Reflections on the introduction of new PhD students at the Faculty of Engineering

Abstract

PhD studies are a very individualized and specialized form of university education that requires a lot of solitary work and can be quite challenging in terms of responsibilities. The PhD students in Sweden are generally content with their work tasks and excited about their research environment but they are at same time quite stressed due to factors such as competitiveness and social isolation. This study focuses on how PhD students and PhD supervisors experience the introduction of PhD program at the Faculty of Engineering, Lund University. The results show that the supervisors think it is important to establish good communication early in the research studies and to discuss expectations from both the student and the supervisor. The PhD students were generally pleased with the introduction and the overall work environment. The key outcome concerns the importance of providing an introduction that to some extent is tailored to the needs of the individual student as differing backgrounds require different support.