Doctoral Programme in Environmental Physics, Health and Biology

The degrees of the doctoral programme are Doctor of Philosophy and Licentiate in Philosophy at the following disciplines:

• Applied physics
• Environmental science
• Biology

According to the Universities Act of Finland (558/2009, Chapter 5, Section 37), eligible for studies leading to a doctoral degree shall be a person who has completed an applicable higher university or polytechnic degree, a person who has completed an applicable education abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for corresponding higher education, or a person whom the university judges otherwise to have sufficient knowledge and skills for the studies.

There is no term fee for doctoral education in the University of Eastern Finland.

If you are applying for a doctoral study right in a field of research which has not been the main field of you Master's degree, the faculty may require you to complete supplementary studies to ensure that you are qualified to take part in doctoral studies. Possible supplementary studies are specified when the right to doctoral studies is granted and cannot be included in the doctoral degree.

The most important admission criterion for doctoral studies is consent from the supervisor. Other criteria may include performance in previous studies, a preliminary research plan (including financial plan), and a motivation letter.

In addition to the general eligibility criteria for pursuing doctoral studies, the previous studies required for the doctoral degree programme are as follows by discipline or field of research:

• Aerosol physics / Environmental physics: Relevant previous qualifications are physics, chemistry, technical sciences, environmental science or another relevant field.
• Environmental science: Relevant previous qualifications are environmental science, biology, biosciences, physics, chemistry or another relevant field.
• Biology: Relevant previous qualifications are biology, environmental science, forest science or another relevant field.

The leader group of the programme decides on the qualification of previous studies after consultation with the supervisors in the relevant field of research.

A signed engagement from your supervisors is required as an attachment to the application ( a WebPropol form )

Non-Finnish applicants applying to any of the doctoral programmes in the faculty must demonstrate sufficient proficiency in English when submitting their application. The sufficient proficiency can be demonstrated by providing evidence of any of the following:

• PTE (academic): 62
• TOEFL (iBT): 92
• IELTS (academic):  6.5 (overall)
• C1 Advanced (former CAE): 180
• C2 Proficiency (former CPE): 180

• the applicant has completed all prior studies in English. If the applicant has completed the prior studies in English, he/she must attach to the application a statement from the educational institution indicating that the language of instruction was English; or
• the applicant has completed the English test of the Finnish matriculation examination (IB Diploma or English as A1 language); or
• the applicant has completed primary education in English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States.

OR sufficient English language skills proven by an interview with the UEF main supervisor.

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.

1. Study the instructions, study requirements and guidelines concerning the doctoral programme issued by the university, the faculty and the programme, which can be found on these web pages.

2. Discuss the possibility to pursue doctoral studies with the potential supervisor(s) or with the head of the doctoral programme.

3. Discuss the research topic, doctoral studies and their completion, as well as other supervisors with the future main supervisor. In the Faculty, two or more persons are appointed on application as the supervisor for post graduate studies. Of these, all must hold a doctoral degree and at least one must be a professor, associate professor or assistant professor (Tenure Track) in the Faculty. If a person other than a professor, associate professor or assistant professor (Tenure Track) in the Faculty is proposed as the main supervisor of a doctoral dissertation, their up-to-date list of publications must accompany the application.

You and your supervisors must negotiate and agree on responsibilities and commitment to supervising your research project. The supervisors must give their written consent on the application form. Draw up a preliminary research plan (including the funding plan).  You must indicate in the application the doctoral programme for which you are applying the right to study (EPHB).

4. The prospective doctoral student applies for the right to pursue doctoral studies using an application form at the Studyinfo.fi.

The following documents must be submitted with the application:

• a copy of the basic university degree certificate, and other documents which may affect the granting of a study right,
• a transcript of earlier academic records,
• a preliminary research plan (including the funding plan) approved by the main supervisor,
• a supervisor agreement/supervisors' agreement (form in Finnish/form in English)
• if necessary, a statement from the Committee on Research Ethics and a permission for the use of laboratory animals.

The application must include the written consent of at least two supervisors. At least one of the supervisors must be a professor, or a senior researcher with a docent's qualification, at the University of Eastern Finland. For more information about our supervisors, please see the individual research area pages.

All the required enclosures must be uploaded in the online application at the latest within one month after the online application is submitted.

Registration

After receiving the notification of being admitted to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Eastern Finland, new doctoral students must register as a student in the University's Student Services. The faculty will send the registration form to new doctoral students enclosed with a Letter of Admittance. This form is only used on the first registration; in the following years, registration is done through intranet (WebOodi), by phone, e-mail or personal visit to Student Services. Registration for the next academic year must be completed before 15th September. Please note that in order to maintain your study right you must register to the university each year.

Postgraduate Study Plan

The studies will be specified in a personal study plan, which must be created within three months after receiving the right to study. Create the plan in co-operation with your main supervisor using the doctoral study plan- form.

Doctoral student must submit a personal doctoral study plan to the Faculty Administration Office within 3 months after receiving the study right.

The study plan is written under the supervision of the subject's professor and other supervisors. The plan should include the following information: studies included in the degree and their modes of study along with a preliminary timetable. Also visits abroad are mentioned in the study plan. The meaning of the study plan is to ensure that the courses and the research form a good completeness and that the student is really able to complete the studies and research within four years.