The survey could be available in Finnish too.

Yes! Last year we worked hard to provide all our aalto.fi pages in Finnish (and we have also started the work to translate them in Swedish). Translating this survey is on our list of development items.

This survey should be anonymous.

The main purpose of this survey is to follow the progress of each doctoral student. This is why it cannot be anonymous. We are aware that this probably affects the way some questions are answered, but we are balancing between tracking your progress as well as asking your opinions and wishes.

Why is this survey conducted right before the holiday season when everyone is busy?

This is a yearly follow-up, and the questions are regarding the past calendar year. It is easier to remember what happened during the year in December than let’s say in three months later. Also, the University’s reporting and annual review cycle is such that we need the results of the survey as soon as possible in January. This year the mid-week Independence day unfortunately further complicated the schedule.

Why cannot you just pull the details out of existing systems? Why do I have to give my phone number?

You are right, we have your personal information, credits and ACRIS information in our systems (including your phone number). However, these questions have been included in the survey so that you will actively check your situation to be aware of your status – many doctoral students actually find this to be very useful. Another reason is that unfortunately our systems are not so sophisticated that we could easily combine tons of data from various sources. As for your phone number, we just want to be sure to have a current number in case we need to contact you about your answers.

Does it actually matter what we write here?

Yes! Doctoral education services and leadership of doctoral education at the university and the Schools pay a lot of attention to the answers we have received. Some things are easier to fix, sometimes there are constraints that make a finding solutions harder and it takes a bit longer to see results.

You should be able to write here sensitive issues too, it seems you don't just want to hear them here.

The survey includes a component of offering personal follow-up meetings, which can be used to discuss sensitive issues too. Because of the general data protection regulation (GDPR) issues as well as guidelines related to handling feedback on person’s work, there are limits to what we can ask in this survey. In case of experiences of misconduct or difficult situations, we encourage everyone to turn to Aalto University’s existing practices for support for challenging situations for doctoral students. 

How can I find my DPSP in MyStudies? How many credits have I completed for each module of my degree?

You will find your Doctoral personal study plan (DPSP) under Tasks in MyStudies. For more information, please see MyStudies instructions. The credits you have completed are presented in Sisu. In your credit plan in Sisu (so-called “Structure of studies”), you will see how you and your supervising professor have agreed to split the credits in modules – if not, please follow the Credit plan instructions to create an updated plan. If you have any questions about DPSP or your credits, please contact us, we are here to help: Doctoral education services.

Is DPSP required of me?

Yes, all doctoral students must have a Doctoral personal study plan (DPSP) stored in MyStudies. If you have started your studies before MyStudies was taken into use, you should simply upload your existing documents to MyStudies – and of course update them if need be.

I want more information about X, Y and Z!

We hear you! We have been improving our aalto.fi websites and you will be able to find tons of information at the Doctoral education hub. Very recently we have also added a Doctoral page index, where you’ll find all the pages related to doctoral education and doctoral students in alphabetical order. If you cannot find something, we are always happy to hear and keep improving. Please contact us at [email protected]. 

I don´t know who to turn to for help and getting clarity to my studies.

You can turn to us, Doctoral education services. We are here for all doctoral students. In questions related to choosing the most relevant courses and planning your studies, your supervising professor is responsible for guiding you. You will find more information about the responsibilities of the supervising professor and thesis advisor as well as what to do if the collaboration is not working on the page Supervision of doctoral studies.