Admission to doctoral studies 

The Faculty of Information Sciences Study Guide for postgraduate (doctoral) studies 2008-2010 (link in the Studying section left) gives more detailed information on the content of doctoral studies and the application process. The text below gives some main points, answering questions frequently asked.

We offer postgraduate degrees in the following major subjects:

• Computer Science
• Interactive Technology
• Information Studies (from 1 August 2010: Information Studies and Interactive Media)
• Mathematics
• Statistics

The postgraduate degrees that can be taken are the Licentiate of Philosophy and the Doctor of Philosophy (in Information Studies we granted until 31 July, 2008, also the degrees of Licentiate/Doctor of Social Sciences).

The requirement for admission is the Finnish Master's degree or a corresponding Master's degree from a foreign institution of higher education. The Master's degree or its equivalent should have a major in the prospective major subject, or it should otherwise include enough studies in that subject. 

If one of the professors or some other suitable teacher at the department is willing to supervise the doctoral research, we will invite the applicant to send us a formal application for doctoral studies. There are no deadlines for applying.

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 students planning to study in English a TOEFL score of 575 (paper version), or 90 (iBT version), or an IELTS score of 6.5 is the recommended minimum score. For TOEFL and IELTS institutional codes (different from Bachelor and Master admissions) please see the UTA Admissions website. UTA graduates do not need a language test score. Applicants who have taken their Master studies and obtained their Master's 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. 

UTA graduates do not need to submit the same enclosures as graduates from other universities.

The University does not charge a tuition fee, but on the other hand there is no separate scholarship system for international students.

Please notice that post-Master 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 their admission, doctoral students may apply for student accomodation with TOAS.

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. A health insurance is also needed. 

Contact person for the application process: Ms. Kirsi Tuominen.