Doktorandprogrammet i teknikvetenskap

Målet med doktorandprogrammet är att utbilda doktorer i fysik, matematik, medicinsk teknik, datateknik och produktionsekonomi som har förmåga att bedriva självständig forskning som främjar vetenskapen, den offentliga förvaltningen och näringslivet. Doktorer som utexamineras från doktorandprogrammet har goda förutsättningar att sköta krävande forsknings- och undervisningsuppgifter samt vetenskapliga expert-, utvecklings- och ledningsuppgifter.

Institutionerna vid Högskolan för teknikvetenskaper ansvarar för doktorandprogrammet. De forskningsområden som dessa institutioner erbjuder bygger på starka forskningstraditioner och på internationell toppforskning. Högskolan för teknikvetenskaper deltar också aktivt i olika nätverk för doktorandutbildning.

Doktorandutbildningen bygger på långsiktig grundforskning, som utgör en stadig grund för både undervisningen och utvecklings- och innovationsverksamheten. För varje doktorand skräddarsys sådana studier som stöder forskningsarbetet och stämmer överens med doktorandens mål. De doktorsavhandlingar som publiceras vid Högskolan för teknikvetenskaper är mycket högklassiga och innehåller ofta artiklar som publicerats i internationellt erkända publikationer. Doktorsexamen kan avläggas på fyra år vid heltidsstudier.

Doktorsexamen består av tre helheter:

1. lärdomsprovet, d.v.s. doktorsavhandlingen
2. studier inom forskningsområdet 20–35 ECTS
3. allmänna forskningsfärdighets studier 5–20 ECTS

Alla doktorander defineiras som antingen heltids- eller deltidsstuderande. Doktoranden kan inte själv ändra på studieintensiteten, men den kan ändras genom att vid behov göra en ansökan om förändrad studieintensitet.

Doktorandstudier på heltid

En doktorand som studerar på heltid ska planera sina studier så att hen kan avlägga doktorsexamen inom fyra år från och med att studierätten beviljats. Den som söker in till doktorandstudier på heltid ska ha finansiering för studierna i åtminstone de 6 första månaderna (till exempel finansiering från arbetsgivaren, projektfinansiering eller stipendium). En sökande som är anställd utanför Aalto-universitetet ska till sin ansökan bifoga ett intyg från sin arbetsgivare (chef) över möjligheten till studier på heltid (minst 80 % av arbetstiden kan användas för studier).

Doktorandstudier på deltid

Den som inte uppfyller ovannämnda förutsättningar för heltidsstudier kan bedriva doktorandstudier på deltid. Då planeras doktorandstudierna så att det tar mer än fyra år, men högst åtta år att avlägga doktorsexamen. Till denna grupp hör bland annat sådana doktorander som är anställda någon annanstans än vid högskolan.
Den som söker till doktorandstudier på deltid rekommenderas att diskutera huruvida avhandlingsarbetet är nära kopplat till det egna arbetet och vilka möjligheter arbetsgivaren har att stöda intensiva doktorandstudier vid sidan av arbetet.

Undervisningsspråket är huvudsakligen engelska, men doktorsavhandlingen kan också skrivas på finska eller svenska.

Den sökande anger i sin ansökan på vilket språk hen ämnar avlägga examen (examensspråk). Examen kan avläggas på finska, svenska eller engelska. Om doktoranden skriver sin doktorsavhandling på finska eller svenska är också examensspråket finska eller svenska. Om doktorsavhandlingen skrivs på engelska kan den sökande välja engelska som examensspråk. Examensspråket fastställs av forskarutbildningsrådet. Examensspråket kan av grundad anledning bytas ut senare om till exempel språket för doktorsavhandlingen har ändrats.

De mest talangfulla doktoranderna kan få finansiering från institutionen eller finansiera sina doktorandstudier med hjälp av projektfinansiering eller stipendier. Finansieringen diskuteras alltid i första hand med ansvarsprofessorn.

Lediga arbetsplatser för doktoranderna vid Aalto-universitetet (på engelska)

If you need a residence permit for research in Finland, please see more information about income requirement at the Finnish Immigration Services.

I högskolans doktorandprogram fästs stor vikt vid internationalisering, både i rekryteringen av doktorander och i doktorandutbildningen. Högskolan för teknikvetenskaper har också nära kontakter till ett flertal toppuniversitet och forskningsinstitut i anslutning till högskolans forskningsområden.

Aalto-universitetet uppmuntrar sina doktorander till att åka utomlands under studierna, eftersom internationell rörlighet främjar doktorandernas karriärmöjligheter. En vistelse vid ett universitet och en forskningsenhet i utlandet innebär ofta en möjlighet att dela information och kunskap, skapa nya idéer, utvidga sina internationella nätverk och utveckla sina professionella färdigheter.

Cotutelleavtal

Universitetet stöder varmt doktorandstudier som genomförs under internationell samhandledning, s.k. cotutelleavtal. Dessa cotutelleavtal rör de studier som ingår i en forskarstuderandes examen och handledningen av forskningsarbetet. I dessa fall får doktoranden examen från två universitet och ett examensbetyg från båda universiteten.

Målet för forskningen och undervisningen vid Aalto-universitetet är en hög internationell kvalitet, och internationellt samarbete är en central del av doktorandutbildningen vid Aalto-universitetet. Samhandledning av doktorsavhandlingar är ett sätt att bedriva samarbete med internationella universitet. Genom cotutelleavtal kan den studerande också genomföra studier vid ett annat universitet och får dessutom en handledare för sin doktorsavhandling vid det andra universitetet. Samhandledningen ska grunda sig på ett äkta vetenskapligt samarbete, ge forskningsarbetet ett mervärde och höja kvaliteten på forskningen.

Nätverken för doktorandutbildning samarbetar i form av seminarier, kurser, sommarskolor och evenemang samt hjälper de studerande att nätverka med varandra och erbjuder dem kollegialt stöd.

Nätverk för doktorandutbildning

Högskolan för teknikvetenskaper deltar i följande nätverk för doktorandutbildning:

Brain & Mind
CMMP- Network in Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
Doctoral Education Network in Systems Analysis, Decision Making and Risk Management
ENNUSTE - Doctoral Education Network in Nuclear Science and Technology
FDNSS - Finnish Doctoral Education Network in Stochastics and Statistics
HICT - Helsinki doctoral education network in information and communications technology
Nordic IoT Hub - Nordic collaboration in Industrial IoT

Each application is processed in the next possible meeting of the Doctoral Programme Committee when all the required materials have been received. Only applications with all the required materials will be processed. Incomplete applications will be rejected, unless the missing materials are sent by the deadline given. The right to pursue a degree will be valid only after the dean has granted the right and the applicant has accepted the offer of admission. The applicant has two weeks to accept the offer and cannot postpone the start of the right to pursue a degree.*

*Please note:

From 1 August 2016 onwards applicants who have been given an offer of admission may accept only one student place leading to a higher education degree in Finland during one academic term (Universities Act 558/2009). Higher education degrees include bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees awarded by universities as well as degrees from universities of applied sciences.

The academic terms run from 1 August to 31 December and from 1 January to 31 July. The acceptance of a student place is binding and cannot be cancelled. Even if the accepted applicants postpone the commencement of studies or give up their right to study, they cannot accept another study place leading to a higher education degree starting the same academic term.

The general eligibility criteria for higher education are defined in the Universities Act (558/2009, section 37) and in the Aalto University Student Admissions Criteria for 2023.

Eligible applicants for studies leading to a doctoral degree from the Doctoral Programme in Science will have completed:

• a relevant master’s degree awarded by a university;
• a relevant master’s degree awarded by a university of applied sciences; or
• a relevant study programme abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for the corresponding level of higher education.

The university may require a student admitted to study towards an academic or artistic licentiate or doctoral degree to complete supplementary studies in order to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for the study programme.

Policy on the recognition of degrees awarded outside Finland

Applicants 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 general rule, the grounds for Aalto’s recognition of degrees earned abroad is that the normative time to attaining them is at least four years, which includes a master’s thesis or the equivalent, 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 general policy on the recognition of a European degree as the basis for doctoral degree studies is that it be a higher-education degree combination (3+2 years) earned in accordance with the Bologna Process principles.

Eligibility on the grounds of higher-education degrees with a structure differing from the abovementioned are considered on a case-by-case basis. In such cases, attention will focus particularly on how well the degree has prepared the applicant to pursue doctoral studies.

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

Applicants with a master’s degree in a relevant field earned at a Finnish university of applied sciences are reviewed on a case-by-case basis for their aptitude to pursue doctoral studies. If the school deems the applicant with a relevant master's degree from a university of applied sciences as having the potential to complete the doctoral degree, the applicant will be assigned sufficient supplementary studies to allow him or her to begin the doctoral/licentiate studies. The scope of the supplementary studies may not, however, exceed 60 ECTS credits. If the scope of the supplementary studies exceeds this maximum, the applicant is advised to complete a master's degree at the university level before applying for a right to pursue the doctoral degree.

When assessing the students’ potential for successful doctoral studies and determining their need for supplementary studies, the school will consider the scope of master’s degrees at the student’s university of applied sciences (in Finland, such degrees are of 60–90 cr, less than the 120-credit scope of master’s degrees at Finnish universities such as Aalto).

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.

The academic evaluation of the applicant is performed by the supervising professor in charge of the research field sought by the applicant. The Doctoral Programme Committee also evaluates the applicants. In addition, all applicants to the field of industrial engineering and management are evaluated by the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management.

The evaluation of applicants takes into account the following criteria:

Contents of the previous degree(s):

1. sufficient basic information concerning the research field applied for; this information is collected from e.g. the major studies or advanced studies that were included in the applicant’s master's degree
2. sufficient basic information to support the applicant’s ability to carry out the research work and writing for the doctoral thesis

The School of Science may set prerequisite studies for the applicant to complete by e.g. taking master’s level courses.

Academic performance:

1. The applicant received a minimum grade of at least 4 (on a scale of 1–5) for the master's thesis
2. an average grade of 3.5 (on a scale of 1–5)  for the master’s degree courses (excluding the thesis), OR
3. if the applicant earned his/her master’s degree in accordance with the degree regulations of 1995 or earlier (when Finnish bachelor's and master's degree were not pursued separately), he or she received an average grade of at least 3.0 (scale 1–5) for the major at the master's level.

Exceptions to the grade limits mentioned above may be made only for special reasons set forth in a well-founded written statement by the supervising professor. In such cases, the Doctoral Programme will request a statement from the supervising professor.

Other evaluation criteria:

1. the quality of the applicant’s university degree and its status internationally
2. the applicant’s potential as a researcher; previous experience in research research-related work experience, conference presentations, journal articles, etc.
3. relevance of the research topic: to ensure genuine research interest by the supervising professor and adequate resources to advise the student in the research of the department’s focus area
4. the research proposal: the theoretical and practical innovative value of the topic; the feasibility of the research proposal (its quality, planned methods, etc.)
5. time management and resources: the research proposal and the time the student has available for the doctoral studies over the next four (4) years
6. the supervising resources of the university in the research field
7. other grounds for admission presented by the applicant

Applicant evaluations for the research field of industrial engineering and management:

The Department of Industrial Engineering and Management and the supervising professor are responsible for evaluating applicants to the research field of industrial engineering and management. The Doctoral Programme will request an evaluation statement from the department. Preference will be given to applicants who have shown outstanding academic performance and are otherwise strongly qualified for doctoral studies in the department.

Successful applicants will have excellent skills in Finnish, Swedish, or English. The applicant chooses the language(s) of instruction that he/she will use for demonstrating proficiency.

Proficiency in a national language of Finland is demonstrated in accordance with the ‘General recommendations for admissions criteria for Finnish universities’.

Proficiency in English may be demonstrated in one of the following ways:

1. The applicant has earned a degree taught in Finnish, Swedish or English in a higher education institution in Finland;
2. The applicant has earned an English-medium higher education degree in an EU/EEA country, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or the United States while residing in the respective country;
3. The applicant has received his or her primary and secondary education in English in an EU/EEA country, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom or the United States while residing in the respective country;
4. The applicant has completed the Aalto Executive Education MBA, EMBA or DBA degree; 
5. The applicant has completed CEMS Master in International Management entity; or
6. Applicants submit their English-language test results in accordance with the information below.

In points 1–3 of the above list, a minimum of one half of the aforementioned degree must be completed in a country and higher education institution that meets the requirements for exempting the student from taking an English test. 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 institution. If the degree was completed in more than one language, the appendix must clearly indicate the amount of studies that were completed in English.

In points 1 – 2 of the above list, a university degree showing language proficiency must be at least three years' lower university degree, at least one year's higher university degree or doctorate. The university must be a recognised part of the country's official national education system. The university must be found on the country's official list of recognised universities with a right to degree-granting or on a list of recognised universities maintained by an international organisation (e.g., UNESCO). 

The university must be recognised in the country of point 1 or 2.

The recognized English language tests and their minimum scores required for admission to doctoral studies are (Aalto University Admissions Criteria 2022):

1. IELTS (Academic): 6.5, and 5.5 for Writing;
2. TOEFL:
   1. IBT (Internet-based Test): 92, and 22 for the Writing section or
   2. iBT® Special Home Edition: 92 and 22 for the Writing section
   3. PDT (Paper-Delivered Test): Reading 22, Listening 22, and Writing 24
3. C1 Advanced, prev. Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English: A,B or C
4. C2 Proficiency, prev. Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English: A,B,C or Level C1
5. Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE A): 62, and 54 for writing
6. When it comes to the IELTS and TOEFL tests, the following online tests are also accepted: TOEFL iBT® Special Home Edition ja IELTS Indicator (Academic).

In addition, at the School of Science, an English language test is not required in doctoral admissions of applicants who have:

• been deemed by their supervising professor as having sufficient proficiency in English to pursue doctoral studies. The supervising professor must submit a written statement on the language skills of the applicant and the statement should be added in the application. If the applicant does not submit the statement together with other application documents the Doctoral Programme will request the statement from the supervising professor.

Submission of English test result:

Only official reports of the language test are acceptable as proof of proficiency.

• For IELTS test, upload a copy of the official test report (as a PDF) to the application system. The test results are verified through the test administrator’s electronic verification service.
• TOEFL test results must be sent to Aalto University by the test administrator directly. Request your official score report to be sent from the test administrator to Aalto University reporting code 7364. Unofficial score reports sent by applicants will not be accepted. Test scores submitted with the Aalto University reporting code are checked for authenticity in the test administrator’s verification database. The scores are available within 1 to 2 weeks of sending the score report request.
• PTE test scores are sent via the test administrator’s electronic service. Applicants who took the PTE test must log in to their PTE account and send their results in the system to Aalto University. The test administrator notifies by email when the results have been sent to the university.
• For the C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency language test, upload a PDF copy of the results report to the application system. The test-taker’s ID number (e.g. ABC1234567) and reference number (e.g. 173YU0034522) must be entered in the system. Test takers must be logged in to the language test system to submit their results to Aalto University. The results are verified electronically.

Validity of the language test

The language test result has to be valid at least on the day of the Doctoral Programme Committee meeting where the applicant's application is processed.

More information on the language tests can be found on the pages of the test providers:

• IELTS (ielts.org)
• TOEFL (ets.org)
• PTE Academic (pearsonpte.com)
• C1 Advanced (cambridgeesol.org)
• C2 Proficiency (cambridgeesol.org)

1. Read the application instructions carefully and prepare all the required appendices (listed and explained in more detail below). Remember signatures of yourself, your supervising professor and thesis advisor for all necessary documents. By signing these documents, the professor confirms to be your supervising professor.
2. Apply on the online application system (Studyinfo.fi, current link below). In the beginning of the application form, please choose the Doctoral Programme in Science as your study programme ("Add study programme"). 
3. For choosing the mode of study, see the definition of full-time and part-time doctoral students.
4. Language of the degree: Choose English unless you wish to write your doctoral thesis in Finnish or Swedish.
5. Fill in the application carefully. The required appendices depend on your choices.
6. Attach all the required documents as pdf documents. There are some documents required for every applicant and others required only for those whose Master's degree is from elsewhere than Aalto University. Please see the details below.
7. Submit the application by the deadline.
8. Send certified hard copies / verified documents of the required degree documents if your M.Sc. degree is from elsewhere than Aalto University or one of its preceders (explained in more detail below). Remember that these are needed before admission.

Include a list of publications and proof of other scientific activity. Template for a researcher's CV.

A preliminary Study plan (credit plan) for the theoretical studies of the degree, 40 ECTS. You and your supervising professor have to sign this document. 

See the Curriculum of the Doctoral Programme in Science for instructions.

Research plan with an implementation schedule.

Funding plan is a free format document including the following information:

The source, the amount and the start and end dates of secured funding, More information on funding your doctoral studies (aalto.fi)

Carefully read the guidelines, which give detailed information about the mutual duties and responsibilities of the supervising professor, thesis advisors and doctoral student, before filling in the responsibilities to the Supervision plan template.

• You can have  1–3 thesis advisor(s). Theses advisors need to have a doctoral degree (remember to check this especially in case of advisors who work outside Aalto University). The supervising professor can be one of the thesis advisors. In case you don't have separate advisor(s), supervising professor will be nominated to both roles.
• You, your supervising professor, (possible co-supervisor) and thesis advisor(s) have to sign this document.

At SCI a deputy supervising professor has to be assigned always. The deputy professor has to be a tenure-track professor of the school.

Copy of the identity page of the passport or other official identification that indicates the citizenship of the applicant.

• Master's degree certificate
• Official transcripts of records of all the courses included in the master’s degree
• All the appendices of the degree documents (typically the Diploma Supplement in European Higher Education Area). 
• Official translations of the degree certificate and the transcript of records, if the originals are not in Finnish, Swedish, or English.
• The (translated) documents should clearly indicate the thesis grade, evaluation and the grading scale used.

Note, if your degree is from Aalto University, you can submit only the official transcript of records. 

Please upload these as scanned copies to the electronic application form in Studyinfo. Depending on the situation and your choices in the form, you may need to upload these documents twice. This is because of the structure of the form.

Please submit also the certified hard copies /verified degree documents according to the instructions described below. Submit the certified copies/verification documents to the doctoral programme before admission. Please note that certified hard copies will not be returned to you. In case your master's degree is from Aalto University (or any of its preceders), or from another University in Finland (degree completed after 2003) and you have a Finnish personal identification code, the certified copies are not required.

In the application form, you choose how you demonstrate the language proficiency. Depending on your master's degree origin, you demonstrate the language proficiency either by your master's degree certificate and transcripts, or by an English-language test. See the details about different options in Language proficiency section above.

Pay attention that the degree language is mentioned in your degree documents (in options 2-3 of demonstrating the language proficiency). Please contact [email protected], if you have questions regarding your language proficiency.

Submitting the English-language test result (in option 6)

Only official reports of the language test are acceptable as proof of proficiency.

• A copy of the official IELTS score report (PDF-copy) is uploaded in the application system. The test result will be verified by Aalto University from the test provided.
• TOEFL test results must be sent to Aalto University by the test administrator directly. Request your official score report to be sent from the test administrator to Aalto University reporting code 7364. Unofficial score reports sent by applicants will not be accepted. Test scores submitted with the Aalto University reporting code are checked for authenticity in the test administrator’s verification database. The scores are available within 1 to 2 weeks of sending the score report request.
• PTE scores are submitted through the electronic result service. The applicant need to sign in to his/her own PTE-account and send the test result through the electronic certification service to Aalto University. The test provider will inform by e-mail, when the test score has been submitted to the University.
• A copy of the C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency language test score report (PDF-copy) is uploaded in the application system. The ID-number (e.g. ABC123456) and the reference number (e.g. 173YU0034522) need to be mentioned on the application form. The applicant also need to sign in to the language test system and share the scores with Aalto University. The scores will be verified electronically.

In addition, at the School of Science, an English language test is not required in doctoral admissions of applicants who have:

• been deemed by their supervising professor as having sufficient proficiency in English to pursue doctoral studies. The supervising professor must submit a written statement on the language skills of the applicant and the statement should be added in the application. If the applicant does not submit the statement together with other application documents the Doctoral Programme will request the statement from the supervising professor.

Please submit the abstract of your master’s thesis in English, so that we know what your master’s thesis was about.

If needed, submit a document confirming eligibility for doctoral studies in the country that awarded the the degree or gave the education (see section Eligibility) and a certified translation of it, if the original document is not in Finnish, Swedish or English. You can attach the document in Studyinfo or send it via email to [email protected].

You may also need to submit a certificate from the university proving the degree language, if the information is not available in other official degree documents. In this case, please use the same procedure as described above.

Please, send the certified hard copies / verified degree documents of the required degree documents including official translations (listed above) also by postal mail to our office (Kitta Peura, Doctoral Programme in Science, P O BOX 15500, 00076 AALTO).

Country specific instructions:

Applicants who have completed their master's degree in: Australia, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Canada, China, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Sudan, the United Kingdom or the United States:

Please note that the required degree documents including official translations need to be submitted according to the country-specific document requirements. Read the requirements on Country-specific requirements, and send the documents to the doctoral programme as required in the "Country specific requirements". If the documents need to be sent by postal mail, the address is: Kitta Peura, Doctoral Programme in Science, P O BOX 15500, 00076 AALTO. If you use courier services, please send the documents to this address: Kitta Peura, Doctoral Programme in Science, Maarintie 8, 02150 Espoo, Finland. If the documents can be submitted electronically (they can be verified in an electronic system), send them by e-mail to [email protected]. 

Please DO NOT send the documents to the Admission Services as instructed in the country specific requirements webpage.

• If you have completed a degree in Finland after 1 January 2003 and you have a Finnish personal identification code, Aalto University will verify your degree electronically using a national database and you do not need to send anything by postal mail.
• If your degree was completed before 1 January 2003, or you do not have a Finnish personal identification code, send certified hard copies of the required degree documents (listed above) to our office by postal mail (Kitta Peura, Doctoral Programme in Science, P O BOX 15500, 00076 AALTO).

Copies of degree certificates and a transcript of records must be certified by the awarding university or by a notary public. The copies must be taken from the original, official documents. A multiple-page certified copy must be certified on the front side of every page. Each page must have the certifying official’s original signature, printed name, ink stamp and date. Copies of officially certified copies are not accepted, thecertifying official’s ink stamps and signatures must be original. A note declaring official copy status (such as a “True copy” stamp) is insufficient.

The translation is official if it has been done by the higher education institution that awarded the degree or by a certified translator (authorised translator). The translations must have the certified translator’s original ink stamp and signature.

The official translations must be either original or certified paper copies of the original documents. Unofficial copies of the translations are insufficient. The official translations must be accompanied by certified paper copies of the original documents in the original language. Translations by themselves are insufficient.

• Send the consignment of documents as a letter. Do not send it as a parcel.
• Do not determine a value for the letter, when sending it. Do not indicate even the amount paid for a possible insurance for the consignment.  
• If the country of dispatch requires the sender to determine a value for the consignment of documents, the value is zero (euros or other currency).
• The goods description for the consignment should be, for example, documents.