Call for Applications for Doctoral Researcher Positions at the University of Turku Graduate School, KEVEKO and OPPI Doctoral Programmes (May 2024)
In this call for applications, you can apply for the right to study for a doctoral degree in the Faculty of Education of the University of Turku Doctoral Programme on Educational Policy, Lifelong Learning and Comparative Education Research (KEVEKO) and Doctoral Programme on Learning, Teaching and Learning Environments Research (OPPI).
Please read more specific instructions below and apply on 15 May 2024 at the latest.
During the application period 1 May – 15 May 2024 (at 3 pm local time in Finland), you can apply for the right to study for a doctoral degree in the Faculty of Education of the University of Turku from 1 August 2024 onwards.
- You are required to have completed a relevant Master’s degree awarded by a university or a university of applied sciences, or a relevant study programme abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for the corresponding level of higher education (Universities Act 558/2009, 37§). The degree that gives eligibility for admission must be completed by the end of the application period.
- You must fulfil the University of Turku language skill requirements.
- Your previous studies must include sufficient amount of studies in educational sciences or in other fields relevant to the doctoral programme. The adequacy of former studies in educational sciences or the suitability of previous studies will be assessed by the doctoral programme's Steering Committee when evaluating applications.
- The grade of the Master’s degree thesis must be at least 3 (on a scale of 1-5) or cum laude approbatur [1]. This requirement does not apply to those with a foreign higher university degree.
- In your application, you must provide a supervisor (Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor or Docent) who has approved your research plan and agreed to be your first supervisor. If the first supervisor is not employed by the Faculty of Education’s departments, you must identify a second supervisor employed by the Faculty departments for your research. If you do not provide a supervisor(s) who meets the Faculty’s supervisor requirements for your research in your application, your application will be rejected and will not be reviewed by the Steering Committee of the doctoral programme.
[1] It is also possible to apply for postgraduate studies with a lower grade, if the applicant presents sufficient scientific evidence. A peer-reviewed article with a publishing channel (journal, series or publisher) of at least level 1 in the publication channel rating (JUFO) and where the applicant is listed as the first author can be considered sufficient scientific evidence.
The right to study for a doctoral degree is applied for by filling in an electronic form in Studyinfo.fi service and attaching the required additional documents. The form will be accessible as the application period begins on 1 May 2024 and closes at 3 pm (local time in Finland) on 15 May 2024.
Applicants may only apply to one doctoral programme at the University of Turku during this application round. You can have one valid study right at a time for a doctoral degree at the University of Turku.
Applications that arrive after the application period has ended will not be processed. The application documents will not be returned to the sender.
Attachments to the application
1. Research plan
Write your research plan carefully according to the guidelines of the Doctoral Programme. The research plan should not exceed 12 pages (including all tables and references).
Research plan guidelines KEVEKO
The research plan should follow the guidelines for the responsible conduct of research (see Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) | Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK). The research plans can be checked with the Turnitin OriginalityCheck plagiarism detection software. If the applicant uses artificial intelligence (AI) to develop the research plan, they must report on how it has been used.
2. Curriculum Vitae (in Finnish or in English)
Instructions by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK) for writing a CV.
A list of publications is required to be included in the CV.
3. Motivation letter
A motivation letter is a one-page-long freeform document, in which you are expected to describe your motivation in pursuing doctoral studies and in conducting research.
4. Degree certificates and transcripts of study records
a) If you have completed your former degree(s) that make you eligible for doctoral studies at a higher education institution in Finland, you must attach your scanned original degree certificates, transcripts of study records and other educational documents which may be of relevance in the selection to the electronic application form.
b) If you have completed your former degree(s) that make you eligible for doctoral studies at a higher education institution abroad (i.e. outside of Finland), you must attach the following items to the electronic application form:
- scanned original degree certificates (in the language that the degree was completed in)
- scanned original transcripts of study records (in the language that the degree was completed in)
- scanned other original educational documents which may be of relevance in the student selection and that you are applying based on.
If the original degree certificates or transcripts of study records are not written in English, Finnish or Swedish, official translations to one of these languages must also be submitted. An official translation here refers to a translation of the educational documents issued by the awarding institution and a translation made by an authorised translator. A transcript in English can be replaced by a Diploma Supplement (DS) awarded by a European educational institution, provided that it contains the information about completed courses and other study attainments.
Please make sure that all attachments are good-quality, easy to read, full colour scans or photographs of the complete required document. Attachments that do not meet these requirements may be rejected.
5. Verification of language proficiency
The University of Turku follows the Rector’s decision on the means of verifying one’s language proficiency. See the language requirements on the webpage of the university’s graduate school.
If you are required to prove your language proficiency with a language test, a scanned certificate of a completed language test must be attached to the application.
6. Copy of a valid passport
Attach a copy of your valid passport or official identification card with photo and information on citizenship. If you have a Finnish personal identity code and you have entered it on the application form, you do not need to attach a copy of your passport.
7. Reasons for transferring from another doctoral programme
If you have a right to study for a doctoral degree at another university or in another doctoral programme at the University of Turku, and you wish to transfer to a KEVEKO or OPPI doctoral programme, you must provide reasons for transferring to a doctoral programme in your application. If you intend to use research materials collected during the previous supervision relationship in the dissertation, you must submit a confirmation that you have the right to use the materials.
Applications are reviewed by the Steering Committee of the doctoral programme. A supervisor's statement on the application will be requested for all applications (the supervisor submits the statement directly to the Coordinator of the doctoral programme). Applications may also be sent for evaluation to reviewers.
Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria and selection criteria for doctoral studies at the Faculty of Education.
The evaluation of applications will pay particular attention to the quality and feasibility of the research plan:
- The theoretical level of the research plan; knowledge of the theoretical background and its relevance to the research task.
- Methodological feasibility of the study; precision and description of the methods in relation to the research task
- Consideration of research ethical issues in the research design
- Innovation, novelty, scientific and practical impact of the research
- Feasibility of the study; realistic time schedule, plan for resourcing and funding of the studies
- Clarity of the research plan; the research plan should represent good scientific writing
In addition, the applicant's previous academic achievements, possible research experience and motivation to complete a doctoral degree may be taken into account in the assessment of applications. The applicant's research topic should fit the profile of the doctoral programme.
The Dean / Vice Dean decides on granting the right to study for a doctoral degree based on the proposal of the Steering Committee of the doctoral programme.
The admission decisions are made by 12 June 2024 at the latest. All applicants will be personally informed about the decision.
An admitted applicant has to notify the University of Turku of their acceptance of the study place by 3:00 pm (Finnish time) on 19 June 2024 according to the instructions given in the admission notification. If the admitted applicant does not give the notification by the end of the allotted time period mentioned above, the applicant forfeits the study place. A person admitted to more than one university or polytechnic degree programme only notifies the one educational institution at which they choose to accept the study place. Notification, i.e. accepting a study place, is binding and may not be cancelled or changed later.
According to Finnish university legislation, an applicant may accept only one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland during one academic term (autumn term 1 Aug – 31 Dec or spring term 1 Jan – 31 Jul). This rule applies to all higher education, i.e. Bachelor’s and Master’s level degrees awarded by Finnish universities of applied sciences, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees awarded by Finnish universities, and Licentiate and Doctoral degrees awarded by Finnish universities. This regulation is not applied to study rights received in transfer student selections, from the Åland University of Applied Sciences, from the Police University College, and from institutions of higher education outside Finland.
The applicants who have completed their prior degree in a country other than Finland and who are granted a study right in this call, need to deliver either the original degree certificates or certified copies of the original degree certificates and their translations to the University of Turku, as instructed in the admission notification, on 6 September 2024 at the latest. If the admitted applicant does not deliver the required certificates by the deadline, they forfeit the study right. Instructions on delivering certificates and country-specific requirements.
Coordinator Sanna Niukko
Chief Academic Officer Anne Niemimäki
edupostgraduate@utu.fi
Doctoral training at the Faculty of Education