For new doctoral students
Information for doctoral students at the beginning of their studies
Doctoral studies
Information about doctoral studies, their requirements and study planning for all doctoral students.
Planning your doctoral studies
Doctoral students plan their studies and research with their supervising professor by using Doctoral personal study plan, DPSP as a tool.
More information about planning the research and thesis work:
Doctoral personal study plan (DPSP)
Doctoral students plan their studies and research by using the five parts of the DPSP.
Doctoral courses and curriculum
Find courses for doctoral students & information about individual studies and credit transfer.
Yearly follow-up of doctoral students
Doctoral students at Aalto University answer a follow-up survey of the progress of their doctoral studies and research yearly.
Basic information of doctoral studies at Aalto University
The target time for full-time doctoral studies is four years, and from four to eight years for part-time studies. Pre-examination and defence of doctoral thesis is also included in this time.
Degree structure
Total credits
30 / 60 *
ECTS
General research studies
Research field studies
Doctoral thesis
* 30 ECTS in the fields of art and desing and technology, 60 ECTS in the field of business. No credits are granted for the doctoral thesis or the licentiate thesis.
Right to study and language
Right to study (doctoral degree)
Target time, full-time vs. part-time status, readmission and renouncing the study right
Language of doctoral thesis and degree
Doctoral students can complete their degree and write their doctoral thesis in English, Finnish or Swedish.
Study skills and support for studying
Study Skills
Study skills consist of a number of areas, such as the management of study methods, self-management, acting in a community and regulation of personal emotions. Study skills are something you can learn, and these pages include ideas for developing your skills as well as links for sources of additional information.
Groups, workshops and online materials for supporting wellbeing and study ability
This page has groups, workshops and online (MyCourses) material organised by Aalto in the area of well-being. The groups and workshops are conducted in Finnish or English.
Individual study arrangements
Each Aalto student has a right to receive reasonable individual study arrangements for medical reasons. A medical reason may be dyslexia, a sensory impairment, mental health condition or learning difficulty. Individual study arrangements should not be seen as a reason to stop aiming for the set learning outcomes. Instead, they are a way of supporting the student in attaining the learning outcomes.
Examples of individual study arrangements include additional time for examinations (1 hour at Aalto), a private space or computer for examinations, or adjusted schedules.
Doctoral education services
We support doctoral students, supervising professors, thesis advisors and doctoral programme directors in matters related to doctoral studies.
Doctoral page index
Index of all aalto.fi pages about doctoral education
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