Registration of doctoral studies

If you take a course or examination for which you have registered for in Sisu, the course coordinator assesses it in Sisu. You have the right to receive information on the assessment within one month of the date of taking the course or examination. Please note, however, that assessment in Sisu may take longer during the summer.

Your doctoral degree includes not only a doctoral thesis, but also a study module (30 ECTS) that consist of discipline-specific studies and transferable skills studies. Once you have completed all the studies required for the module, you can request its compilation. 

Most faculties require that module(s) are compiled before the preliminary examination of the doctoral thesis begins or, at the latest, before the doctoral researcher is granted the right to defend their thesis at a public examination. Please check the required completion date from your faculty’s instructions for initiating the preliminary examination process.

Remember that modules cannot include studies completed more than 10 years ago. Once compiled, modules cannot be deleted from the records or updated. Read more about the expiry of doctoral studies.

Please note that the total scope of both modules cannot be exceeded with more than 5 credits (total scope max. 35 credits). If you have started your doctoral studies prior to August 1, 2017, you are exceptionally allowed to exceed the maximum scope, should you so wish.

If you have been granted the right to complete a doctoral degree before August 1, 2024, you may, if desired, complete studies corresponding to previous regulations, which amount to 40 credits, and register them as modules by July 31, 2026.

After July 31, 2026, all doctoral researchers will transition to completing doctoral degrees that include 30 credits of studies, and the degree certificate will indicate 30–35 credits of doctoral studies. If the modules have not been compiled by July 31, 2026, the doctoral researcher will transition to the 30-credit degree requirements. If a module or modules have already been compiled, they can be used towards the degree for their validity period.

Starting from August 1, 2026, doctoral studies will consist of a single 30-credit module that includes both field-specific studies and general competence skills. All doctoral researchers must create a new study plan in Sisu after August 1, 2026, in order to enroll in courses or submit a completion request.

The method for compiling modules depends somewhat on when the doctoral studies were initiated and which studies you have completed. Please refer to the instructions below and follow the guidelines that correspond to your situation.

Please note that compiled study modules cannot be dismantled or updated. 

Option 1: Achievements Comply with Sisu Rules

If all the studies you have completed comply with the rules applied in Sisu, you can request assessment of the study module in Sisu when all the required studies are indicated in your study plan as completed and approved. Open your Sisu study plan and do as follows (make sure to use the traditional Structure of studies page):

• Click the code under the name of the study module.
• Click the Assessment request button.

Cancelling an assessment request is possible as long as the request has not been approved or registered in the Student Services. If you want to cancel your request, select ‘My profile’ from the main menu in Sisu, and then click open the Applications and requests tab. Click the name of the request for a study module assessment and once the request opens, click the 'Cancel the assessment request' button. 

Option 2: Approval of study modules based on the previous degree requirements as part of a study plan

If you have previously completed study modules that have been registered in accordance with the earlier degree requirements and if these modules partly or fully substitute for studies based on the new requirements, you should apply for the approval of the old modules as part of your study plan in Sisu’s free edit mode.

Before submitting your application in Sisu, you can contact the senior advisor of your doctoral programme to ensure that the required studies have been completed and your doctoral studies are ready to be accepted and compiled. If necessary, you will received detailed advice on the type of application you should submit.

If you have previously completed a module/modules that has/have been registered in accordance with the old degree requirements and if the module/modules substitute/substitutes as such for all required doctoral studies:

• Open the free edit mode in your study plan on the doctoral programme level (if needed, start by reading the Sisu user instructions for using the free edit mode).
• Remove the study module based on the new structures (Doctoral Studies) from your plan by clicking the trash can icon next to them.
• Add the old study modules you have completed to replace them.
• Submit the edited plan for approval in Sisu.
• The senior advisor of the doctoral programme will approve the plan.

If you already have registered modules based on previous requirements and have additionally completed the necessary extra studies required by the curriculum:

Submit the modified plan in Sisu for approval.

• Open the free edit mode in your study plan on the doctoral programme level (if needed, start by reading the Sisu user instructions for using the free edit mode).
• Add the module(s) based on the old degree requirements to your plan.
• Edit the Doctoral Studies (XXX-995) module to reflect the other studies you have planned or completed.
• Verify that your plan includes all the courses required by the study plan.
• Submit the edited plan for approval in Sisu.
• The senior advisor of the doctoral programme will approve the plan.

If you or your supervisor have any questions about the registration of doctoral studies or study modules, you can always contact the services for doctoral education.