Doctoral studies: Eligibility requirements
The instructions are valid during the 2026 admission rounds to doctoral programmes at JYU.
You can apply to a doctoral programme if you have completed
- a relevant master’s degree awarded by a university;
- a relevant master’s degree awarded by a university of applied sciences; or
- a relevant study programme abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for the corresponding level of higher education.
The higher education institution that granted the foreign degree must be an acknowledged part of the country’s official national education system. The institution must be on the list of higher education institutions that are entitled to grant degrees in the country or listed as an acknowledged higher education institution by an international organisation (e.g. UNESCO).
See the requirements for educational documents
Doctoral programme-specific guidelines
The guidelines will be updated by the end of February 2026.
Follow the general instructions.
The Doctoral Programme in Information Technology doctoral education in the fields of science, business and engineering (ICT). Applicants are invited to apply for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Science (Economics and Business Administration), or Doctor of Science (Technology) degree, focusing on one of the specialisations available. Please note that all degree options are not available in all specialisation options.
The planned dissertation topic must be in line with the field of study and doctoral degree you wish to pursue.
An applicant who has completed a higher education degree that provides eligibility to apply for doctoral studies and whose previous studies are deemed suitable as a basis for the planned doctoral studies may be admitted to the doctoral programme. A suitable background is generally considered to be a degree that provides eligibility to apply for doctoral studies which includes extensive studies in a field equivalent or close to the field of the intended doctoral degree.
Doctor of Science (Economics and Business Administration) degree is awarded to an applicant who has completed a higher education degree that provides eligibility to apply for doctoral studies and has completed a university-level basic studies or equivalent in business studies.
Doctor of Science (Technology) degree is awarded to an applicant with a Master of Engineering degree or Master of Philosophy degree, or an equivalent degree abroad, and in addition
- has a Master of Engineering degree in ICT; OR
- has completed at least 35 credits of studies corresponding to the courses in mathematics of technical education at the University of Jyväskylä and in addition at least 150 ECTS credits of courses in information or software technology, corresponding to 70 ECTS credits in engineering bachelor's degrees and 80 ECTS credits in engineering master's programs at the University of Jyväskylä.
See also Doctoral studies: Admission criteria.
The right to study can be applied before the completion of the higher education degree that provides eligibility to apply for doctoral studies, in which case the applicant can be accepted for doctoral studies with a conditional admission decision. With regard to conditional admission decisions, the conditions and schedules specified by the University are followed.
The target degree of the Doctoral Programme in Business, Economics and Finance is Doctor of Science (Economics and Business Administration).
An applicant who has completed a qualifying degree and whose previous studies are deemed suitable as a basis for the planned doctoral degree can be accepted as a postgraduate student at the School of Business and Economics. The applicant must also meet the eligibility requirements for the master's thesis and language proficiency requirements, as well as the admission criteria for doctoral studies, and submit the educational documents and other required attachments according to the instructions.
Familiarize yourself with language proficiency requirements on the Demonstrating language skills page. Familiarize yourself with the admission criteria and required application attachments on the Admission criteria and Required attachments pages.
Information on the evaluation process of applications can be found on the Main stages in applying page.
Doctoral programme in Education and Psychology
Specialisation in Education:
- In order to complete a PhD (Educ.) degree, applicants must have completed at least advanced studies in education, adult education, special education, or early childhood education with good grades.
- In order to complete a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in the specialisation in Education, applicants must have completed basic and subject studies in education (at least 60 credits) or other applicable equivalent in scope and level, in educational sciences. Applications for the right to pursue doctoral studies must be accompanied by documentation of applicable studies and a written statement from the supervisor on the suitability of the applicant's studies in educational sciences for studies in educational sciences. Eligibility for applicable background studies will be assessed after the application period has ended.
Note: From 1997 onwards, pedagogical studies of at least 60 credits completed at a Finnish university are sufficient for direct eligibility. Vocational teacher training is equivalent to basic studies in education in terms of eligibility and is not, as such, sufficient for eligibility. For international qualifications, the content, level and scope of the educational studies are always assessed on an individual basis.
Specialisation in Psychology:
- Applicants who have completed a Master of Psychology or an equivalent degree obtained abroad can have the target degree of PhD (Psych.).
- The target degree of PhD can be received by an applicant who has completed a suitable master’s degree, a higher degree from a university of applied sciences, or an equivalent degree completed abroad that gives eligibility for doctoral studies in that country. An eligible background degree for the target degree of PhD is a degree or a degree with complementary higher academic studies that give preparedness for a doctoral dissertation project in the field of psychology or cross-disciplinary psychology. Eligibility given by suitable background studies will be evaluated in the board of the doctoral programme after the application period.
Specialisation in Cognitive Neuroscience:
- The target degree in cognitive neuroscience is a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree, which can be obtained by applicants who have a degree that qualifies them for admission. Degrees or supplementary higher education studies that provide the skills needed to complete a doctoral dissertation in cognitive neuroscience are considered suitable for the PhD degree. Eligibility for applicable background studies will be assessed after the application period has ended.
The specialisations of the Doctoral Programme in Sport and Health Sciences lead to a Doctor of Sport Sciences (D. Sport Sci.), Doctor of Health Sciences (D. Health Sci.), or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree as follows:
- The target degree in the Sport and Exercise Sciences specialisation is either Doctor of Sport Sciences (D. Sport Sci.) or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).
- The target degree in the Health Sciences specialisation is either Doctor of Health Sciences (D. Health Sci.) or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).
A graduate from the field of sport and health sciences can choose whether they want to graduate as a Doctor of Sport Sciences (D. Sport Sci.) / Doctor of Health Sciences (D. Health Sci.), or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).
For a graduate who has completed the degree qualifying for postgraduate studies in a field other than sport or health sciences, the target degree is always Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).
An applicant who has completed a qualifying degree and whose previous studies are deemed suitable as a basis for the planned doctoral degree can be accepted as a postgraduate student at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences. The applicant must also meet the eligibility requirements for the master's thesis and language proficiency requirements, as well as the admission criteria for doctoral studies, and submit the educational documents and other required attachments according to the instructions.
Familiarize yourself with language proficiency requirements on the Demonstrating language skills page. Familiarize yourself with the admission criteria and required application attachments on the Admission criteria and Required attachments pages.
Information on the evaluation process of applications can be found on the Main stages in applying page.
In the Doctoral Programme in Mathematics and Science, an applicant who has completed a degree as defined in the University's guidelines may be admitted to the doctoral programme if their previous studies are deemed suitable as a basis for the planned doctoral studies.
Specialisation in Clinical Cell Biology is only offered in Finnish. See the Finnish instructions for the eligibility requirements and further information.
The right to study can be applied before the completion of the higher education degree that provides eligibility to apply for doctoral studies, in which case the applicant can be accepted for doctoral studies with a conditional admission decision. With regard to conditional admission decisions, the conditions and schedules specified by the University are followed.
The University of Jyväskylä requires that a student selected for doctoral studies has at least a grade of Good, (3/5), or another grade of a similar level (if the thesis has been graded) on the thesis included in the degree providing eligibility to apply or another higher education degree of the same or higher level.
If the thesis included the degree that provides the eligibility to apply has been graded and the grade does not meet the above requirement, but you have another master's degree or PhD degree with a thesis that meets the requirement, please submit educational documents for both degrees. Please indicate the details of the second degree in the Other eligibility for doctoral studies field of the application form.
Instead of a grade Good for the thesis, the same level of competence may be assessed on the basis of a scientific publication or other research report. If you do not have the required grade for the thesis and you wish to use this option, please attach the publication or research report to your application. The University of Jyväskylä does not give instructions to applicants on how to prepare a publication or research report.
If the thesis included the degree that provides the eligibility to apply is not graded (the thesis has no grade), this eligibility requirement does not apply.
At the University of Jyväskylä, students selected to pursue a doctoral degree are required to have proficiency in Finnish or English at the admission stage. Language skills can be demonstrated with a language test or language proficiency certificate. In some programs, language skills can also be demonstrated with a language skill evaluation performed during the application process.
See the detailed instructions for demonstrating language skills