The potential of applicants with an applicable Finnish polytechnic master’s degree for successful doctoral studies is assessed by the School case by case. Granting the right to study requires the School to determine the applicant’s need for supplementary studies. If the School deems the applicant with a polytechnic master's degree in an applicable technical field as having potential for completing the doctoral degree, the applicant will be assigned a sufficient amount of supplementary studies to allow him or her to start the doctoral studies. The extent of supplementary studies may not, however, exceed 60 ECTS. If the extent of necessary supplementary studies exceeds this maximum, the applicant will be advised to first pursue the master's degree before applying for a right to pursue doctoral studies. When assessing the applicants’ potential for doctoral studies, the School shall acknowledge that the extent of the polytechnic master’s degree in the field of technology is 60 ECTS, which corresponds to studies of one year’s duration, whereas the extent of a university master’s degree is 120 ECTS, which corresponds to studies of two years’ duration. The extent of polytechnic master’s degrees in fields other than technology is 60 ECTS or 90 ECTS.

International applicants with a previous technical degree corresponding to a Finnish polytechnic degree are subject to the same rules as those with a Finnish polytechnic degree.

• contents of the previous degree(s)
• previous study achievements
• the quality and international regard of the applicant’s degree and university
• research potential, previous research experience: work experience in the research sector, conference papers, articles etc.
• appropriateness of the research topic: research orientation on Department's focus areas so that proficient guidance and the supervising professor's genuine scientific interest is met
• research plan: theoretical and practical relevance and novelty of the topic, and feasibility of the plan (quality, realism, methodology etc.)
• effort and resources for doctoral studies: feasibility of the study plan, realistic time available for studying and research during the forthcoming 4 years
• university’s resources for guidance in the research area
• other reasons presented by the applicant

*Higher education degrees include bachelor’s, master’s, licentiate and doctoral degrees awarded by universities as well as polytechnic degrees. The academic terms run from 1 August to 31 December and 1 January to 31 July. The acceptance of a study place is binding and cannot be canceled. Even if the student postpones the commencement of studies or gives up her/his right to study, the student cannot accept another study place leading to a higher education degree starting the same academic term.

• Electronic application form (Please read the admission instructions carefully before filling in the online application form. After reading the instructions and having all the documents ready, register to the online application system, fill in the application, attach all the required documents and send it.)
• The following appendices are required to be attached with the application (in pdf, downloaded to the e-application form)

• Curriculum vitae (CV); example: http://www.tenk.fi/en/template-researchers-curriculum-vitae
• including a list of publications and an account of other scientific activity; Remember to update you CV so that the information there does not conflict with your funding source!
• Preliminary study plan
• 40 credits theoretical studies
• Supervision plan
• Research plan. Applicant can also make a free-form research plan; note that it has to be signed by the applicant and the supervising professor! Research plan includes:
• preliminary research plan
• schedule for the research
• possibilities for funding the research work (full-time applicants must have acquired funding for at least 6 months when applying; plans to apply for funding is not sufficient for a full-time status)
• aim and impact of the research
• methods and implementation of the scientific plan
• researcher mobility during and after doctoral studies
• publication plan
• In addition to the appendices above, applicants to the research field of Industrial Engineering and Management are required to have:
• A recommending statement from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management. The Doctoral Programme will ask for the statement on behalf of the applicant. The statement must be a recommending one in order for the applicant to be approved to the programme.

The following documents are required in addition to the above from an applicant with a Master's degree from outside TKK or Aalto University:

• Copies of degree diplomas (including degree certificate, transcript of completed courses and in European countries also the Diploma Supplement), certified by the home university or notary*, together with a translation of these if the original documents are not in Finnish, Swedish or English. Note that regular copies or scanned colored versions are not sufficient. 
• a document confirming eligibility for doctoral studies, if needed (please see Eligibility for doctoral studies) with an official translation, if the original document is not in Finnish, Swedish or English.
  
• English abstract of Master´s thesis is required
• Proof of proficiency in Finnish, Swedish or English, if the applicant is not a native speaker or was not schooled in any of these languages. More specific language requirements. If the applicant is working at the department or if the applicant applies for full-time doctoral studies, the supervising professor may write a recommending statement that the applicant has sufficient language skills. If the professor writes a recommending statement, no language test is required.
• Copy of the holder page of your passport

*Degrees awarded by a higher education institution in Finland

The copies of study certificates must be certified either by the issuing institution or by two unbiased signatories. The copies must be made of the original, official documents. Copies of copies will not be accepted.  If the certificate has several pages, each page must be certified from the right side of the page. Each page of the copy must carry the signature, name of the signatory/signatories and date. The signatories must see the original document and the copy of it side by side. By signing they certify that the copy is an unaltered copy of the original document.

*Degrees awarded by a higher education institution outside Finland

The copies of study certificates must be certified by the issuing institution or by a notary public. The copies must be made of the original, official documents. Copies of copies will not be accepted. If the certificate has several pages, each page must be certified from the right side of the page. Each page must be certified separately and indicate clearly the date and the original signature, printed name and stamp of the certifying officer. The mere mention of the official copy (e.g. stamp "True copy") is not enough. Please also see the country-specific requirements.

• IELTS (Academic IELTS only)
  • Overall Band Score: 6.5
  • Writing Band Score: 5.5

• TOEFL (IBT = Internet Based Test, PBT = Paper Based Test)
  • Total score: 92 (IBT), 580 (PBT)
  • Writing score: 22 (IBT), 4.0 (PBT)
  • PDT reading section 22, listening section 22, and writing section 24
• CAE, i.e. Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE): A,B or C
• CPE, i.e. Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): A,B,C or Level C1
• Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic only)
  • Total score: 62
  • Writing score: 54

The minimum requirements are very strict. If your score does not fulfill the minimum requirements, you are not eligible to apply and your application cannot be processed.

The language test result has to be valid during the application period, i.e. the test result has to be valid at least on the application deadline. Please note that the TOEFL, IELTS and PTE A language test reports are valid for two years, starting from the test date. Note also that the ETS does not send TOEFL test results after they have expired. CAE and CPE do not have any restriction for their validity.

IELTS- test score results can be submitted as copy of the report. The authenticity of the test result is verified by the test provider's electronic certification service.

TOEFL test results must arrive at Aalto University directly from the test organizer.

An English language test is not required of applicants who:

• have earned a degree taught in Finnish, Swedish or English in a higher education institution in Finland.
• have earned a degree in an English-medium programme at a higher education institution in an EU/EEA country, provided that all parts of the degree were completed in English. The language of the degree must be stated unambiguously in the degree certificate or its appendix, or in the transcript of records or other official document issued by the awarding higher education institution.
• have earned an English-medium higher education degree requiring a physical on-site presence at a higher education institution in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand.
• are full-time applicants or applicants already working at the department, whose supervising professor writes a statement of the applicant´s sufficient language skills in English.
• have studied as exchange students in the field of science and technology at Aalto University (a Aalto University transcript of records or certificate of student status is required)

If the degree includes studies from some other institution, the studies must also have been taken in English in a country and institution where the completed studies exempt the student from taking an English language test. However, this does not apply to degree studies completed during a student exchange.

Only the above-mentioned groups are exempted from the language test requirement, for all other applicants the official language test result is an obligatory application document and applications without the test result will not be processed.

Students are entered into the register either as full-time or part-time doctoral students. Students may change their status only by application if there has been changes in the study activity and study plan and research plan has been updated to follow the current situation.

Full-time doctoral students' personal study and research plans are drawn up so as to complete the doctorate within four years from granting the right to pursue doctoral studies. Full-time doctoral students must be able to spend 80 % of their working hours to doctoral studies.

Doctoral student applying a full-time status need to have a funding allocated to doctoral studies (e.g. project funding, personal grant or funding from employer). Typical full-time students are those who work at the department either with personal grant or receive funding from research project or those who work at a research institute or an enterprise. Those working outside Aalto University who wish to be full-time students must provide a document of the employers' approval for full-time doctoral studies (80 % of their working hours are dedicated to doctoral studies).

If the above criteria are not met, the student's mode of study is part-time. The study plan of a part-time doctoral student is drawn up to serve doctoral studies that will last longer than four years but no more than eight years.

A part-time doctoral student typically has a main occupation outside the School of Science which does not include scientific research for doctoral dissertation.

Applicants of part-time doctoral studies should discuss

• whether the research is closely connected with the applicant’s own work
• what opportunities the employer has for supporting intensive postgraduate studying e.g. by side of work.

A doctoral student whose language of degree is Finnish or Swedish will get the degree certificate in Finnish or Swedish along with a translation in English. If the doctoral student writes his/her thesis in Finnish or Swedish, the language of the degree will always be Finnish or Swedish despite the earlier choice of language.

If the doctoral dissertation or licentiate thesis is written in English, doctoral student can choose English as a language of degree.

If the doctoral student’s language of degree is English, he/she will get the degree certificate in English and in Finnish or Swedish. The language of degree will be mentioned in the diploma supplement, and in the degree certificate that two degree certificates have been given.

2018