Doctoral Programme in Nursing Science - Admission Criteria and Instructions for Applicants
The next application period for the right to study for a doctoral degreewill be from 2–16 March 2026. The right to study for a doctoral degree at the University of Turku will start on 1 August 2026.
The right to study for a doctoral or licentiate thesis degree can be applied for twice a year: in the spring and in the autumn. In the autumn call it is also possible to apply for a a fixed-term Doctoral Researcher position under an employment contract. In the autumn application round, you may apply to up to two doctoral programmes at the University of Turku. In the spring application round, you may apply to only one doctoral programme at the University of Turku
Call for applications, spring 2026
What can be applied for:
the right to study for a doctoral degree at the University of Turku from 1 August 2026 onwards. In this application round, you may apply to only one doctoral programme at the University of Turku.
>> Apply here (My Stydyinfo/Opintopolku)
For the applicant
What is expected of you
- 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§).
- You must fulfil the University of Turku language skill requirements.
- You are required to fulfil the prerequisites set by the Faculty of Medicine and the doctoral programme in Nursing Science for granting a right to study
- The eligibility criteria and other general guidelines can be found on the web page of the Faculty of Medicine.
- The grade received for the major subject of the Master's degree should be at least "good" (3 on a scale of 1–5). If the final grade of the major subject is not identifiable (e.g. international degrees), study achievements must be proved by other means. See also the study guide of the Doctoral Programme in Nursing Science, prerequisites (click “show description”).
Please read carefully the general application instructions of the Faculty of Medicine
How to Apply for Doctoral Training at the Faculty of Medicine | University of Turku (utu.fi)
Especially pay attention to these instructions when applying: Before applying / Doctoral training at the Faculty of Medicine
Consent of the head of the doctoral programme
Before applying for the right to study for doctoral or licentiate degree the applicants shall contact the Director of DPNurs, Professor Riitta Suhonen (email riitta.suhonen@utu.fi) as early as possible to confirm that the applicant’s research theme ties in with the Department´s research areas (initial contact preferably by e-mail). Please attach a tentative research plan and a CV to the email. In addition, for doctoral degree, it is advisable to contact the head of the research programme at the Department of Nursing Science that work in the field of your research interest.
The supervisor
As a rule, a doctoral researcher must have two to three supervisors. For a valid reason and upon application, approval may be granted for appointing only one supervisor. It is the applicant’s responsibility to find a supervisor or supervisors, and agree on supervision before submitting the application. Please read carefully the current qualification requirements for supervisors on the Faculty of Medicine's instructions webpage.
The follow-up committee for doctoral training
- The follow-up committee ensures progress of the doctoral researcher's thesis work and studies, provides an external perspective on the research, and supports both researcher and supervisor(s).
- The follow-up committee comprises of supervisors and 2-3 other researchers familiar with the research topic, two of whom must be from outside the doctoral researcher's own group.
- The applicant negotiates with their supervisor(s) to assemble the follow-up committee and agrees with the members of the committee on annual monitoring practices.
- More information and current requirements are available at the Faculty of Medicine's instructions webpage.
In the spring and autumn you can apply for the right to study.
Salaried positions can only be applied for during the autumn application period.
In addition, one can apply for the right to complete a licentiate degree. The right to study for a licentiate degree can be applied for by persons, who meet the eligibility criteria defined in the University Act (558/2009, § 37) for completing a scientific postgraduate degree. The selection criteria for the evaluation of the right to study for a doctoral degree are applied as evaluation and selection criteria for a licentiate degree, where applicable. The licentiate's degree includes a licentiate thesis, in which the postgraduate student demonstrates good understanding with his/her field of research and preparedness to independently and critically apply the methods of scientific research.
During the application period 2 – 16 March 2026, you can apply for:
a) the right to study for a doctoral degree in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Turku, starting from 1 August 2026 onwards
b) the right to complete a licentiate degree.
Applications for the right to study for a doctoral degree are submitted in the Studyinfo system, by filling in the electronic application form and attaching pdf attachments to the application. To apply for the right to complete a licentiate degree, please see below.
How to apply for the right to study for a doctoral degree
During the spring application round the applicant may apply to one doctoral programme at the University of Turku. An applicant may hold only one valid doctoral study right at a time at the University of Turku.
Applications that arrive after the application period has ended will not be processed. Once the application period has ended, you cannot change the doctoral programme you are applying for, or modify any information provided in your application.
Attachments to the application:
Research plan, max 5 pages (research plan instructions)
By attaching the research plan to the application form, the applicant gives permission to check the research plan with Turnitin OriginalityCheck software (a system for electronic plagiarism detection). The use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in preparing the research plan must be clearly indicated in the plan. For guidelines on the responsible use of AI, please see "Using Artificial Intelligence in Doctoral Research" at the University of Turku Graduate School webpages.
- Progress and resource plan (instructions)
- Curriculum Vitae of the applicant (Please see the instructions of Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK) for writing a CV)
- List of publications (following the instructions of the Academy of Finland)
- Supervision and study plan (fill in electronically, print and sign together with the supervisor/-s and the head of subject)
- Degree certificates and transcripts of study records
- 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 to the application:
- Scans of the original degree certificate or the original electronic degree certificate of the degree which make you eligible for doctoral studies (e.g. Master's degree certificate)
- Scans of the original transcript of records or the original electronic transcript of records of the degree which make you eligible for doctoral studies (e.g. transcript of records of the Master's degree)
- Other original educational documents which may be of relevance in the student selection (e.g. studies you have completed outside the degree that are related to the right to study you are applying for).
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 to the application:
- Scans of the original degree certificate or the original electronic degree certificate of the degree which make you eligible for doctoral studies (e.g. Master's degree certificate in the same language as the degree was completed in)
- Scans of the original transcript of records or the original electronic transcript of records of the degree which make you eligible for doctoral studies (e.g. transcript of records of the Master's degree in the same language as the degree was completed in)
- Other original educational documents which may be of relevance in the student selection (e.g., studies you have completed outside the degree that are related to the right to study you are applying for).
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.
- 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 to the application:
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.
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.
When only one supervisor for doctoral training is proposed, the supervisor’s justified plea for approval of only one supervisor must be attached to the application.
See Before applying / Doctoral training at the Faculty of Medicine > Supervision
How to apply for the right to complete a licentiate degree?
The right to complete a licentiate degree can be applied for by completing an electronic form, including the required attachments, in Webropol during the application period (starting 2 March 2026 and closing at 16:00, local time in Finland, on 16 March 2026). Required attachments are: Research plan (max 5 pages), Progress and resource plan, Curriculum Vitae, List of publications, Supervision and study plan (fill in electronically the faculty’s form, print and sign together with the supervisor/-s and the head of subject) and Degree certificates and Transcripts of study records. The detailed instructions for the attachments are the same as when applying for the right to study for a doctoral degree (see above for further information). The Vice Dean of Research Affairs of the Faculty decides on granting the right to complete a licentiate degree. The applicant will be notified of the decision personally.
The Steering Committee of the doctoral programme will evaluate the applications. Applications may also be sent for evaluation to national and/or international reviewers. Applicants may be invited to an interview by the DPNurs Steering Committee. The research plans attached to the applications may be checked with the Turnitin OriginalityCheck plagiarism detection software in accordance with the University of Turku quality assurance system.
In the selection process the following issues are emphasized: quality, feasibility and social relevance of the research plan. In addition, the applicant’s merits, completed studies, capability, and motivation to complete a doctoral degree are evaluated.
Please see Evaluation criteria for applications to DPNurs (pdf)
DPNurs tohtoriohjelman hakemusten arviointikriteerit (pdf)
When admitting the right to study for an academic postgraduate degree, the eligibility criteria of the applicant and the selection criteria of the Doctoral Programme in Nursing Science are considered in addition to the above-mentioned criteria.
A prerequisite for admission is that there is at least one person who has agreed to act as a supervisor and who fulfills the qualification requirements for supervisors. In addition, the applicant’s research topic must fit in with the profile of the Doctoral Programme. Before applying / Doctoral training at the Faculty of Medicine | University of Turku (utu.fi)
The Dean/Vice Dean of Research Affairs of the Faculty decides on granting the right to study for a postgraduate degree based on the proposal of the steering committee of the doctoral programme. The Head of the department decides on recruitment of the applicant for the position of a Doctoral Researcher based on the proposal of the steering committee of the doctoral programme.
All applicants will be informed of the decisions personally by 29 May 2026 at the latest. The names of the applicants who have been selected for the position of a Doctoral Researcher will be announced on the website of the doctoral programme.
An admitted applicant has to notify the University of Turku of their acceptance of the study place by 15:00 (local time in Finland) on 15 June 2026 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, by 9 September 2026 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.
Appeal for rectification
If an applicant is dissatisfied with the result of the student selection (right to study for a doctoral degree), he/she has the right to submit an application for the rectification of the decision to the Faculty of Medicine within 14 days of the official publishing of the results. Contact information: med-doctoral@utu.fi.
- Check the application period.
- Read the instructions of the Faculty and the Doctoral Programme carefully.
- If you are going to verify your language skills with a language test, make sure that you book your test time well in advance. It is the applicant’s responsibility to make their own language test arrangements.
- Get the required signatures in time and prepare the required attachments.
- Fill in the electric application form or forms.
- Remember to apply in time. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be processed.
- Please keep your original degree certificates and other relevant educational documents at hand during the application process.
DPNurs Director
Professor Riitta Suhonen
riitta.suhonen@utu.fi
DPNurs Coordinator
PhD Hanna Heikelä
hanna.heikela@utu.fi or dpnurs@utu.fi