Doctoral programme in Social Sciences, 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 Social Sciences provides you with versatile abilities to successfully perform expert tasks that require extensive and in-depth understanding of the interaction between society and individuals, and to work in academic research and teaching positions in Finland and abroad. Doctoral education concentrates on your own area of speciality, but it also provides an extensive understanding of the operation of society and people in our changing world. The postgraduate studies strengthen your theoretical and methodological skills, prepare you for acting in a multidisciplinary research environment and expert groups, as well as helps you to develop skills in research ethics and abilities required in working life.

The purpose of doctoral education is to adopt scientific thinking, which aims at the truth and includes adopting a critical stance, as well as learning ethically sustainable scientific practices, and mastering the diverse skills of a researcher. As a researcher with a doctoral degree, you are familiar with the theories and methods in your own research tradition and have an extensive grasp of social research and related research questions. You are also able to apply different approaches and methods in your research, reporting and administrative work as well as in expert and management tasks in the public and private sectors. As an expert with a doctoral degree, you understand the greatest social changes of our time and are able to seek solutions to social problems and ask questions which have not been posed yet. Doctors graduating from the Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences find jobs in research, education, development, planning, and supervisory tasks. It is easy for them to find employment.