Doctoral Programme of Social and Behavioural Sciences
The Doctoral Programme of Social and Behavioural Sciences is part of the University of Turku Graduate School (UTUGS).
The field of a Doctor of Social Sciences can be philosophy, contemporary history, social policy, social work, sociology, economic sociology, political science, or East Asian Studies. The degree of a Doctor of Psychology is in the field of psychology. The field of a Doctor of Philosophy can be philosophy, speech-language pathology or psychology.
Each of the faculty’s professionals approaches society from the perspective of their own academic discipline. The current research themes are listed below:
- political organizations, international relations and government with the objective of conducting research on the state, political systems and power
- contemporary East-Asian societies and politics including their recent histories
- the recent history of politics, international relations and society
- economic connections of social activities
- the principles, development, and neural basis of human behavior and cognitive processes
- issues related to well-being and vulnerabilities, and social services and income transfer systems
- Multicultural Research, Political Sociology, Sociology of Housing, Social Inequalities, Social Theory and Welfare Research
- applied ethics, environmental philosophy, philosophy of mind, philosophy of political and social sciences, and the history of philosophy (especially early modern philosophy)
See more information: Research at the Faculty of Social Sciences
Next application periods:
- 29 August -12 September, 2025 (right to study from 1 January 2026 and doctoral researcher positions with employment contract)
- 2 March - 16 March, 2026 (right to study from 1 August 2026)
Note! The application forms closes at 4 pm local time in Finland.
Contact:
Email: socpostgraduate@utu.fi
The Direct of the Doctoral Programme:
professor Juha Räikkä
The Coordinator of the Doctoral Programme:
coordinator Kirsi Tammi