Doctoral Programme in Technology - Admission Criteria and Instructions for Applicants

• Make sure you are eligible to apply for a study right in the Faculty of Technology or at Turku School of Economics (Information Systems Science as major subject)
• Read the call for applications (below under "Applications documents and guidelines").
• An applicant has to agree with supervisors about supervision and the research plan before the application can be made. In the Faculty of Technology applicants are also required to have a nominated research director. This means that you must contact potential supervisors and make a supervision plan and a research plan in collaboration with them. The requirements for supervisors are listed below. 

  • Faculty of Technology: According to the Rector’s decision each doctoral researcher must have at least two supervisors. One supervisor acts as the main supervisor or UGIS supervisor. The Faculty may appoint only one supervisor for a doctoral researcher based on application and for a valid reason. A supervisor must have completed a doctoral degree, and at least one of a doctoral researcher’s supervisors must be a professor (professor, associate professor or assistant professor) or an adjunct professor. In the Faculty of Technology, one of the doctoral researcher’s supervisors has to be employed by the University of Turku or be docent (adjunct professor) of the University of Turku.

    A person eligible for research director is an employee of the Faculty whose title is Professor. In an exceptional case when there is no Professor available, an Associate Professor can be appointed as a research director.

  • Information Systems Science (Turku School of Economics): 1) At least two supervisors are appointed for each doctoral researcher, both of whom must have a doctoral degree, 2) one of the supervisors must be a member of TSE’s teaching and research staff; 3) the principal supervisor is at the third stage of the researcher career or is on an equivalent level in scientific merit, and is an active researcher and publisher, 4) active scientific research activities are also required from the second supervisor and other possible supervisors.
• Application attachments: Prepare all the required application attachments according to the call for applications.
• Funding plan: Prepare a funding plan as a right to study does not include funding or scholarship from the University. In the September call, in addition to a right to study, you can also apply for a fixed-term doctoral researcher position under an employment contract. 
• Degree certificates: Prepare your original degree certificates, original transcripts of study records and other original educational documents for the application. If needed, obtain officially certified copies with English translation.
• Proof of language requirements: If you need to verify your language skills with a language test, make sure that you book your test time well in advance. Instructions for language requirements for right to study for a doctoral degree and when is a language test not required.

• Read the Call for applications (below under "Applications documents and guidelines") carefully before filling in the electronic application.
• Make sure you have attached all the required attachments (see the call for applications)

These instructions are for a call for applications for a right to study.

Please fill the electronic application form on My StudyInfo and attach the required application documents into it, if not otherwise stated. Please make sure that all attachments are of good quality, are easy to read, full-colour scans or photographs of the complete required document. The application documents should be in pdf-format. Attachments that do not meet these requirements may be rejected.

In addition to the electronic application form, documents 1-5 and possibly documents 7-9 must be submitted. In addition, document 6 is recommended to be submitted.

1. Curriculum vitae

Please see the instructions of TENK for writing a CV:

http://www.tenk.fi/en/template-researchers-curriculum-vitae

2. Dissertation research plan (in English) (mandatory)

In the Faculty of Technology, the maximum length of the research plan in all is 5 pages (Times New Roman 12pt or equivalent; line spacing 1). Research plan should contain:

• Name of the applicant
• Planned title of the doctoral dissertation
• Description of research topic and scientific goals
• Research methods, experimental design and research environment
• Placement of the dissertation research in a possible wider research context of the group
• Timetable of research
• Current state of doctoral thesis and postgraduate studies.
• List of references

For applicants in Information Systems Science (Turku School of Economics) the maximum length of research plan is 10 pages, and cover and list of references. See more information from the selection criteria for postgraduate studies at TSE: https://www.utu.fi/en/university/turku-school-of-economics/research/doctoral-training/applying 

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). By attaching the research plan to the application form the applicant gives permission for checking the research plan with Turnitin Originality Check (system for electrical plagiarism detection). The use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in the preparation of the research plan in a wider role than checking grammar or generating short expressions should be clearly indicated in the research plan.

3. A copy of the degree certificates and the transcript of study records (mandatory)

A. If you have completed your former degree at a higher education institution in Finland, you must attach to the application:

• Scans of the original degree certificate or the 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 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 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).

B. If you have completed your former degree(s) 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 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 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 your are applying for).

If the original degree certificate, transcript and/or other educational documents 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 or a translation made by an authorized translator. A transcript or degree certificate in English can be replaced by a Diploma Supplement awarded by a European educational institution if it contains the information about completed courses and other study attainments.

Those applicants who have been granted a right to study and who have completed their prior degree abroad have to submit either the original degree certificates or certified copies of the degree certificates and other educational documents and the official translations of the documents to the University of Turku at the latest in 5 September 2025. If the admitted applicant does not deliver the required certificates by the deadline set in the admission notification, they forfeit the study right. Link to the instructions on delivering certificates and country-specific requirements.

C. In the Faculty of Technology: If your former degree is not complete by the end of the application period, an up-to-date transcript of study records is required.

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 the former degree(s) which make you eligible for doctoral studies at a university abroad (i.e. outside Finland), please make sure to have original degree certificates and other relevant educational documents ready at hand if you are granted a right to study. Instructions will be given in the admission notification.

4. Supervision plan signed by supervisor(s), the applicant and A) a research director (Faculty of Technology) OR B) the subject's Professor in charge (Information Systems Science, Turku School of Economics)

A signed supervision plan is a mandatory attachment to the study right application. You must use the supervision plan templates found below (under "Applications documents and guidelines"). Please note, that the supervision plan templates are different for applicants for a study right at the Faculty of Technology and Information Systems Science (Turku School of Economics). 

5. Motivation letter (mandatory)

Motivation letter is maximum one page long freeform document, which includes the reasons for performing a doctoral degree in the Doctoral Programme in Technology, and also your career plans after graduation (e.g. with regards to academic career / in Finland or elsewhere).

6. List of publication

Please see the instructions in the website (Application documents):

https://www.utu.fi/en/university/faculty-of-technology/doctoral-training/how-to-apply  

7. Verification of language proficiency (possibly mandatory, check below)

The University of Turku follows the Rector’s decision (15 Aug 2019) on the means of verifying one’s language proficiency. If the applicant is required to prove their language proficiency with a language test, a scanned certificate of a completed language test must be attached to the application. See language requirements on the website of the university’s graduate school: https://www.utu.fi/en/research/utugs/how-to-apply/language

8.Copy of a valid passport (possibly mandatory, check below)

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. 

9. A statement of continuous commitment by a company/organization (outside UTU) to an employee's doctoral degree (potentially needed, check below)

A freeform document, in which a company / organization (representative of a company / organization, e.g. superior) express of being aware of the applicant's post-graduate studies and shows support (e.g. level or type of support, possible resources) for applicant's studies while the applicant works at the same time at the company / organization. The commitment should express also the impact of the thesis work for the company / organization.

The University of Turku follows the Rector’s decision on the means of verifying their language proficiency.

Please check the language requirements and whether you will need to provide a proof of language proficiency from the University’s graduate school website.

Please note! If the applicant is required to prove their language proficiency with a language test, a scanned certificate of a completed language test must be attached to the application.

Prepare to deliver your original or originally certified degree certificates to the University of Turku if you are granted the right to study a doctoral degree.

Instructions on delivering certificates and country-specific requirements on the Information for admitted students page.