BEEGS doctoral students receive a salary, office space and other benefits for a period of four years.

During their employment, doctoral students write their theses, take courses and participate in seminars and conferences. Normally they also work part-time as teaching assistants in undergraduate programmes at Södertörn University.

Doctoral students at BEEGS spend their first two years at BEEGS in a multidisciplinary environment with area specialists and attend academic seminars. During this time, they participate in BEEGS’s Baltic and East European 5-credit doctoral course and, in addition, take a 5-credit course in University Pedagogy. They also participate in an annual internal conference specifically designed for junior scholars to present their ongoing research, and take part in some of the special seminars held at BEEGS. During this period, BEEGS is responsible for all the administrative support to the doctoral students.

Parallel to these activities at BEEGS, doctoral students also take postgraduate courses within their own disciplines and begin to work on their theses in cooperation with their supervisors. The supervisors may be employed at Södertörn University or at another university.

During their last year, doctoral students spend most of their time at the department or school at Södertörn University that hosts their discipline. This may be, for example, Political Science, Ethnology, History, Sociology, Literature, or Business Administration. Although they continue to participate in activities, postgraduate courses, seminars etc. arranged by BEEGS.

It should be noted that during their studies, the doctoral students are enrolled at other Swedish universities. This is because Södertörn University does not have the right, as yet, to confer doctorates.