Aalto Doctoral Programme in Arts, Design and Architecture

Aalto Doctoral Programme in Arts, Design and Architecture is free of tuition fees. Aalto University does not charge fees for enrollment to the University. Doctoral candidates are welcome to join the Aalto University Student Union. The membership of the Student Union is subject to an annual fee.

Aalto University does not offer scholarships for doctoral studies. Most of our doctoral candidates fund their studies with external grants and scholarships, although sometimes Departments are able to offer salaried doctoral candidate positions or project funding.

Salaried doctoral candidate positions are applied for separately from the admission process. When salaried doctoral candidate positions are open, they are advertised at https://www.aalto.fi/en/open-positions. Often they are not open at the same time as the application for the study right is open. Any questions regarding the advertised salaried positions must be directed to the professors and HR personnel only, not admission services.

Full-time doctoral studies take approximately 4 years and you need to actively and independently pursue funding for that period. The Departments at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture can provide funding only for a part of their doctoral candidates and often only for a limited time. You need to search funding sources and even apply for funding already before the start of your studies. You may apply for funding both for your living expenses during the doctoral studies as well as for realizing the artistic components that possibly are included in your research plan. Funding is offered by e.g. different type of foundations.

Salaried doctoral candidate positions are applied for separately from the admission process. When salaried doctoral candidate positions are open, they are advertised on Aalto University webpage https://www.aalto.fi/careers. Any questions regarding the advertised salaried positions must be directed to the professors and HR personnel only, not admission services.

If you are not able to secure funding for full time doctoral studies or plan to complete your studies alongside with your work career, consider how you will cope with it. Consider how you will manage your time, how to secure your livelihood and how much personal resources you have at the moment. If you cannot permanently reside in the Helsinki Region during your doctoral studies, think about how can you participate in the obligatory courses, seminars and events for doctoral candidates. Large part of doctoral studies are independent but the courses offered mostly require physical attendance.

The courses offered for doctoral candidates support and develop your skills as a researcher and the seminars connect you with the academic community. Doctoral candidates have the chance to take forward scientific and artistic pursuits and create new advances. Find your place and reach for it!

Please note that unfortunately we cannot confirm the eligibility of an individual prospective applicant outside the actual application process. The eligibility is always assessed based on the degree certificates of the applicant and the educational system of the country of the degree awarding institution.

To be eligible for doctoral studies at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, students must:

• have completed a relevant master’s degree awarded by a university;
• have completed a relevant master’s degree awarded by a university of applied sciences; or
• have completed a relevant study programme abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for the corresponding level of higher education, i.e. doctoral studies, or
• are otherwise deemed by the university as possessing sufficient knowledge and skills for the studies.

The university may require a student admitted to study for a doctoral degree to complete supplementary studies in order to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for the study programme.

Degrees awarded outside Finland

Students holding a degree earned abroad are eligible for doctoral studies provided their degree gives them eligibility for corresponding higher education in the awarding country. As a rule, degrees earned abroad are recognised at Aalto University provided that they have required studies of at least four years, including a thesis similar to the master’s thesis, and that such studies in the view of the school equip the student with the skills and knowledge needed to pursue doctoral studies at the school. A general guideline for the recognition of European degrees is that the degree is a university degree combination earned in accordance with the Bologna Process principles (3+2 years).

Master’s degrees from Finnish universities of applied sciences

Applicants with a prior degree earned abroad and corresponding to a relevant Finnish master’s degree from a university of applied sciences are treated equally to those with master’s degree from a Finnish university of applied sciences.

Language Requirements

You might be required to submit a language test result even if your previous degree was taken in English (depending on the country of the institution). Please read more below.

Supplementary studies

Supplementary studies may be required from those applicants who do not have a sufficient educational background for the research field in question (for example applicants who do not have a Master of Arts or Master of Science (Architecture) degree). Up to 20 ECTS of studies may be required. The supplementary studies must be completed after the study right has been granted.

You can apply to the doctoral studies with an incomplete degree, provided that you will graduate by 31 July 2025.

If you apply with an incomplete degree, note that it may not be possible to graduate during the summer months. You should look into the graduation schedules and requirements of your own faculty or school in good time.

In case you are not able to graduate or fail to deliver your degree certificate by the deadline given to you, your conditionally granted study right will be cancelled. The deadline will be given separately.

When you apply for doctoral studies, you need to present a research plan (https://www.aalto.fi/en/programmes/aalto-doctoral-programme-in-arts-design-and-architecture/applicants-research-plan), which presents a new or different focus on the topic, is well-defined and realistic to pull through, and it needs to demonstrate your knowledge of the research area.

One of the professors of the research field you are applying to will act as your supervising professor if you are admitted to the programme. Your research topic needs to fit the field of your supervising professor. This will be easier if your research is linked to one of the research groups or projects within the School.

You may be in contact with a potential supervising professor or the Head of research at the Department to find out whether or not the Department has a suitable supervising professor in the field of your research topic. Professors keep getting a vast amount of contacts, so please prepare your message with care and send it early on, preferably a few months before the application period. Professors are especially interested in your research topic and how realistic it is to pull through. Don’t include several pages of attachments or very long descriptions in your first email – be brief and on point.

• Key research areas at Aalto University: www.aalto.fi/research-art
• You can find more information on the research groups and projects on the websites of the departments: www.aalto.fi/school-of-arts-design-and-architecture/departments
• Supervising professors in each research field: Research fields and supervising professors
• Heads of Research at the Departments: Contact persons at departments (scroll down on the page)

Applications (including their attachments in PDF form) are submitted through an electronic application system. The application period will close on 6 March 2025 at 3 pm (UTC+2).

Read the information regarding eligibility to apply, application process as well as required documents carefully before filling out an application.

Make sure that you have access to the email address which you use to apply until the application results have been published.

Applicants who are selected for phase two of the application will receive a separate notice by email with instructions for submitting their paper documents and postal address. They are given a maximum of 3 weeks from the notice to submit paper copies of their degree certificates and transcripts of records. These paper copies of documents need to physically arrive to the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture within the set deadline, or the application will be rejected.

Doctoral education services reviews your application and the required documents for the general eligibility requirements, i.e. check the authenticity of the documents, make sure that the application contains all the requisite documents and that the applicant fulfils the admission requirements. Incomplete or ineligible applications can be rejected at this stage and professors are not obliged to process them. Applicants should check the Monitoring application process page in the application system to get information about the process.

The academic assessment of the eligible applications is carried out based on the application documents and in the phase two of the application also based on interviews.

Each Department’s Head of Research is in charge of the academic evaluation process, and at least three people who are qualified to acts as advisors for doctoral candidates in the Department participate in the assessment of each application.

Based on the assessment of the academic evaluators, the Doctoral Programme Committee makes a proposal of admission or rejection to the Dean of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture. The Dean makes the formal decision on admission or rejection.

Applicants who are selected by the academic evaluators to the phase two of the application are invited to an interview and are required to submit officially certified copies of their degree certificates and transcripts of records. 

The interviews take place between 22 April and 6 May 2025 (each Department has their own interview schedule).

An invitation to the interview will be delivered to the applicant no less than one week in advance. Interviews are held mostly online.

Applicants selected for phase two must demonstrate the authenticity of their degree certificate and transcript of records. The authenticity is demonstrated by submitting the certified (attested) hard copies of your degree certificates and transcripts of records.  

You will have 3 weeks to submit the documents, so make preparations for procuring and sending the documents and their translations well in advance.

The invitation to the interview and the instructions for submitting the paper copies will be sent to you separately. The three-week deadline for submitting the paper copies will start from the date the instructions have been sent by email.

See more under Certified hard copy documents (Phase two)

Only applications meeting the eligibility criteria will be assessed academically. The academic assessment is based on

• The applicant's research skills and capability for development demonstrated in the research proposal and study plan, curriculum vitae and portfolio
• The quality and feasibility of the research plan, and the applicant's ability to complete the studies within target time.
• The relevance of the research topic and how well it fits to the research focus areas of the department, as well as resources for advising in the area of the research topic.
• The relevance of previous studies and the academic performance of the applicant.
• The role of the possible artistic components in the doctoral research.

Language test reports must be received by Aalto University by the end of the application period at the latest. The validity date is calculated from the first day of the application period for all applicants in that application round. For example, the earliest date to have completed a TOEFL test in the 2025 admissions (11.2.2025-6.3.2025) is 11.2.2023 and Aalto University must receive that language test report by 6.3.2025 at the latest. 

If you need to submit any information pertaining to your language test or any documents after you have submitted your application, please use the email address [email protected].  

1. Scanned colour copy of the original Master's degree certificate* and the diploma supplement (when applicable). Name the file according to this format: Degree-certificate-lastname-firstname.
   *This document requirement does not apply to applicants with an incomplete degree. Their degree must be completed by 31 July 2025. If your degree is incomplete at the application phase, submit a current transcript of study records.
2. Scanned colour copy of the original official transcript of study records. Name the fileaccording to format: Transcript-lastname-firstname.
3. If your degree certificate and the official transcript of records are not in Finnish, Swedish or English, scanned colour copies of authorised translations. The instructions for authorised translations are below (see "Translations"). Name the file according to format: Translation-transcript-lastname.
4. Research plan, including a schedule for the studies to be completed (study plan), schedule for doctoral thesis, funding plan and possible work plan & schedule for artistic components. Name the file according to format: Research-plan-lastname-firstname.
5. Curriculum vitae (CV). Name the file according to format: CV-lastname-firstname.
6. Copy of a valid passport or an official government-issued identification card with photo and information on citizenship. Upload a copy only of the personal information page of the passport (not all pages). Name the file according to format: Passport-lastname-firstname.
7. Portfolio (electronic), ONLY if your research plan contains work plan for artistic component (inc. product development project) (applies only to applications for Doctor of Arts degree). Name the file according to format: Portfolio-lastname-firstname. 
8. If relevant in your case: the required documents pertaining to your language proficiency

The documents must be in Finnish, Swedish or English. If the original degree certificate or transcript of records was written in some other language, an official translation of the document must be submitted.

The translation is official if it has been done by the higher education institution that awarded the degree or by a certified translator (authorised translator). The translations must have the certified translator’s stamp and signature.

In Finland, the Finnish National Agency for Education (www.oph.fi/en) maintains a register of authorised translators who are based in Finland.

Applicants selected for phase two must demonstrate the authenticity of their degree certificate and transcript of records. The authenticity is demonstrated by submitting the certified (attested) hard copies of your degree certificates and transcripts of records.  

Note: If you have completed your degree at Aalto University (or its predecessors), or if you completed your degree in Finland after 1 January 2003 and have a Finnish personal identification code, you are NOT required to present original documents nor to submit any hard copies. We will verify the authenticity of your electronic documents via a national database. 

Submitting certified copies: Submit your documents according to the instructions for certified copies. Please note that you must also follow the country-specific requirements for submitting documents, if your degree is awarded in: Australia, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Canada, China, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, the United Kingdom or the United States.  

In addition to the above-mentioned ways, we also accept certain electronic services. More information in the country-specific requirements. 

The officially certified copies of documents need to arrive to the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture within the deadline which will be given to you, or your application will be rejected. 

• Provisional degree certificate:In some countries, there can be a delay before the final degree certificate is issued to graduates. In such cases, a provisional (or temporary) degree certificate can be issued to a student who has successfully completed all the studies included in the degree and has graduated. The provisional degree certificate must include the name of the degree, the name of the institution awarding the degree, the date of awarding the degree, and the name of the student. A statement of completion of the studies is insufficient.
• The transcript of records must be an official transcript bearing the stamp of the educational institution. Original transcripts are generally easy to obtain from student service departments. Contact the student services of your home institution. The transcript of records should include the studies you have taken, the grades and credits awarded, and the date of completion. If your degree contains studies completed in some other higher education institution (e.g. transfer or top-up studies), also submit a transcript of records of those studies.
• A diploma supplement can be submitted instead of a transcript of records if it contains the information required of a transcript of records (see requirements above). A diploma supplement issued in English can be accepted as a translation of a degree certificate (issued in other language than Finnish, Swedish or English), if it contains all the same information as the degree certificate.
• Official Aalto University transcripts for Aalto students
  Aalto University students may order an official transcript of records as instructedhere. The official electronic transcript of records must be uploaded to the online application form.

A portfolio is required if the research plan includes a plan for artistic components. Portfolio presents the abilities of the applicant to realise the artistic components planned. Portfolios can be either uploaded to the application systems in PDF form (maximum size for a single document is 500MB) or the applicant can provide a link to an online portfolio. In case of online portfolio, the applicant is responsible for ensuring that the link is accessible for a minimum of 2 months from the end of the application period. If your portfolio contains password protected video links, include the password(s) in your portfolio.

• Research plan is a key document.
• It is usually appr. 5-8 pages (line spacing 1,5, 12 pt)
• Research plan also includes:
  1. Your schedule for the completion of the required studies (30 ECTS)
  2. Your schedule for doctoral thesis work
  3. Your plan for funding
  4. In case you plan to include an artistic component or product development project: work plan and schedule
• Write your research plan completely by yourself.
• Research plans are treated as confidential in the evaluation process.
• You may find some general instructions for writing a research plan on the page Applicant's research plan (aalto.fi). They are not compulsory – the research plan is free of form. You can find other instructions on the internet, see e.g. Academy of Finland research plan instructions

The results will be published by 3 June 2025, and all the applicants will receive an email directing them to the online application system to check their final admission decision. If the applicant is accepted to Aalto University, a formal letter of acceptance will be issued.

The right of appeal means that the applicant has the possibility to request for rectification, if she/he believes that there has been an error in the decision-making process. In the appeal the applicant should specify the error. The right of appeal is not intended as means for receiving feedback or asking for further information about the application process. The admission decisions are based on the information the applicant has delivered to Aalto University by the given deadline. The letter of appeal is directed to the Dean of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture.

The letter of appeal must be submitted to the Registry of Aalto University within 14 days after the publication of the decisions:

Aalto University
Registry
P.O. Box 11000
FI-00076 Aalto
Finland

or by by e-mail: [email protected]

Visiting address Otakaari 1 B, Espoo.

Appeals will be processed as soon as possible after the appeal period has ended, but please take into account delays caused by the holiday season.

Successful applicants must inform the university about accepting the offered study place or the offer is cancelled. You will need to accept the offer in the application system and enroll to the first academic year at the same time. The acceptance is binding and cannot be changed. Detailed instructions will be sent to accepted applicants with the admission letter.

The study right of an accepted applicant is valid from on 1 August 2025. In practice studies start in September 2025, but the first orientation sessions may be held already on the last days of August.

From 1 August 2016 onwards applicants who have been given an offer of admission may accept only one student place leading to a higher education degree in Finland during one academic term (Universities Act 558/2009). Higher education degrees include bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees awarded by universities as well as degrees from universities of applied sciences.

The academic terms run from 1 August to 31 December and from 1 January to 31 July. The acceptance of a student place is binding and cannot be cancelled. Even if the accepted applicants postpone the commencement of studies or give up their right to study, they cannot accept another study place leading to a higher education degree starting the same academic term.