The aim of the Doctoral Programme in History is to produce researchers who are qualified to analyse social and cultural phenomena in a historical context. In particular, this means understanding historical change – in other words, comparing historical phenomena in terms of time, location and concepts. Critical historical knowledge is a key to understanding the contemporary world and the world of the future. A doctoral degree in history gives the graduate the skills to work as a researcher and in various duties in administration, education and the civic society, where most of the University’s graduates are employed.
The research subjects of history students are broad and manifold, but they tend to concentrate in the strong fields of the discipline: the history of modernisation and the civic society, international interaction, and the history of everyday life in Finland and early Europe. The doctoral programme has a unique profile focused on social history and emphasising temporal and regional comparison, as well as stressing methodological and theoretical knowledge.
According to the Government Decree on University Degrees (794/2004, amended 1039/2013, §21) the objectives of scientific postgraduate education are that the student
becomes thoroughly acquainted with his or her own field of research and its social significance
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
becomes acquainted with the development, basic problems and research methods of his or her field of research
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
achieves sufficient language and communication skills and other abilities to work as an expert or a developer in demanding positions and within international cooperation.