Career opportunities
With a PhD degree, you possess advanced analytical skills, deep subject-matter expertise, and strong competences in managing complex, research-based tasks. These capabilities qualify you for demanding roles both within and beyond academia that require critical thinking, methodological precision, independent complex problem-solving, and clear communication of complex insights.
The demand for highly qualified researchers continues to grow across all sectors. Universities, higher education institutions, and sector research institutes increasingly require a PhD degree for academic and knowledge-intensive positions.
In the healthcare sector, senior and managerial roles are more frequently being filled by candidates with doctoral qualifications, reflecting the sector’s rising emphasis on evidence-based leadership.
PhD graduates are also in high demand in the private sector, where they contribute to innovation, research and development, and advanced analytical work across a broad range of industries.
A PhD, thus, provides graduates with strong career prospects, both within and beyond academia, and equips them to meet society’s increasing need for specialised research competences.
PhD graduates from UCPH find employment in a wide variety of public and private sector organisations.
The University of Copenhagen has conducted an employment analysis of its PhD graduates, which details where the PhD's are employed. The latest study is available below:
Career services for early career researchers
As a PhD or postdoctoral researcher, you are responsible for shaping your own career; but you do not have to navigate the process alone. The University of Copenhagen is committed to supporting your development by providing tailored tools, guidance and opportunities that enable you to take confident steps toward your future, whether your ambitions lie within academia or beyond.
