Admissions to doctoral studies
The Doctoral Programme has five application periods for doctoral study rights each year – two in the spring, two in the fall and one in the summer (only for applicants who have completed their master's degree at the University of Helsinki).
2024-2025 the application periods are:
- 4–17 September 2024
- 6–19 November 2024
- 8–21 January 2025
- 2–15 April 2025
- 21–31 July 2025 (only graduates of University of Helsinki)
Please note that the application closes at 3 PM local time on the last day of the application round.
A doctoral study right can only be gained through the admissions process. Applying to the programme outside the set admission periods is not possible.
In addition to the university's general requirements for doctoral applicants on eligibility and language proficiency , the doctoral programme requires the following conditions are met:
- Applications must meet the minimum requirements set for supervisory arrangements (see selection criteria). The supervisors and the coordinating academic named in the application must have agreed to the task.
- Your previous degree must be relevant to the planned research topic and discipline. A degree is regarded as relevant if it includes sufficient studies in a discipline which, given the topic of the proposed doctoral dissertation, can be regarded as a suitable basis for doctoral studies.
- All the studies required for the degree you apply with completed, graded and registered by the end of the relevant application period. No exceptions are made to this rule. Applicants who are granted a study right must be able to present a certified copy of their official degree diploma before accepting the offered study place.
Only applications meeting the formal criteria for eligibility continue to scientific evaluation in the doctoral programmes.
The target degrees available within the programme are:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Doctor of Philosophy (Pharmacy)
The study right can be granted in two faculties:
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Pharmacy
Please note that your supervisory arrangements must match your chosen target degree and home faculty. The coordinating academic must be in a permanent or long-term employment to the faculty you're applying to.
Availability of high-quality supervision is a central part of the selection criteria. To get started, please see the list of our supervisors.
The programme requires that the supervision arrangements presented in the application meet the following requirements:
- You must have at least one supervisor who has completed a doctoral degree, and a coordinating academic (professor, associate professor or docent employed by the faculty).
- The coordinating academic must be in a permanent or long-term employment at the faculty you're applying to.
- You must attach a signed letter of commitment (pdf) from the supervisor(s) and the coordinating academic mentioned in the application.
If no one has agreed to supervise you, you are unfortunately not eligible to apply.
Thesis committee must be formed in 6 months after the study right has begun.
Please note that the doctoral programme's decision-making is not bound by the preliminary agreements to supervise given by the potential supervisors. The evaluation of the applications is based on their overall quality, and available supervision resources alone do not guarantee acceptance.
The following are emphasized in the assessment of the quality of the research plan:
- Feasibility
- Scientific significance
- Suitability to the programme's research profile
When assessing the provisional timetables presented in the applications, special attention is paid to the fact that a full-time doctoral student should aim to complete the dissertation and related studies in approximately four years. Supervisors are expected to support this goal.
The applicant’s potential and motivation will be assessed on the basis of the quality and feasibility of the research proposal as well as previous academic performance and research experience. The ability to complete the studies in the target duration will be judged on the study plan, research proposal and funding plan.
Please notice that the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki does not include funding. In the funding plan, write clearly how you plan to fund your research. If you plan to fund your research yourself (part-time doctoral studies), please make sure that the timetable and estimated year graduation take this into account. Read more about funding doctoral studies on university's web pages .
The following are emphasized when assessing the quality and suitability of previous studies:
- Suitability of the previous degree as a basis for the planned dissertation project
- Previous study performance
When assessing the study plan presented in the application, the following things are considered:
- Appropriateness for the planned dissertation project
Before drawing up your own preliminary study plan, please acquaint yourself with the doctoral programme's degree requirements. The study plan presented in the application is preliminary, and need not list specific courses. The important thing is that you have given thought on what kind of studies would best support your thesis work and drawn up a preliminary timetable for completing these studies.
Acquainted with the selection criteria and all set to apply? Great! Now go back to the university's general instructions for doctoral applicants , where you will find all the information you need to prepare and submit your application and the needed enclosures. Good luck!
Decisions on admissions for doctoral studies in the programme are made based on the university’s general criteria for doctoral admissions as well as the programme-specific complementary selection criteria, presented on this page.
The final decision on admission is made by the faculty awarding the applicant’s target degree, based on a proposal from the steering group of the doctoral programme.
A timetable for decisions is available in the university's general instructions for doctoral applicants.
26 Best universities for Chemistry in Finland
Updated: February 29, 2024
- Art & Design
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Environmental Science
- Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
- Mathematics
Below is a list of best universities in Finland ranked based on their research performance in Chemistry. A graph of 7.82M citations received by 240K academic papers made by 26 universities in Finland was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.
We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.
1. University of Helsinki
For Chemistry
2. University of Turku
3. University of Oulu
4. University of Tampere
5. University of Eastern Finland
6. Aalto University
7. Abo Akademi University
8. University of Jyvaskyla
9. Lappeenranta University of Technology
10. University of Vaasa
11. Seinajoki University of Applied Sciences
12. Hanken School of Economics
13. University of Lapland
14. Kajaani University of Applied Sciences
15. Turku University of Applied Sciences
16. Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
17. Novia University of Applied Sciences
18. HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences
19. University of the Arts Helsinki
20. Satakunta University of Applied Sciences
21. Laurea University of Applied Sciences
22. Jyvaskyla University of Applied Sciences
23. Arcada University of Applied Sciences
24. Savonia University of Applied Sciences
25. Oulu University of Applied Sciences
26. Centria University of Applied Sciences
The best cities to study Chemistry in Finland based on the number of universities and their ranks are Helsinki , Turku , Oulu , and Tampere .
Chemistry subfields in Finland
Doctoral Admissions
Doctoral studies in finland.
Begin your doctoral journey in Finland by exploring programs through the Studyinfo.fi portal, or by contacting universities directly for detailed information on doctoral study and research opportunities. Ensure you're familiar with each university's application timelines, eligibility criteria, and specific requirements.
Find more information on Doctoral admissions on each university’s website .
Funding and positions
You'll find tips on scholarship opportunities for doctoral research in the section Doctoral Funding . Universities might also offer paid doctoral and post-doctoral positions.
For doctoral and post-doc researcher positions, follow academic recruitment platforms and the universities’ own announcements.
Resources for researchers
- Access resources, advice, and guidelines tailored for early career researchers through the Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers (FUURT) .
- Explore the Finnish science and innovation landscape, including policy and ongoing research, at Research.fi .
Academic research positions and jobs
- Jobs in Finland / Academic
- Academicpositions.fi
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