Academic events and traditions

Ceremonial Conferment of Doctoral Degrees in Technology

Promovere: to move forward, promote, further

The Finnish word for conferment, promootio, comes from the Latin verb promovere: to promote, to move forward. In the past, a person for instance only obtained the right to speak in universities after a ceremonial conferment. The words master and doctor also have their roots in Latin, both referring to teacher.

Conferred doctors in Kaleva hall — Conferment of Doctoral degrees in Technology, 2023

Tech Conferment 1958_Act of Conferment — Conferment of Doctoral degrees in Technology, 1958

Conferment ceremonies of Doctoral Degrees in Technology at Aalto University

The degree of Doctor of Science in Technology is relatively new compared to the doctorates awarded by traditional science universities.

University status and the right to award doctoral degrees was granted to the Technical University of Finland, later Helsinki University of Technology, in 1908. Its first dissertation was in the field of chemistry, Sulo Hintikka’s ‘Studies on Camphenilone’, supervised by Professor Gustaf Komppa and approved for publication in 1911.

The first conferment in Finland for doctors in technology was held in 1934 in the grand auditorium of the university, by Hietalahti market square. The occasion, a formal evening affair followed by a coffee gathering, was graced by the presence of the President of the Republic and other leading dignitaries of Finland. Ten Doctors of Science in Technology as well as two honorary doctorates were awarded at the ceremony. The doctors honoris causa were Karl Evert Palmén and Eliel Saarinen. The Finnish title for Doctor of Science (Technology), teknologian tohtori, was later changed to tekniikan tohtori.