Aalto Doctoral Programme in Business, Economics and Finance

We consider full-time dedication to doctoral studies vital and therefore have launched a funding programme that covers all new students willing to study full-time.

During the first and second year of studies, full-time doctoral students who make satisfactory progress in their studies and research are guaranteed an after-tax salary of approximately €25 000, based on a combination of 50% employment contract and 50% personal grants. The employment contract provides students with occupational health care, paid annual leave and a pension contribution, a computer, and a communal working space with large screens and adjustable tables.

From the third year onwards, we expect our students to secure their funding from external sources. There are multiple financing sources for doctoral students in Finland, and historically all students who have performed well in the programme have obtained funding for the entire duration of their studies.

The funding offer of the Aalto University School of Business is valid during 2 years from admittance to the Doctoral Programme, with a fixed running time of 2 years starting from admittance.

We encourage and enable all of our doctoral students to present their work and build their networks in the key academic international conferences of their research area. Funding for travel and accommodation is usually provided if the conference participation is part of the student’s confirmed study plan.

We also encourage our students to gain international academic experience during their studies as visiting junior scholars at universities and research institutes abroad and to seek and secure employment abroad after graduation. Recently our graduates have landed excellent jobs as assistant professors in some of the best universities and business schools in the world.

The general eligibility criteria for higher education are defined in section 37 of the Universities Act (558/2009).

A master’s degree (MSc, MBA, MA) or its equivalent.

Eligible applicants for studies leading to an academic licentiate or doctoral degree:

• Relevant master’s degree awarded by a Finnish university or a Finnish university of applied sciences, or a corresponding degree completed abroad
  • have completed a relevant master’s degree awarded by a university;
  • have completed a relevant master’s degree awarded by a university of applied sciences;

  • have completed a relevant study programme abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for the corresponding level of higher education, or

  • are otherwise deemed by the university as possessing sufficient knowledge and skills for the studies

• In cases where the applicant has not yet completed a master’s degree,
  i) Expected completion of all course work, including possible thesis: no later than August 31, 2021
  ii) Expected graduation date: no later than November 26, 2021
• Students accepted to the programme must present evidence that they have fulfilled the criteria i) and ii) by the dates listed above.

Policy on the recognition of degrees awarded outside Finland:

Students holding a degree earned abroad are eligible for doctoral studies provided their degree gives them  eligibility for corresponding higher education in the awarding country. As a rule, degrees earned abroad are recognized at Aalto University provided that they have required studies of at least four years, including a thesis similar to the master’s thesis, and that such studies in the view of the school equip the student with the skills and knowledge needed to pursue doctoral studies at the school. The precondition for the recognition of European degrees is that the degree is a university degree combination earned in accordance with the Bologna Process principles (3+2 years)

Policy on the recognition of master’s degrees from Finnish universities of applied sciences:

Applicants with a prior degree earned abroad and corresponding to a relevant Finnish master’s degree from a university of applied sciences are treated equally to those with master’s degree from a Finnish university of applied sciences

Defining the requisite supplementary studies:

Each school defines the principles according to which doctoral students are assigned supplementary studies to ensure they have the prerequisite knowledge and skills for the doctoral studies

Admissions to the programme are subject to the requirements of the Finnish Universities Act (558/2009) and may be conditional on the completion of supplementary studies. Aalto University School of Business reserves the right to request translations or originals of application documents and decide on the number of accepted candidates based on academic evaluation of the candidates, available funding and supervisory capacity.

During a single term, a person may accept only one study position leading to a degree in Finland (Finnish Universities Act 558/2009).

An admitted applicant has to accept (or reject) the offered study place within four weeks of the date of the admission letter and enroll as an attending doctoral student. It is possible to enroll as a non-attending student in your first year of study only on grounds referred to in the Universities Act (Yliopistolaki 558/2009, Section 39), such as:

• military service referred to in the Conscription Act (Asevelvollisuuslaki 1438/2007), the Non-Military Service Act (Siviilipalveluslaki 1446/2007) or the Act on Voluntary Military Service for Women (Laki naisten vapaaehtoisesta asepalveluksesta 194/1995). Military service in other countries than Finland is not an acceptable reason for enrolment as a non-attending student;
• maternity, paternity or parental leave; or
• inability to start studies due to personal illness or injury.

An application form with detailed instructions, including the contact persons for the majors, can be found below.

Only complete applications will be processed.

Applications with appendices must be submitted by 15 January 2021 by 12:01 PM (EET) at the latest. The GMAT or GRE test must be taken before the application deadline.

The following appendices are required; appendices 1–5 must be available by the closing of the application time:

1. Copies of academic degrees earned with supplements and a certified transcript of courses taken (with English translations);
2. A student copy of a GMAT or GRE score from a test taken within the past 5 years and no later than January 15, 2021. If the applicant’s score can be found in the test owner’s database before the closing of the application time, no student copy is required. Successful applicants typically have a GMAT score well above 600;
3. CV;
4. A statement of purpose in English of 1000 words or less describing your motivation for PhD studies and your career objectives;
5. One selected academic work: either a copy of your master’s thesis, or another independent research output that you consider best representative of your work (in English or another language agreed with the School of Business admissions);
6. Two (2) letters of recommendation, which the referee must send directly by email to [email protected]

Please note that it is not possible to be admitted conditionally pending the completion of a GMAT or GRE test; the test must be taken before the closing of the application period.

A GMAT or GRE score

A GMAT or GRE General Test is a necessary part of your application and we require the test from all applicants. The GRE or GMAT score must be from a test taken within the past 5 years and no later than January 15, 2021. The School of Business receives the official test results direct from the test organizer’s database, so please do not order printed score reports to be sent to School of Business.

Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT®)

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT®) is a standardized, computer-aided test that is used around the world as an assessment criterion in student admissions and by employers. It is owned by Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC).

The test is in Standard American English and measures basic verbal, mathematical and analytical writing skills. It has been developed specifically to meet the needs of student admissions in business schools. The test particularly helps in the assessment of individuals who are applying for advanced business studies. Individuals who take the test typically already have a university degree.

The GMAT® in School of Business doctoral admissions

The School of Business receives the applicants’ Official GMAT® Score Reports directly from the test owner's database. No paper copy is needed. The GMAT® test must have been taken within the past 5 years, before the end of the application deadline.

The GMAT® Program Code for the School of Business is C1N-9F-82 (‘Aalto University School of Business Doctoral Program’). Please make sure that you give the correct code as otherwise we do not get your scores. If you have taken the test earlier, order an Additional Score Report to be sent to the School of Business (see www.mba.com).

You also need the Site ID number of the test center when you register. The Site ID number of LAN Group is 54814.

Website and email:

• www.swanit.fi
• www.lgf.fi
• [email protected]

It is recommendable to familiarize yourself with the structure and contents of the test in advance, especially if you have not taken similar tests. Test-preparation software for the GMAT® can be downloaded for free at www.mba.com.

The GRE general test

The GRE revised General Test (Graduate Record Examinations, later referred to as the GRE test) measures the level of verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing skills that can be expected of a doctoral student. The test owner is Educational Testing Service (ETS), www.ets.org/gre.

The test should be completed within the past five years and before the end of the application deadline.

After the test, you can choose up to 4 universities where your score results are sent. NOTE: If you do not choose Aalto University School of Business as one of these universities, the Doctoral Programme will not see your test score in the database. You will have access to your scores on your My GRE Account about one month from the test.

The doctoral program staff will see your test score in the ETS database once the official results are ready.

Enrollment and preparing for test

When enrolling, you are asked for our university code, which is 7364 (‘Aalto University’).

If you have taken the test already earlier and not ordered it to be sent to Aalto University, you have to ask for it to be re-sent to Aalto University. Otherwise we cannot find your test in the database.

All material that you want to be considered in the application process should be in a language understood by the people evaluating applications. Generally, this means English or Finnish. If your documents are in some other language, you should contact your applied major’s professor beforehand.

The University Academic Affairs Committee recommends the following English language tests and minimum  core requirements for doctoral admissions:

1.  IELTS (Academic): 6.5, and 5.5 for Writing
2. TOEFL:
   • iBT (Internet-based Test): 92, and 22 for the Writing section or
   • PDT (Paper-Delivered Test): Reading 22, Listening 22, and Writing 24
3. C1 Advanced: A, B or C
4.  C2 Proficiency: A, B, C or Level C1
5. Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE A): 62, and 54 for writing;

An English language test is not required in doctoral admissions for applicants who have:

• earned a degree taught in Finnish, Swedish or English in a higher education institution in Finland.

• earned a degree in an English-medium programme at a higher education institution in an EU/EEA country. The language of the degree must be stated unambiguously in the degree certificate or its appendix, or in the transcript of records or other official document issued by the awarding higher education institution.

• earned an English-medium higher education degree in Australia, Ireland, Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States while residing in that country

• received his or her primary and secondary education in English in Australia, Canada, an EU/EEA country, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or the United States.

A minimum of one half of the degree must be completed in a country and higher education institution that meets the requirements for exempting the student from taking an English test.

Please note that it is not possible to apply conditionally on the language tests - the tests must be taken before the closing of the application period.

Applications will be evaluated by academic departments based on previous academic performance, research potential, motivation, performance in standardized tests and references. Candidates must be available for a potential interview.

The Dean decides on admissions based on departmental assessments.

If an applicant applies to more than one major, each of them must be an independent document with complete appendices, and the applicant must indicate their order of preference.

For further information, please contact the faculty of your desired major.
 

Application form 2021

The information on the application form and instructions will be updated here closer to the admission period.

Register for the application system, download and fill out the electronic application form. Instructions are below.

It is possible to save the unfinished application and continue later for submitting it but please make sure to submit it by the deadline January 15 2021 at 12.01 PM (EET). After submission and the due date, your application is final.

Scan and save all enclosures, except for official GMAT/GRE test reports and referee letters, as attachments to the electronic application. The office of the doctoral programme obtains the official GMAT and GRE reports from the test organizer's database. Referees should send their recommendations directly to the office of the doctoral programme.

To avoid a last-minute rush on the lines, it is recommendable to submit your application before the day of the deadline. It is also recommendable to have the required attachments at hand when you start drafting the application.

If your master's degree is not completed by the application deadline, the degree certificate can be sent to the office of the Doctoral Programme by 27 November, 2021, preferably sooner. Otherwise, your application is conditional.

Applicant’s guide to the online application system

The application system normally functions best with the Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers. If you use another browser and headlines on the form seem to overlap, you can try to diminish the view to 75%.

Registration as a user

When applying to the University, start by creating a user account for the system.

1. Choose the language on the upper part of the screen.
2. Register as a user: Create a local user account.
3. Give an email address that is exclusively in your personal use.
4. The learning services of the Doctoral Programme may contact the applicants by email during and after the selection process. It is very important that you give an email address that is valid throughout the entire selection process. If your contact information changes after submitting your application, please inform us as soon as possible at [email protected]
5. Do not write anything else in the fields except what has been asked. The information you give will be printed on the letter of acceptance exactly the way you write it on the registration form.
6. Please make sure that you write nothing but your address in the address field. Provide your name using capital initials, as Firstname Lastname. Do not use CAPS LOCK or any letters other than those in Latin script (for example, do not use русский or中国).

Aalto University's internal users

If you have an Aalto University WebLogin account, log in and enter your contact information in the User details view of the application system (System > User details). Otherwise your contact information will not show on your application form. You can move on to ‘Filling in the application form’.

• After completing the registration form, you will receive a confirmation email at the email address you indicated on the form. Activate the user account that the system offers to you by clicking the link in the message. The email address you have been given on the registration form will become your user name. 

Filling in the application form

1. Log in to the Applicant’s guide on the online application system. Fill in the online application form and follow the instructions to submit it.
2. Follow the instructions on the application form. By clicking the symbol, you will get more information about a specific question.
3. Your session will expire in 120 minutes if you don’t keep it active. Unsaved data will be lost.
4. You can save your application form if it is incomplete; that makes it possible to return to modify the application and submit it later.
5. After you have completed the application form, click the Save button.

Adding appendices

Adding appendices to the application:

• Scan the appendices, each to a different file, and save them on your computer.
• Go to the application form and fill it in
• Click the title of the tab in which you intend to save the appendix (see picture below)
• You will see a green cross and a link ‘Add file’. Click the link.
• Browse the intended file and save it
• Repeat the same with the other appendices
• When you are ready to submit the application form, click the Submit button on the Case details page. The application must be submitted in the system before the application deadline.
• After you have submitted your application, you can save and print a copy of the application for yourself. Download the application as a PDF file (see picture below) and print it. You can only print the form after it has been submitted!
• In certain internet browsers, you must first save the downloaded PDF file on your computer (right click PDF icon → Save as) and open it there before printing.

If your contact information changes during the process

If your contact information changes during the application period or the selection process, you are responsible for updating it in the online application system. Log into the application system and select User details from the navigation tree on the left. You must confirm the changes with your password. Please note that your username will remain the same despite any changes made to your email address (i.e. the email address you used in your original registration).

Please make sure to keep your contact information updated during the whole process, even after the end of the application period. The Student Services of the Doctoral Programme in Business, Economics and Finance sends email updates to the address given on the registration form. An official letter of the results of the student selection is sent to the address shown in the User details.