Doctoral Programme of Social and Behavioural Sciences

Each of the faculty’s professionals approaches society from the perspective of their own academic discipline.  ​The current research themes are listed below:

• political organizations, international relations and government with the objective of conducting research on the state, political systems and power
• contemporary East-Asian societies and politics including their recent histories
• the recent history of politics, international relations and society
• economic connections of social activities
• the principles, development, and neural basis of human behavior and cognitive processes
• issues related to well-being and vulnerabilities, and social services and income transfer systems
• Multicultural Research, Political Sociology, Sociology of Housing, Social Inequalities, Social Theory and Welfare Research
• applied ethics, environmental philosophy, philosophy of mind, philosophy of political and social sciences, and the history of philosophy (especially early modern philosophy)

See more information: Research at the Faculty of Social Sciences

Next application periods:

• 29 August -12 September, 2025 (right to study from 1 January 2026 and doctoral researcher positions with employment contract)
• 2 March - 16 March, 2026 (right to study from 1 August 2026)  

Note! The application forms closes at 4 pm local time in Finland. 

Contact:

Email: socpostgraduate@utu.fi

The Director of the Doctoral Programme:
Professor Johanna Kaakinen

The Coordinator of the Doctoral Programme:
Doctoral Education Specialist Kirsi Tammi