Instructions about Doctoral Studies at the Faculty of Science

The structure of the doctoral studies is determined in the study guide. 

In the Faculty of Science, the structure of a doctoral degree is as follows:

• Dissertation and the public defence
• Postgraduate studies 40 ECTS
  • Discipline-specific studies 20-36 ECTS
    • Studies supporting mobility and professional career, at least 2 ECTS
  • General studies aiming for expertise 4-20 ECTS

All doctoral degrees follow the degree requirements of 40 ECTS postgraduate studies, which have been valid since 1 August 2018. A doctoral researcher may complete the degree in accordance with the degree requirements approved in 2018-2020 or thereafter, so that
the doctoral researcher can’t comply with the degree requirements that were in effect before they obtained the right to complete the degree.

• Doctoral researchers prepare their personal study plans together with their supervisors.
• The plan must comply with the study requirements of the doctoral programme in the study guide.
• The plan is approved by the research director.
• The plan is prepared and approved according to the instructions in the UGIS portal.

Updating the plan

• There is no need to update the personal study plan due to small changes (for example, the course recorded in the plan changes to another course in the same field). Changes in general studies aiming for expertise typically do not require an update of the plan.
• If there are significant changes in the study module compared to the plan, the doctoral researcher will primarily discuss with their supervisor whether the desired learning outcomes will be achieved. The personal study plan will be updated if needed. The update of the plan is approved by the research director.

See Studies at other Finnish universities

Electronic form for updating supervison plan

• The doctoral researcher fills in the form after verbally agreed with the supervisors, research director and possible members of the follow-up group on the changing supervision arrangements.
• The form will be electronically sent for approval to the supervisors at the University of Turku.
• If the doctoral researcher has supervisors outside the University of Turku, the researcher will collect their approval to the change of the plan, for example, via an email.
• The doctoral researcher receives an email from the supervison form including a link to it. The doctoral researcher uses it to add approval of supervisors outside UTU.
• Once the supervisors have approved the form and the doctoral researcher has added the external supervisors approvals, the coordinator of the doctoral programme will check it. The coordinator forwards it to the research director and decision-makers for approval.
• Once the vice dean of the faculty has made a final decision, the approved supervision plan will be emailed to the doctoral researcher, supervisors and reserach director.
• If a supervisor is removed from a supervison plan, they also receive a notice that they are no longer a supervisor for a doctoral researcher. 

Signing a cotutelle agreement is a good idea when there is a need for doctoral dissertation supervision from another university located outside Finland.

Please contact Chief Academic Officer Sanna Nordman when you plan to make a cotutelle agreement.

See the Cotutelle instructions of the University of Turku.

Guidelines for Dissertation Defence

Faculty's instructions for dissertation process

When doctoral researchers make publication agreements with publishers, they have to ensure that they are allowed to republish the articles as part of their doctoral thesis. If publishers set a time limit (embargo) for the right to republish an article, doctoral researchers have to ensure that there is no conflict with the planned schedule of the public defence of the doctoral thesis.

The Activeness of a Doctoral Researcher and Passive Register Instructions for Postgraduate Students (guidelines on the university level)

Faculty-specific instructions