Doctoral Programme in Medicine, Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering
Interdisciplinary high-quality research for health
Central to the expertise of the Doctoral Programme in Medicine, Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering are clinical medicine, biomedicine, translational research, molecular biology, bioinformatics and systems biology, cell & tissue technology, biomaterials, biomedical equipment and technology, biophysics and health technology. In these areas of focus, the programme offers internationally high levels of education and produces PhDs, which are competitive researchers and experts both at home and abroad. In the program, all research is international, and many students apply from abroad.
Graduates from the Programme have smoothly transitioned to working life. The training also includes study modules on general professional skills, such as written and oral communication skills, and project management, problem solving and teamwork skills. Doctoral education contributes to the development of new biomedical devices and related methods, medical skills required in patient care, and the development and evidence-based utilization of new therapies.
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Doctoral professional expertise builds during research and courses and acting as a part of the academic community. The goal of the postgraduate education is that a student
1. Has a thorough knowledge of his / her field of research and its social significance.
2. Is able to apply independently and critically the methods of scientific research and to create new scientific knowledge.
3. Is well aware of the development of his / her field of research, basic problems and research methods.
4. Possesses general scientific theory and knowledge of other disciplines related to their field of research which allow their development to be monitored.
5. Has sufficient communication, language and other skills to work in demanding professional tasks.
6. Is able to use appropriate research methods and knows how to apply them in practice.
7. Is familiar with the health and safety procedures and is able to apply them in their own research environment.
8. Understands and adheres to relevant ethical procedures when conducting research on humans, human tissue and animals.
Postgraduate studies must be conducted in accordance with the Research Ethics Guidelines of the Research Ethics Advisory Board (TENK).
The core competencies of the Doctoral Program in Medicine,Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering are clinical medicine, biomedicine, translational research, molecular biology, bioinformatics and systems biology, cell and tissue technology, biomaterials, biomedical equipment and technology, biology. The program provides high-level international education in these priority areas and produces doctors who are competitive researchers and experts both domestically and abroad.
The doctoral degree corresponds to the amount of work that can be done on a full-time basis over four years. The degree can also be taken on a part-time basis. The degree consists of doctoral studies, which must have a total of 40 ECTS, and a dissertation and its public defense, 200 ECTS.
You can find the programme curriculum at the Student's Guide.
There are no tuition fees for doctoral programmes. Thus, the university does not have a scholarship system for international doctoral students.
The faculty may have some salaried positions for doctoral students available alongside with the application round for the doctoral study right. These positions must be applied for separately and are announced on the 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.
Carefully read through the admissions requirements below before applying. For additional questions on applying, application documents and application process, please contact our Admissions office. For questions regarding the content of the programme, please contact met.doc.tau [at] tuni.fi.
To find a responsible supervisor, start by contacting one of the professors on the faculty research group page. Once you've found a responsible supervisor, consider together other possible supervisors or members of a follow-up group.
Doctoral Programme in Medicine, Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering
Continuous doctoral admission, spring 2022
3 January - 31 May 2022
According to section 37 of the Universities Act (558/2009), a person must have received one of the
following to be eligible for admission to doctoral studies:
- an applicable higher university degree
- an applicable higher polytechnic degree
- an applicable education completed abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for corresponding higher education.
The Universities Act further stipulates that a university may require a doctoral student to take supplementary courses to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to earn a doctoral degree in the arts or sciences.
According to Article 20 of the Degree Rule of the University of Tampere, a person who fulfils the applicability as defined in Article 37 of the University Act may be admitted as a student.
The scope of a foreign degree must be equivalent to a Finnish degree (generally 180 + 120 ECTS, or approx. 3 + 2 years) that confers eligibility for admission to a doctoral programme. Foreign degrees must include a thesis-type final project.
Tampere University may require a person admitted to a doctoral programme to complete a set of courses to further expand his or her knowledge and skills. The maximum scope of these supplementary studies is 60 credits.
In addition to their eligibility, the applicants' study and research plans and the adequacy of faculty resources to provide the teaching and necessary guidance related to education are taken into account.
The Faculty Council shall decide in more detail on the conditions and criteria for admission to postgraduate scientific and artistic degrees, unless otherwise provided or stipulated. The dean accepts graduate students to be admitted to the faculty.
Doctor of Medical Science (MD, PhD)
For doctoral studies leading to the Doctor of Medical Science degree, the faculty may admit applicants who hold the Finnish degree of Licentiate in Medicine or a corresponding degree from an institution of higher education abroad.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
For doctoral studies leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree, the faculty may admit applicants who have
- earned a Master's degree in Finland
- earned a Master's degree or a corresponding degree in a country other than Finland
- demonstrated their knowledge in some other way.
Doctor of Health Sciences (D.H.Sc)
For doctoral studies leading to the Doctor of Health Sciences degree, the faculty may admit applicatns who hold the Finnish degree of Master of Health Sciences or a corresponding degree from an institution of higher education abroad.
Doctor of Science (Technology), (D.Sc. (Tech.))
For doctoral studies leading to the Doctor of Science (Technology) degree, the faculty may admit applicants who have
- earned a Master's degree (DI) in Finland
- earned a Master's (Technology) degree or a corresponding degree in a country other than Finland
- demonstrated their knowledge in some other way.
Licentiate of Philosophy
According to section 23 of the Government Decree on University Degrees (794/2004), a doctoral student may apply for the licentiate degree after he/she has completed the postgraduate studies required for a licentiate degree as determined by the University. An integral part of the licentiate degree is the licentiate thesis, through which the student must demonstrate that he/she is well-versed in his/her own research field and can apply research methods independently and critically.
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| Test name | Minimum test result |
| TOEFL iBT / TOEFL iBT (Special) Home Edition | 92 overall, with no section below 20 |
| IELTS (academic) / IELTS Indicator | 6.5 overall, with no section below 5.5 |
| PTE (academic) | 62 overall, with no section below 54 |
| C1 Advanced* | C |
| C2 Proficiency* | C1 |
| Finnish National Certificate of Language Proficiency (English) | Proficiency level 5 (reading, writing, listening and speaking). The results of separate sittings of the language test can be combined. |
*The previous CAE and CPE have been renamed as C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency
As Tampere University will confirm the official language scores through an online system of the language testing agency, test results must remain valid at least until the day when the application is submitted.
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.
Faculty-specific exemptions to the language requirementsDoctoral Programme may differ from the language test requirement of an individual applicant if the applicant has worked or works in the research group and the responsible supervisor has verified that the applicant has sufficient language skills for completing graduate studies.
In addition to general eligibility conditions, the Faculty’s Doctoral Programme’s Steering Group evaluates the suitability, capacity and commitment of applicants to the successful completion of postgraduate studies with the following criteria:
- Basic degree and adequate basic knowledge as defined in the application for further education from the field of research
- Scientific quality, realism and ethical aspects of the postgraduate study and research plan
- Suitability of research subject for doctoral programme
- Scientific and practical significance of the research topic
- Success in undergraduate studies and undergraduate thesis grade. If undergraduate thesis has been judged only by approved, acquaints guidance group, where appropriate, to the content of the thesis.
- Adequate methodical and theoretical capabilities
- Language skills required for studies *
- Adequacy of supervising resources
If necessary, the steering group may assess the applicant's suitability and motivation by interviewing applicant.
*Doctoral Programme may differ from the language test requirement of an individual applicant if the applicant has worked or works in the research group and the responsible supervisor has verified that the applicant has sufficient language skills for completing graduate studies.
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 2022 the application period is 3 January - 31 May. The application period ends at 15.00 (Finnish time).
Each postgraduate student must choose a field of study for their dissertation or licentiate thesis and find a supervisor (a professor or docent) from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology. Together with the supervisor, the student should also propose members for the dissertation follow-up group. Research groups and prospective supervisors can be accessed on the Faculty's research website.
After finding a Supervisor, the applicant must
- Gain approval from the Supervisor (or Supervisors) for a research plan, a tentative study plan, and for the actual application form for a right to study.
- Submit the application form and its enclosures to the Doctoral Programme's Steering Group for assessment via the electronic application system (Studyinfo.fi).
The following documents must be attached to the online application in Stufyinfo.fi
- Application form for the right to study, signed by the supervisors and applicant
- Research plan
- Postgraduate study plan, instructions All doctoral degrees in the Doctoral Programme in Medicine, Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering consist of 40 credits of theoretical postgraduate studies approved by the primary supervisor (at least 10 credits in the study module for general academic competences and at least 25 credits in discipline and field-specific studies). The study module for general academic competences includes a compulsory course on ethics (at least 3 credits).
- Copies of degree certificates or transcripts of previous academic work. The applicant must also present the original certificates at the Study Office. This enclosure is not necessary if the degree was completed in a Finnish university.
- A copy of the applicant's passport ID page. This is not required if the applicant has previously studied at Tampere University.
- Follow-up group members' agreements (The follow-up group consists of a doctoral dissertation supervisor(s) and at least two other experts so that the size of the follow-up group is at least three people. At least two of the members of the follow-up group must be PhD graduates. Members give their written consent to join the follow-up group.)
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 incomplete, the processing of the application may be deferred to the following month.
The doctoral programme's steering group meeting dates (application and enclosures deadline) spring 2022:
26.1.2022 (12.1.)
23.2.2022 (9.2.)
23.3.2022 (9.3.)
20.4.2022 (6.4.)
25.5.2022 (11.5.)
15.6.2022 (1.6.)
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 as doctoral students through Studyinfofi as instructed in the letter of acceptance. If you cannot enrol electronically, please contact Student Affairs Office.
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.