Eligibility criteria
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).
The University of Jyväskylä requires that a student selected for doctoral studies has at least a grade of Good (3/5) or equivalent for the master’s thesis if the thesis is evaluated. Please read more at https://www.jyu.fi/en/doctoral-education/apply-to-doctoral-studies/eligibility-requirements.
The University of Jyväskylä requires that the applicants for doctoral studies have proficiency in Finnish or English at the admission stage. The language proficiency requirements are described in detail at https://www.jyu.fi/en/doctoral-education/apply-to-doctoral-studies.
In addition to the above, in the specialisation of education the following detailed selection criteria will be applied:
· 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 completed at a Finnish university, comprising at least 60 credits, are sufficient for direct eligibility. Vocational teacher training corresponds to basic studies in educational sciences in terms of eligibility and is not sufficient on its own for eligibility. In the case of international degrees, the content, level, and scope of educational studies are always assessed on a case-by-case basis.
In addition to the above, in the specialisation of psychology the following detailed selection criteria will be applied:
· Applicants who have completed a master's degree in psychology or an equivalent foreign degree are eligible to apply for the right to complete a doctorate in psychology PhD (Psych.).
· Applicants who hold a degree that qualifies them for admission may be granted the right to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. Degrees or degrees supplemented by higher education studies that provide the skills needed to conduct doctoral research in psychology or interdisciplinary psychology are considered suitable as a basis for the right to complete a PhD. Eligibility for applicable background studies will be assessed after the application period has ended.
In addition to the above, in the specialisation of cognitive neuroscience the following detailed selection criteria will be applied:
· 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.
Doctoral student admission is based in the following admission criteria:
- applicant's basic knowledge of an applicable discipline
- applicant's success in studies that provide eligibility to apply for doctoral studies
- research topic's suitability for the research strategy of the faculty or department
- the level and feasibility of the research and study plan
- the availability of expert supervision and the sufficiency of related resources
- the applicant's commitment to completing the degree
Detailed selection criteria of the Doctoral Programme in Education and Psychology
Supervision: Ensuring supervision before submitting the application is one of the selection criteria used in the evaluation of applications for the right to pursue doctoral studies. At the application stage, applicants must already have a responsible supervisor committed to the task, at least one other supervisor, and a follow-up group. The supervisors and follow-up group must comply with the guidelines of the university and faculty. The details of the supervisors and monitoring group who have agreed to take on the tasks must be provided in the application. The steering group responsible for doctoral education at the faculty will plan and provide more detailed instructions on how to include the above information in the application. Failure to provide supervision in accordance with the application guidelines may result in the application being rejected.
Documents to be attached to the application: The steering group responsible for doctoral education at the faculty will draw up and issue more detailed instructions for preparing the research plan and postgraduate study plan attachments. Use the faculty templates for research plan and doctoral study plan.
Conditional acceptance: The faculty may make a conditional student selection decision in accordance with the conditions specified in the university's general guidelines, excluding the option where the applicant demonstrates their language skills through a language proficiency assessment (ACRES) completed during the application process, as this option is not currently available to applicants for doctoral studies at the faculty.
