The graduate school is common to the Department of Industrial and Materials Science and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Director of Graduate Studies: Oskar Rexfelt
Web administration: Lars-Ola Bligård
Syllabus
Established by the First Vice President on 2005-05-17, registration number C 2005-604.
Last revised on 2021-06-18, registration number IMS 2021 0102/2.
This syllabus applies to doctoral students admitted as of 2021-07-01.
Regarding older syllabus, please contact the first vice/vice head of department.
Transitional regulations:
A doctoral student admitted to an older syllabus may earn a degree in accordance with this, provided that the current Appointment regulation for doctoral programmes and current Local Qualifications Framework – third cycle qualifications are followed.
Doctoral students admitted to an older syllabus of graduate school Human-Technology-Design can, however, change to the current syllabus by an application to the Deputy/Vice Head of Department. The change must be documented in the individual study plan.
The graduate school is regulated by the Appointment regulation for doctoral programmes and the Local Qualifications Framework for Chalmers University of Technology - third cycle qualifications and is described in the syllabus for the graduate school. In the event of any conflict between the documents, the Appointment regulation for doctoral programmes and the Local Qualifications Framework for Chalmers University of Technology - third cycle qualifications are governing. For the most recent version of all regulatory documents referenced in this syllabus, see Chalmers’s internal website.
1. Subject description
Description of subject
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.
Description of specializations
The doctoral programme has three specializations: Human Factors Engineering (focusing on how systems work in practice with human beings at the controls), Industrial Design Engineering (focusing on design with the user in focus) and Interaction Design (focusing on how users interact with products/services though their interfaces).
2. Objectives of the doctoral program
Objectives
The national objectives for third cycle degrees (licentiate and doctoral degree) and local requirements are stated in the Local Qualifications Framework for Chalmers University of Technology – third cycle qualifications.
3. Entry requirements
General entry requirements
To be qualified for admission in Human-Technology-Design the student must have earned a degree at the second-cycle level. The orientation of the student’s degree shall also have a sufficiently close connection to the subject of the doctoral programme. Equivalent requirements apply to individuals who have taken their first degree in a country other than Sweden. The examiner, in consultation with the principal supervisor, shall assess whether the applicant has the requisite capacity to successfully complete the doctoral programme. Other requirements for general entry are regulated in Appointment regulation for doctoral programmes.
Admission
Regulations regarding admission are stated in Appointment regulation for doctoral programmes.
4. Curriculum
The study programme towards a doctoral degree encompasses 240 higher education credits. The study programme towards a licentiate degree encompasses at least 120 higher education credits. One year of full-time studies equals 60 credits.
For the licentiate degree programme the credits are distributed between courses and thesis work as follows: courses at least 45 credits and thesis at least 75 credits.
For the doctoral degree programme the credits are distributed between course work and thesis work as follows: courses at least 60 credits and thesis at least 180 credits.
Courses
Courses within the graduate school include general courses that cover all doctoral programmes at Chalmers as well as courses specific for the graduate school.
General courses in Chalmers’s doctoral programmes
The general course requirements for doctoral programmes at Chalmers are regulated in Local Qualifications Framework for Chalmers University of Technology – third cycle qualifications.
Courses specific for 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.
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 (with grade 4 or higher, or ‘VG’) 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.
Licentiate thesis
A licentiate thesis shall be written in English. In exceptional cases it can be written in Swedish; in such cases it shall contain a summary in English.
The purpose of the licentiate thesis is to account for the relevant scientific results that have been attained during the thesis work and describe these in a way that is accessible outside of the scientific inner circle of researchers. A licentiate thesis can either be written as a compilation thesis or as a monograph. If the licentiate thesis is a compilation thesis it should begin with an introduction, a summarizing text, followed by the included scientific articles. The purpose of the summarizing text is to put the studies in context, and to present relevant results that for various reasons are not described within the articles.
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.
Other regulations concerning the licentiate thesis are stated in Appointment regulation for doctoral programmes.
Doctoral thesis
A doctoral thesis shall be written in English. In exceptional cases it can be written in Swedish; in such cases it shall contain a summary in English.
The purpose of the doctoral thesis is to account for the relevant scientific results that have been attained during the thesis work and describe these in a way that is accessible outside of the scientific inner circle of researchers. A doctoral thesis can either be written as a compilation thesis or as a monograph. If the doctoral thesis is a compilation thesis it should begin with an introduction, a summarizing text, followed by the included scientific articles. The purpose of the summarizing text is to put the studies in context, and to present relevant results that for various reasons are not described within the articles.
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.
Other regulations concerning the doctoral thesis are stated in Appointment regulation for doctoral programmes.
Supervision
The Appointment regulation for doctoral programmes states that for each doctoral student at least two supervisors shall be appointed. One of them shall be appointed principal supervisor. The doctoral student has the right to supervision during the studies unless the Head of Department decides otherwise.
Other regulations concerning supervision are stated in Appointment regulation for doctoral programmes.
5. Examination
After completion of a doctoral programme a doctoral degree is awarded. A licentiate degree can be an intermediate stage in a doctoral degree. If a licentiate degree is not a part of the individual study plan, a midway seminar shall be held to denote that licentiate level has been reached.
Examination, licentiate degree
For a licentiate degree to be awarded, the doctoral student must have received a grade of pass for the licentiate thesis and its presentation and must also have received a grade of pass for the other elements that are included in the programme.
Examination, doctoral degree
For a doctoral degree to be awarded, the doctoral student must have had a doctoral thesis and its defence approved and must also have passed the other elements that are included in the programme.
Other regulations regarding examination are stated in:
- Appointment regulation for doctoral programmes
- Local Qualifications Framework for Chalmers University of Technology – third cycle qualifications
6. Title of degree
The title of qualification is Teknologie doktorsexamen i Människa-Teknik-Design or Filosofie doktorsexamen i Människa-Teknik-Design. The English translation of the title of the qualification is Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Human-Technology-Design.
For a licentiate degree the title of the qualification is Teknologie licentiatexamen i Människa-Teknik-Design or Filosofie licentiatexamen i Människa-Teknik-Design. The English translation of the title of qualification is Degree of Licentiate of Engineering in Human-Technology-Design or Degree of Licentiate of Philosophy in Human-Technology-Design.
If applicable, the specialization should be stated in the title of the degree: Human Factors Engineering, Industrial Design Engineering or Interaction Design.
The degree is given a title corresponding to the name of the faculty within which the undergraduate degree was earned. The title is determined by the Head of Department in connection with admission.
Any decision regarding exemption from use of the defined title is made by the Head of Department. In some individual cases, it is possible to use a title that does not correspond to the name of the faculty within which the undergraduate degree was earned.