Guidelines for pursuing Ph.D. Studies at the Department of Sport Science ISW in Innsbruck

Preface

This document describes guidelines and is not legally binding.
Pursuing a Ph.D. is a substantial academic commitment that demands a broad range of personal and professional skills. The journey from admission to completion goes beyond subject matter expertise; it requires intellectual rigor, resilience, and the ability to conduct high-quality, independent research. As a Ph.D. candidate, you are stepping into a leadership role within the academic community. You will be expected to take full responsibility for advancing your research project independently and to articulate your findings clearly in scientific writing.

Formal requirements

Applicants must hold a Master's degree in sports science or a closely related field. If your Master's degree was not awarded by the ISW (Department of Sports Science), your courses will be assessed for alignment with our Master’s program content. Any deficiencies may require you to complete up to 30 ECTS additional credits during the first two semesters of your Ph.D. studies. We are generally flexible in recognizing related coursework from other fields of study. However, if your degree is deemed too far removed from our required areas of expertise, you may not be eligible for admission into the Ph.D. program. If you are unsure about your eligibility, please contact the Ansprechperson for the Doktoratsstudium listed here: https://www.uibk.ac.at/de/isw/studium/

First steps

There are two main pathways to pursue a Ph.D. at our department. The first is through funded Ph.D. positions, which may be offered either through the university’s budget or via third-party funding, such as research grants. These positions are publicly advertised on our universities career webpages [Note: German language postings sometimes contain more information]. Applicants interested in these positions should monitor these announcements and ensure they meet the application deadlines and specific requirements outlined in each posting. Funded Ph.D. positions may also involve teaching and administrative tasks (particularly when funded from the university budget). Typical are 4h per week teaching during the semester, but the details will be specified in your work contract with the university.
The second pathway is through self-funding. If you are interested in this approach, your first step is to contact a potential supervisor for your project. Eligible supervisors include all Professors with Habilitation (Full Professors or Associate Professors). Assistant Professors may only supervise in collaboration with one of these senior faculty members. To secure supervision, you must convincingly demonstrate i) your suitability for the program; ii) the academic merit and relevance of your proposed project; and iii) how you intend to finance your Ph.D. studies.

Enrolment in the Ph.D. Program

With supervision and finances in place, you can enroll in the Ph.D. program through the following website: Ph.D. Program in Sports Science. This page provides detailed information about the program. To begin the enrolment process, find the "Online bewerben" button and follow the instructions provided. Be sure to have all necessary documents prepared for upload during the application process.There is no application deadline for EWR citizens, however, it is recommended to apply in Jan-Feb for the summer semester and July-Sept for the following wintersemester. There are application deadlines for Non-EWR citizens.

Once your application is submitted, the prerequisites for your enrolment will be reviewed in the background. Two items will be evaluated: (1) Is your Master degree equivalent to the sports science Master degree at the University of Innsbruck? (2) Feasibility of supervision for the submitted outline of a Ph.D. project. Regarding (1): If you are a graduate of the ISW Innsbruck or another Austrian Sports Science Master's program, you can be accepted without conditions. However, if you have applied with a degree from another field or from a foreign university, your documents will undergo a more thorough evaluation. After a few weeks, you will be informed of the outcome. This may include acceptance; a conditional acceptance, requiring you to complete specified Master's courses during your Ph.D. studies in addition to the Ph.D. coursework; or it may result in a rejection. Regarding (2): If you have already found a supervisor who is willing to supervise your project, then the issue of supervisability is typically a formality. For applications without an existing supervisor, a committee of faculty members with relevant expertise will be appointed to evaluate the supervisability of the proposed project.

Coursework

The Curriculum for the PHD in Sports sciences Gesamtfassung des Curriculums outlines the courses you have to take as a ph.d. student. To sign up for the courses, visit the course directory: https://lfuonline.uibk.ac.at/public/lfuonline_lv.home currently, the following courses have to be completed:

Module 1 AG Planung des Dissertationsprojekts To complete this course, you need to write an Expose of your planed Ph.D. project and submit it to your supervisor. If your supervisor accepted the exposé, ask her/him to formward (Email) it to the teachers of this course together with a suggested grade.

Module 2 Generische Kompetenzen Courses totaling 5 ECTS credits must be completed, as specified in the dissertation agreement. One course must be taken from the subject area of "Equality and Gender."

Module 3 SE Analyse und Interpretation erster eigener Forschungsergebnisse Please contact the course instructor to determine the conditions under which the course will be considered completed. Usually, a public presentation at an ISW Research Seminar is required.

Module 4 SE Analyse und Interpretation weiterer eigener Forschungsergebnisse Please contact the course instructor to determine the conditions under which the course will be considered completed. Usually, a second public presentation at an ISW Research Seminar is required.

Module 5 Präsentation der Forschungsergebnisse To complete this course, you must present your research at an international scientific conference that includes a scientific board and peer-reviewing of conference abstracts. To receive the credits, have your supervisor send an email to the Prüfungsreferat with the confirming that this course has been completed with the grade “mit Erfolg teilgenommen”.

Module 6 Verteidigung der Dissertation (Rigorosum) This course is complete once the examination committee for your thesis submits a positive grade. See chapter “Completing your Ph.D.”

Note.: course numbers may change, the listed ones are as of 10-24.

Research

Conduct your research in accordance with the highest scientific standards under the guidance of your supervisor. If your research involves experiments with human participants, it is mandatory that you, together with your supervisor, submit your planned project(s) for evaluation by the university’s ethics board. For more information and submission procedures, please visit the following link: University Ethics Board. After completing enrolment, you must submit your proposed research to the teaching administration using the form Anmeldung der Dissertation. Typically, this form is submitted by your supervisor through the ISW administration office. It should be accompanied by a copy of your research exposé [see course 621900] and the Certificate of Approval from the ethics board for your project. The form asks for a second supervisor (a single supervisor is only accepted in exceptional circumstances). It is therefore recommended to approach early on potential candidates for co-supervision (minimum requirement is that they completed their habilitation or are full professors at UIBK). Discuss with this co-supervisor how much he/she wants to be involved in your projects. Once these documents are submitted and processed, a Dissertationsvereinbarung (dissertation agreement) will be generated in your VIS tool (the university's administrative software). Both you and your supervisors must sign this agreement. At this point, your research is officially underway.

Completing your Ph.D.

Legal Foundations

Two key documents are relevant when it comes to the dissertation process, specifically for selecting the dissertation reviewers and forming the exam committee. Both documents should be read carefully (the current guidelines are not legally binding and may be incorrect!):

The Curriculum https://www.uibk.ac.at/fakultaeten-servicestelle/pruefungsreferate/gesamtfassung/phd-sportwissenschaft_stand-01.10.2019.pdf
the Studienrechtliche Bestimmungen https://www.uibk.ac.at/universitaet/mitteilungsblatt/pdf-dateien/gesamtfassung-satzungsteil-studienrechtliche-bestimmungen.pdf

The Dissertation

The dissertation is the formal document reporting your Ph.D. research that you submit to obtain your degree. There are two formats for the dissertation, and it is essential to discuss with your supervisor early in your Ph.D. studies which one is most appropriate for you. The most common format is the cumulative thesis, which consists of three or more papers that you have published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, with you as the first author and your supervisor as the senior author. If these papers are co-authored by multiple individuals, the Ph.D. candidate's specific contributions must be clearly outlined in the dissertation (as per Curriculum §7(4)). The cumulative thesis also includes an overarching introduction that contextualizes the individual papers and a final discussion that integrates and reflects on their combined insights. For more information see §7 of the Curriculum.

The second option is to submit your thesis as a monograph. A monograph is a comprehensive book that reports previously unpublished research and meets the standards required for a Ph.D. The assessment of whether the research meets the standards of a Ph.D. degree will be determined by the reviewers during the evaluation process. A monograph cannot contain papers that are already published.

If artificial intelligence is used, for example to improve the writing style or to generate images, then this has to be indicated in an AI Statement. Details about rules concerning the use of AI.

Several forms required for submitting your dissertation (cover sheet; Declaration of Academic Honesty) can be found on this webpage: https://www.uibk.ac.at/de/studien/phd-sportwissenschaft/2009w/. On the main submission form, you will need to suggest reviewers for your dissertation. Typically, your main supervisor serves as one of the reviewers, while the second reviewer must be an external expert who has not been involved in your projects. Please note that only one individual can serve as both a reviewer and a member of the examination panel, as outlined in the Studienrechtliche Bestimmungen.

Defense

Once your dissertation has been positively evaluated, you can apply for a defense date using the following form: Defense Application Form. The form requires the signatures of your defense committee, which typically consists of your supervisor and two other habilitated experts. Please note that only one member of the committee can also serve as a reviewer of your dissertation.

The defense is a public examination that generally involves a scientific presentation, followed by questions regarding your research, and potentially broader questions related to sports sciences. Your supervisor or committee might specify the duration of your presentation. Immediately after the presentation and Q&A session, the committee will convene to decide on a grade. If the grade is positive, your Ph.D. is complete.

Congratulations! You may now officially call yourself "Doctor of Philosophy."