finland phd

Doctoral admissions

You can search for doctoral programmes on the application portal Studyinfo.fi , or you can contact the universities directly about the doctoral study and research options they offer. Check the application times and procedures, eligibility requirements and other details with the university you are interested in. The following links will take you to each university's Doctoral studies and research info pages.

• Aalto University
• University of Helsinki
• University of Eastern Finland
• University of Jyväskylä
• University of Lapland
• LUT University
• University of Oulu
• Hanken School of Economics
• University of the Arts Helsinki
• Tampere University
• University of Turku
• University of Vaasa
• Åbo Akademi University  

Doctoral / PhD funding opportunities

See the advice on doctoral level scholarships  to learn where you can search for doctoral level research funding. The universities may also offer paid doctoral and post-doc positions, see below.

Academic research positions and jobs

Announcements for doctoral and post-doc researcher positions at Finnish universities can also be found on academic recruitment sites like:

• Jobs in Finland / Academic
• Academicpositions.fi

Early career researcher info & advice

Information, advice and guidelines for early career researchers - compiled by the Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers (FUURT)

Scientific research in Finland

Research.fi is a service offered by the Ministry of Education and Culture where you can learn more about the Finnish science and innovation system and policy, and research conducted in Finland.

• Research.fi

Doctoral programmes

How to apply for doctoral studies.

Find out what is required of applicants and what can our doctoral studies offer!

Aalto Doctoral Programme in Arts, Design and Architecture Aalto Doctoral Programme in Business, Economics and Finance Aalto Doctoral Programme in Chemical Engineering Aalto Doctoral Programme in Electrical Engineering Aalto Doctoral Programme in Engineering Aalto Doctoral Programme in Science

Our doctoral studies

Our doctoral students pursue the degrees of

Doctor of Arts (Art and Design) Doctor of Science (Architecture) Doctor of Science (Economics and Business Administration) Doctor of Science (Technology)

The target study time is four years of full-time studies.

Doctoral curricula (aalto.fi)

Management of doctoral education at Aalto University

Information on how doctoral education is lead and organised and related regultions

Research fields and supervising professors

The research fields of the School of Business are called major subjects.

Research fields and supervising professors at ARTS Majors and supervising professors at BIZ Research fields and supervising professors at CHEM Research fields and supervising professors at ELEC Research fields and supervising professors at ENG Research fields and supervising professors at SCI

Doctoral education services

We support doctoral students, supervising professors, thesis advisors and doctoral programme directors in matters related to doctoral studies.

Doctoral page index

Index of all aalto.fi pages about doctoral education

• Published: 4.5.2018
• Updated: 15.4.2024

Doctoral Programmes

Faculty of built environment.

Doctoral Programme in the Built Environment  (DPBEN)

Faculty of Education and Culture

Doctoral Programme of Education and Society  (DPEDU)

Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences

Doctoral Programme in Engineering and Natural Sciences  (TLTO)

Doctoral Programme in Engineering Sciences  (TTITO)

Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences

Doctoral Programme of Humans and Technologies  (DPHAT)

Doctoral Programme in Media, Communication and Performing Arts  (DPMCP)

Doctoral Programme in Language Studies  (DPLA)

Doctoral Programme of Computing and Electrical Engineering  (DPCEE)

Faculty of Management and Business

Doctoral Programme in Administrative Sciences, Business Studies and Politics  (DPHKP)

Doctoral Programme in Business and Technology Management  (TOTO)

Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology

Doctoral Programme in Medicine, Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering  (DPMBBE)

Faculty of Social Sciences

Doctoral Programme in Literary Studies  (DPLS)

Doctoral Programme in Health Sciences  (DPHS)

Doctoral Programme in History  (DPHI)

Doctoral Programme in Psychology and Logopedics  (DPPL)

Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences  (DPSS)

Doctoral Programme in Medicine  (DPMD)

Doctoral Programme in Philosophy  (DPPH)

International Doctoral Programme in Epidemiology and Public Health  (IPPE)

Additional information on doctoral studies

Structure and duration of doctoral studies.

In addition to the doctoral dissertation, the requirements for a doctoral degree include other studies, which you should plan to support your doctoral research. The structure of the other studies can be found in the curriculum of your doctoral programme.

For full-time doctoral students, the target time of completing the doctoral degree is four years. Part-time students may take longer to complete their degree.

Doctoral dissertation

To earn a doctoral degree, students must complete a dissertation and defend it in a public examination. Students prepare a dissertation to demonstrate their ability to produce original scientific knowledge in the field of their research. Writing the dissertation requires that the student is capable of conducting independent scientific research.

Tampere University Doctoral School

The Doctoral School supports the development of diverse, multidisciplinary and international expertise among doctoral researchers and works to promote employability of our doctoral graduates.

You will be able to select courses that meet your needs over 50 courses that the Doctoral School offers each year. We give Finnish and English-taught courses both online and in a physical classroom environment.

The Doctoral School hosts regular events for doctoral researchers such as Orientation Day and open lectures. You get to meet other doctoral researchers, network and receive peer support.

Our courses and events provide you with the opportunity to gain experience of multidisciplinary and international teamwork while making effective progress towards your degree.

Get to know the Doctoral School

Doctoral studies can be financed in a variety of ways and admittance to a doctoral programme does not guarantee funding. Students are recommended to contact their supervisor before starting their doctoral studies to discuss their funding options. Funding options for doctoral studies are at least the following:

• Employment at the University (either project funding or a separate doctoral education funding)
• Scholarships and grants
• Student financial aid  (if eligible)
• Adult Education Allowance of the Education Fund  (if eligible) (motion to terminate the allowance was submitted to the parliament on 15 February 2024)
• Doctoral education pilot at Tampere University

The Doctoral School of Industry Innovations

The Doctoral School of Industry Innovations (DSII) offers Doctoral Researchers a unique opportunity to undertake dissertation research, gain a thorough understanding of product development, tackle real-world business challenges and expand their professional networks. Tampere University hires a Doctoral Researcher to complete a four-year, company-sponsored dissertation project under the joint supervision of a university professor and a company representative. 

Read more about DSII

Finland Fellowship

Finland Fellowship is a new funding option awarded by Tampere University as part of the national Finland Scholarship programme. Non-EU/EEA applicants to Doctoral programmes are eligible to apply. The Finland Fellowship contributes to the salary paid Tampere University and includes a 2000 EUR arrival allowance. The Finland Fellowship funding is available from 2022 to 2024. It is funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. Positions funded with the Finland Fellowship funding are published as part of open positions at Tampere University.

Read more about working at Tampere Universities

Additional information on applying

Detailed information on applying to a doctoral programme is available in the admission requirements of the programme and our webpage Applying to Doctoral programmes.

Applying to doctoral programmes

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Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) constitute the Tampere Universities community. Our areas of priority in research and education are technology, health and society. Tampere University: +358 (0)294 5211 Tampere University of Applied Sciences : +358 (0)294 5222

• Suomeksi (FI)
• In English (EN)

Applying for Doctoral Studies

The doctoral degree requires approximately four years of full-time studies. The Licentiate degree usually requires two years of full-time studies.

The holders of Master's degree have the possibility to complete the postgraduate degrees of

• Licentiate of Science (Technology)
• Doctor of Science (Technology)
• Licentiate of Science (Economics and Business Administration)
• Doctor of Science (Economics and Business Administration)
• Licentiate of Social Sciences
• Doctor of Social Sciences
• Doctor of Philosophy

Finland Doctoral Fellowships at Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT

Finland Doctoral Fellowship is a four-year (fixed term) full-time Junior Researcher position. Finland Doctoral Fellow will be in an employment relationship with LUT and is paid a monthly salary in accordance with the national salary system of Finnish universities (YPJ system). In addition, Finland Doctoral Fellows who move to Finland from abroad will receive a separate maximum 2000€ arrival grant to be used for travel and moving costs. The arrival grant is paid based on proven costs and is liable to taxation.

Finland Doctoral Fellowships are allocated to the best international doctoral students who have been admitted to the doctoral programmes of LUT in the yearly application rounds. Eligible for the funding are those doctoral students who are not a citizen of an EU/EEA country and who will reside in Finland during the employment. If a doctoral student has a dual citizenship, both must be non-EU/EEA.

All non-EU/EEA doctoral students who are admitted to the doctoral programmes of LUT in the future application round will be taken into consideration. There is no separate application for the fellowships. Decisions about the fellowships will be made based on the criteria of admission to doctoral training. The next and last application round will be organized in autumn 2023 and new Junior Researcher positions will start in spring 2024 at the earliest.

Applying for the Doctoral Study Right

Explore doctoral student open positions, lut doctoral school, doctoral programmes.

Doctoral Programme in Energy Systems

Doctoral Programme in Business and Management

Doctoral Programme in Engineering Science

Preparations for the doctoral conferment ceremony in Joensuu are progressing – the Primus Doctor and the Ultimus Doctor have been selected, and the Light of Learning event promises novel experiences

An international master’s degree programme served as a stepping stone to phd studies, doctoral defence of valeria iannone, msc, 8 may 2024: microbiome treatment could alleviate metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (masld), hasan sohail, msc: doctoral defence in environmental science, kuopio, frontiers in health sciences seminar, sustainability and circular economy morning coffee session.

Find more news and events

Refine your search

Doctoral Programme in Educational Studies

The Doctoral Programme in Educational Studies offers research training for postgraduate students pursuing doctoral degrees in the field of education, home economics and craft science. The research themes of the doctoral degree programme cover education, training, teaching, learning, development and instruction, well-being, learning environments and teacher education, and related social and cultural issues. The Doctoral Programme provides an opportunity for multidisciplinary and multimethodological research in education. The research may also focus on specific issues related to craft science and home economics. The disciplines included in the doctoral programme are adult education, special education, educational science, home economics, craft science and early childhood education. The doctoral programme is also open to doctoral students pursuing a doctorate in mathematics and science if the topic of their doctoral research is related to the research themes of the doctoral programme.

Research areas in the doctoral programme

The supervision of doctoral researchers is connected to the School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, and the fields of Education and Adult Education as well as Special Education at the School of Educational Sciences and Psychology. 

Research areas of the School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Educati…

Research areas of the School of Educational Sciences and Psychology

How to apply?

Please, read carefully the admission criteria and all other available instructions to check up that you are an eligible applicant to the Doctoral Programme in Educational Studies. If you have questions or if you are unsure about your eligibility, contact amanuensis of the Doctoral Programme before submitting your application. Start preparing supervisory arrangements in good time - finding supervisors can take for a long time. You must contact potential supervisors  and discuss your doctoral research ideas and plans with them before submitting the application. Prepare your research plan carefully, it is important part of your application. Prepare also other application documents carefully. Allow enough time to complete and submit the online application form at Studyinfo.fi.

Philosophical Faculty

• Doctor of Philosophy (Education), Licentiate in Philosophy (Education)

Subjects: adult education, special education, educational science, early childhood education, home economics and craft science

• Doctor of Philosophy

Subjects: adult education, educational science, home economics and craft science  

Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology

• Doctor of Philosophy, Licentiate in Philosophy

Subjects: physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science

Admission criteria

Eligible applicants for doctoral studies in the Doctoral Programme in Educational Studies must have completed by the end of the application period

Master's degree with science of adult education, special education/pedagogy, education, early childhood education, home economics or craft science as their major subject or completed advanced studies in any of these subjects or

Master's degree in some other relevant field of study or Master's degree at a university of applied sciences in a relevant field of study

Candidates applying from the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology are expected to have a subject teacher's qualification in physics, chemistry, mathematics or computer science, and the topics of postgraduate studies are related to learning, teaching or teacher education in these subjects.

Applicants must have

completed at least 60 ECTS credits in the major subject or other applicable subject of the doctoral degree

completed advanced studies with the grade "good" or higher

completed Master's thesis or an equivalent final thesis with the grade "good" or higher

sufficient English skills in order to complete the doctoral studies. The applicant can verify her/his English skills with an attachment to the application according to selection criteria

two supervisors, one of which is a professor from the doctoral programme. Supervisor consent form KASVA 

• a research plan of high quality approved by the supervisors

The board of the Doctoral Programme in Educational Studies will assess the quality of the applicant's research plan and its relevance to the research topics of the programme.

Further details on selections criteria, instructions for making application and attachments required can be found in Studyinfo-service.

English language skills

Eligible applicants for doctoral studies must have sufficient English skills in order to complete the doctoral studies. Doctoral students are expected to be able to write scientific texts, participate in teaching, and communicate fluently with university staff in English.

The applicant can verify her/his English skills with an attachment to the application. These attachments must include a degree diploma, transcript of studies and a Diploma Supplement if the applicant has:

English as foreign language included in at least a Bachelor-level degree conducted in a Nordic country (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) or in an EU/EEA country;

At least 20 ECTS university-level studies in the subject of English Studies completed in a Nordic or in an EU/EEA country;

Master's thesis written in English when Master's degree is completed in a Nordic country or in an EU/EEA country;

Bachelor's or Master's degree completed in English language in a Nordic country or in an EU/EEA country or Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States;

Doctoral Degree completed in a Nordic country or in an EU/EEA country or Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States;   

Secondary education and final examination completed in English (for example International Baccalaureate) in a Nordic country or in an EU/EEA country or Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States.  

In other case, the applicant is to prove her/his language skills in English with an English language test:  

TOEFL paper-based: Total score 600 and Writing 4.0;

TOEFL Internet-based and Special Home Edition of TOEFL iBT: Total Score 100 and Writing 22;

IELTS (Academic) on paper, on computer or online: Overall Score 6.5 and Writing 5.5;

PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English), min. 59 points;

C1 Advanced (CAE), pass levels A, B or C / C2 Proficiency (CPE), pass levels A, B, C or level C1 Certificate;

National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI). Skills level 5 or 6 in the reading comprehension, writing and speaking subtests. 

For more information on the tests, please contact the language testing organizations.

Please note that a written statement by the applicant, prospective supervisor, English teacher, etc., is not an adequate proof of the applicant's sufficient English skills.

Research plan

Research proposal for the application, doctoral programme in educational studies.

When applying for doctoral degree studies, a research plan must be enclosed with the application. The student prepares the plan with his/her supervisors, and it must be approved by them. The research plan must cover the entire doctoral dissertation. If the research topic and materials change substantially during the studies, a new plan must be made. If the changes are significant, approval must be sought from the faculty. The research plan is usually drafted in Finnish or English. The maximum length of the research plan is ten pages (A4, single-spaced, Times or Arial 12 pt, 2-3 cm marginals).  

The research plan should apply the following structure: 

Title of the research and the name and contact information of the postgraduate student

Background - a short summary of the theoretical background of the research with necessary sources (including the methodological basis) - a description of earlier research related to the topic  - a description of what remains unknown about the research topic and an explanation of the research's relevance on a national and/or international scale

Aims and research questions - the aims of the research clearly defined and presented  - the research hypotheses or assumptions

Materials and methods - a description of the research methods and materials used, and the grounds for choosing the particular methods - a description of how the data and materials will be handled and used (also after the research has been completed) - a working plan, a plan for different stages of the work

Schedule and funding plans - a description and a schedule for the different stages of the work - the funding plan and funding sources of the research

The ethical aspects of the research - the ethical aspects of the research (e.g. whether the research requires statements from ethics committees or statutory research permits; possible permits should be attached to the research plan) 

Publication plan - the means and mode of publishing and/or presenting the research results

Applications of research results - an estimation of the applications and the social significance of the research results

References - a list of the references cited in the research plan 

The names of the persons and units participating in the research project

Funding doctoral studies

The right to pursue doctoral studies does not include funding or a contract of employment or teaching tasks at the University. However, full-time doctoral students need funding to cover their costs of living and potential research costs (travel costs, research material etc.). Funding options should be discussed with the supervisor already when planning to apply for a doctoral study right and creating a research plan.

Doctoral studies can be funded for example by a scholarship, by working as a researcher in a research project, by working as a doctoral candidate at the University of Eastern Finland (doctoral student position), or by studying part-time while at work. Doctoral students apply for funding themselves.

Read more about funding options of doctoral studies on Kamu Student handbook .

Application period

The application form for the Doctoral Program in Educational Studies on Studyinfo.fi is open during the spring semester from the beginning of January until the last weekday of May, and during the autumn semester from the beginning of August until the last weekday of November. Always check the exact application deadlines from Studyinfo.fi. Applications are processed as needed during the semester, and the granted study right begins in the same semester.  

What is Studyinfo.fi?

Studyinfo.fi is the official national admissions portal with all the up-to-date information about study programmes leading to a degree in Finland.

Apply via Studyinfo

Fill in the online application for the programme at the studyinfo portal, dissertation and studies, requirements for doctoral dissertations, doctoral dissertation at the philosophical faculty  .

An eligible doctoral dissertation may be a monograph or a collection of research articles. A collection of research articles refers to an entity consisting a sufficient number of scientific publications of manuscripts, which examine the same set of problems, and an independently compiled summary based on them. At the Philosophical Faculty the article-based dissertation contains at least three peer-reviewed articles, two of which must have been accepted for publication and the third accepted for the review process. If the publications include collaborative works, the doctoral candidate must attest to his/her independent contribution either in the summary or in a separate appendix. The doctoral candidate must be the first author (responsible author) of at least three articles. A collaborative publication may be included in no more than two person's licentiate theses or doctoral dissertations.  

Requirements and evaluation of a Doctoral Dissertation at the Philosophical Faculty .

Studies and degree structure

The studies leading to the doctoral degree available in the doctoral programme in Educational studies comprise the doctoral dissertation, as well as doctoral studies of 50 ECTS.

• transferable skills studies (10-15 ECTS) contain philosophy of science and ethics, scientific writing skills and academic and other working life skills
• studies in the discipline and field of research (35-40 ECTS) contain research methods, research seminars and other discipline-specific postgraduate studies.  

Detailed information of the degree structure and study requirements in UEF Study Guide in Peppi .

Amanuensis Kaisu Kortelainen will answer queries concerning the Doctoral Programme in Educational Studies and postgraduate studies at the Philosophical Faculty, [email protected].

Further information about guidance and supervision in doctoral studies .

Instructions and forms for doctoral studies

You can find information for different phases in the doctoral education on Kamu Student handbook :

• Doctoral education at the University of Eastern Finland
• Starting doctoral education
• Doctoral curriculum and study requirements
• Internationalisation in doctoral education
• Guidance and support in doctoral education
• Support for doctoral research
• Funding of doctoral education
• Wellbeing of doctoral researcher
• Permission for public examination and pre-examination of doctoral dissertation
• Publishing of doctoral dissertation

News and events

Dissertation press releases in educational studies, finding one’s strengths and networks is crucial in tomorrow’s world of work, a memorable research exchange in finland, university of eastern finland and university of namibia expand collaboration to social sciences, enhancing thai teachers’ media skills in digital learning environments, learning analytics can provide meaningful data on learning and teaching, improving teacher education in palestine.

All dissertations

Upcoming examinations in Educational Studies

All examinations

Further information on the doctoral programme

Kaisu Kortelainen

Academic affairs specialist.

Student and Learning Services, University Services

kaisu.​kortelainen​@uef.fi

+358505623565

Markku Niemivirta

School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, Philosophical Faculty

markku.​niemivirta​@uef.fi

+358505189827

Jaana Viljaranta

School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Philosophical Faculty

jaana.​viljaranta​@uef.fi

+358503256093

Doctoral Programme Brain & Mind

The doctoral programme offers high-quality doctoral training in the following fields of science: developmental neuroscience, synaptic transmission and neuronal networks, disorders of the nervous system, sensory and motor systems, neuroimmunology, neuroendocrine systems and sleep, cognition and behavior, and systems and computational neuroscience.

More than 20 new doctoral students are admitted each year. We're an international community, and the programme is multilingual: all teaching is in English and the everyday communication in research is in English. However, you can complete a degree in either Finnish, Swedish or English.

Want to know more? Visit our profile & activities page to learn more about the key research areas and activities in the programme.