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Doctoral Programme in Educational Studies

The Doctoral Programme in Educational Studies offers research training for postgraduate students pursuing doctoral degrees in the field of education, home economics and craft science. The research themes of the doctoral degree programme cover education, training, teaching, learning, development and instruction, well-being, learning environments and teacher education, and related social and cultural issues. The Doctoral Programme provides an opportunity for multidisciplinary and multimethodological research in education. The research may also focus on specific issues related to craft science and home economics. The disciplines included in the doctoral programme are adult education, special education, educational science, home economics, craft science and early childhood education. The doctoral programme is also open to doctoral students pursuing a doctorate in mathematics and science if the topic of their doctoral research is related to the research themes of the doctoral programme.

Research areas in the doctoral programme

The supervision of doctoral researchers is connected to the School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, and the fields of Education and Adult Education as well as Special Education at the School of Educational Sciences and Psychology. 

Research areas of the School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Educati…

Research areas of the School of Educational Sciences and Psychology

How to apply?

Please, read carefully the admission criteria and all other available instructions to check up that you are an eligible applicant to the Doctoral Programme in Educational Studies. If you have questions or if you are unsure about your eligibility, contact amanuensis of the Doctoral Programme before submitting your application. Start preparing supervisory arrangements in good time - finding supervisors can take for a long time. You must contact potential supervisors  and discuss your doctoral research ideas and plans with them before submitting the application. Prepare your research plan carefully, it is important part of your application. Prepare also other application documents carefully. Allow enough time to complete and submit the online application form at Studyinfo.fi.

Philosophical Faculty

• Doctor of Philosophy (Education), Licentiate in Philosophy (Education)

Subjects: adult education, special education, educational science, early childhood education, home economics and craft science

• Doctor of Philosophy

Subjects: adult education, educational science, home economics and craft science  

Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology

• Doctor of Philosophy, Licentiate in Philosophy

Subjects: physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science

Admission criteria

Eligible applicants for doctoral studies in the Doctoral Programme in Educational Studies must have completed by the end of the application period

Master's degree with science of adult education, special education/pedagogy, education, early childhood education, home economics or craft science as their major subject or completed advanced studies in any of these subjects or

Master's degree in some other relevant field of study or Master's degree at a university of applied sciences in a relevant field of study

Candidates applying from the Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology are expected to have a subject teacher's qualification in physics, chemistry, mathematics or computer science, and the topics of postgraduate studies are related to learning, teaching or teacher education in these subjects.

Applicants must have

completed at least 60 ECTS credits in the major subject or other applicable subject of the doctoral degree

completed advanced studies with the grade "good" or higher

completed Master's thesis or an equivalent final thesis with the grade "good" or higher

sufficient English skills in order to complete the doctoral studies. The applicant can verify her/his English skills with an attachment to the application according to selection criteria

two supervisors, one of which is a professor from the doctoral programme. Supervisor consent form KASVA 

• a research plan of high quality approved by the supervisors

The board of the Doctoral Programme in Educational Studies will assess the quality of the applicant's research plan and its relevance to the research topics of the programme.

Further details on selections criteria, instructions for making application and attachments required can be found in Studyinfo-service.

English language skills

Eligible applicants for doctoral studies must have sufficient English skills in order to complete the doctoral studies. Doctoral students are expected to be able to write scientific texts, participate in teaching, and communicate fluently with university staff in English.

The applicant can verify her/his English skills with an attachment to the application. These attachments must include a degree diploma, transcript of studies and a Diploma Supplement if the applicant has:

English as foreign language included in at least a Bachelor-level degree conducted in a Nordic country (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) or in an EU/EEA country;

At least 20 ECTS university-level studies in the subject of English Studies completed in a Nordic or in an EU/EEA country;

Master's thesis written in English when Master's degree is completed in a Nordic country or in an EU/EEA country;

Bachelor's or Master's degree completed in English language in a Nordic country or in an EU/EEA country or Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States;

Doctoral Degree completed in a Nordic country or in an EU/EEA country or Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States;   

Secondary education and final examination completed in English (for example International Baccalaureate) in a Nordic country or in an EU/EEA country or Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States.  

In other case, the applicant is to prove her/his language skills in English with an English language test:  

TOEFL paper-based: Total score 600 and Writing 4.0;

TOEFL Internet-based and Special Home Edition of TOEFL iBT: Total Score 100 and Writing 22;

IELTS (Academic) on paper, on computer or online: Overall Score 6.5 and Writing 5.5;

PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English), min. 59 points;

C1 Advanced (CAE), pass levels A, B or C / C2 Proficiency (CPE), pass levels A, B, C or level C1 Certificate;

National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI). Skills level 5 or 6 in the reading comprehension, writing and speaking subtests. 

For more information on the tests, please contact the language testing organizations.

Please note that a written statement by the applicant, prospective supervisor, English teacher, etc., is not an adequate proof of the applicant's sufficient English skills.

Research plan

Research proposal for the application, doctoral programme in educational studies.

When applying for doctoral degree studies, a research plan must be enclosed with the application. The student prepares the plan with his/her supervisors, and it must be approved by them. The research plan must cover the entire doctoral dissertation. If the research topic and materials change substantially during the studies, a new plan must be made. If the changes are significant, approval must be sought from the faculty. The research plan is usually drafted in Finnish or English. The maximum length of the research plan is ten pages (A4, single-spaced, Times or Arial 12 pt, 2-3 cm marginals).  

The research plan should apply the following structure: 

Title of the research and the name and contact information of the postgraduate student

Background - a short summary of the theoretical background of the research with necessary sources (including the methodological basis) - a description of earlier research related to the topic  - a description of what remains unknown about the research topic and an explanation of the research's relevance on a national and/or international scale

Aims and research questions - the aims of the research clearly defined and presented  - the research hypotheses or assumptions

Materials and methods - a description of the research methods and materials used, and the grounds for choosing the particular methods - a description of how the data and materials will be handled and used (also after the research has been completed) - a working plan, a plan for different stages of the work

Schedule and funding plans - a description and a schedule for the different stages of the work - the funding plan and funding sources of the research

The ethical aspects of the research - the ethical aspects of the research (e.g. whether the research requires statements from ethics committees or statutory research permits; possible permits should be attached to the research plan) 

Publication plan - the means and mode of publishing and/or presenting the research results

Applications of research results - an estimation of the applications and the social significance of the research results

References - a list of the references cited in the research plan 

The names of the persons and units participating in the research project

Funding doctoral studies

The right to pursue doctoral studies does not include funding or a contract of employment or teaching tasks at the University. However, full-time doctoral students need funding to cover their costs of living and potential research costs (travel costs, research material etc.). Funding options should be discussed with the supervisor already when planning to apply for a doctoral study right and creating a research plan.

Doctoral studies can be funded for example by a scholarship, by working as a researcher in a research project, by working as a doctoral candidate at the University of Eastern Finland (doctoral student position), or by studying part-time while at work. Doctoral students apply for funding themselves.

Read more about funding options of doctoral studies on Kamu Student handbook .

Application period

The application form for the Doctoral Program in Educational Studies on Studyinfo.fi is open during the spring semester from the beginning of January until the last weekday of May, and during the autumn semester from the beginning of August until the last weekday of November. Always check the exact application deadlines from Studyinfo.fi. Applications are processed as needed during the semester, and the granted study right begins in the same semester.  

What is Studyinfo.fi?

Studyinfo.fi is the official national admissions portal with all the up-to-date information about study programmes leading to a degree in Finland.

Apply via Studyinfo

Fill in the online application for the programme at the studyinfo portal, dissertation and studies, requirements for doctoral dissertations, doctoral dissertation at the philosophical faculty  .

An eligible doctoral dissertation may be a monograph or a collection of research articles. A collection of research articles refers to an entity consisting a sufficient number of scientific publications of manuscripts, which examine the same set of problems, and an independently compiled summary based on them. At the Philosophical Faculty the article-based dissertation contains at least three peer-reviewed articles, two of which must have been accepted for publication and the third accepted for the review process. If the publications include collaborative works, the doctoral candidate must attest to his/her independent contribution either in the summary or in a separate appendix. The doctoral candidate must be the first author (responsible author) of at least three articles. A collaborative publication may be included in no more than two person's licentiate theses or doctoral dissertations.  

Requirements and evaluation of a Doctoral Dissertation at the Philosophical Faculty .

Studies and degree structure

The studies leading to the doctoral degree available in the doctoral programme in Educational studies comprise the doctoral dissertation, as well as doctoral studies of 50 ECTS.

• transferable skills studies (10-15 ECTS) contain philosophy of science and ethics, scientific writing skills and academic and other working life skills
• studies in the discipline and field of research (35-40 ECTS) contain research methods, research seminars and other discipline-specific postgraduate studies.  

Detailed information of the degree structure and study requirements in UEF Study Guide in Peppi .

Amanuensis Kaisu Kortelainen will answer queries concerning the Doctoral Programme in Educational Studies and postgraduate studies at the Philosophical Faculty, [email protected].

Further information about guidance and supervision in doctoral studies .

Instructions and forms for doctoral studies

You can find information for different phases in the doctoral education on Kamu Student handbook :

• Doctoral education at the University of Eastern Finland
• Starting doctoral education
• Doctoral curriculum and study requirements
• Internationalisation in doctoral education
• Guidance and support in doctoral education
• Support for doctoral research
• Funding of doctoral education
• Wellbeing of doctoral researcher
• Permission for public examination and pre-examination of doctoral dissertation
• Publishing of doctoral dissertation

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All dissertations

Upcoming examinations in Educational Studies

All examinations

Further information on the doctoral programme

Kaisu Kortelainen

Academic affairs specialist.

Student and Learning Services, University Services

kaisu.​kortelainen​@uef.fi

+358505623565

Markku Niemivirta

School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, Philosophical Faculty

markku.​niemivirta​@uef.fi

+358505189827

Jaana Viljaranta

School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Philosophical Faculty

jaana.​viljaranta​@uef.fi

+358503256093