TY - JOUR AB - Doctoral education is a critical mission of higher education institutions (HEIs), and supervisors of PhD students have a prominent role in the process. The relevance of their role in a successful PhD experience and outcome raises an important question: how are PhD supervisors trained for their roles in the doctoral education process? In this work, we aimed to identify the formal training components in the syllabi of PhD supervision courses in Swedish HEIs. Accordingly, we used a mixed methods approach to thematic analysis to uncover themes in the publicly available syllabi of PhD supervisor courses followed by a quantification of the themes’ appearance per syllabi. Swedish higher education constitutes an ideal context for this study as most universities in Sweden require their faculty members to undertake a supervisory course before starting their supervisory activities. Our analysis showed that reflective practices, inclusive supervision, and the formal guidelines and processes of doctoral education were among the preeminent themes in PhD supervision courses. In conclusion, this study reveals the critical elements of PhD supervision courses in the Swedish HEI context and contributes to knowledge about the formal training of PhD supervisors by universities; therefore, it can potentially inform changes in the frameworks and practical design of such courses worldwide. AU - Karampelias, C. AU - Stigmar, M.* AU - Auer, N.* C1 - 71066 C2 - 55857 CY - 2-4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon Ox14 4rn, Oxon, England TI - Behind the scenes of doctoral success: A mixed methods approach to exploring PhD supervision courses in Swedish higher education institutions. JO - Stud. High. Educ. PB - Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd PY - 2024 SN - 0307-5079 ER -