The issue we set out to explore is how work-integrated learning (WIL) can enhance PhD-education. We argue that the inclusion of WIL will enable a more enriched PhD education where better interaction between the competencies needed in the workforce and real-life working problems will emerge that will feed into creating sustainable solutions for both the educational environment and the practice field. The inclusion of WIL in PhD education can also enable a better transition for PhD students after completion of their PhD to their next step in life and a better impact of research from PhD projects on the practice context. The research consisted of a rapid review (Klerings et al., 2023), and the included articles were analysed. The rapid review findings were also reflected on PhD education at the University West in Sweden and the University of the Free State in South Africa. The two universities are interesting as cases, as University West has a prominent profile of work-integrated learning, and the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein does not. The two case universities represent cities with the same level of higher education in the population (25-27%). However, higher education is much more common in the general population in Sweden than in South Africa.The results show a lack of research concerning WIL in PhD-education. Formal requirements and expectations for PhD education vary depending on context and scientific topic, which may affect how and to what level WIL is included in PhD education, as well as the options for the PhD student's career after completion. Frameworks developed for undergraduate education were used to explore WIL options in Ph.D. Opportunities of WIL and how WIL can be included in PhD education differ depending on context. In South Africa, PhD students often work fulltime while doing a PhD part-time, continually pursuing a PhD because of a personal dream rather than for career advancement. Helping these PhD students understand the value of a PhD for their careers and society can open them to different and novel career paths. In Sweden, PhD students often study full-time and must find new job positions after completing their PhD. To address these issues, exploring how WIL can be integrated into PhD education is essential. The findings are relevant for Theme 4: Work-integrated learning as a field of study, as it applies how work-integrated learning can be contextualised in PhD education and provide opportunities for pedagogical and curriculum innovation