PhD scholarship in Criminology

Applications are invited for a PhD scholarship in Criminology at the Department of Sociology. Enrolment will be at the Faculty of Social Sciences under Copenhagen Graduate School of Social Sciences. The position is offered as a three-year full-time PhD within the 5+3 framework.

The starting date is 1 September 2026.

The PhD programme provides PhD students with strong research training which opens a window of opportunity to a variety of careers within the private and public sectors. The programme includes the drafting of a PhD thesis, active participation in research networks, PhD courses, teaching, and other forms of knowledge dissemination.

Duties and responsibilities
Further information about the PhD study programme is available on the website of Copenhagen Graduate School of Social Sciences: PhD School in the Social Sciences – Faculty of Social Sciences - University of Copenhagen.

Under "Legal basis" on the website you will find information about the rules and guidelines for the PhD programme and the Danish Ministerial Order on the PhD programme at the Universities. 

Information about the PhD study programme is also available on the PhD website of the Department of Sociology. Please see: PhD studies at the Department of Sociology – University of Copenhagen.

Applicants should familiarise themselves with the department’s vision and ongoing research before submitting their application. Further information can be found here: About the department – University of Copenhagen.

Qualification requirements
Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to master’s level related to the subject area of the project. If you have completed your education in Denmark, you must have a master’s degree covered by the collective agreement for academics in the state sector. 

If you have completed your education outside of Denmark, you must either have a master’s degree equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (two years) or as minimum a bachelor’s degree equivalent to a Danish bachelor’s degree (three years) and be assessed as having professional qualifications at master's level.

If you have completed your education outside of Denmark, we will obtain an assessment of your education from the Danish Research Agency.

How to apply
Please submit your application online. To apply, please click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of this page. Your application must be written in Danish or English and include the following attachments (with descriptive titles) in either PDF or Word format:

• Cover letter (max. 1 page detailing your motivation and background for applying with the specific PhD project)
• CV
• Project description (max. 12,000 characters incl. spaces not incl. bibliography)
• Project abstract (max 1,200 characters incl. spaces)
• Diploma and transcripts of records (BSc and MSc) Please note: If your degree diploma is not available by the application deadline, please include your latest transcript of grades.
• Other information for consideration, e.g., list of publications, documentation of English language qualifications (if any). Please do notinclude commitments from supervisors, recommendations etc.

Further details on the documents that should accompany your application are available on this website: Admission requirements and application procedures – University of Copenhagen. 

The Recruitment Process 
After the application deadline, the Head of Department will consider advice from the appointment committee and then selects applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. The Head of Department will then set up an expert assessment committee to assess the shortlisted applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. Each shortlisted applicant will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment before the appointment is announced.

As an applicant to the University of Copenhagen, you should be prepared to undergo a security screening related to international research collaboration as part of the recruitment process. The security screening will be conducted in cases where the University deems it appropriate based on an overall assessment. 

Assessment Criteria 
The following criteria are used when shortlisting candidates for assessment: 

1. Research qualifications as reflected in the project proposal.
2. Quality and feasibility of the project.
3. Qualifications and knowledge in Criminology and the sociology of deviance. 
4. Performance (grades obtained) in graduate and post-graduate studies. 
5. Department of Sociology can offer adequate supervision for the research topic in question. 

Please note that normally there is strong competition for these scholarships, and only one can be awarded each term.