Doctoral Training at the Faculty of Humanities - How to Apply

The general prerequisite for the right to complete postgraduate studies is a Master's degree or an equivalent higher university degree. Applicants must hold an applicable higher university degree or must have completed an applicable education abroad which, in the country in question, qualifies the student for postgraduate studies equivalent to those offered at the University of Turku, or must be able to otherwise demonstrate the knowledge and readiness needed for scientific postgraduate studies. A degree or other form of education will be considered relevant if the work is of a high standard, includes advanced studies (or equivalent), and is in a field that adequately prepares the candidate for conducting the research proposed in the dissertation plan/preliminary research plan.

Applicants must also have sufficient knowledge of the languages needed to conduct their postgraduate studies.

A single Master's degree cannot form the basis for more than one postgraduate degree. Thus, applicants with, for instance, a Master's and a doctoral degree in another field cannot complete a Doctor of Philosophy degree at the Faculty of Humanities without first completing a Master's degree in a relevant humanist discipline.

There are two application deadlines for postgraduate studies per academic year.  Information on the application periods as well as application process can be found from the web page of the Faculty.

Well before submitting the application for postgraduate studies, the applicant should contact the major that most closely corresponds to their research interests and agree on a preliminary research and study plan as well as on the arrangements concerning the supervision of the future doctoral dissertation. The easiest way to contact the future major subject is to fill in this ->form

The professor in charge of doctoral studies in the major in question will evaluate the application, estimate the resources at its disposal for supervision of the student and make a decision on recommending the application.

The applicant should ask for a statement concerning their application from the professor in charge of postgraduate studies of the future major. The professor is asked to send the statement directly to the faculty (humpostgraduate(at)utu.fi ). The student submits the application and other needed documents according to the instructions. It is the responsibility of the student to deliver the documents by the deadline.

Statement form (for the use the department)

The board of the doctoral programmes JUNO and Utuling will evaluate the applications and make a proposal to the Dean for accepting or rejecting them. The applicants will be informed personally about the decision.

Applicants must fill in an electronic form in Opintopolku/Studyinfo. 

Note! Teaching at the University of Turku is provided principally in Finnish, but the supervision of doctoral dissertations and teaching at the doctoral level can also be provided in English or, at the language departments, in the language in question. In addition to Finnish and English, postgraduate studies can also be carried out in a foreign language agreed upon with the relevant department. 

According to the University of Turku Regulation on Studies (section 5) “when students are selected to pursue Doctoral degrees, admission criteria may include studies completed earlier, study success, a study and research plan or other indication of eligibility for doctoral studies. When students are selected to pursue doctoral studies, it shall be ensured that high quality guidance is available in the field of research”.

The decision as to whether the applicant has been granted the right to study is made by the Dean upon the recommendation of the board of the doctoral programme. The decision is drafted evaluating each applicant’s application documents according to the admission criteria and taking
account of the statement made by the person responsible for postgraduate degrees at the relevant department. The evaluation criteria are the following:

• quality of the research plan: its clarity, feasibility and scholarly significance
• research skills indicated and
• motivation.

One criterion can also be whether or not the department can offer supervision in the applicant’s field of research. If an applicant cannot be accepted as a postgraduate student, they will be sent a written notice stating the reasons for the rejection. An applicant, who is not satisfied with the decision, may appeal in writing to the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities within 14 days of the decision being sent.

The research plan should be formulated according to the following structure. Only research plans that include all the sections named below can be accepted.

Background
- the topic of the doctoral dissertation and its significance and contribution
- its connections to relevant national and international research as well as current scholarly discussions
The aim of the research and the research question
The materials and methods used in the research
- a reflection on research ethics
A plan for collaboration and mobility
Execution
- the applicant’s abilities, previous research experience and familiarity with the field
- a schedule for the research
- a publishing plan: whether the dissertation will be a collection of articles or a monograph
a) in case of an article-based dissertation, the applicant should include an estimate of the number of articles, a brief summary of their contents as well as a tentative plan concerning the possible publishing forums
b) a preliminary plan for the content of the monograph and a view on its possible publishing
A list of references

The directive length of the preliminary research plan is five pages, not including the list of references (using 12-point font, 1.5 line spacing and 2-2.5 cm margin).

Before making selection, research proposals will be checked by using Turnitin Originality Check (system for electrical plagiarism detection).If the applicant has used AI in the design of the research plan, they must report on how it has been used.

 A motivation letter is a one page long, free-form document (12-point font, 1.5 line spacing) that states

• why the applicant wishes to undertake postgraduate studies in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Turku,
• how the proposed research relates to other research done at the University of Turku and
• the funding plan for the postgraduate studies.

A. If the applicant has completed the former degree(s) which make them eligible for doctoral studies at a university in Finland, the scanned 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 the applicant has completed the former degree(s) which make them eligible for doctoral studies at a university abroad (i.e. outside Finland), they must attach the following items to the electronic application form:

• scanned original degree certificates (in the language that the degree was completed in)

• scanned original transcripts of study records (in the language that the degree was completed in)

• scanned other original educational documents which may be of relevance in the student selection and that applicant are applying based on.

 If the original degree certificates or transcripts of study records are not written in English, Finnish or Swedish, official translations into 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. 

All attachments should be good-quality and easy-to-read full-colour scans or photographs of the complete required document. Attachments that do not meet these requirements may be rejected.

Accepted applicants who have completed their prior degree in a country other than Finland, must deliver the original certificates and transcripts or certified copies of the certificates and transcripts and their translations to the University of Turku as instructed in the acceptance letter. If the applicant does not deliver these documents within the allotted time period, the study right will be cancelled. See: Providing original educational documents

 In addition to research, the doctoral degree includes a postgraduate studies module (40-60 credits). More detailed information on the content of these studies is provided in the curricula of the doctoral programmes. These studies are agreed in advance with the person responsible for postgraduate studies in the major subject area during the application preparation phase. 

The curricula for doctoral programmes 2022-2024 can be found in the University's online study guide: https://opas.peppi.utu.fi/fi/tohtorikoulutus-ja-muu-jatko-opiskelu/14003?period=2022-2024

The postgraduate study plan (40-60 ECTS) should be included to the application. The plan should include the contents of the postgraduate studies (40-60 ECTS) and a preliminary schedule for carrying out these studies. 

The doctoral dissertation can be written in Finnish or in English, and furthermore, according to previous agreement, in any other language that is taught at the University of Turku at postgraduate level.

Applicants must have good English language skills and a certificate that proves those skills.

The University follows the manners of verifying language skills which are defined in the Rector’s decision.

Language skills can be indicated by taking one of the internationally recognized English language tests listed on page Language requirements for admission. When taking the test the applicant should  choose University of Turku as a recipient of the results where possible. The applicant must also attach a scanned copy of the test result to the application for verification purposes.

The test result must be available by the end of the application period and it must be available for online verification at the latest 14 days after the end of the application period.

Applicants are exempt from doing an English language test if they hold one of the following. 

Applicants are exempt from doing an English language test if they hold one of the following:

• Bachelor’s degree (or higher) or an equivalent degree completed in English* in

  • EU/EEA countries,
  • Antigua and Barbuda,
  • Australia,
  • Bahamas,
  • Barbados,
  • Belize,
  • Botswana,
  • Cameroon,
  • Canada,
  • Dominica,
  • Eritrea,
  • Eswatini,
  • Ethiopia,
  • Gambia,
  • Ghana,
  • Grenada,
  • Guyana,
  • Hong Kong,
  • India,
  • Jamaica,
  • Kenya,
  • Lesotho,
  • Liberia,
  • Malawi,
  • Namibia,
  • New Zealand,
  • Nigeria,
  • Philippines,
  • Rwanda,
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis,
  • Saint Lucia,
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
  • Sierra Leone,
  • Singapore,
  • South Africa,
  • Switzerland,
  • Tanzania,
  • Trinidad and Tobago,
  • Uganda,
  • United Kingdom,
  • United States of America,
  • Zambia,
  • Zimbabwe

  *At least half of the degree must be completed in English and the language of instruction of the degree must be clearly indicated in the degree certificate or transcript of records or Diploma Supplement or an official statement from the university issuing the degree. If the language of instruction is not clearly stated, the applicant must provide proof of language skills in one of the other ways accepted by the university.

• Bachelor's degree (or higher) or an equivalent degree completed in a university or university of applied sciences in Finland.
• Secondary education completed in English in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, or the United States.
• Secondary education completed in Finland.

A copy of applicant’s valid passport or official identification card with photo and information on citizenship. If the applicant has a Finnish personal identity code and they have entered it on the application form, they do not need to attach a copy of passport.