How to apply to doctoral education

You must hold a relevant Master’s degree, or an equivalent degree that grants eligibility for corresponding university studies in the country that issued the degree (Universities Act 1172/2014, § 37).

1. Suitability of the field of major:

   The Doctoral Programme Committee will evaluate if your previous degree aligns with the major that you are applying for.

   Depending on your degree, major and experience, you may be required to complete up to 60 credits of complementary studies with good grades. Should more than 60 credits be necessary, you will be advised to complete the appropriate master's degree before applying for the doctoral study rights.

2. Good academic performance:

   The relevant university-level Master’s degree (or equivalent) must have been completed with good grades (3/5, or at least 60% of the maximum grade, in both coursework and master's thesis). If the credit-weighted average grade or the Master’s thesis mark does not meet the requirements, you may, in exceptional cases, compensate for lower grades with complementary studies before applying for the study rights.

   The relevant master's degree from a university of applied sciences, either from Finland or abroad must have been completed with very good grades (4/5 or at least 80 % of the maximum score for both coursework and the thesis). The doctoral training capabilities will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, depending on the major subject.

Exception:

• A Bachelor of Medicine or Dentistry who is studying at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oulu and is conducting research in a research unit of University of Oulu may be granted the right to study for a doctorate in medicine or dentistry.

Your eligibility will be verified from the Master's degree certificate and the transcript of records submitted with your application.

Every doctoral researcher must have a principal supervisor who is committed to supervise your doctoral education. It is your responsibility to find and contact an suitable principal supervisor who is affiliated with a research unit of the University of Oulu. In addition to your principal supervisor, you are recommended to have also up to two co-supervisors.

Please see the requirements for supervisors and look for suitable supervisor for example from

• the websites of Faculties and Units.
• the websites of Research.
• "University of Oulu research" - database.
• Open access repository Jultika .

Contact information for university personnel can be found in the University's phonebook.

Additionally, consider reviewing the open doctoral researchers positions at the University of Oulu for more opportunities.

At the University of Oulu, instruction is provided both in Finnish and English. Eligibility requires proficiency in either English or Finnish, with the ability to communicate effectively in both spoken and written forms. This proficiency ensures smooth progress in your studies and research, as well as successful integration into the University of Oulu's scientific community.

You can find instructions for demonstrating your language skills in the following section.

Please scan the following documents in color and upload them to the electronic application form:

1. All pages of the original diploma
2. All pages of the original transcript of records
3. All original certificates related to the eligibility criteria

If your previous degree was completed at a university abroad, also include:

4. Official English translations of diplomas/transcript of records, if they are in a language other than English, Finnish or Swedish

The Diploma Supplement issued by a European higher education institution can replace the English-language transcript of records, provided it contains detailed information about your studies.

Note: If you are applying for doctoral study rights with a foreign degree and are granted admission, you must present the original diplomas and their translations to the University of Oulu Graduate School. Instructions and a timeline for this will be provided in the admission decision.

The University of Oulu assesses the authenticity of your diploma. Any fraudulent activity, such as the submission of forged documents, will be reported to the appropriate university and authorities.

Your language skills will be considered sufficient if you have any of the following:

• Secondary education in Finland.
• Secondary education in English in an EU/EEA country, the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand or Switzerland.
  • Upload a copy of diploma in English to the electronic application.
• Higher education in the Finnish university or university of applied sciences.
• Bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in English in a university or university of applied sciences in an EU/EEA country or one of the following countries: Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Canada, Dominica, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Philippines, South Africa, United Kingdom, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Switzerland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, Zimbabwe, Zambia excluding online degrees and offshore campuses.
  • Upload a copy of the transcript of records of the bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree conducted in the English language to the electronic application.
• National Certificate of Language Proficiency Skill level 5 in the following subtests; reading, writing, listening and speaking
  • Upload a copy of the National Certificate of English Language Proficiency by Finnish National Board of Education to the electronic application. University of Oulu will verify the results from the test organiser.
  • No expiry date for test result.
• 20 ECTS credits of studies conducted in English at a Finnish university or a university of applied sciences.
  • Upload a copy of the transcript of records from a Finnish university or university of applied sciences in Finnish, Swedish or English, clearly stating the courses completed in English to the electronic application.
  • Studies conducted in English at a university abroad e.g. during student exchange are not accepted.
• Statements of skills from the proposed principal supervisor and one independent scientist (anglophone or equivalent language skills) at the Oulu University, based on an interview.

If none of the above applies, you can also demonstrate your language skills with a language test approved by the University of Oulu:

• IELTS Academic or IELTS Indicator 6.5 (with a minimum of 5.5 per each section)
  • Upload a test score report to the electronic application. The University of Oulu will verify the IELTS results through the online verification system.
  • IELTS test report forms are valid for two years.
• TOEFL iBT or TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition 92 (with a minimum of 20 in the Writing section)
  • When completing the TOEFL Registration Form, please fill in the University of Oulu's Institution Code 0229 in the Score Report Recipient field. The University of Oulu will verify the TOEFL results through the online verification system provided by ETS. Upload a test score report to the electronic application.
  • TOEFL scores are valid for two years from the test date.
• Pearson Test of English, PTE Academic 62 (with a minimum of 52 in the Writing section)
  • Once you receive your test score, send it to the University of Oulu from your PTE account. After this, the University should have access to your test results within 48 hours. Be advised that online language test results will only be accepted from the test organiser. Upload a test score report to the electronic application.
  • The PTE Academic scores are valid for up to two years from the date of the exam.
• C2 Proficiency (former Cambridge English: Proficiency, CPE) Pass Level A, B, C or level C1 certificate or C1 Advanced (former Cambridge English: Advanced, CAE) Pass Level A, B or C
  • No expiry date for test result.

Prior to applying, you and your prospective supervisors must discuss and document the supervision arrangements, the doctoral research process, and the respective roles and responsibilities in the supervision plan. This plan, recommended by The Finnish National Board on Research Integrity and Universities Finland UNIFI,is designed to enhance collaboration between the doctoral researcher and supervisor/s, prevent issues, and clarify responsibilities.

The principal supervisor and co-supervisors must commit to the supervision, and the research unit must endorse the study right application.The applicant and the principal supervisor must ensure that the research unit has adequate resources for doctoral training, including supervision.

The supervision plan should be updated annually, though it is only submitted to the graduate school during the application phase.

Please find here the Supervision Plan, and Supervisor and Research Unit Commitment form.

The decision to grant study rights is heavily influenced by the quality and feasibility of your research plan. The doctoral program committee, to which you are applying, will evaluate your research plan. It is essential to agree on the research topic with your principal supervisor, who will assist you in crafting the research plan and its abstract.

Attach a PDF of the research plan to your online application.

The research plan should be 3-6 pages long + abstract, with a font size of 12 pt, and must include the following sections:

1. Tittle: Working title, or topic, of the doctoral thesis
2. Abstract of the research plan (max. 2500 characters). The abstract must include the following information: a) Scientific background of the study. b) Scientific aims of the study. c) Approaches and methods used to achieve the scientific objectives d) Scientific and societal significance of the study
3. Rationale/background/introduction. Background and significance of the research project in relation to current knowledge. Describe how the project relates to previous international or national research.
4. Objectives, theoretical aspects and expected results. Describe the theoretical background, aims and objectives of your research, research questions and/or hypotheses, expected results of your research and their expected scientific impact, potential for scientific breakthroughs, and research innovation. Describe also the impacts and influence of the research outside the scientific community.
5. Research methods and materials. Describe what kind of research material and data will be used. Describe justifications, how data will be collected, acquired and used, considering IPR and other relevant issues. Describe the research methods to be used and how the selected methods specifically help to answer the posed research question and/or confirm the hypotheses or support your chosen approach. If relevant for the project, also describe the statistical methods and other analysis methods to be used.
6. Research ethical issues. Discuss with your supervisor the ethical aspects of your research. This section describes the ethical issues related to the research topic, methods, and materials such as the ethics of the methodology, informed consent of the subject, protection of the subject's anonymity, withdrawal from the research, and any research permits or applications for them.
7. Implementation. The stages and schedule of research, and funding plan.
8. Research team, supervision, and collaboration. Include also possible research mobility.
9. Literature/ bibliography. Literature is not included in the page count.

You can save your online application - whether a partially or fully completed - by clicking the "Submit application" button at the top of the form. To save, you must fill in all mandatory fields marked with an asterisk (*) and attach the required documents. After your initial submission, you will receive a link and instructions to edit your application later. Remember to regularly save your progress, especially before exiting the portal.

When your application is complete, and you have attached the required documents:

• Select 'This application is complete' from the dropdown menu at the end of the application form (Section 9).
• Enter the submission date of the application in the text field.
• Click the 'Submit application' button at the top of the application.
• Completed applications will be processed according to the application processing procedure.

Please note that:

• Application that has not been marked as complete will not be processed before the application deadline. Incomplete applications will be considered complete after the deadline has passed and will be processed as such.
• A request for completion will be sent for an incomplete application. If the application is not completed by the given deadline, it will not proceed to evaluation and will be rejected.
• The application cannot be modified after the application deadline has passed.

Fill in the following information on the application form. To ensure accuracy, consult with your principal supervisor before entering the details:

• Doctoral degree programme, major and doctoral degree
• Faculty of the University of Oulu and the research unit where the doctoral research will be conducted
• Full names, titles, place of work and contact information (phone number and email address) of the supervisors
• Information on relevant statements and permissions related to conducting your research, for example permissions from Ethics Committee

This ensures that all necessary details are correctly captured on the application form.

Your application must include the following attachments:

• Degree certificate and transcript of records demonstrating eligibility
• Proof of language skills (if you have not completed previous secondary or higher education in Finnish)
• Supervision plan, and commitment of the supervisors and research unit
• Research plan

After you submitting your application via Studyinfo, you will receive an email confirmation. It may take 1-2 months to receive information about the admission. Unless there is a need to clarify your application or attachments, we will not contact you until the selection decision is communicated.

The application deadline is 15.00 (Finnish time) on the final day of the application period. Submissions outside the application period are not accepted. Applications received within this timeframe are reviewed in the Doctoral Programme Committee's monthly meetings from January to June and from August to December.

An application will be considered by the Doctoral Programme Committee if it is submitted at least 14 days prior to the meeting date. Please note that processing times may extend during peak periods and holidays.

After the decision on your study rights has been made, you will receive a notification to your email from Studyinfo. It is important that you accept the admission offer by the specified deadline, or the offer will be forfeited.

NOTE! You can accept only one offer of admission to a study programme leading to a higher education degree in Finland for education starting in the same academic term. If you receive multiple offers for study programs within one or several applications, you must choose which offer to accept. Accepting an offer will automatically cancel all other applications for programs starting in the same term. You may have multiple study rights, i.e., places in degree programs, but you must have accepted the study places in different terms.

Your study rights commence upon confirmation of acceptance in the Studyinfo portal. Subsequently, you will receive an email detailing the next steps, based on the contact information provided in your application.

International doctoral researchers are responsible for arranging their own visas, researcher residence permits, etc.

If you have completed your previous degree abroad and have accepted the study rights, you must present your original degree diploma, transcript of records and identity card /passport. Please arrange a time to present your documents with the coordinator of the graduate school (see contact information).

After you have accepted your study place through Studyinfo, you will be automatically registered at the University for the ongoing academic year.

Please note that the OILI online registration service is not available for doctoral researchers when accepting the admission offer in Studyinfo.

Please note that there is always a slight delay in registering your study rights. Consequently, you will not be able to activate your user account immediately after your admission has been confirmed..

Instructions for activating your user account: *New student*

Please also see the Checklist for a new doctoral researcher.

If you are dissatisfied with an admission decision, you can submit a request for rectification.

Instructions on how to submit a request for rectification: Requests for rectification concerning study credits, accreditation of studies taken elsewhere, and student admission