How to Apply for Doctoral Training

In accordance with the Universities Act (1172/2014) section 37, a person can be admitted to pursue an academic licentiate or doctoral degree, provided that they have completed

1) a relevant university Master's level degree

2) a relevant university of applied sciences Master's level degree

3) a relevant degree in another country, adequate to give the applicant eligibility to pursue a licentiate or doctoral degree (or another corresponding degree) in the country awarding the degree.

In addition to the prerequisites described above, a doctoral programme may have further field-specific requirements with regard to the earlier studies of the applicant.

The University of Turku will verify your eligibility for admission from the degree certificate and the transcript of study records provided by you attached to your application (see also the section ‘Attachments to the application’).

In order to successfully proceed in one’s studies and research as well as to integrate oneself into the scientific community, the doctoral researcher is expected to be able to fluently communicate in English both verbally and in writing.

The manners of verification of language skills used in the University of Turku are those defined in the Rector’s decision.

Accepted language tests and their minimum requirements can be found on the page 'Language requirements for Admission'.

Language skills are considered as adequate and no language test is required, provided that the applicant has completed

• a degree in upper secondary education in Finland
• a degree in upper secondary education in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand or the United States
• a Master's level degree in a Finnish university or university of applied sciences
• a Master's level degree with English as the language of instruction in an EU or EEA country, in Switzerland, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand or the United States.

For more information on the different doctoral programmes’ descriptions, the research conducted in them as well as their other related activity, please consult the webpages of the doctoral programmes.

When you have found a doctoral programme that interests you and suits your research topic, please read the application instructions and the selection criteria carefully and well in advance prior to sending an application.

Some of the doctoral programmes require that the research supervisor(s) have already been selected when entering the application phase. Please visit the webpages of the doctoral programme to check the supervisor requirement as well as to find more specific instructions on finding the supervisors.

Some of the doctoral programmes are multidisciplinary or offer several target degrees within them. You should clearly indicate your target degree on your application form. For information on the offered target degrees, please visit the webpages of the doctoral programmes.

When there is a need to have supervision also by another university outside of Finland, a Cotutelle contract may be a suitable choice.

Cotutelle refers to a doctoral degree, in which the doctoral dissertation is jointly supervised in two universities or other higher education institutions in two countries.Under a Cotutelle contract, the doctoral researcher writes their doctoral dissertation equally in both universities under the joint supervision of two or more supervisors. The hoped-for result of a Cotutelle contract is a doctoral degree awarded by both universities based on one doctoral dissertation.

A Cotutelle contract can be entered into only when the doctoral researcher has been granted a right to study in both contributing universities. The right to study is applied for via normal application procedures.  

More information on the Cotutelle contract

Reserve enough time for filling in the application. You will be able to supplement and edit your application until the end of the application period.

Remember to include all of the requested attachments with your application. Provide the needed certificates of earlier studies and of language skills. Any attachments needed for applying for a particular doctoral programme must also be included with the application.

During the application period, the application forms can be found here.

After you have filled in the application form, you will receive a confirmation via e-mail. The e-mail message contains a password with which you are able to edit the application form during the application period, if needed.

Mandatory attachments in all doctoral programmes are

• A research plan

The high quality and the feasibility of the research plan are the most influential criteria in the selection of doctoral researchers. Please remember to begin the preparation of your research plan well in advance and adhere closely to the research plan instructions of the doctoral programme in question.

• A degree certificate and a transcript of study records as proofs of eligibility for applying as a doctoral researcher

A. If you have completed the former degree(s) which make you eligible for doctoral studies at a university in Finland, the degree certificates, the transcripts of study records and other educational documents which may be of relevance in the student selection must be attached to the electronic application form.

B. If you have completed the former degree(s) which make you eligible for doctoral studies at a university abroad (i.e. outside Finland), you must attach the following items to the electronic application form:

1. scanned original degree certificates (in the same language as the degree was completed in)

2. scanned original transcripts of study records (in the same language as the degree was completed in)

3. scanned other original educational documents which may be of relevance in the student selection

If the original degree certificates and 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 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.

Please note that in the case that you are granted a right to study, you are expected to provide the University of Turku either with the original certificates or copies of the documents that have been officially certified as genuine. Furthermore, you are expected to provide the translations of the certificates, as per the instructions in the selection decision.

• 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. 

• Proof of language skills

Please consult the webpage ’Language requirements for admission’ for further instructions.

• In addition to the mandatory attachments described above, the doctoral programmes require programme-specific and application-period-specific attachments.

The required attachments are listed on the calls for applications of the doctoral programmes.

When you have filled in and sent the application form, you will receive a confirmation message via e-mail. The message contains a password with which you have access to edit your form within the application period.

A few months have been reserved for the processing of the application forms and for making decisions based on them. The exact selection schedule is announced on the call for applications.

All of the applicants are personally notified about the doctoral researcher selections, with an e-mail message as the main means of notification.

The acceptance letter provides instructions on the acceptance of the right to study in the Studyinfo system.

If you have completed your earlier relevant degree outside of Finland, you are required to provide the University of Turku with the original degree certificate and the transcript of study records or officially certified copies of the degree certificate and the transcript of study records (and, when required, the translations of the said documents) in accordance with the instructions in the selection letter.

Please consult the webpage 'Providing original educational documents'  for further instructions.