Doctoral programme in History, 240 cr

According to the Government Decree on University Degrees (794/2004, amended 1039/2013, §21) the objectives of scientific postgraduate education are that the student

1. becomes thoroughly acquainted with his or her own field of research and its social significance
2. gains the knowledge and skills needed to apply scientific research methods independently and critically and to produce new scientific knowledge within his or her field of research
3. becomes acquainted with the development, basic problems and research methods of his or her field of research
4. gains such knowledge of the general theory of science and of other disciplines relating to his or her own field of research as enables him or her to follow their development
5. achieves sufficient language and communication skills and other abilities to work as an expert or a developer in demanding positions and within international cooperation.

The Doctoral Programme in History provides doctoral candidates with versatile possibilities to act as a researcher or in demanding expert assignments in Finland and abroad. The most essential of these capacities is the ability to conduct in-depth analysis of social and cultural phenomena within their historical context. The range of research topics within the doctoral programme is extensive, but most dissertations concentrate on the strong areas of the subject at Tampere University, such as the history of modernisation, urbanisation, and civil society, as well as international interaction and the history of everyday life in Finland and Europe.

Graduates of the programme are researchers and experts well prepared to analyse social and cultural phenomena in their historical context. In particular, this refers to the understanding of change, or the temporal, local, and conceptual comparison of phenomena. The programme aims to strengthen the doctoral candidates' theoretical and methodological skills as well as to introduce them to the research traditions in their field of study. The programme also aims to provide the candidates with the abilities to reform the practices in the field and act within a multidisciplinary research community.

The doctoral degree in history provides students with good abilities to work as a researcher or in several demanding expert tasks in administration, education and civil society, which is how most doctors are employed. The doctoral degree also provides skills for supervising students and leading research groups.

The doctoral candidates will become well-versed in their own field of research, but also acquire an extensive view of their field in general.