studies. The licentiate degree comprises 120 credits, corresponding to
two years of full-time studies.
The graduate studies consist of a course part and a thesis part, which lead to the licentiate or doctoral degree.
For
each graduate student, an individual curriculum is arranged, based upon
the student’s background and aim. This curriculum is planned in
consultation with the main supervisor and approved by the examiner.
The curriculum is to be followed up, and
possibly revised, at least once per term during the entire doctoral
education. This follow-up is to occur in dialogue with the examiner, the
main supervisor, and the director of studies for the graduate school.
The latter is responsible to summon the follow-up meeting.
4 The role of the graduate programme
The role of the Human – Technology – Design graduate programme is to
Provide a syllabus for the graduate programme (this document).
Provide courses relevant to the syllabus.
Offer an area for discussions and networking, primarily between the graduates.
Monitor the progress and working situation of each graduate.
5 Specialization
The licentiate or doctoral degree,
respectively, is designated as a degree in Human – Technology – Design
(Människa – Teknik – Design) with an orientation in Human Factors
Engineering (Människa-tekniksystem), Industrial Design Engineering
(Teknisk Design) or Interaction Design (Interaktionsdesign).
6 Courses
The course part contains an obligatory
component and, in addition, an individually planned component that is
adapted to the student’s research orientation, interests and knowledge
profile. The individually planned component is specific to each graduate
student and is described in the student’s curriculum.
At most 30 course credits are allowed to
have been acquired before the graduate studies are begun, within the
framework of the completed undergraduate education. The main supervisor
decides which credits from the undergraduate education may be counted in
the graduate education.
6.1 Obligatory university courses
Doctoral candidates who are admitted to
Chalmers University of Technology from 2012-09-01 onward shall
assimilate 15 credits withing the area of Generic and Transferable
Skills during the doctoral studies . 9 of these credits shall be
assimilated before the degree of licentiate.
Besides the Generic and Transferable Skills
course package, the doctoral candidate shall also take part in an
introductory day for PhD-students (before licentiate degree), carry out a
popular science-oriented presentation before doctoral degree, and write
a popular science-oriented research description to be printed on the
backside of the doctoral thesis.
6.2 Obligatory courses in the graduate school
Courses in the following themes with the stated extent are obligatory for doctoral candidates in Human – Technology– Design:
Theory of science MTD, 3 credits
Research methodology MTD, 7,5 credits
Academic writing MTD, 4,5 credits
Systems theory MTD, 5 credits
At least three of these courses should normally have been completed before the degree of licentiate.
6.3 Elective courses
For profiling within the subject area, one
may choose the graduate school’s elective courses or else courses in
other graduate schools at Chalmers or at other universities. The courses
are chosen in consultation between the main supervisor and the doctoral
candidate.
In addition to obligatory courses in the
university, the graduate school’s obligatory courses and the elective
courses, literature studies within the subject area may also be included
in the course part of the graduate education. These courses are planned
in each individual case, in consultation with the main supervisor and
the examiner.
Moreover, the course part of the graduate
education may include advanced courses from the engineering education or
its equivalent or graduate education courses from other departments.
All courses are to be determined in advance, in consultation with the
main supervisor and the examiner.
7 Degree thesis
The education includes scientific work to
be documented in a licentiate thesis or a doctoral thesis. The
orientation of the scientific work is chosen in connection with current
research problems and is defined in consultation with the supervisor.
The scientific work is to be reported continuously.
7.1 Licentiate thesis
In order to obtain the licentiate degree,
the graduate student must carry out research work and write a licentiate
thesis which describes the work.
In the education leading to the
licentiate degree, the graduate student’s own research work is of
limited extent, but it must still be given such a form that it yields
results which can be published internationally.
The licentiate thesis may have the form of a
monograph, or of a compilation with a number of scientifically reviewed
articles. In the latter case, these articles are to be connected by a
so-called ’kappa’ which interrelates the contributions as well as
discusses and draws conclusions from the entire work. The individual
articles may have been written together with the main supervisor,
another supervisor or other persons. Whichever its form, the thesis
should have a length corresponding to about 2-3 conference papers and
articles of normal length. The articles should maintain such a level
that they could be accepted for publication in an international
scientific journal with a referee procedure. The thesis is normally to
be written in English so that the work can reach an international public
and contribute to the international research in the area. The
licentiate thesis must be presented in English or Swedish at an open
seminar. The thesis is assessed with the mark of either Fail or Pass.
As
a supplement to the written thesis, the student may display examples of
design at the licentiate seminar. In the assessment, account is then
taken of both the content of the thesis and the quality of the design
examples that are displayed.
7.2 Doctoral thesis
To obtain the doctoral degree, the graduate student must carry out research work and write a thesis which describes the work.
The doctoral thesis may have the form of a
monograph, or of a compilation with a number of scientifically reviewed
articles. In the latter case, these articles are to be connected by a
so-called ’kappa’ which interrelates the contributions as well as
discusses and draws conclusions from the entire work. In both cases, the
thesis should have a length corresponding to about 4-5 conference
papers and articles of normal length. The articles should maintain such a
level that they could be accepted for publication in an international
scientific journal with a referee procedure. The individual articles may
have been written together with the main supervisor, another supervisor
or other persons. In order to show that the doctoral candidate has
attained the intended proficiency, at least one of the articles must
have been written by the candidate personally. The thesis is normally to
be written in English so that the work can reach an international
public and contribute to the international research in the area. The
thesis work must be defended orally in English or Swedish at a public
disputation. The thesis work is assessed as either Fail or Pass.
As a
supplement to the written thesis, the student may display examples of
design at the disputation. In the assessment, account is then taken of
both the content of the thesis and the quality of the design examples
that are displayed.
8 Requirements for the degrees
8.1 Licentiate degree
For the licentiate degree, a minimum of 120
study credits is required. Fortyfive credits are obtained in the course
part, and 75 credits in the research work. Nine credits should be
obtained from Generic and Transferable skills, and the graduate student
should have taken part in the introductory day for Chalmers PhD
students.
The research work is reported in a licentiate thesis, possibly supplemented with design examples.
8.2 Doctoral degree
For the doctoral degree, further study
credits are required (totally 240 credits), of which 60 credits are
obtained in courses while 180 credits refer to research. Fifteen credits
should be obtained from Generic and Transferable skills, and the
graduate student should have taken part in the introductory day for
Chalmers PhD students. Furthermore, the graduate student shall carry out
a popular science-oriented oral presentation before doctoral degree,
and write a popular science-oriented research description to be printed
on the backside of the doctoral thesis.
The research work is reported in a doctoral thesis, possibly supplemented with design examples.
9 Supervision
Each graduate student is to have an
examiner, a main supervisor, and at least one assistant supervisor. The
main supervisor and the assistant supervisors form a supervisory group.
The assistant supervisors come from the graduate school, from other
academic institutions and/or from industry or the public sector.
The supervision consists partly of general
advice regarding the organisation and planning of studies, partly of
instructions for specific courses and in connection with the thesis
work. Supervision for a particular course is generally given by the
person responsible for the course.
The examiner has overall responsibility for
the graduate education’s orientation. The examiner approves the
individual curriculum and decides upon any changes. The examiner takes
part in the follow-up of studies. He/she may also be the main
supervisor.
The main supervisor is responsible for
ensuring that a research task exists for the graduate student, and that
the student receives sufficient supervision. The main supervisor, too,
takes part in the follow-up of studies.
The assistant supervisor participates in the supervision of the graduate student as well as in the follow-up of studies.
10 Examination on proficiency in the subject
The student’s knowledge is tested in a
manner which is determined by the examiner. The student normally takes
part in the examination according to the manner specified for the
respective course. This may occur through written or oral tests, through
hand-in assignments, or through seminars.
11 Additional information
Graduate students in the subject Human –
Technology – Design belong to the Chalmers graduate school of
Human-Technology – Design. The student may also belong to a national or
Scandinavian research school within this field.
Graduate students who are admitted in
older, related subjects of graduate education may, after approval by
examiner and main supervisor, choose instead to be examined in the new
subject of Human – Technology – Design. Also graduate students admitted
to the older syllabus of the Human-Technology-Design graduate school may
choose to instead follow this syllabus.