Aalto Doctoral Programme in Chemical Engineering

To be eligible for doctoral studies at Aalto CHEM, students must:

• hold a master’s degree in technology granted by a Finnish university or university of applied sciences,
• hold a master’s degree granted by a Finnish university or university of applied sciences, providing them with the knowledge base required for the postgraduate research field applied for or,
• hold a degree granted by a university or university of applied sciences abroad corresponding to the Finnish Master’s degree, providing them with the knowledge base required for the postgraduate research field applied for.

The knowledge base and skills required for doctoral studies shall be demonstrated by a master’s degree or by a degree earned abroad that qualifies them for equivalent doctoral studies in the country where the degree was earned.

In principle, an acceptable master’s degree has been carried out in accordance with the principles of the Bologna Process (3+2 years). A degree earned abroad in a country that does not follow the Bologna Process must include a minimum of 4 years of studies and a master’s thesis, and be deemed by the School of Chemical Engineering as providing the student with an adequate knowledge base for doctoral studies in the school.

An applicant with a relevant master's degree from a Finnish university of applied sciences is assessed by the school for his/her potential to complete doctoral studies successfully in Aalto University. Granting the right to study requires the school to determine the applicant’s need for supplementary studies. The extent of supplementary studies may not, however, exceed 60 ECTS. If the extent of necessary supplementary studies exceeds this maximum, the applicant will be advised to first pursue a master's degree before applying for a right to pursue a doctorate. International applicants with a previous technical degree corresponding to a Finnish degree from a university of applied sciences are subject to the same rules as those with corresponding Finnish degree.

Students holding a master’s degree earned abroad are eligible for doctoral studies at the School of Chemical Engineering provided their master’s degree qualifies them for equivalent doctoral studies in the country where the degree was earned.

Prerequisites

The following is required for an applicant to be approved for doctoral studies

• Adequate knowledge in his or her confirmed research field, gained through, for example, courses toward the major or courses in the advanced module within the Master’s studies, or the equivalent.
• Completing studies that support writing thesis also require sufficient basic knowledge.
• When necessary, the School of Chemical Engineering will set prerequisites for admission into the doctoral programme that may be gained, for instance, by earning the credits for them by taking exams related to master-level courses.

• Earned the master’s degree that is the basis of doctoral studies with an average grade of 3.5 / very good (Aalto University uses the grading scale 1-5);

• Or those with a master’s degree earned in accordance with the degree regulations of 1995, must have accomplished the major studies (minimum 30 cr.) in the master’s degree that is the basis of doctoral studies with an average grade of 3.5/5.
• Completed the master’s thesis with the grade of 4.0 / very good (Aalto University uses the grading scale 1-5).
• The same requirements apply to degrees earned elsewhere in Finland or abroad.

Students who fail to meet these criteria but are otherwise suitable for doctoral studies may improve their grades by taking additional courses or, alternatively, the School may set prerequisites for doctoral studies. In addition to courses taken at the School of Chemical Engineering, the school may, based on the proposal of the supervising professor of research field, accept the courses taken at other universities.

Full-time and part-time studies

Full-time doctoral students plan their studies with the aim of completing a doctoral degree within four years of the admission to the doctoral programme. Full-time doctoral students need to have funding allocated to doctoral studies (e.g. project funding, personal grant or funding from employer). Those working outside Aalto University who wish to be full-time doctoral students must provide a document of the employers' approval for full-time doctoral studies (80 % of their working hours can be dedicated to doctoral studies).

Part-time doctoral student

Part-time doctoral students are those who do not meet the above-mentioned requirements for full-time doctoral students. Their studies are planned in such a way that the time spent on doctoral studies is eight years or less. A part-time doctoral student typically has a main occupation outside the School of Chemical Engineering  which does not include scientific research for doctoral dissertation.

Applicants of part-time doctoral studies should discuss:

• whether the research is closely connected with the applicant’s own work
• what opportunities the employer has for supporting intensive postgraduate studying e.g. by side of work.

Before applying, please check the basic requirements for eligibility to doctoral studies. Contact Aalto CHEM professor responsible for your field of research at early stage of application process. Funding should be discussed and planned with the supervising professor or thesis advisor.

Log in to electronic application system and fill in the Aalto University's application form for doctoral studies. If you are applying from outside Aalto University, register as a user first. All the attachments must be submitted as pdf-files.

Application form

• Fill in the application form (link will be available during the application period 2-23 March 2020, until 15:00 Finnish time) and attach required appendices (see below).

Detailed instructions for the application form:

• Definition for full-time and part-time doctoral candidate.
• Language of the degree: Choose English unless you wish to write your dissertation in Finnish or Swedish.
• Position funding: Select "Aalto funded position" only if you apply for Aalto CHEM's funding. If you have another funding source but you also apply for Aalto CHEM's funding, choose "Aalto funded position or other funding". Please make sure to check the deadline for Aalto CHEM funding. If funding is allocated entirely from a project or another source, select "Other funding".
• Last name and all first names - the spelling of names must match your valid passport.
• Contact Information: e-mail address will be used to submit all information of application and decision process to the applicant.
• If you haven't completed your Master's degree by the application deadline, verify with your home university the graduation schedule and the date for obtaining your official degree certificate. Only applicants acquiring their Master's degree certificate within the next 3 months can apply for conditional study right. The conditional study right will expire if the candidate does not fulfill all requirements of the School of Chemical Engineering for doctoral student within the time limit stated at official decision.
• Please attach the required appendices as pdf-files to the application form (except appendix 3, study plan, which is submitted separately using the link below). All appendices are placed under heading "Appendices".

Appendices for the application

1. Curriculum vitae (CV), max. two (2) pages in English, including the detailed information of scientific activity (publications, submitted publications, conference presentations (talks and posters) and patents). For more information on how to write an academic CV, please refer to the curriculum vitae instructions and template for Finnish research organisations.
2. Research plan with funding plan, written by applicant under the supervision of professor. In English, total of two pages.
3. Study plan for theoretical studies. Only fill in the electronic form, do not attach it to the application form. Read instructions for the content of study plan (40 ECTS). All applicants are strongly recommended to include the course 'CHEM-L1000 Toolkit for Doctoral Studies' (5 ECTS) starting each autumn term. Browse for suitable doctoral level courses in WebOodi, and from Doctoral level courses at Aalto CHEM page. Please remember to state the abbreviation D for doctoral level courses provided by Aalto University.
4. Form for a supervision plan. Paper version with all signatures, included as a scanned pdf to your application. Read carefully the guidelines, approved by the Aalto University’s academic affairs committee, which give detailed information of the duties and responsibilities between the supervising professor and the doctoral candidate. At the School of Chemical Engineering, doctoral candidate has 1-3 thesis advisor(s). Supervising professor can be one of thesis advisors.
5. Applicant's motivation letter in English, one page long. Include it as an attachment to the application form (not only as text in to the application form’s motivation question). 
6. Applicant's description of previous research work, such as Master's thesis. Please describe your research experience in your own words. One page long, in English. 
7. Letter from the Aalto CHEM supervising professor. Professor will submit the letter directly to the Doctoral Programme Committee. With this letter, the professor in question has an opportunity to highlight the special skills and potential of applicant.
8. Any other supporting documents, such as letter of recommendation. It should include the explanation of what is the connection between the applicant and the person giving the recommendation. Max. 2 letters.
9. Official English abstract of Master's thesis.
10. Copy of the holder page of your passport or ID-card.

    Applicants with a Master's degree earned at another university than Aalto University (or Helsinki University of Technology) should also provide:

11. Certified copies of degree diplomas and a transcript of completed courses, together with a translation of these if the original documents are not in Finnish, Swedish or English. Transcripts of study records for B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in English, Finnish or Swedish.
    • Note: Applicants granted the doctoral study right at Aalto CHEM must present the original degree documents at the latest at the point of arrival to Aalto University.
12. Proof of proficiency in Finnish, Swedish or English if the applicant is not a native speaker of or educated in any of these three languages. Please check the English language requirements.