How to apply to doctoral studies?

A person who wishes to pursue doctoral studies should first contact the coordinating professor and discuss his/hers research topic, personal study plan and study modules to be completed and possible supervisors. It is important to know that a student has to cover his/hers owns costs while studying and look for different sources of financing so financing should be taken in consideration in planning.

After consultation the applicant should fill out the application form for doctoral studies. The research plan, personal study plan, certified copies of the degree certificate and other certificates as well as other relevant documents should be enclosed to the application.

There are the following deadlines for applications in 2011-2012:

a) 30.4.2012 at 15.00 o'clock (GMT+2h)

• Health and Human Services Informatics
• Health Economics
• Health Management Sciences
• Social Management Sciences
• Entrepreneurship

b) 31.10.2011 and 30.4.2012 at 15.00 o'clock (GMT+2h)

• innovation management
• service management
• accounting and finance
• business and law

c) 30.9.2011, 31.1.2012 and 30.4.2012 at 15.00 o'clock (GMT +2h)

• administrative law
• civil law
• criminology
• criminal law and juridical procedure
• environmental law
• financial law
• European law
• philosophy
• law and economics and legislative studies
• constitutional law

d) Continuous applying
• other doctoral programmes at the faculty

The coordinating professor or the evaluation/postgraduate committee of the department examines the application and consults the applicant if necessary. After that the dean will decide on the admission. The applicant will be informed on the decision in writing.

Before applying, please, check also general instructions from university's postgraduate studies -webpages.

Admission criteria

All the applications will be evaluated on a basis of the following criteria:
• quality of research plan: innovativeness of the research topic; realism, clarity and implementation of the research plan
• scientific and practical significance of the research topic
• evidence of previous research work: work as a researcher, research funding gained
• success in master studies or corresponding studies
• international orientation and language proficiency required for the doctoral studies

In the following subject also the minimum grade cum laude approbatur (grade good) of the Master's thesis or the corresponding study performance is required: history, Finnish history, innovation management, service management, accounting and finance, business and law.

In economics it is expected that an applicant has during late five years completed master level study modules in microeconomics and macroeconomics with the grade “good”. Otherwise the applicant should prove that he/she has the required skills in a separate exam.

The research plan should contain
• starting points and theoretical basis of the research, previous research
• aims of the research, research tasks and questions
• research methods and data, administration of data
• working plan, working plan for part of the tasks
• schedule and funding plan
• publication plan
• evaluation of opportunities to exploit the results of the research, societal significance of the research results

The extent of the plan is about 10 pages.

The personal study plan should include the study modules (courses, exams, book exams, seminars) and other study performances (e.g. publications, teaching) which the applicant is going to complete as well as time table.

Supplementary studies
In case a new student has completed the master’s degree in another than the field of study, he/she may be required to take supplementary studies in addition to studies belonging to the doctor’s degree. The supplementary studies will be defined in a personal study plan but they are not included in the degree.

Registration to the university

After a new student has received a formal letter of acceptance he/ he should register to the university according to the instructions by the university. To the instructions >>