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. 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 (links above) carefully before filling in the electronic application.
  • Study right - electronic form in the Studyinfo service
  • Funded doctoral researcher position under an employment contract - University of Turku's recruitment system (Talentti)
• 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 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. Name each attachment so that the file name clearly indicates both your name and the document type (for example: surname-first name-CV).

In addition to the electronic application form, documents 1-4 and possibly documents 6-8 must be submitted. In addition, document 5 is recommended to be submitted.

1. Curriculum vitae (mandatory)

Please see the instructions of TENK for writing a CV:

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

2. Dissertation research plan (mandatory)

The dissertation research plan must be prepared using the mandatory template: link to the DPT research plan template. The maximum length of the research plan in is six (6) pages excluding references (Arial 11 pt; line spacing 1, side margins 2 cm) Please submit the research plan as a pdf.

The research plan must be prepared in cooperation with the supervisor(s).

The structure and content of the research plan must be the result of the applicant’s own thinking. Any use of artificial intelligence in preparing the research plan should be limited to language and grammar editing.

When preparing the research plan you must follow the principles of good scientific practice (link to TENK’s guidelines on good scientific practice). The research plan may be checked with the Turnitin OriginalityCheck plagiarism‑detection system. Any use of artificial intelligence (AI) as an aid in preparing the research plan must be clearly declared in the application.

3. Degree certificate and transcript of study records (mandatory)

Attach to the electronic application form:

• the scanned or electronic original certificate of the higher university degree (e.g. Master’s degree),
• the scanned or electronic original transcript of study records of the higher university degree,
• other study certificates relevant to the selection criteria (for example, studies completed outside the degree that relate to the doctoral degree you are applying for).

If the documents are not in Finnish, Swedish or English, you must also submit an official translation into one of those languages; an official translation is accepted if issued by the degree‑awarding university or produced by an authorised translator. A Diploma Supplement (DS) issued by a European higher education institution may be accepted instead of an English translation of the degree certificate and transcript, provided it contains the details of the study records.

In the Faculty of Technology, if the degree that gives eligibility for the study right for a doctoral degree is not completed by the deadline of application time, an up-to-date transcript of study records must be attached to the application.

4. Supervision plan signed by the supervisors, 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) (mandatory)

A supervision plan is a mandatory attachment of the application. Links to the supervision plan form templates for:

Faculty of Technology applicants

Information systems science applicants 

You can also find the supervision plan forms on the website: https://www.utu.fi/en/research/utugs/dpt/admission.

5. List of publication (recommended if you have publications)

Please see the instructions in English here. 

6. Certificate of language proficiency (possibly mandatory, check below)

The University of Turku follows the Rector’s decision (8 June 2026) that defines acceptable ways of verifying language proficiency. You should read the University of Turku’s guidance on language proficiency carefully: Link to the webpage on language requirements.

As an attachment to your application, you must include a scanned certificate of a language test approved by the University of Turku, unless the guidance states otherwise.

7. Copy of 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.

8. 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.

These instructions are for a call for applications for a doctoral researcher position under an employment contract. If you have not yet been granted a DPT right to study, you must apply for a right to pursue a doctoral degree in the DPT doctoral programme in the September call.

Unless otherwise instructed, the attachments listed below are to be submitted as part of the electronic application form in the Talentti system. Please ensure that all attachments are good-quality, easy to read, full colour scans or photographs of the complete document required. Attachments should be submitted in pdf format. Attachments that do not meet these requirements may be rejected.

Name each file so that the filename clearly shows both your name and the document type (for example: surname-first name-CV).

All application documents are recommended to be written in English.

In addition to the electronic application form, documents 1-3 and 5-6 are mandatory attachments, and in addition attachment 4 is recommended to be submitted.

1. Curriculum vitae (mandatory)

Please see the instructions of TENK for writing a CV:

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

2. Dissertation research plan (mandatory)

The dissertation research plan must be prepared using the mandatory template: link to the DPT research plan template. The maximum length of the research plan in is six (6) pages excluding references (Arial 11 pt; line spacing 1, side margins 2 cm) Please submit the research plan as a pdf.

The research plan must be prepared in cooperation with the supervisor(s).

The structure and content of the research plan must be the result of the applicant’s own thinking. Any use of artificial intelligence in preparing the research plan should be limited to language and grammar editing.

When preparing the research plan you must follow the principles of good scientific practice (link to TENK’s guidelines on good scientific practice). The research plan may be checked with the Turnitin OriginalityCheck plagiarism‑detection system. Any use of artificial intelligence (AI) as an aid in preparing the research plan must be clearly declared in the application.

The research plan must be up to date.

3. Degree certificate and transcript of study records (mandatory)

Attach to the electronic application form:

• the scanned or electronic original certificate of the higher university degree (e.g. Master’s degree),
• the scanned or electronic original transcript of study records of the higher university degree,
• other study certificates relevant to the selection criteria (for example, studies completed outside the degree that relate to the doctoral degree you are applying for).

If the documents are not in Finnish, Swedish or English, you must also submit an official translation into one of those languages; an official translation is accepted if issued by the degree‑awarding university or produced by an authorised translator. A Diploma Supplement (DS) issued by a European higher education institution may be accepted instead of an English translation of the degree certificate and transcript, provided it contains the details of the study records.

In the Faculty of Technology, if the degree that gives eligibility for the study right for a doctoral degree is not completed by the deadline of application time, an up-to-date transcript of study records must be attached to the application.

4. List of publication (needed if you have publications)

Please see the instructions in English here. 

5. Transcript of study records of completed post-graduate studies (mandatory for funded position applicants who already have the study right)

6. Supervisor’s statement (mandatory)

Dissertation supervisor from the University of Turku will fill in a statement form on the RefApp-platform. The applicant will receive a personal link to the RefApp-platform and will have to provide the contact details (name, email address and phone number) of their dissertation supervisor (UTU). After this, the supervisor will receive a personal link to the RefApp-platform, where they will be able to fill the supervisor’s statement form. The supervisor's statement must be submitted to RefApp by 16 September 2026. 

Questions included in the supervisor’s statement:  

1. Assessment of the applicant

Please provide here a free-form assessment of the applicant and the research plan, giving enough information for the doctoral programme to rank the applicants. This assessment also serves the role of a letter of recommendation.

2. Estimated date of the public defense of the doctoral dissertation (month/year)

3. Funding

Please describe here the plan for financing the dissertation project (existing funding and funding to be applied for) and fill in the timespan below.

• Applied timespan of the UTUGS funding:  From month/year to month/year.

4. Completed publications for the dissertation

Please list here accepted or submitted publications that will be included in the dissertation, and indicate the applicant’s contribution. Please do not list such publications which won’t be included in the dissertation.

5. Planned publications

Please list planned publications that will constitute the dissertation in addition to the completed publications listed above. If these are already partially completed, please indicate to what extent and what is the applicant’s contribution.

6. Reasons for changing over to Doctoral Programme in Technology

This applies only in rare cases. Do not fill this section if not applicable.

If the applicant has a right to study for a doctoral degree at another university or in another doctoral programme at the University of Turku, please provide reasons for changing over to the Doctoral Programme in Technology.

If any materials collected during the previous dissertation process are planned to be used in the dissertation, please indicate that the applicant has the right to use the materials.

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.