Profile and Activities

The Doctoral Programme in Clinical Veterinary Medicine (CVM or DPCVM) is defined and shaped by three closely related and interconnected research areas: animal welfare, translational and clinical veterinary medicine. The most prominent aim of the CVM is to encourage the doctoral candidates to mature into ethically conscious, professional researchers and specialists who are genuinely multidisciplinary, critical, and innovative. In addition, the doctoral candidates become well incorporated into research networks and have workable international contacts at the time of graduation.

Doctoral candidates in the Doctoral programme in Clinical Veterinary Medicine CVM may complete the following degrees: Doctor of Food Sciences, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Science (Agriculture and Forestry).

CVM’s responsible faculty is the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and its partner faculty is the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. Please, check which degree is available in the chosen faculty with your background studies. Both the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry have more specific instructions about its degrees.

Doc­toral can­did­ates and Su­per­vi­sors

There are more than 60 supervisors and co supervisors who guide the scientific work.

Doctoral education in CVM includes national and international courses, congresses and work visits outside own working place. CVM has wide network of experts representing several fields in clinical veterinary medicine in the Universities, institutions, national organisations and industry. In addition, doctoral candidates’ own activities (Student council) and peer support helps in networking. Research expertise, other skills and career planning are followed in annual thesis committee meetings where outside scientific experts support the progress of doctoral candidates.

All doctors graduated from CVM are employed in expert positions in various fields in translational and clinical veterinary medicine in addition to animal welfare posts in academic, authority, clinical teacher, in clinical practice and industry as well as being independent entrepreneurs.

Fac­ulties and part­ners of CVM

University page https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/units-and-faculties

University of Helsinki

• Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
• Veterinary teaching hospital in Helsinki   (horses, small animals) and in Mäntsälä, Saari (production animals).
• Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry
• Faculty of Biological and Environmental sciences
• Faculty of Behavioural Sciences
• HiLIFE: Institute of Biotechnology, Neuroscience Center

Other partners

• University of Turku
• University of Eastern Finland
• Åbo Akademy University
• Tampere University of Technology
• University of Oulu
• Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira
• Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE)
• Private sector, industry, authorities
• NOVA (Nordic), BOVA (Baltic) networks

CVM degree structure consists of 10 credits of transferable skills training and 30 credits of scientific content studies.

CVM degree structure and courses in Weboodi.

Please see in more detail in the degree structure file below (short and long versions).

A doctoral degree in the programme comprises of a doctoral thesis and 40 credits of additional studies. The studies are divided into discipline-specific studies, aimed to support your research project, and transferable skills training.

Follow these links to find the current degree structure of CVM:

CVM degree structure 2020-2023 (pdf)
CVM study guide and degree structure in WebOodi

Degree structure 2017-2020:

CVM degree structure 2017-2020 (pdf)

The date and time when registration for a particular course opens in WebOodi is given in the course announcement. Once the call is opened a deadline for registrations is given. Usually the call for applications opens approximately one month and closes approximately two weeks before the course starts. These are only guidelines – always check the deadlines for the course you are interested in! Please follow your email and the doctoral programme homepages to stay up-to-date on courses.

Studies are completed flexibly on courses and through means other than traditional coursework: conference presentations, scientific and popular articles etc. Want to know more? Visit our study planning instructions for current doctoral students at the university's Instructions for Students -service.

Courses in research ethics and transferable skills are offered throughout the academic year by the Doctoral School in Health Sciences.

To get started:

• Visit the doctoral programme’s study guide  and get to know the degree structure
• Check out upcoming and current courses in the programme
• Browse transferable skill courses organized by the doctoral school
• Search for courses at the University of Helsinki

See Instructions for students website for more information about

• Registering courses and activities completed elsewhere (conferences etc) and
• Registering study modules.
• Doc­toral can­did­ates´trans­ition to the new de­gree sys­tem: More information on Instructions for students webpage.

Upcoming courses

Please note that the dates or other details may still change due to Covid-19 situation!

CVM-146 Animal Ethics 
16.2.2021 online
Teachers: Anna Valros, Laura Hänninen
Registration closed

CVM-137 Quantitative data analysis with SPSS, 5 credits
HUOM! Opetus suomeksi!
Time: 31.3.-19.5.2021 (on Weds)
Teacher: Vesa Niskanen
Registration opens on 20.1.2021
Link to Moodle page

NEU-543 In Vitro electrophysiology
More information on Courses-page

Emerging infections (zoonoses)
Time: May 2021
Organizer: Tarja Sironen
More information coming soon!

Neonatal survival - impact of maternal and neonatal characteristics
Time: 27.-29.10.2021
Organizer: Taehee Han
More information coming soon!

Modern Large Animal Handling
Time: weeks 37-39 
Organizer: Anna Mykkänen
More information coming soon!

CVM Autumn seminar
Time: 6.-7.10.2021

CVM-136 Introduction to veterinary epidemiology (Intro to Vet Epi), 3 ECTS
Time: November 2021
Teachers: Päivi Rajala-Schultz, Anna-Maija Virtala

The CVM Autumn seminar is organized on-line in Zoom on 7.-8.10.

This year, the theme of the event is Well-being and coping in unusual circumstances and there is program for both students and supervisors, together and separately.

Preliminary program of the seminar

Wednesday 7.10.

9 Opening of the seminar
9.10-10 Introduction to Thessa (both students and supervisors)
10.15-12 “Present your topical problem in research” session. See instructions below.
12-13 Lunch
13-15 Workshop on peer support in coping during unusual times (work psychologist/Mehiläinen)

Thursday 8.10.

8.15-9 Information session for new students and supervisors
9-11 “Present your topical problem in research” session continues
11-12 Program for supervisors: Peer discussions for supervisors: share your best practices
11-12 Program for students: How to find courses and other teaching
12-13 Lunch
13-15 The art of rest and recovery by Katja Keränen (MSc in Health Sciences, Unisport)

Credits

1 ECTS for participation on both days and presentation of your research

Instructions for the “Present your topical problem in research” session

All PhD students present a short introduction to their research (1-2 slides) followed by introducing one problem that has puzzled them recently (1-2 slides). The problem/question may be on any level: it may be about a laboratory method, how to find information on topic X, how to put my data in an informative table, how to express my result in a paper, who could help me with statistics etc. If you don’t have a problem at the moment, you may introduce a problem that you have solved, a handy tip you have used, or a method you have learned recently.

• The length of the presentation should be max 4 slides and max 10 minutes (4 mins for presentation + 6 mins for the discussion).
• NOTE: Send your presentation to cvm-info@helsinki.fi by 30.9.!

REGISTRATION

Through this link: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/106589/lomake.html
Registration is open on 1.-30.9.

Zoom-link and instructions for the participation are sent to all registered a couple of days before the event.

Organizing committee
Outi Vapaavuori, Marja Raekallio, Tiina Kaarela, Virpi Sali, Liisa Uotila

International courses

NOVA network
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry are members of the NOVA (The Nordic Forestry, Veterinary and Agricultural University Network). Students of members faculties may participate on NOVA courses free of charge (travel and accommodation not included).

NorDoc – Nordic Doctoral Training in Health Sciences network provides doctoral training courses in health offered by the NorDoc partner organisations in Nordic countries.

CAReNet - Clinical Animal Research Network is a Nordic network of researchers and animal health care professionals with particular interest in research. The aim of the network is to strengthen and develop veterinary clinical research. CAReNet activities are open to all interested, regardless of organizational affiliation.

National courses

See national course list, for example, in FinBioNet page (→ FinBioNet course calendar).

CSC, IT-center for sciences

Sem­inars and other events in Viikki

• Cell Biology Club (by ILS doctoral programme)
• Microbiology seminars (by MBDP doctoral programme)
• Virus Club (by MBDP doctoral programme)
• Developmental biology journal club (by ILS)
• Genome Club (by ILS)
• Molecules Club
• Viikki Food Science seminars

Other courses at the University of Helsinki

• Relevant courses in the Master’s Programmes of the University of Helsinki.
• All University of Helsinki courses in English.
• PhD courses organised by other doctoral programmes and schools
• Information skills courses by the Helsinki University Library
• Career planning courses by the University of Helsinki Career Services

PhD candidates have many opportunities to participate in planning activities and influence on decision-making in doctoral education.

Further information on student council activities is available in the instructions for students on the article Doctoral students and student organisation activities, and on other organization activities in the instructions for students on the article Doctoral students as student representatives.

Read more about The University of Helsinki PhD Students organisation (HYVÄT) 

The course organizer's guide is available on the instructions for teaching: DSHealth: Guide for course organizers

You can browse our recent doctoral theses at the university’s open digital archive.