Working at Roskilde University

Employee of the Danish State

Working at any university in Denmark entails becoming an employee of the Danish state. A myriad of rules and regulations govern the terms of employment, which may appear intricate and bureaucratic to outsiders. Nonetheless, the benefit lies in the structured framework designed to uphold transparency, equality, and fairness within the Danish state employment. Below, you'll find general information regarding your employment, as well as the foundational rules and regulations upon which these terms are based.

Academic positions 

Academic positions at universities in Denmark are categorized as follows:

Full Professorship: 

This is a tenured role encompassing research, including publication and academic dissemination responsibilities, along with research-based teaching and associated examination duties. Additionally, there may be a requirement to share knowledge with society, including engagement in public discourse. Professors might also be tasked with research management, providing guidance to assistant professors, and participating in academic evaluations. The university determines the specific balance between these responsibilities.

Associate Professorship: 

This is a tenured role primarily focused on research, including publication and academic dissemination duties, as well as research-based teaching with associated examination responsibilities. Similar to full professorships, there may be an expectation to share knowledge with society, including involvement in public debates. Associate professors may also be involved in research management, mentoring assistant professors, and participating in academic activities. - Assistant Professorship: This is a 3-4 year position aimed at furthering education, comprising research duties, including publication and academic dissemination, as well as research-based teaching with associated examination responsibilities. There is also an expectation to share knowledge with society. The university establishes the specific balance of these responsibilities, which may evolve over time, but must ensure that the assistant professor can enhance their qualifications in relevant areas, typically research and teaching. Guidance and support are provided to improve pedagogical skills, leading to a formal assessment of teaching qualifications. In certain cases, the assistant professorship may include the opportunity for tenure track.

Assistant Professorship: 

This is a 3-4 year position aimed at furthering education, comprising research duties, including publication and academic dissemination, as well as research-based teaching with associated examination responsibilities. There is also an expectation to share knowledge with society. The university establishes the specific balance of these responsibilities, which may evolve over time, but must ensure that the assistant professor can enhance their qualifications in relevant areas, typically research and teaching. Guidance and support are provided to improve pedagogical skills, leading to a formal assessment of teaching qualifications. In certain cases, the assistant professorship may include the opportunity for tenure track.

Postdoc: 

This is a fixed-term academic position primarily focused on research, with some teaching obligations and limited additional duties as determined by the university. The distribution of responsibilities is determined by the university. However, there is no specific focus on enhancing pedagogical skills, which means that this role alone may not qualify for appointment as an associate professor.

All applications for academic positions undergo evaluation by an appointed assessment committee, comprising 3-5 members. This committee includes an internal chairman and 2-4 external members, all of whom must hold the rank of associate professor or professor and be endorsed by the Academic Council. The committee evaluates candidates as either qualified or not qualified, with the final decision to offer a position to a qualified candidate resting with the Appointment Committee.

To gain a better understanding of academic positions and their requisite qualifications, please refer to The Job Structure for Academic Staff.

For insights into the assessment and appointment processes for academic staff, please consult The Appointment Order.

PhD Fellowships

In Danish universities, a PhD Fellowship represents a three-year fixed-term educational position. Those awarded these fellowships are contracted and receive a salary according to the collective agreement that governs staff with university degrees in the public sector. As such, PhD Fellows are considered members of the faculty staff.

Similar to other faculty positions, applicants are evaluated by an assessment committee consisting of two internal members.
Prior to receiving a contract offer, successful applicants must gain acceptance into one of Roskilde University's four PhD schools. The minimum qualification for entry is a master's degree equivalent to a Danish Master's degree (i.e., a Bachelor's degree plus two years of Master's studies, totaling 160 ECTS, in accordance with the Bologna Process). Foreign diplomas undergo assessment before candidates can be admitted into the PhD program and employed under a contract.

For more information on the assessment of foreign degrees, you can refer to the website of the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

To explore further details about becoming a PhD scholar at Roskilde University, visit our website on PhD Programmes.
 

Teaching portfolio

Please be aware that if you are applying for a position that involves teaching, you need to include a teaching portfolio with your application.

Guide: How to prepare a teaching portfolio and information about how your portfolio will be used during the recruitment process
 

Co-author Statement

If you need to make a co-author statement, you can use the template below:

Co-author Statement (pdf)
 

Faculty Expectations

Faculty Expectations is a tool that makes mutual expectations explicit for academic staff at the University. Faculty Expectations defines an ideal for academic staff member at the University. Read more about Faculty Expectations here (PDF).
 

Job on special terms

If you have questions about being employed on special terms, please write to recruitment@ruc.dk