Doctoral graduates of Aalto University in working life

More than half of doctors work for companies

More than half of the 2016 doctoral graduates of Aalto University were employed by a private or state-owned corporation and a fourth by universities. Less than a tenth worked as an entrepreneur or freelancer.

Respondents worked mainly with research. In addition to this, the respondents' tasks related mostly to planning and development and managerial and supervisory duties.

63 % of the respondents agreed that they had required more demanding duties after completing the doctoral degree.

Nine out of ten doctors are satisfied with their degree in terms of their career

As many as 92% of 2016 doctoral graduates were satisfied with their degree in terms of their career.

Over 90 % of the respondents agreed that their career matches their goals.

Skills learned during doctoral education are valuable in working life

88 % of the respondents agree that the skills and knowledge they learned during doctoral studies can be applied well in their current job.

According to survey respondents, the most important skills needed in their work were

• the ability to learn and absorb new
• problem-solving skills and
• systematic, analytical skills

The respondents agreed they were able to develop these skills well during their doctoral education.

To explore detailed results of doctoral career tracking, go to the Finnish education administration's reporting portal Vipunen https://vipunen.fi/fi-fi/yliopisto/Sivut/Uraseuranta.aspx (in Finnish). 

More information on doctoral career tracking

Kaisa Paasivirta
Manager, Career Services
Advancement and Corporate Engagement
Aalto University
[email protected]