Doctoral students in Media and Communication Studies

Ref no: ORU 2.1.1-02600/2026

Örebro University is looking for two doctoral students for the doctoral programme in Media and Communication Studies at the School of Humanities, Education & Social Sciences starting Autumn 2026.

Research areas in the subject area

The research subject has three sub-groups representing different themes: Discourse, Communication and Media (DCM), Moving Images and Screen Cultures (MISC), and Strategic Communication (SCOM). Research in the sub-groups comprises a variety of areas that have a common interest in cross-disciplinary and critical approaches. By applying a multitude of theories and methods, different types of communicative and mediated practices and phenomena are explored both in local and global contexts. Forms and conditions of mediated communication and their impact on societal changes are central issues of investigation. The subject consists of an international group of researchers and doctoral students from different parts of the world which enrichens our perspectives and approaches. Collaborations with other researchers and milieus are integral parts of the subject’s research work, as well as collaborations with organizations and institutions outside of academia. 

More information can be found here: https://www.oru.se/english/research/research-subjects/media-and-communication-studies/

Prioritised research areas for the application

The applicants’ planned doctoral projects must connect to one of the prioritised research areas identified below. It is therefore of central importance that the project presentation, which should be attached to the application, clearly addresses how the planned doctoral research project will be able to contribute to developing any one of the following areas:

DCM: Food and Health

This field explores how food, health, and sustainability are communicated on digital platforms. Studies should focus on current social media trends or examine popular health apps, analyzing how ideas and norms around food and lifestyles are constructed in these contexts. Projects should relate to one of the following themes: commodification of health; nationalism and health/sustainability; the construction and use of scientific expertise; the medicalization of food.

MISC: The Use of Audiovisual Media in Philosophy, Theory, and Science

This area examines how audiovisual media can be used by philosophers, theorists, scientists and other scholars in the production of new thought and knowledge. Doctoral projects should relate to themes such as the role of media in the production of philosophy; scholarly video essays; audiovisual media as tools to create new knowledge in the natural sciences; the role of the human body in scholarly/scientific use of media; transmedia aspects of scholarly work. 

SCOM: Public Strategic Communication in Times of Risk and Change

This area examines how strategic communication is practiced within public sector organizations in a democratic and digital society. The doctoral project should relate to one or more of the following themes: how public strategic communication is evolving (e.g., new organizational forms, changing professional roles, and the influence of mediatization and digitalization); how strategic communication operates in contexts characterized by uncertainty and complex risks; and how expert knowledge is communicated, gains legitimacy, and is contested (particularly in relation to health risks, environmental challenges, and value conflicts).

The programme and the doctoral studentship

The doctoral programme comprises 240 credits and consists of courses and an independent research project that you will present in a doctoral thesis. The programme corresponds to four years of full-time study and concludes with a doctoral degree.

After admission, you will be assigned a main supervisor and one co-supervisor.

Our ambition is for your doctoral studies to be stimulating and purposeful throughout the programme until you have obtained your doctoral degree. A thorough introduction will therefore get you off to a good start and provide a solid foundation on which you can build your studies. As a doctoral student at Örebro University, you will be offered a specially tailored seminar series, covering matters ranging from doctoral programme rules and careers to support during the study period and networking.

The place on the programme is linked to a full-time doctoral studentship for the duration of the study programme. In addition, you may be expected to teach or do administrative tasks corresponding to no more than 20% of full-time. Such assignments will mean that your total doctoral programme time of four years is extended accordingly.

More information on doctoral studentships, part-time studies and part-time doctoral studentships can be found in the Regulations Handbook. The initial salary for a doctoral studentship is SEK 32 300 a month.

Entry requirements and selection criteria

For admission to doctoral studies, applicants are required to meet both general entry requirements and specific entry requirements. In addition, applicants must be considered in other respects to have the ability required to benefit from the programme. For a full account of the entry requirements, refer to the admissions regulations as well as to Annex 2 to the general syllabus for Media and Communication Studies.

A person meets the general entry requirements for doctoral studies if he or she

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification,
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

Applicants meet the specific entry requirements for doctoral studies in Media & Communication Studies if they have received a passing grade in courses of at least 120 credits, including an independent project at both the bachelor’s and master’s level, in Media and Communication Studies or in an equivalent main field of study. A person who has acquired substantially corresponding knowledge, in Sweden or abroad, also meets the specific entry requirements.

The following selection criteria will be applied as the applicants’ are prioritised:

• The independent project’s/thesis’ scientific quality.
• Grades at bachelor’s and master’s level.
• The project presentation’s scientific quality, feasibility and connection to one of the research areas: food and health, use of audiovisual media, and public strategic communication in times of risk and change.
• The applicant’s ability to conduct doctoral studies in Media and Communication Studies’ research milieu at Campus Örebro and willingness to actively engage in activities.

Information

For more information about the programme and the doctoral studentship, please contact subject coordinator Åsa Kroon (asa.kroon@oru.se) or head of unit Johanna Stenersen (johanna.stenersen@oru.se).

At Örebro University, we expect each member of staff to be open to development and change; take responsibility for their work and performance; demonstrate a keen interest in collaboration and contribute to development; as well as to show respect for others by adopting a constructive and professional approach.

Örebro University actively pursues equal opportunities and gender equality as well as a work environment characterised by openness, trust and respect. We value the qualities that diversity adds to our operations.

Application to the programme and for the doctoral studentship

The application is made online. Click the button “Apply” to begin the application procedure.

For the application to be complete, the following electronic documents must be included:

• CV
• Copies of the original certificate and official transcript for bachelor's degree
• Copies of the original certificate and official transcript for master's degree
• Independent project (degree project)
• Other relevant documents, course and degree certificates verifying eligibility
• Project description – detailing the topic and aim, research questions and outline, scientific relevance, theory, and method as well as material (5-10 pages). The project description must have a clear connection to one of the prioritised research areas and themes mentioned above

As a main rule, application documents and attachments are to be written in Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, or English. Certificates and documents in other languages verifying your qualifications and experience must be translated by an authorised translator to Swedish or English. A list of authorised translators can be obtained from Kammarkollegiet (the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency), www.kammarkollegiet.se/engelska/start.

When you apply for admission, you automatically also apply for a doctoral studentship.

More information for applicants will be found on our career site: https://www.oru.se/english/career/available-positions/applicants-and-external-experts/

The application deadline is 2026-08-03. We look forward to receiving your application!

As we have already made our choices in terms of external collaboration partners and marketing efforts for this recruitment process, we decline any contact with recruitment agencies and advertisers.

As directed by the National Archives of Sweden (Riksarkivet), we are required to deposit one file copy of the application documents, excluding publications, for a period of two years after the appointment decision has gained legal force.