Scope and structure of doctoral degrees

A doctoral degree consists of a doctoral dissertation in addition to studies worth 40 credits. If you study on a full-time basis, you can complete your degree in approximately four years.

The primary focus of the degree is on research work and activities in the academic community. The doctoral thesis presents the results of your research work. See more information on the scope and structure of a doctoral thesis in the article Structure and criteria of doctoral theses.

In all the University of Helsinki doctoral programmes, the studies included in the degree are divided into two study modules:

• Discipline-specific studies (30 credits)
• Transferable skills (10 credits)

You can complete as much studies as you like, but a max. 45 credits can be included in your degree.

Teaching is carried out in accordance with the doctoral programme's curriculum. Each study unit in the curriculum has one or several methods of completion (e.g., lecture course, independent studies, exam, seminar), and after their successful completion, you will have completed the study unit in question and will receive a grade.

The faculty councils make decisions on the curricula, and the curricula are valid always for three academic years. Currently all teaching is arranged according to the 2023–2026 curricula. Get to know the curriculum of your doctoral programme right at the beginning of your studies and plan your studies using the instructions on the Planning your doctoral studies page.

Teaching for the coming academic year is published in Sisu and Courses as a rule by the end of June. Final teaching programmes contain information on the schedules, facilities, teachers, languages ​​of instruction, methods of completion and enrolment. For more information on teaching and enrolment, please see page Teaching and course registration for doctoral researchers.

Discipline-specific studies (30 credits) support the development of skills important for the researcher’s dissertation work and discipline. Once you have completed the discipline-specific studies, you will have a deep understanding of the nature of your discipline as well as its key theories and concepts.

The module always includes 1 credit of research ethics, compulsory for all doctoral students at the University of Helsinki.

Aim to include international conferences, research visits and other scholarly activities in your degree process. International activities will help you to establish networks that are important for your future and to view your research from new perspectives.

The aim of transferable skills studies (10 credits) is to support the development of the doctoral student’s identity as a researcher and expert as well as his or her future career plans. Plan the studies so that they help you achieve your future goals.

The Doctoral School provides doctoral students with courses in transferable skills. You can also acquire these skills by integrating related learning into your research work in the manner of components to be entered into student records as completed studies.

Please read more on transferable skills studies here.

Above, in the dropdown menu of the previous page node (Degree structure in the doctoral programme), you can find the links to each course description. Select the correct academic year and "show all".

Here you can also download the full curriculum pdf files with course descriptions. You can also search for available courses through the University's course search page.

• HUB-998 discipline-specific course descriptions for curriculum 2023-26 as a pdf file (44 pages)
• PHD-997 transferable skills course descriptions for curriculum 2023-26 as a pdf file. (246 pages)