Welcome to the websites of the postgraduate studies of
the School of Social Sciences and Humanities!

School of Social Sciences and Humanities 
Postgraduate Degrees in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities

School of Social Sciences and Humanities

The School of Social Sciences and Humanities is one of the largest of the schools at the University of Tampere. The total permanent teaching staff numbers 300, and the number of students is approximately 2700, of which over 450 are postgraduate students.

The School offers postgraduate degrees in all these disciplines:  

Ethnomusicology, History, Logopaedics, Philosophy, Psychology, Social Anthropology, Social Policy, Social Psychology, Social Work, Sociology , Women's Studies and as a new study field Peace and Conflict Research.  

The Unit of Pori offers postgraduate degrees in the disciplines of Social Policy, Social Work and Sociology.  

There are postgraduate programs within the framework of Graduate Schools. These were founded in 1994 to facilitate researcher training in two ways: by offering grants for full time Ph.D. study, and by offering an extensive number of lecture courses and research seminars especially for postgraduate students.  

The decision-making body of the School is the Board. The Dean of the School is chosen by the University Board.  

Postgraduate Degrees in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities

Postgraduate studies consist of two levels: the Licentiate's degree and the Doctor's degree. The Licentiate's degree is an intermediate but optional step towards a Doctor's degree. In many fields, the Licentiate's degree is developing towards a more professional degree. Such an alternative already exists in Psychology and in Social Work.  

Postgraduate programmes require independent research and an extensive thesis. The doctoral thesis must be published and defended in a public debate. Programmes also include other studies, some general and some more specialised. In theory full-time studies for a Licentiate's degree take two to three years and for a Doctor's degree four years, but in practice very often much longer.  

Postgraduate degrees in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities of the University of Tampere are as follows:   

• Licentiate of Philosophy, Doctor of Philosophy.

•  Licentiate of Arts (Psychology), Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology). The Licentiate degree is divided into general and professionally oriented options. The latter is normally an option only for Finnish students.  

•  Licentiate of Social Sciences, Doctor of Social Sciences. In the field of Social Work, there is a Specialized Social Worker's Licentiate degree, which very seldom is appropriate for foreigners. The degree is more practical than that of the Licentiate of Social Sciences and the two degrees are not comparable.

Major subject alternatives in the degree of Licentiate of Philosophy are Ethnomusicology, Philosophy, History or Logopaedics. 

Major subject alternatives in the degree of Doctor of Philosophy are in the field of Humanities: Ethnomusicology, Philosophy, History or Logopaedics, and in the field of Social Sciences: Social Anthropology, Social Policy, Social Psychology, Social Work, Sociology or Women's Studies. In addition to that, the major subject in the degree of Doctor of Philosophy may also be Psychology or Peace and Conflict Research.

The major subject in Psychology (Licentiate of Arts/Psychology, Doctor of Philosophy/ Psychology) is Psychology.

Major subject alternatives in Social Sciences (Licentiate of Social Sciences, Doctor of Social Sciences) are Social Anthropology, Social Policy, Social Psychology, Social Work, Sociology,   Women's Studies and the study field Peace and Conflict Research.  

In addition to this, the postgraduate studies in Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work can be carried out at the Unit of Pori. Applicants need to indicate the unit they are applying for in the application form.