University of Helsinki

Examination process for doctoral dissertations at the Faculty of Science

1. Once the doctoral candidate has finished the dissertation manuscript and has completed all the required postgraduate studies, the professor of his or her major subject department will make a proposal for the appointment of the preliminary examiners of the dissertation.

2. The doctoral candidate may submit an objection to the selection of the preliminary examiners.

3. The Faculty Council will appoint the preliminary examiners (dates for Faculty Council meetings).

4. The Faculty Office will provide the preliminary examiners with instructions about the process.

5. The doctoral candidate or his or her department will deliver the dissertation manuscript to the preliminary examiners. If the dissertation is in the form of what is known as an article-based dissertation, the preliminary examiners must be provided with a list of the published articles contained in the dissertation, and, in the case of co-authored publications, an account of the doctoral candidate’s contribution to them.

6. The preliminary examiners will submit their statements within three months of receiving the assignment. The Faculty Office will deliver the statements to the professor of the doctoral candidate's major subject department, who will provide copies of them to the supervisor and the doctoral candidate.

7. The doctoral candidate may submit an objection to the preliminary examiners’ statements.

8. The professor of the major subject department will propose the appointment of an Opponent and a Custos for the public examination of the dissertation.

9. The doctoral candidate may submit an objection to the selection of the Opponent.

10. The Faculty Council will decide on the appointment of the Opponent and Custos and on the permission to defend the dissertation in a public examination.

11. The Faculty Office will inform the Opponent of his or her appointment, provide instructions for Opponents, and deliver to the doctoral candidate the permission granted by the Faculty Council for a public defence as well as instructions for the public defence.    

12. The relevant department will provide Opponents with department-specific instructions, if any.

13. The Custos will appoint a dissertation grading committee, and will chair this committee. The other member of the grading committee will be a professor of the department who attended the public examination, or, for a special reason, a docent.

14. The public examination, also called the public defence, of a doctoral dissertation

15. The Opponent will submit to the Faculty within six weeks of the public examination a statement on the dissertation and will also provide the Custos with a copy of this. The Custos will deliver a copy of the statement to the doctoral candidate.

16. The dissertation grading committee will propose a grade for the dissertation and give an assessment of the doctoral candidate’s performance in defending it.

17. The doctoral candidate will submit a written notification that he or she has seen the Opponent’s statement and that he or she has no objections to it or to the grade proposed by the grading committee. The doctoral candidate may also submit to the Faculty an objection concerning the statement and appeal against the proposed grade.  

18. The Faculty will decide on the approval of the dissertation and on the grade.

19. The doctoral candidate will submit to the Faculty Office an application for a diploma. The application for a diploma may be submitted before the Faculty has decided on the approval of the dissertation and on the grade.

20. Graduation ceremonies