Doctoral Programme of Computing and Electrical Engineering
Leading competencies through strategic research
The Doctoral Programme of Computing and Electrical Engineering is operating in an international and multidisciplinary science community providing young scholars with facilities to enhance their research careers and occupy demanding specialist positions in the industry and academia. Doctoral studies provide an excellent theoretical and technical training upon which you can build the future career at the highest national and international level.
Through rigorous research within the chosen field, you have the opportunity to impact economic and social change by proposing solutions to current industry-relevant issues. Digital operating environment and energy and co-efficiency are the main focus areas in engineering and technology of the Faculty strategy in which the doctoral training and research contributes to. Energisation, virtualisation and humanisation are other identified trending areas. The core competences within these trending topics rely on deep understanding developed within the Faculty in areas of smart grids and power electronics, wireless communications and networks, signal processing, embedded systems and electronics.
We will be encouraging you to seek research collaboration within the University as well as nationally and internationally. Our research environment enables researchers to achieve even their most ambitious scientific goals and the infrastructures are continuously developed.
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The Doctoral Programme of Computing and Electrical Engineering is a broad multi-disciplinary study programme, which trains professional researchers and versatile problem-solvers in an international and multidisciplinary science community to serve businesses and other facets of society.
Graduates from the doctoral programme have the ability to independently and creatively generate new scientific knowledge and enhance the societal impact of research. They have gained profound field-specific competence but also obtained a broad view of their discipline in general. Doctoral graduates have adopted scientific thinking and internalized good scientific practices, and they master the diverse skills of a researcher. The graduates have an independent identity as researchers and experts. They have the knowledge and skills to independently develop, implement and lead collaborative activities and projects in multilingual and multicultural settings. Their in-depth expertise allows them to advance their careers across a broad range of employment sectors.
All of the teaching in the doctoral programme in carried out in English, and doctoral theses are primarily written in English.
The Doctoral Programme in Computing and Electrical Engineering consists of 11 scientific research fields from the areas of electrical energy engineering, electronics and communications engineering, pervasive computing, and signal processing. Research field is chosen when applied to the programme.
For a doctorate degree, the candidate must complete the required doctoral studies, take an independent and critical approach to the research field, as well as prepare a doctoral dissertation and defend it in public.
The programme provides students with the possibility to complete the postgraduate degrees of Doctor of Science (D.Sc. Tech.) or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in the field of research specified in the application. The programme accepts new doctoral students all year round.
You can find the programme curriculum at the Student's Guide.
There are no tuition fees for doctoral programmes at TUNI. Thus TUNI does not have a scholarship system for international doctoral students. Doctoral studies can be financed in a variety of ways. Students are recommended to discuss their funding options with their supervisor before starting their doctoral studies.
The Faculty may have some salaried positions for doctoral students. These positions must be applied for separately and are announced on the TUNI Vacancies page.
Doctoral students are not eligible to the same student benefits as Bachelor and Master students. Thus living expenses, including lunches and travelling, are higher.
After the right to study has been granted, the Finnish Immigration Service expects all new students from non-EU/EEA countries to apply for a residence permit. At that stage, the students must be able to show to the Finnish Immigration Service that they have a minimum of 1 000€/month for the first year of studies or a scholarship to support themselves during the studies. Also a health insurance is needed.
In the doctoral programme, studies of doctoral students consist of studies in the field of research and other disciplines related to the research topic as well as general expertise studies. The studies are planned in a way that they support both the research work and the career plans of the student. Each doctoral student must draw up a personal study and supervisory plan together with his/her supervisor. The plan must specify intended doctoral coursework, course schedule and other modes of study, and the schedule and publication plan for the dissertation.
Studies and supervision in the doctoral programme are intended to last for four years. The target completion time of the programme for full-time students is four years.
A doctoral dissertation is an individual research composed on a topic related to the research field approved for the doctoral candidate. A dissertation must contribute new scientific knowledge to its field. Accepted forms of a dissertation are either a monograph or an article-based dissertation consisting of refereed scientific publications on the research topic and a summary of them. Dissertation includes a public defense after a scientific pre-examination process.
Doctoral education prepares students for positions requiring pre-eminent and demanding expertise in academia, research institutes, international organizations, private and public sectors and the industry.
The research laboratories in the fields of computing and electrical engineering form an international and multidisciplinary science community, where professors and researchers are widely networked with universities and other research organizations both nationally and internationally. Approximately 40 % of our staff and doctoral students are from abroad.
The doctoral students are encouraged to seek research collaboration both nationally and internationally. International mobility and activities for doctoral students, such as research visits, conference trips and intensive courses abroad are supported. The research articles of doctoral students are released in internationally valued scientific publications.
The research laboratories in the fields of Computing and Electrical Engineering have a strong commitment to the highest level of scientific research, providing high-quality doctoral education. Through rigorous research within the chosen field, students have the opportunity to impact economic and social change by proposing solutions to current industry-relevant issues. Digital operating environment and energy and co-efficiency belong to the main focus areas of the Faculty in which the doctoral programme contributes to. Energization, virtualization and humanization are other identified trending areas. The core competences within these trending topics rely on deep understanding developed within our research community in areas of smart grids and power electronics, wireless communications and networks, signal processing, embedded systems and electronics.
The outcome of our basic research in software design and systems, signal processing, communications engineering and networking, computer science, electrical engineering, and power engineering finds its applications in many forefronts of society, ICT, industrial intelligent machines, healthcare, consumer solutions and so forth. We are ready to look beyond the obvious next step.
Carefully read through the admissions requirements before applying. For additional questions on applying, application documents and application process, please contact us at cee.doc.tau(a)tuni.fi.
Doctoral Programme of Computing and Electrical Engineering
Continuous doctoral admission, spring 2021
4.1.-28.5.2021
General eligibility for scientific doctoral studies is stipulated in the University Act (2009/558, Paragraph 37). The university can admit to a doctoral programme an applicant who has completed
- a relevant Master's degree awarded by a university,
- a relevant Master's degree awarded by a university of applied sciences, or
- a relevant applicable study programme abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for the corresponding level of higher education
- whom the university otherwise deems to possess sufficient knowledge and skills for doctoral education in the field of studies in question.
All applicants must submit evidence on a good command of English for academic purposes. There are two ways of indicating English language proficiency: language tests and previous studies.
Additional information and how to submit the language test results.
The minimum English language test result requirements
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*The previous CAE and CPE have been renamed as C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency
Exemptions to the language requirementsIt is possible to be exempted from submitting a language test score if you have completed a higher education degree in English in certain countries. If you apply without a valid language test result, carefully examine the exemptions that your studies fulfil the requirements.
Students accepted in the Doctoral Programme of CEE usually complete the degree of D. Sc. in Technology. In order to gain support for the doctoral study application, the candidate should have sufficient basic knowledge of the field of research specified in the application. In other cases special circumstances may be taken into account. In addition to the above, the suitability of doctoral study applicants is assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
- Previous study results
- Suitability of the research topic: focusing on a discipline represented in the faculty's post-graduate offering
- Research plan: theoretical and practical novelty value of the research
- Feasibility of the research plan (quality, realism, orderliness, etc.)
- Time and resources available for doctoral studies: feasibility of the study plan and time available for studies in the next four years
- Researcher potential and earlier research experience, such as work in the field of research, conference presentations, articles, etc.
- Other grounds presented by the applicant.
Furthermore, the availability of doctoral student supervision resources in the programme is taken into account when considering the granting of study rights.
Students accepted in the Doctoral Programme of Computing and Electrical Engineering complete the Doctor of Science in Technology degree as a rule. In order to gain support for the post-graduate study application, the candidate should have taken the master's degree from the field of engineering/ technology and from a discipline related to the doctoral programme. In addition, sufficient basic knowledge of the field of research specified in the application is required. In other circumstances the programme decides about precondition for supporting a study right in the programme.
The targeted time of completing the doctor's degree for full-time students is four years. If the doctoral studies are conducted on a part-time basis, a time corresponding to four years' full-time studies shall be reserved for degree completion (in the study and research plans); however, the maximum degree completion time is eight years. Doctoral students report their progress to the doctoral programme annually.
Application period
There are no specific application periods or starting times for the Doctoral Programme of Computing and Electrical Engineering. The doctoral programme processes applications regularly every month apart from July. Incomplete applications will not be processed. If supplementary material needs to be provided, this may affect the processing time. Applications and eclosures are submitted through an electronic application system at studyinfo.fi. A link to the application form is available during the application period. In spring 2021 the application period is 4 January - 28 May. The application period ends at 15.00 (Finnish time).
Responsible supervisor and co-supervisor(s)
Before submitting a doctoral study application, the candidate must contact the professor responsible for the preferred discipline. The research description must be approved by the future supervisor. The professor responsible for the discipline in question discusses the study-related plans with the candidate and determines whether the candidate has sufficient, relevant basic knowledge of the field of research. If necessary, the professor can set certain additional prerequisites for doctoral studies. The degree completion schedule and financing of studies are also addressed at the application phase. The professor issues a statement form about the candidate's eligibility for doctoral studies and the research topic's suitability for the discipline, also addressing the sufficiency of supervisory resources. Every PhD student must have the supervisor and at least one co-supervisor.
By signing a student's research description form and issuing a supporting statement form regarding the application with a supervisory plan form together with the other co-supervisor(s), the professor also assumes the task of supervising the doctoral degree.
Research fields
The applicants specify their preferred research field in the doctoral study application. The topic of the doctoral dissertation must comply with one of the post-graduate research fields represented in the doctoral programme. The doctoral study application must include a fixed-form description of the research (equal to a short research plan).
Available doctoral research areas and contact professors (pdf)
Contact information for professors is available on the people search of the University.
Application and required enclosures
All requested enclosures must be submitted with the application in the electronic application system “Studyinfo.fi”. The copies of the degree certificate, transcript of records and their translations into English must be authenticated by a public notary, the Finnish Embassy/Consulate or the institution that issued the original document with an institutional stamp on the documents. For some countries, there are country-specific document requirements that must be followed.
- More information about the documents required for the application
1) Applicants who have completed an eligible master's degree at a Finnish university:
- Copy of the MSc degree certificate and its appendices
- Motivation letter
- Curriculum vitae (CV) including possible list of publications and any previous research work experience
- Research description form (rtf)
- Supporting statement form from the post-graduate studies' supervisor (rtf)
- Supervisory plan for doctoral studies form
- Preliminary financing plan for postgraduate degree
2) Applicants who have completed an eligible master's degree abroad:
- Certified copies of the bachelor's and master's degree certificates and the transcripts with official translations into English (if the original documents are in a language other than Finnish or English). See from the next chapter instructions on how to have your educational documents officially certified.
- A Diploma Supplement (DS) as approved by the EU Commission for degrees completed in European universities (when applicable)
- Official academic language test report of sufficient language skills in Finnish or English
- Research description form (rtf)
- Supporting statement form from the post-graduate studies' supervisor (rtf)
- Supervisory plan for doctoral studies form
- Preliminary financing plan for postgraduate degree
- Motivation letter
- Curriculum Vitae
- Copy of your passport's ID page
Please see more instructions on how to apply on the page How to apply for doctoral programmes at Tampere University.
Officially certified educational documents
In addition to uploading electronic copies of your educational documents to your application, you must submit officially authenticated copies of your educational documents, if you have not completed your previous degrees in a Finnish university. If the documents are not in English, Finnish or Swedish, both the authenticated copies of the documents in their original language and an officially confirmed, complete and precise translation into one of the languages mentioned above are required.
In addition to the standard document requirements, educational documents issued in certain countries have more specific requirements for submission. Please go through the requirements carefully and check the country- specific requirements for your degree awarding country before applying. Please send your educational documents to Tampere University Admissions Office.
The doctoral programme processes applications regularly every month apart from July. Applicants are notified of the decision by the end of the month. If the application or its enclosures are imcomplete, the processing of the application may be deferred to the following month.
An applicant who is dissatisfied with the student selection may submit a written request for reconsideration to the Faculty Council. Such requests must be submitted within 14 days of the declared announcement date. The request, together with the reasons, should be sent by email to tau (a) tuni.fi.
One study place per term provision
A person accepted at a Finnish university or a polytechnic may accept only one study place in a degree programme leading to a higher education degree during one academic term.
Confirmation of the right to enrol
To maintain your right to enrol in the doctoral programme, you must accept the study place electronically through the link in your email notification. If you cannot accept the study place electronically, please contact Tampere University Admissions Office.
The confirmation must reach Tampere University by the 15th of the following month at 15.00 pm local time, at the latest. If your confirmation has not arrived by the date indicated above, you will lose your right to enrol in the doctoral programme.
Enrolment
New doctoral students must enrol at the Student Affairs Office. More detailed instructions on enrollment are enclosed with the letter of acceptance. A new doctoral student must present at the Admissions Office the original certificates and transcript for the degrees and studies he/she has referred to in his/her application and their authorised translations in English, if the originals are in another language. If the previous studies have been completed in Finnish university, Tampere University is able to confirm the degree electronically.
Doctoral students are required to re-enrol at the beginning of each academic year according to instructions given by the University. Only students enrolled as 'present' may pursue studies at the University.
Doctoral students who fail to enrol either as 'present' or 'absent' within the given deadline will lose their right to study and their right to use the computer services provided by the University. Should students later wish to continue their studies, they must make a written request to the Faculty requesting re-admission.