How to apply

Interested in getting your doctoral training in one of the doctoral programmes of the Doctoral school in natural sciences?

First you need to apply a right to pursue a doctoral degree from one of the faculties participating in the school. Applying funding is a separate process and there are various options. The next call for university-funded doctoral candidate positions will be open next autumn.

Application process

Application periods

Affiliated faculties and choices of doctoral programmes

Application process

1. APPLICANT

selects a faculty and a doctoral programme
writes and submits the application according to the faculty's instructions (in most cases a study plan, a research plan and a funding plan are required)

2. DOCTORAL PROGRAMME

evaluates the quality of the application
proposes accepting/rejecting the application to the faculty

3. FACULTY ADMINISTRATION

based on the doctoral programme’s quality statement, prepares the decision of granting/rejecting the right to pursue a doctoral degree

4. FACULTY DEAN or faculty council

makes the decision of granting/rejecting the applicant the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the faculty

5. FACULTY ADMINISTRATION

informs the applicant and the doctoral programme of the Dean’s decision
implements the Dean’s decision
stores the application in the faculty’s archive

Via this process the applicant receives the UH doctoral candidate status and becomes affiliated in the respective doctoral programme and faculty, as well as the Doctoral school in natural sciences. Please note that there may be some faculty-specific variation in the process (eg. how many calls are organised per year), thus before applying, check the application instructions at the faculty web page. General information on doctoral training at University of Helsinki is available here.

Application periods

Applying a right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki and applying funding for doctoral training are separate processes. The right is always applied from a faculty whereas funding can be applied from various sources. The deadlines for applications vary in the faculties affiliated to the doctoral school:

In the Faculty of Science there are four application deadlines each year.
In the Faculty of Arts there are two application deadlines each year.
In the Faculties of Agriculture and Forestry, Biological and Environmental Sciences, and Pharmacy there are four application deadlines each year.

Further information about the admissions are available here.