Doctoral Programme of Social and Behavioural Sciences - Admission Criteria and Instructions for Applicants

Autumn 2026 

DPSoc - Call for applications autumn 2026 (pdf) 

Application forms

In the spring application period you can apply only for a right to pursue a doctoral degree. In the autumn application round you can apply for a right to pursue a doctoral degree and fixed-term funded doctoral researcher positions. 

Note: A right to pursue a doctoral degree and a fixed-term doctoral researcher position with employment contract are applied on separate forms in two different systems.

• Links to the application forms are available on the Graduate School Application forms -page
• The study right for a doctoral degree is applied in StudyInfo (In Studyinfo choose: Fill in application form)
• The doctoral researcher position with an employment contract is applied in Talentti system (TalentAdore), open for applications only in the autumn application period
• The forms are accessible only during the application period and they close at 23.59 (local time in Finland, Europe/Helsinki) on the last day of the application period
• Please familiarize yourself with the application forms well before the end of the application period and allow sufficient time to obtain and/or draw up the necessary attachments

A general prerequisite for the right to pursue postgraduate studies is an applicable higher academic degree, or a relevant degree from abroad which in the country in question provides eligibility for corresponding postgraduate studies.

To gain admission to pursue a licentiate or doctoral degree in social sciences, the applicant must either have a higher academic degree (master’s degree) in the field of social sciences, or be one whom the faculty considers otherwise to have gained sufficient knowledge and skills.

To gain admission to pursue a licentiate or doctoral degree in psychology, the applicant must have a higher academic degree (master’s degree) in psychology, or be one whom the faculty considers otherwise to have gained sufficient knowledge and skills.

To gain admission to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy degree, the faculty must find the applicant eligible for doctoral studies in philosophy, speech-language pathology or psychology.

Language requirements for admission / Right to study for a doctoral degree:

https://www.utu.fi/en/research/utugs/how-to-apply/language

A high-quality research plan is the most essential selection criteria and it demonstrates the applicant's capabilities for doctoral training. The research plan is done independently. Preparing your research plan carefully will help you stand out from other qualified applicants. Please note that the Doctoral Programme of Social and Behavioural Sciences will evaluate the quality of your research plan as well as the suitability of your research topic in relation to the research profile and expertise of the major subject and its faculty.

The research plan must not exceed 6 pages (A4, spacing 1, font 12, excluding list of references).

A research plan needs to include the following components:

1. Abstract
2. Introduction of research setting
3. Research methods, data sets, schedule and supervision
4. Research project’s link to career plan of the applicant

See more detailed instructions from the Research plan guidelines (DPSoc) (pdf) 

The research plan may be checked with the Turnitin OriginalityCheck plagiarism‑detection system. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the research plan must be clearly stated in the application.

The application period for the Doctoral Programme of Social and Behavioural Sciences is two times per year:

• a right to pursue a doctoral degree granted in the autumn application round is valid from 1 January
• a right to pursue a doctoral degree granted in the spring application round is valid from 1 August

The exact application periods are listed on the top of this page.

You can apply:

• a right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Turku (both application periods)
• a fixed-term funded doctoral researcher position (only in the autum application period)

The applications are submitted during the application period on electronic forms. More information and instructions for applying is available from the top of this page. Note: applications via email are not accepted. 

The objective of the selection process of doctoral researchers is to have students suitable for a research career track who are skilled, motivated, and committed to research and doctoral studies.

A general prerequisite for the right to pursue postgraduate studies is an applicable higher academic degree, or a relevant degree from abroad which in the country in question provides eligibility for corresponding postgraduate studies. A total maximum of 100 students are admitted to the Faculty of Social Sciences each year.

The selection criteria are as follows:

• a sufficient grade in the advanced studies stage of a master’s degree - usually at least a good evaluation is required
• a sufficient grade for the master’s thesis – usually at least cum laude approbatur or 3 on a scale of 1-5
• the quality and feasibility of the applicant’s research plan
• availability of resources for supervision

In addition, the doctoral researcher must have sufficient knowledge of English.

For each application period a call for application is published. The call for applications includes all selection criteria, possibly also others than listed above, as well as instructions for applying.

Please, see general requirements also from: the Faculty of Social Sciences instructions on the applying for the right to study for doctoral degree.

The fixed-term funded doctoral researcher positions with an employment contract can be applied in each autumn. The amount of available positions varies each year. There are usually a couple of four-year doctoral researcher positions available each year, plus a few shorter periods. 

For each application period a call for applications is published. It includes instructions for applying and the criteria for evaluation.

The doctoral programme steering group will process the applications and invite external experts to evaluate them.

Applicants selected for UTUGS fixed‑term doctoral researcher positions must meet the eligibility requirements defined in the University of Turku Rules of Procedure (13.12.2024).

The evaluation is conducted as an overall assessment, taking into account the stage of the researcher’s career. The application evaluation process consists of two stages: 1) an internal evaluation of eligible applications at the departments, and 2) an evaluation by external experts of the top applications that have advanced to the next stage.

Applications are evaluated on a scale of 1-5 as follows:

1. Quality of the research plan in relation to the stage of the research
   • Formulation of the research question, innovativeness, and scientific significance
   • Applicability and comprehensiveness of the theoretical framework
   • Methodological and empirical choices
   • Feasibility and realism of the research plan
   • Clarity of the research plan’s objectives   
2. The applicant’s merits and capabilities in relation to the stage of their dissertation
3. Overall assessment

For applicants who have previously been granted the right to pursue a doctoral degree, progress in doctoral research and doctoral studies will also be assessed; prior funding received for the completion of the doctoral degree may be taken into account when determining the duration of a doctoral researcher position.

The Doctoral programme steering group makes a selection proposal for the candidates to be selected for the doctoral researcher positions under an employment contract. 

- Philosophy: Helena Siipi, helena.siipi(a)utu.fi
- East Asian Studies: Lauri Paltemaa, lauri.paltemaa(a)utu.fi
- Speech-Language Pathology, Elina Mainela-Arnold, elina.mainela-arnold(a)utu.fi  
- Contemporary History: Vesa Vares, vesa.vares(a)utu.fi
- Psychology: Johanna Kaakinen, johanna.kaakinen(a)utu.fi 
- Social Policy: Veli-Matti Ritakallio and Heikki Ervasti, veli-matti.ritakallio(a)utu.fi / heikki.ervasti(a)utu.fi
- Social Work: Johanna Kallio, johanna.kallio(a)utu.fi
- Sociology: Outi Sarpila, outi.sarpila(a)utu.fi
- Economic Sociology: Pekka Räsänen, pekka.rasanen(a)utu.fi
- Political Science: Antti Pajala, antti.pajala(a)utu.fi

Enquiries for a supervisor must be included with an abstract of the research plan and CV. 

When applying for the right to study, the applicant must provide in the application a supervisor from the doctoral programme who meets the requirements of the faculty and who has approved the research plan and agreed to be the first supervisor of the research. A supervisor's commitment to supervise the the dissertation must be attached to the application. The supervisor must have a doctoral degree thesis and one of the supervisors must be from the discipline to which the application is addressed.

You can familiarize yourself with the faculty's disciplines as well as the research and teaching staff on the faculty's website.

Enquiries for a supervisor must be included with an abstract of the research plan and CV.