Docent at Karolinska Institutet
The title of "Docent" is well known nationally and has long been a recognized expression of scientific and pedagogical competence. The title provides by tradition 'venia docendi', that is 'the right to teach' and supervise at all levels at universities and university colleges, as well as to evaluate research and education.
A docent at KI must have a doctoral degree and in addition considerably broadened and deepened her/his research and teaching expertise, as well as her/his leadership, development and collaboration skills. Furthermore, broad and deep knowledge and understanding within the subject area is required. The subject of the docent title should reflect the main scientific and pedagogical direction, and be named in accordance with the Swedish standard for classifying research subjects. Please note that there is a new classifcation valid as of 2025, see: Swedish standard for classifying research subjects (only available in Swedish).
Both rights and duties
A docent should have a clear connection to and be of benefit to KI by conducting both teaching and research. The docent title thus gives the holder legitimacy and is an important driving force as an academic merit. A docent is also expected to take on other assignments, such as educational assignments, supervision, member of thesis committees, expert assignments, assignments as faculty opponent, administrative assignments, and collaboration with the surrounding society.
An accepted docent with ongoing employment at KI receives a salary increase of SEK 3,300. The department handles the administration.
Regulations
Qualification requirements and assessment grounds are established in Rules for docent at Karolinska Institutet (Ref. no. 1-1016/2019). Eligible to be accepted as a docent, is anyone who, in addition to a doctoral degree or equivalent, is regionally established and has achieved certain international recognition in her/his field of study. A more detailed description is provided in the instructions Ref. no 2-2632/2020, among other things, how the application is to be formulated and how the assessment of applicants shall be done.
See the rules for docent and the instuctions here: Rules for docent at Karolinska Institutet and Instuctions for rules for docent.
A revision of the rules for docent and instruction for the rules for docent has been initiated and is planned to be completed in the fall of 2025.
Pedagogical courses
To be eligible for docent at KI you need a minimum of five weeks of professional training in higher education teaching, with learning objectives in accordance with recommendations for teaching qualifications required for employment as academic teacher by the Association of Swedish Higher Education. Certification is required in order to have pedagogical courses approved.
The Unit for Teaching and Learning is the Karolinska Institute’s educational development unit arrange free courses for teaching staff and employees at Karolinska Institutet within the fields of pedagogics and computer-supported learning. Many of these courses constitute qualifications when applying for docent.
Information about courses offered can be found here: Higher Education courses
Docent Committee
The Docent Committee assesses the docent applications. The most important role of the Docent Committee is to assess whether newly received docent applications are sufficient to be sent for expert review and to make a final assessment of applications once experts have given their review.
The Docent Committee decides whether applications are approved or rejected. There is no formal right to appeal the committee’s decisions.
Application process
The average processing time, from receipt of the application until a decision on the docent is made, is six to eight months. The Docent Committee reviews applications in the order in which they are received.
At an initial meeting, the Docent Committee conducts a general assessment of the applicant's application, and decides to either appoint experts and send the application to assessment by two experts, to defer the application for a request for minor supplements (within 2 months), or to reject the application.
When statements of opinion have been received from both experts, the matter is taken up at a second meeting and the Docent Committee then decides to either admit the applicant as a docent, to defer the application for a special supplementation or to reject the application.
Apply for docent
The docent application is sent by e-mail to docentur@ki.se as per below and with attachments (files) numbered in the following order.
For specifik instructions on how to write the documents see the instuctions here: Instructions for Regulations for docent.
Information regarding application of docent as of 1st of August 2025.
The President has on 10th of December 2024 decided on a new qualification portfolio for teachers and researchers at KI. The new qualification portfolio is valid as of 1st of January 2025. However, when applying for docent there is a transition period until 1st of August 2025 and when applying for docent you shall, before, 1st of August 2025, use the previous version of the qualification portfolio. A revision of the rules for docent and instruction for the rules for docent has been initiated and the new qualification portfolio shall not be used until new guidelines had been decided.
A form for the application shall be prepared according to a special template.
Dowload the template here: Form for application for docent
The application shall include a a qualifaction portfolio presented in accordance with KI’s template and follow the special instructions. All heading in the template must be present and intact even when the applicant does not have qualifications to present under a specifik heading. The clinical portfolio can be included for applicants with clinical qualifications, but does not constitute a basis for the assessment.
The President has on 10th of December 2024 decided on a new qualification portfolio for teachers and researchers at KI. The new qualification portfolio is valid as of 1st of January 2025. However, when applying for docent there is a transition period until 1st of August 2025 and when applying for docent you shall, until 1st of August 2025, use the previous version of the qualification portfolio. A revision of the rules for docent and instruction for the rules for docent has been initiated and the new qualification portfolio cannot be used until new guidelines had been decided.
If you are planning to apply for docent before 1st of august 2025 you should use this version of the qualification portfolio: Qulifications portfolio until 31 of July. Dowload the instuctions here: Instuctions.
If you are planning to apply for docent as of 1 of august 2025 you should use this version of the qualification portfolio: Qualifications portfolio as of 1st of August 2025.
For more information about the qulification portfolio see: Qualifications portfolio for teachers and researchers.
An independence biography shall be included and must be prepared according to a separate template, where the applicant must briefly describe his or her independence in teaching and research.
Download the template here: Independence biography.
The head of department shall describe the benefit for teaching and research at KI that the docent in question is expected to entail. In addition, the head of department shall propose the docents’s subject designation, according to the Swedish standard for classifying research subjects. The applicant’s independence shall be separately described and confirmed. The head of department shall provide suggestions on two experts, an internal and an external expert according to Instructions for Rules for docent.
A teaching table according to a a special template in Excel format shall be included.
Download the teaching table here: Teaching table.
Certification from a course coordinator or the equivalent is required for the teaching hours that are presented in the teaching table. The certifications must be numbered and reference to serial numbers must be provided in the teaching table.
Include a certification of training in teaching and learning in higher education. The course certificate must indicate the course’s intended learning outcomes, or be appended.
Certification or a screen dump from Ladok where doctoral student leadership is shown can be included and can be obtained from the department’s doctoral studies administrator.
Accepted, but not yet published articles can be included but must be confirmed with a copy of a letter of acceptance. The manuscript must be attached to the application.
Transfer of docent
Applicants, who are docents at another Swedish university and would like to have the docent transferred, must also fulfil KI’s criteria for docent in order for a transfer to be approved. The assessment of applications is done by the Docent Committee based on KI’s regulations and instructions without assessment by experts. Downoald the form for transfer here: form for transfer of docent.
Contact
Documents - instuctions and templates
Qualifications portfolios
More information for logged in staff
There is more information for those of you working in the following groups
- C8.Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics