Doctoral Programme in Nursing Science - Admission Criteria and Instructions for Applicants

What is expected of you

When applying for a right to study:

• You are required to have completed a relevant Master’s degree awarded by a university or a university of applied sciences, or a relevant study programme abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for the corresponding level of higher education (Universities Act 558/2009, 37§).
• You must fulfil the University of Turku language skill requirements.
• You are required to fulfil the prerequisites set by the Faculty of Medicine and the doctoral programme in Nursing Science for granting a right to study
  • The eligibility criteria and other general guidelines can be found on the web page of the Faculty of Medicine.
  • The grade received for the major subject of the Master's degree should be at least "good" (3 on a scale of 1–5). If the final grade of the major subject is not identifiable (e.g. international degrees), study achievements must be proved by other means. See also the  study guide of the Doctoral Programme in Nursing Science, prerequisites (click “show description”).

When applying for a fixed-term Doctoral Researcher position under an employment contract:

• You are required to have an active right to study in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Turku. If you have not yet been granted a right to study, you must apply for a right to pursue a doctoral degree by filling in an electronic form in My Studyinfo service (for details, please, see the section “How to apply the right to study for a doctoral degree”). A right to study is a prerequisite for an applicant to be chosen for a fixed-term Doctoral Researcher position under an employment contract;
• You are planning to pursue or pursuing your first doctoral degree;
• You have not previously been granted full-time four-year funding for pursuing a doctoral degree.

Please read carefully the general application instructions of the Faculty of Medicine

How to Apply for Doctoral Training at the Faculty of Medicine | University of Turku (utu.fi)

Especially pay attention to these instructions when applying: Before applying / Doctoral training at the Faculty of Medicine

Consent of the head of the doctoral programme

Before applying for the right to study for doctoral or licentiate degree the applicants shall contact the Director of DPNurs, Professor Riitta Suhonen (email riitta.suhonen@utu.fi) as early as possible to confirm that the applicant’s research theme ties in with the Department´s research areas (initial contact preferably by e-mail). Please attach a tentative research plan and a CV to the email. In addition, for doctoral degree, it is advisable to contact the head of the research programme at the Department of Nursing Science that work in the field of your research interest.

The supervisor

A prerequisite for admission is that there is at least one person who has agreed to act as a supervisor and who fulfills the qualification requirements for supervisors . Finding a supervisor is the responsibility of the applicant.

Please read carefully the current requirements on the Faculty of Medicine's instructions webpage.

The follow-up committee for doctoral training 

• More information and current requirements are available at the Faculty of Medicine Study guide for doctoral studies - chapter 4.4 (pdf)

In the spring and autumn you can apply for the right to study. 

Salaried positions can only be applied for during the autumn application period.

In addition, one can apply for the right to complete a licentiate degree. The right to study for a licentiate degree can be applied for by persons, who meet the eligibility criteria defined in the University Act (558/2009, § 37) for completing a scientific postgraduate degree. The selection criteria for the evaluation of the right to study for a doctoral degree are applied as evaluation and selection criteria for a licentiate degree, where applicable. The licentiate's degree includes a licentiate thesis, in which the postgraduate student demonstrates good understanding with his/her field of research and preparedness to independently and critically apply the methods of scientific research.

During the application period 3 March – 14 March 2024, you can apply for:

a)     the right to study for a doctoral degree in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Turku from 1 August 2025 onwards

b)  the right to complete a licentiate degree.

How to apply for the right to study for a doctoral degree

The right to study for a doctoral degree is applied for by filling in an electronic form in the Studyinfo.fi service and attaching the required additional documents (in English and in PDF format). The required attachments are specified below. The form will be accessible as the application period begins on 3 March 2025 and closes at 4:00 pm (local time in Finland) on 14 March 2025. Link to the University of Turku Graduate School web page, where the application form can be found.

During one application round the applicant may apply to a maximum of two doctoral programmes at the University of Turku. You can only have one valid study right at a time for a doctoral degree at the University of Turku.

Applications that arrive after the application period has ended will not be processed. When the application period has ended, you cannot change the doctoral programme you are applying for, or any other information. 

Attachments to the application:

1. Research plan, max 5 pages (research plan instructions) 

   By attaching the research plan to the application form, the applicant gives permission to check the research plan with Turnitin OriginalityCheck software (a system for electronic plagiarism detection). The use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in the preparation of the research plan should be clearly indicated in the research plan.

2. Progress and resource plan (instructions)
    
3. Curriculum Vitae of the applicant (Please see the instructions of Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK) for writing a CV)
    
4. List of publications (following the instructions of the Academy of Finland)
    
5. Supervision and study plan (fill in electronically, print and sign together with the supervisor/-s and the head of subject)
6. Degree certificates and transcripts of study records
   1. If you have completed your former degree(s) that make you eligible for doctoral studies at a higher education institution in Finland, you must attach to the application:
      • Scans of the original degree certificate or the original 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 original 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 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 you are applying for).

   2. If you have completed your former degree(s) that make you eligible for doctoral studies 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 original 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 original 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 you are applying for).

      If the original degree certificates or transcripts of study records 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 and a translation made by an authorised translator. A transcript in English can be replaced by a Diploma Supplement (DS) awarded by a European educational institution, provided that it contains the information about completed courses and other study attainments.

      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.

7. Verification of language proficiency

   The University of Turku follows the Rector’s decision on the means of verifying one’s language proficiency. See the language requirements on the webpage of the university’s graduate school.

   If you are required to prove your language proficiency with a language test, a scanned certificate of a completed language test must be attached to the application.

8. 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.

9. When only one supervisor for doctoral training is proposed, the supervisor’s justified plea for approval of only one supervisor must be attached to the application.

   See Before applying / Doctoral training at the Faculty of Medicine > Supervision

How to apply for a licentiate degree?

For the licentiate's degree that includes a licentiate thesis, in which the postgraduate student demonstrates good understanding with his/her field of research and preparedness to independently and critically apply the methods of scientific research. A sufficient number of scientific publications or manuscripts approved for publication fitting to the same research topic and a summary of them or other work that meets similar scientific criteria may also be accepted as licentiate thesis. Publications may also include joint publications, on condition that that the author's independent contribution can be demonstrated in them. After having finished the research entity meant as a licentiate thesis, the postgraduate student delivers the completed manuscript to the faculty (med-doctoral@utu.fi). For more information, please see the Faculty of Medicine study guide for doctoral training 2024-2027  (procedural instructions, PDF). 

The licentiate degree can be applied for by filling in an electronic form, including the required attachments, in Webropol during the application period (starting 28 August 2024 and closing at 4 pm (local time in Finland) on 13 September 2024). Required attachments are: Research plan (max 5 pages), Progress and resource plan, Curriculum Vitae, List of publications, Supervision and study plan (fill in electronically the faculty’s form, print and sign together with the supervisor/-s and the head of subject) and Degree certificates and Transcripts of study records. The detailed instructions for the attachments are the same as when applying for the right to study a doctoral degree (see above, for more detailed information). The vice Dean of research affairs of the faculty decides on granting the right to study for a licentiate degree. The applicant will be notified of the decision personally.

The Steering Committee of the doctoral programme will evaluate the applications. Applications may also be sent for evaluation to national and/or international reviewers. Applicants may be invited to an interview by the DPNurs Steering Committee. The research plans attached to the applications may be checked with the Turnitin OriginalityCheck plagiarism detection software in accordance with the University of Turku quality assurance system.

In the selection process the following issues are emphasized: quality, feasibility and social relevance of the research plan. In addition, the applicant’s merits, completed studies, capability, and motivation to complete a doctoral degree are evaluated.

Please see Evaluation criteria for applications to DPNurs (pdf)

DPNurs tohtoriohjelman hakemusten arviointikriteerit (pdf)

When admitting the right to study for an academic postgraduate degree, the eligibility criteria of the applicant and the selection criteria of the Doctoral Programme in Nursing Science are considered in addition to the above-mentioned criteria.

A prerequisite for admission is that there is at least one person who has agreed to act as a supervisor and who fulfills the qualification requirements for supervisors. In addition, the applicant’s research topic must fit in with the profile of the Doctoral Programme. Before applying / Doctoral training at the Faculty of Medicine | University of Turku (utu.fi)

The Dean/Vice Dean of research affairs of the faculty decides on granting the right to study for a postgraduate degree based on the proposal of the steering committee of the doctoral programme. The Head of the department decides on recruitment of the applicant for the position of a Doctoral Researcher based on the proposal of the steering committee of the doctoral programme.

All applicants will be personally informed about the decisions. The names of the applicants who have been selected for the position of a Doctoral Researcher will be announced on the website of the doctoral programme by 30 May 2025.

An admitted applicant has to notify the University of Turku of their acceptance of the study place by 3:00 pm (UTC +2) on 13 June 2025 according to the instructions given in the admission notification. If the admitted applicant does not give the notification by the end of the allotted time period mentioned above, the applicant forfeits the study place. A person admitted to more than one university or polytechnic degree programme only notifies the one educational institution at which they choose to accept the study place. Notification, i.e. accepting a study place, is binding and may not be cancelled or changed later.

According to Finnish university legislation, an applicant may accept only one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland during one academic term (autumn term 1 Aug – 31 Dec or spring term 1 Jan – 31 Jul). This rule applies to all higher education, i.e. Bachelor’s and Master’s level degrees awarded by Finnish universities of applied sciences, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees awarded by Finnish universities, and Licentiate and Doctoral degrees awarded by Finnish universities. This regulation is not applied to study rights received in transfer student selections, from the Åland University of Applied Sciences, from the Police University College, and from institutions of higher education outside Finland.

The applicants who have completed their prior degree in a country other than Finland and who are granted a study right in this call, need to deliver either the original degree certificates or certified copies of the original degree certificates and their translations to the University of Turku, as instructed in the admission notification, on 5 September 2025 at the latest. If the admitted applicant does not deliver the required certificates by the deadline, they forfeit the study right. Instructions on delivering certificates and country-specific requirements.

Appeal for rectification

If an applicant is dissatisfied with the result of the student selection (right to study for a doctoral degree), he/she has the right to submit an application for the rectification of the decision to the Faculty of Medicine within 14 days of the official publishing of the results. Contact information: med-doctoral@utu.fi.

• Check the application period.
• Read the instructions of the Faculty and the Doctoral Programme carefully.
• If you are going to verify your language skills with a language test, make sure that you book your test time well in advance. It is the applicant’s responsibility to make their own language test arrangements.
• Get the required signatures in time and prepare the required attachments.
• Fill in the electric application form or forms.
• Remember to apply in time. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be processed.
• Please keep your original degree certificates and other relevant educational documents at hand during the application process. 

DPNurs Director
Professor Riitta Suhonen
riitta.suhonen@utu.fi   

DPNurs Coordinator
PhD Hanna Heikelä
hanna.heikela@utu.fi