The Higher Education Ordinance stipulates that all doctoral students must have an individual study plan (ISP). At SLU we use a digital system (the ISP-portal) to create and work with the ISP.

What is an ISP and why should I care? The most important document of the doctoral education is the individual study plan (ISP). Here we explain what it is and show you tips on how you as a doctoral student can use it.

Before admitting a new doctoral student, it is the principal supervisor's responsibility to create a preliminary ISP that is reviewed by the faculty before a decision on admission. The preliminary ISP is missing some parts, such as commitments. When the faculty has made a decision on the admission of a new PhD student (that is, you), you and your supervisors have 3 months (from the start of your studies) to finish writing an ISP that applies to year 1. After 3 months at the latest, a final ISP must be approved by the head of department in the ISP portal.

You can read more about the ISP and the ISP-portal at the staff web. If you need help or support in the ISP-portal you can send an e-mail to the ISP portal group at ISP@slu.se. It's always better to ask once too many, and also feel free to ask as soon as you come up with a question or encounter an obstacle so you don't lose time unnecessarily.

Links:

The ISP-portal

A short introductory film on the ISP portal