Decision on the public examination

Guidelines when the decision on the public examination is made before August 1, 2026 

Once the candidate has been given the permission for the public examination of the dissertation, the Dean may decide on the public examination.

Using the faculty's proposal on public examination form (in Intranet UNO), the specialisation representative makes a proposal on the public examination to the faculty council. The proposal is sent to Faculty's doctoral studies coordinator via HelpJYU service portal. The proposal includes a proposition on the date, and the place for the examination, the opponent, the custos and the assessment board.

• The date must suit the doctoral candidate, the opponent or opponents, the custos, and the assessment board. The faculty approves of public examinations taking place outside the academic year with the consent of all the participants. The faculty council does not meet in July or August so in these cases, the final decision on the acceptance and assessment of the dissertation will take place in the autumn.
• Concerning the place of the public examination, the place (hall, room) should be reserved before making the proposal on the public examination. The assistant of the department assists in reserving the place.
• The opponent should be an expert in the field of study, hold at least a doctorate but preferably be a professor or a docent, and their primary employer should not be the University of Jyväskylä. There can be one or two opponents.
• The custos must have an employment relationship with the University of Jyväskylä. The faculty council usually nominates one of the professors or docents of the faculty as the custos.
• The assessment board will propose the grade for the dissertation. In considering the composition of the board, it must be taken into account that the supervisor of the doctoral dissertation cannot be a member of the board or take part in the assessment of the dissertation in any way. Members of the assessment board must hold a doctoral degree. The assessment board comprises at least three members: the opponent; a representative of the subject in question; and a so-called external member. In the assessment board, the discipline is represented by the specialisation representative or a representative of the department proposed by the specialisation representative. The representative of the subject serves as the chair of the assessment board.
• Ineligibilities must be considered, please read the general instructions above.

The doctoral candidate may not communicate directly with the opponent; instead, the doctoral candidate and the opponent may only communicate through the custos. The doctoral candidate must inform their supervisor-in-charge if the opponent has been in contact with them during the examination process.

Guidelines when the dissertation is granted permission for public examination or a decision on the public examination is made on or after August 1, 2026

Please familiarise yourself carefully with the general instructions of JYU described above and follow them.

In addition, the following points should be taken into account when preparing the proposal on the public examination:

Using the faculty's proposal on public examination form (in Intranet UNO), the specialisation representative makes a proposal on the public examination to the faculty council. The proposal is sent to Faculty's doctoral studies coordinator via HelpJYU service portal.

• According to the decision made by the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences on May 20, 2026, the composition of the assessment board shall be as follows: In the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the assessment board consists of the opponent(s) as well as two representatives from the relevant field of study or discipline, at least one of whom must be a representative of the specialisation. The representative of the specialisation may be the specialisation representative or another representative of that specialisation. If there is only one representative of the specialisation, that person serves as the chair of the assessment board. If there are two representatives of the specialisation, the dean or the vice dean responsible for research with delegated authority, shall appoint one of them as the chair of the assessment board.
• Concerning the place of the public examination, the place (hall, room) should be reserved before making the proposal on the public examination. The assistant of the department assists in reserving the place.

Please remember to also familiarise yourself with the general instructions above.  

Guidelines when the decision on the public examination is made before August 1, 2026 

The proposal for the public examination is made using the faculty's form. The form contains instructions on who participate in filling out the form. Please note that for the opponent, the information must be accompanied by a current CV and publication list; these can be in any format (e.g. file or link to a website such as google scholar), as long as they come from the opponent themself.

Once the entire form has been filled, the form and possible attachments should be sent to the coordinator of Faculty’s doctoral studies via HelpJYU (or to doctoral-studies-it@jyu.fi) according to the instructions on the form. The coordinator will prepare the decision for the Vice Dean to sign.

The decision on the public examination includes the decision on the opponent(s), the custos, and the time and place of the public examination. Below you will find the Faculty of Information Technology's own more detailed guidelines on these matters.

*Opponent

The supervisor discusses with the doctoral student about potential opponent or opponents, and asks for their consent to the role.

In the Faculty of Information Technology, these additional guidelines should be followed:

1. "Sufficient academic merits": The publication history of the opponent should clearly reach the level of a docent.
2. The supervisors should not have recent close collaboration with the opponent (such as co-authored publications within 3-5 years).
3. The opponent should be familiar with the research field of the thesis.
4. The pre-examiners of the thesis can act as the opponent of the same thesis.
5. The opponent should not have an employment relationship with the University of Jyväskylä nor be an emerita/emeritus of the University.
6. The opponent can be a docent of the University or the Faculty.
7. The opponent can have part-time teaching responsibilities in the Faculty.
8. The opponent can give visiting lectures in the Faculty.
9. The opponent can supervise doctoral theses in the Faculty, if no fee is paid for the supervision.
10. The opponent can have other active collaboration with the Faculty.

*Custos

Usually the responsible supervisor of the thesis acts as the custos. Please see the instructions for acting as a custos.

*Time and place of the public examination

The supervisor will agree on the date of the public examination with the doctoral student and the opponent(s). There should be at least one month from the permission for a public examination being granted to the date of the public examination, so that publication of the thesis, etc. can be arranged in time. When planning your schedule, please note that only the Faculty Council can decide on the permission for a public examination. It is good to have some leeway in the timetable to allow for possible delays and/or the need to revise the dissertation manuscript.

NOTE: The scheduling should be verified with the faculty's scientific editor and/or the university publication services. It is important to ensure that the dissertation is published at least 5 days before the public examination.

The public examination is usually organized at the premises of the University of Jyväskylä, starting at 12 PM.

You can book the preferred lecture hall for the public examination yourself, or you can ask the University’s Facility Services to book it for you. The coordinator of doctoral studies can also book the lecture hall (please ask this from doctoral-studies-it@jyu.fi).

*Representative of the research area

According to the Faculty’s practice, the Specialisation representative aims to assign a representative from the research area to attend the public examination. The person should be at least at the level of a docent. The representative follows the public examination, reads the preliminary examination statements, and familiarizes themself with the dissertation, at least cursorily. If needed, the representative discusses with the opponent after the public examination and makes sure that the opponent understands the assessment criteria as defined in the Faculty.

After the public examination the representative gives the doctoral programme (doctoral-studies-it@jyu.fi) a short statement on 1) How did the candidate do in the public examination, and 2) Whether the grade suggested by the opponent is in line with the Faculty's grading policy. The coordinator of doctoral studies will give the statement to the Faculty Council to support the evaluation of the doctoral thesis.

After the decision on the public examination has been made:

After the Vice Dean has made the decision on the public examination, the coordinator of doctoral studies will send the official invitation and instructions to the appointed opponent(s).

The custos is responsible for sending the final version of the dissertation to the opponent. The coordinator of doctoral studies sends the link to the online version of the published dissertation to the opponent after receiving it from the publishing unit of the university. This is often very close to the examination day (min. 5 days prior), therefore custos sends the dissertation to the opponent as soon as it is ready for publication. The printed book can be handed to the opponent in the public examination or mailed beforehand. The doctoral candidate takes care of possible mailing (the book can be packed and mailed on the university’s expense by leaving it to the outgoing mail of the Faculty or to university’s registry office).

Guidelines when the dissertation is granted permission for public examination or a decision on the public examination is made on or after August 1, 2026

The proposal for the public examination is made using the faculty's form. The form contains instructions on who participate in filling out the form. Please note that for the opponent, the information must be accompanied by a current CV and publication list; these can be in any format (e.g. file or link to a website such as google scholar), as long as they come from the opponent themself.

Once the entire form has been filled, the form and possible attachments should be sent to the coordinator of Faculty’s doctoral studies via HelpJYU (or to doctoral-studies-it@jyu.fi) according to the instructions on the form. The coordinator will prepare the decision for the Vice Dean to sign.

Opponent

The supervisor discusses with the doctoral student about potential opponent or opponents, and asks for their consent to the role.

1. The supervisors should not have recent close collaboration with the opponent (such as co-authored publications within 3-5 years).
2. The opponent can be a docent of the University or the Faculty.
3. The opponent can give visiting lectures in the Faculty.
4. The opponent can supervise doctoral theses in the Faculty, if no fee is paid for the supervision.
5. The opponent can have other active collaboration with the Faculty.

Time and place of the public examination

The room for the dissertation defense must be reserved before a decision is made. The supervisor will agree on the date of the public examination with the doctoral student and the opponent(s). There should be at least one month from the permission for a public examination being granted to the date of the public examination, so that publication of the thesis, etc. can be arranged in time. When planning your schedule, please note that only the Faculty Council can decide on the permission for a public examination. It is good to have some leeway in the timetable to allow for possible delays and/or the need to revise the dissertation manuscript.

NOTE: The scheduling should be verified with the faculty's scientific editor and/or the university publication services. It is important to ensure that the dissertation is published at least 5 days before the public examination.

You can book the preferred lecture hall for the public examination yourself, or you can ask the University’s Facility Services to book it for you. The coordinator of doctoral studies can also book the lecture hall (please ask this from doctoral-studies-it@jyu.fi).

Assessment board

The assessment board shall, in addition to the opponent, always include a representative of the field with qualifications at least equivalent to the level of docent. Where necessary, a third member may also be appointed (a person holding a doctoral degree and representing either the Faculty of Information Technology or the University of Jyväskylä).

Chair of the assessment board convenes the assessment board and contacts the opponent and any third member to agree on a meeting time. Usually, the assessment board convenes immediately after the public examination. Following the defence, the Chair prepares a statement at the assessment meeting, signs it, and submits it for further processing. The opponent or opponents must submit, either jointly or separately, a written evaluation statement on the dissertation. This statement must also include their proposal for the grade of the dissertation. It is advisable to remind the opponent of this obligation when appropriate.

The custos is responsible for sending the final version of the dissertation to the opponent. The coordinator of doctoral studies sends the link to the online version of the published dissertation to the opponent after receiving it from the publishing unit of the university. This is often very close to the examination day (min. 5 days prior), therefore custos sends the dissertation to the opponent as soon as it is ready for publication. The printed book can be handed to the opponent in the public examination or mailed beforehand. The doctoral candidate takes care of possible mailing (the book can be packed and mailed on the university’s expense by leaving it to the outgoing mail of the Faculty or to university’s registry office).

Please read carefully the university-level instructions above, as well as the following supplementary instructions of JSBE.

Opponent, time and venue of the public examination event

The supervisor-in-charge agrees with the opponent(s) about their availability for the task, and tentative date of the public examination. For venue reservations, the faculty assistant should be contacted by email: jsbe-secretaries-servicecentre@jyu.fi. NB: the venue for the public examination must be reserved before the supervisor-in-charge submits the form to the coordinator.

Assessment board

In connection with the decision on public examination, an assessment board will be appointed. The assessment board will make a proposal to the Faculty Council on the grade of the dissertation. The supervisor-in-charge suggests the assessment board on the public examination proposal form, and the final decision is made by the (vice) dean. The chair and member of the assessment board must be JYU employees.

The assessment board operates according to the procedure accepted in the JSBE Faculty Council meeting on April 16, 2018 and the operating practices of the JYU Graduate School (vice rector's decision, March 27, 2026):

The assessment board of a dissertation includes

• the opponent
• chair: a docent-level representative of the discipline
• member: a representative of JSBE or JYU, with a doctoral degree

NB: supervisors or follow-up group members of the dissertation cannot be appointed to the assessment board.

The chair of the assessment board will contact the opponent and the member to agree on the time for the meeting of the assessment board. The aim is to meet right after the public examination to prepare a proposal for the grade of the dissertation to the Faculty Council. The chair of the assessment board will write and sign the statement and send it to the faculty's coordinator of doctoral education (via HelpJYU or email to doctoral-studies-jsbe@jyu.fi), who will take it to the Faculty Council. In addition to the statement of the assessment board, the opponent is asked to write their own statement after the public examination to present their own view on the grade of the dissertation. The chair of the assessment board can remind the opponent of this task when appropriate.

Decision on the public examination

The supervisor-in-charge fills in the proposal of the opponent and public examination arrangements form (download below) after they have negotiated with the doctoral student and the head of discipline. The form also includes a proposal on the time, venue, custos and assessment board. The supervisor sends the form to the faculty's coordinator of doctoral education via HelpJYU or email to doctoral-studies-jsbe@jyu.fi, and the coordinator will ask the specialisation representative and the dean or, if delegated, the vice dean responsible for research, to sign the decision.

• Form for proposing the public examination(.docx)

Communication and instructions

After the decision on public examination has been made, the coordinator of doctoral education 

• sends the instructions directly to the opponent(s) (cc custos): JSBE's instructions for the opponent,
• send the instructions and grade proposal form to the assessment board,
• sends the final archive version of the dissertation (pdf) to the opponent(s) and the assessment board (cc custos) once available (at least 5 days before the public examination event).

The custos will take care of the practical matters with the opponent (including travel arrangements): Practical arrangements of the public examination at JSBE (Uno Staff Portal).

Guidelines when the decision on the public examination is made before August 1, 2026 

After the permission to defend the dissertation the dean will decided on the rest of the public defense matters. The supervisor-in-charge first makes a suggestion by using the doctoral programme’s form. Forms in Finnish:

Doctoral programme in education

Doctoral programme in psychology

Doctoral programme in cognitive neuroscience

Opponents must be professors or doctoral degree holders with sufficient academic merits. The main post of the opponents must be outside of the University of Jyväskylä. The custos must have an employment relationship with the University of Jyväskylä. The custos introduces the faculty instructions of the public examination to the opponents and ensures that particularly international opponents become familiar with the dissertation practices of the University of Jyväskylä as well as the grading scales.

The evaluation board members are: Opponent(s) and 1-2 professors or docents or a professor of Finnish Institute for Educational Research who is not a supervisor or involved in dissertation publications.

Guidelines when the dissertation is granted permission for public examination or a decision on the public examination is made on or after August 1, 2026

The instructions will be updated here as soon as possible.

Please read carefully the university-level instructions above, as well as the following supplementary instructions of the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences.

Opponent, time and venue of the public examination event

The supervisor-in-charge agrees with the opponent(s) about their availability for the task, and tentative date of the public examination. For venue reservations, the faculty assistant should be contacted by email: sport-secretaries-servicecentre@jyu.fi. NB: the venue for the public examination must be reserved before the supervisor-in-charge submits the form to the coordinator.

Assessment board*

*concerns dissertations which are granted permission for public examination, or the decision on the public examination event is made on or after August 1, 2026

In connection with the decision on public examination, an assessment board will be appointed. The assessment board will make a proposal to the Faculty Council on the grade of the dissertation. The supervisor-in-charge suggests the chair and possible third member of the assessment board on the public examination proposal form, and the final decision is made by the (vice) dean. The chair and possible third member of the assessment board must be JYU employees.

The assessment board operates according to the procedure accepted in the Faculty Council meeting on June 9, 2026 and the operating practices of the JYU Graduate School (vice rector's decision, March 27, 2026):

The assessment board of a dissertation includes

• the opponent
• chair: a docent-level representative of the research field or discipline
• third member (optional): a representative of the faculty or JYU, with a doctoral degree

NB: supervisors or follow-up group members of the dissertation cannot be appointed to the assessment board.

The chair of the assessment board will contact the opponent and the possible third member to agree on the time for the meeting of the assessment board. The aim is to meet right after the public examination to prepare a proposal for the grade of the dissertation to the Faculty Council. The chair of the assessment board will write and sign the statement and send it to the faculty's coordinator of doctoral education (via HelpJYU or email to doctoral-studies-sport@jyu.fi), who will take it to the Faculty Council. In addition to the statement of the assessment board, the opponent is asked to write their own statement after the public examination to present their own view on the grade of the dissertation. The chair of the assessment board can remind the opponent of this task when appropriate.

Decision on the public examination

The supervisor-in-charge fills in the proposal of the opponent and public examination arrangements form (download below) after they have negotiated with the doctoral student. The form also includes a proposal on the time, venue, custos and assessment board. The supervisor sends the form to the faculty's coordinator of doctoral education via HelpJYU or email to doctoral-studies-sport@jyu.fi, and the coordinator will ask the specialisation representative and the dean or, if delegated, the vice dean responsible for research, to sign the decision.

• Form for proposing the public examination(.docx)

Communication and instructions

After the decision on public examination has been made, the coordinator of doctoral education

• sends the instructions directly to the opponent(s) (cc custos): Instructions for the opponent of a doctoral dissertation at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and evaluation form (.docx),
• send the instructions and grade proposal form to the assessment board,
• sends the final archive version of the dissertation (pdf) to the opponent(s) and the assessment board (cc custos) once available (at least 5 days before the public examination event).

The custos will take care of the practical matters with the opponent (including travel arrangements): Practical arrangements of the public examination at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences (Uno Staff Portal).

Guidelines when the decision on the public examination event is made on or after August 1, 2026

The faculty’s vice dean responsible for research will make the decision regarding the public examination event after the Faculty Council has granted permission for the defence. 

Information on the public examination (opponent, custos, time and place) are given with the form:

Proposal for the public examination event

The supervisor-in-charge submits this form and possible attachments to the department’s vice head responsible for research. Possible attachments are a list of publications and a CV of the suggested opponent, if these are not given as web links on the form. The form may be submitted to the department’s vice head already before the permission to defend has been received.

When selecting the persons for the tasks, the criteria for the task in question and the guidelines regarding disqualification and conflicts of interest must be considered (see the university level guidelines on this web page). As a general rule in the faculty, supervisors must not have collaborated with the opponent or the members of the assessment board within the last 3–5 years.

Information on the assessment board members is given by the specialisation representative (the department’s vice head responsible for research) .

Note! The defense may be organized no earlier than one month after the Faculty Council has granted permission to defend the dissertation. The schedule must always be agreed upon with the department’s scientific editor and the university’s publication services (see the guidelines for Publishing dissertations in JYU Dissertations).

You can request the doctoral education coordinator to book the lecture hall for the defence (HelpJYU). Overlapping dissertation days within the department should be avoided.

Please also carefully read the university's general guidelines on this webpage.