How to Apply for a Doctoral Programme

The call for student applications for CMT's doctoral programme is twice a year: in spring and autumn. The application period is announced on the CMT's website.  The next call for applications for CMT's doctoral programme is in 2 April - 30 APRIL (The applications must reach the School of Communication, Media and Theatre at 15.45 pm Finnish time). In the Spring  2013, no more than five students will be admitted.  The international applicants must include a language test in the application (please look at the international language tests below: TOEFL, IELTS; PTE).

Applicants who have applied to Doctoral programme in spring 2013 are also eligible to apply  for the salaried Doctoral Student positions which have been advertised (2 positions). The application period begins on April 2nd and ends on April 30th. Applicants are required to have been accepted into a Doctoral programme (see the advertisement for the positions), and so the selection of students into the programme will take place before the selection for the salaried positions, look at the advertisement:  advertisement

CMT can admit to licentiate and doctoral programmes an applicant who has completed a higher university degree, or a corresponding Finnish or foreign degree, and who has completed advanced studies in the major subject of the doctoral programme he or she is applying for, or corresponding studies, or whom the School otherwise deems to possess sufficient knowledge and skills for postgraduate education in the field of studies in question. If the apllicant does not hold a Master's degree in the major, the professor of the prospective major subject decides whether the applicant's previous studie are equivalent.

Applicants must apply for the right to pursue doctoral and licentiate studies from the School in writing. The application form is available at the CMT Office and online at http://www.uta.fi/cmt/en/studies/postgraduate/index/hakulomake_English-CMT.doc.

Please make sure your application form has your personal details and that you have indicated the degree in which you are applying the right to study. If you wish to earn the degree of Doctor of Philosophy or Licentiate of Philosophy, please also state your major. Before applying for postgraduate studies, applicants are advised to find a supervisor for their dissertation and postgraduate studies. For this reason, applicants should contact the Head Professor of their prospective major subject well in advance. If you have secured a supervisor, please tick the appropriate box on the form and write the name of your supervisor. The supervisor does not need to sign the application. Please note, however, that finding a supervisor does not mean you are admitted as a postgraduate student.

When applying, the application must include the following documents:

- Research plan (about ten pages), which outlines the following:  the research topic; the theoretical framework, objectives, research methods and research data of the study; and the plan of implementation. The research plan must demonstrate that a student is familiar with the topic and previous research concerning it.
- Preliminary study plan, look at the instruction
-  A copy of your degree certificate (Master's or Licentiate degree certificate) and an account of possible other studies and research merits. If you have earned your Master's degree in a country other than Finland, please include an official English translation of your degree certificate, a list of the courses you have taken and a full copy of your Master's thesis.
- Language proficiency certificates. If you wish to attend an English-language programme, your

• TOEFL score must be 90/Internet-based, 575/paper-based.: about the test
• IELTS Academic score, International English Language Testing System: Minimum score: 6.5. with no individual score below 5.5: about the test
• PTE, Academic English Language Proficiency test by Pearson: Minimun score: 62

If you have language proficiency certificates in other languages, especially Finnish, Swedish, German or French, please append them as well: about the test

Please send your application to the following address:

The School of Communication, Media and Theatre
The University of Tampere
Kalevantie 4
33014 The University of Tampere

Please write  "Application to CMT's Doctoral Programme" on the envelope.

Assessment Criteria

The ability and aptitude of postgraduate students is assessed on the basis of the following principles:

• The scientific or artistic quality and relevance of the research and study plans, and the feasibility of their implementation.
• The appropriateness of the undergraduate degree studies and the proposed research topic in the context of the doctoral programme and the major subject applied for.
• The availability of competent supervision.
• The applicant's skills and knowledge, the grade of the Master's thesis and the language proficiency necessary to complete the doctoral programme.
• The level of promise and motivation demonstrated by the applicant.

The School's supervision resources and the appropriateness of the research topic for the School's research profile will also be considered. The Postgraduate Committee considers the applications and puts a selection proposal to the Dean of the School. Individual assessments are not public.