Admissions

Application deadlines for 2013

Applications for postgraduate studies will be processed twice per year. In 2013 the application deadlines are 30 April and 31 October.

The unified application process is based on the University's instructions concerning doctoral training, as decreed by the Rector on 22 December 2011. The SIS decision on the unified application process has become valid as of 1 April 2012.

Application deadlines for 2013 are:

The unified spring term application period for doctoral studies commencing in the autumn of 2013 is 2 April - 30 April 2013. The deadline for applications is at 3.45pm, by which time the application must be lodged with the School of Information Sciences.

The unified autumn term application period for doctoral studies commencing in the spring of 2014 is 1 October - 31 October 2013. The deadline for applications is at 3.45pm, by which time the application must be lodged with the School of Information Sciences.

The regulations concerning application and admissions can be further detailed by the Rector.

Admission quotas for 2013 application round

The School of Information Sciences will take a maximum of 28 new students based on the unified application rounds for 2013. The admission quotas for doctoral programmes are the following:

Doctoral programme in Information and Systems                         maximum 14
Doctoral programme in Information Studies and Interactive Media  maximum 8
Doctoral programme in Interactive Technology                              maximum 6

The unified admission procedure in the spring of 2013 shall not exceed an intake of half of the admission quotas confirmed for the full year's doctoral programmes.

Applying for admission

The call for applications for the doctoral programmes of the School of Information Sciences is organised twice per year. Specific application deadlines will be confirmed each year. Under exceptional conditions, applications for postgraduate studies can be processed outside the two admission rounds.

Prior to applying for admission, the applicant must contact the professor of the major subject s/he is applying for, or a possible supervisor of studies, in order to draft the research plan as well as the study and advisory plan.

Postgraduate admission requires a specific application form for this purpose. The forms are available during application periods from the School's office and on the School's website.

Applicants must state the major for the degree in his or her application.

The application must include the following documents:

• a signed application form (available during application periods)
• authenticated copies of the degree certificates (Bachelor's and Master's degrees), if the degree was not taken at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tampere
• a study plan
• a research plan that outlines the research topic and its foundations. Instructions on how to draft a research plan.
• CV, giving also information on two referees (referee information only from non-UTA Master graduates)

Applicants who have taken their degrees in a country other than Finland must further include with their application a photocopy of their thesis corresponding to the Finnish Master's Thesis and an account of their graduate studies. International applicants must also provide a reputable account of his or her language proficiency (see below).

When an applicant does not have a Master's degree in the major he or she is applying for, the application must indicate the studies undertaken to achieve the skills and knowledge required for starting postgraduate studies.

Applicants who have taken a licentiate's degree at the School of Information Sciences are directly entitled to continue studying towards the doctoral degree that corresponds with their previous studies. Applicants who have taken a licentiate's degree at another educational institution or in another training field and applicants who do not have a licentiate's degree can be granted admission based on the aforementioned application form and its appendices.

The application shall be addressed to the School at: The School of Information Sciences, 33014, University of Tampere, Finland.

Further information on the application process is available from the Head of Study Affairs and the International Officer at SIS. Further information on the content of the studies is available from the professors of the major subjects.

Admission criteria

General eligibility for scientific post-graduate studies is stipulated in the University Act (2009/558, Paragraph 37). The School 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 post-graduate education in the field of studies in question. Recognition of the studies and eligibility for post-graduate studies is approved by the professor of the major subject or a teacher authorised by the professor.

The aim of post-graduate selection is to reach talented, motivated and committed post-graduate students. The ability and aptitude of post-graduate students is assessed on the following principles:

• The scientific quality and relevance of the research and study plan, and the feasibility of their implementation.

• The appropriateness of the undergraduate degree studies and the research topic for the doctoral programme and the major subject applied for.

• The availability of sufficient expert supervision.

• The applicant's skills and knowledge, the language proficiency necessary to complete the doctoral programme and the grade of the previous degree can be considered.

• The level of promise and motivation demonstrated by the applicant.

Interviews may also be used to aid the selection procedure; the interview assesses the applicant's abilities and suitability. Assessments of individual post-graduate students are not made public.

The School may restrict the number of its post-graduate student intake based on insufficient supervision resources.

Approval procedure

After the application deadline has passed, the applications are taken on a commentary round in the doctoral programmes. The doctoral programmes process the applications and make a proposal to the School's Doctoral Education Committee on the applicants to be approved and the supervisor(s) for the applicants' research work. The Committee then puts a selection proposal to the Dean of the School. The Dean of the School approves the new students.

The selection results are announced before the beginning of the following term, and the applicants are notified of the selection results by post.

An applicant who is dissatisfied with the student selection may submit a written request for reconsideration to the Board of the School. Such requests must be submitted within 14 days of the announcement of the results. The request, together with the reasons, shall be addressed to: University of Tampere, Registry (Kirjaamo), 33014 University of Tampere, Finland.

Practical information on applying

UTA has country-specific requirements for applicants with a previous degree from Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Cameroon, Canada, China, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Great Britain, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, Sudan, Tadzhikistan, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan.

Please notice that when applying for the right to take Doctoral studies, among documents of educational background, a certificate of a language test taken in Finnish, Swedish or English is required. For international applicants planning to study in English a TOEFL score of 575 (paper version), or 90 (iBT version), an IELTS Academic score of 6.5 or PTE Academic score 62 is the recommended minimum score.

For information on how to submit a language test score to SIS please contact the person named below.

Applicants who have taken their Bachelor or Master studies and obtained their degree in English in one of the following countries are exempt from the language test: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. SIS graduates do not need a language test score.

Cost of studies

Please notice that the study right for Doctoral studies does not include any financial aid from the University. The University does not have a separate scholarship system for international students.

There are no tuition fees.

Students taking Licentiate or Doctoral degrees are not eligible to the same student benefits as Bachelor and Master students. Thus living expenses, including lunches and travelling, are higher.

After the right to study has been granted, the Finnish Immigration Service expects all new students from non-EU/EEA countries to apply for a residence permit. At that stage, the students must be able to show to the Finnish Immigration Service that they have a minimum of 6000 euros for the first year of studies or a scholarship to support themselves during the studies. Also a health insurance is needed.

Accomodation

After their admission, Doctoral students may apply for student accomodation with TOAS.

Enrolment

New doctoral students must enrol at the Registrar's Office. More detailed instructions on enrolment are enclosed in the letter of acceptance. Before enrolling, a new doctoral student must present in the School Office original certificates and diplomas for the degrees and studies he/she has referred to in his/her application.

Already-admitted doctoral students are required to re-enrol at the beginning of each academic year according to instructions given by the University. Only students enrolled as 'present' may pursue studies at the University.

Doctoral students who fail to enrol either as 'present' or 'absent' within the given deadline will lose their right to study and their right to use the computer services provided by the University. Should students later wish to continue their studies, they must make a written request to the School requesting re-admission.

Contact information

For information on doctoral admissions please contact Ms Kirsi Tuominen at SIS office.