International Doctoral Programme in Epidemiology and Public Health (IPPE)
Excellence in research training and capacity building
The main objectives of the international doctoral programme are to increase knowledge and understanding of major public health problems, particularly in low and middle income countries, and to build sustainable public health capacity by training epidemiologists and public health personnel for leadership positions in research, administration, programme planning and policy development, in collaboration with global partners.
The selected PhD candidates will attend one academic year (August – May) at the Health Sciences Campus (Kauppi Campus) to complete the required full-time coursework (60 ECTS).
The required coursework includes doctoral level courses in epidemiology, biostatistics and other health sciences. There are also courses and seminars on research proposal development, study design, implementation and analysis, comminication and reporting. For more information see the Curricula guide. The courses may be selected to meet the students individual learning and professional goals.
Completion of a doctoral degree usually requires 3-4 years after completion of coursework.
PhD research (3-4 additional years): Field research (in Finland or abroad) is generally conducted after the coursework has been completed. A doctoral dissertation requires 3-4 original scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals.
After completion of coursework and successful public defense of dissertation, the candidate will receive a doctoral degree (PhD) in epidemiology or a related field.
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- can conduct scientific research independently
- have profound understanding of their field of study and know the current debates and discussions in this field
- evaluate, develop and continuously renew their competence and their field of study
- execute research and development by applying existing information and methods from the field and produce new information and methods to this field
- have a wide grasp of the approaches in their field of study and are able to apply and modify the theories and research methods of a specific discipline
- can discuss the social effectiveness of their field and the significance of their own research
- know their own field to such an extent that, based on ethical values, they can understand, follow and advance research and scientific development in it, as well as act as specialists in a variety of different and changing environments
- have command of good scientific practice, know philosophy of science and can apply both to research
- know the practices for sourcing information and data management for research purposes and promote the development of digital environments in the field
- can think and reason independently, critically, constructively and share research results both orally and in writing
- understand the demands of professional research and know how to act as an active member in the international scientific community
Teaching language is English.
In the International Doctoral Programme in Epidemiology and Public Health (IPPE) the doctoral degree can be completed in one of the following fields of study:
- Biostatistics
- Epidemiology
- Gerontology
- Global Health and Development
- Health Economics
- Health Care Management
- Health Services Research
- Health Sociology
- Occupational Health
- Public Health
- Social Psychiatry
- Social and Health Policy
To be awarded a doctorate, a doctoral student must:
- complete the required doctoral studies
- demonstrate independent and critical thinking in the field of research
- write a doctoral dissertation and defend it in public
Each doctoral student must draw up a personal study plan and supervisory agreement together with his/ her supervisors. The plan must specify intended doctoral course work, course schedule and other modes of study, and the schedule and publication plan for the dissertation.
Studies and supervision in doctoral programmes are intended to last for four years and a doctoral degree should be completed in five years.
The IPPE -programme does not provide funding. All students must be able to provide themselves during their stay in Finland for 10 months. The Finnish immigration service has an income requirement of 1 000€/ month to admit a residence permit to Finland.
International Doctoral Programme in Epidemiology and Public Health (IPPE) 240 ECTS
- General Academic Competences, 20-30 ECTS
- Orientation studies
- General research skills
- Research methods
- Discipline- and Field-Specific Studies, 30-40 ECTS
- Field specific doctoral studies
- Seminar
- Doctoral Dissertation, 180 ECTS
A doctoral dissertation is an independent scientific thesis which must be defended in public.
You can read more about the degree structure and content of the studies on the Curricula Guide.
Studies and supervision in doctoral programmes are intended to last for four years and a doctoral degree should be completed in five years.
Carefully read through the admissions requirements before applying. For additional questions on applying, application documents and application process, please contact coordinator of doctoral studies Ms. Tiina Kangasluoma (ippe.doc.tau [at] tuni.fi. For questions concerning Studyinfo and officially certified copies of educational documents, please contact the Admissions Office (admissions.tau [at] tuni.fi). You can also visit the programme website: sites.tuni.fi/ippe.
International Doctoral Programme in Epidemiology and Public Health (IPPE)
Doctoral Admission, Tampere University (IPPE), 2021
IPPE programme admissions period 2021
Section 37 of the Finnish University Act (2009/558) defines eligibility for studies leading to a scientific or artistic postgraduate degree as follows:
An eligible person must have one of the following:
- an applicable higher university degree
- an applicable higher university of applied sciences degree or
- an applicable education completed abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for corresponding higher education.
The Universities Act stipulates that a University may require a postgraduate student to complete supplementary courses to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to complete a postgraduate degree in arts or sciences.
The eligibility of applicants whose applicable master’s degree was conferred by a Finnish or foreign university of applied sciences will be determined by doctoral programme staff on a case-by-case basis. This decision will be based on an assessment of the applicants’ ability to successfully complete a doctoral degree.
Moreover, the Faculty of Social Sciences requires that applicants who have completed a higher university of applied sciences degree or a Master’s degree of less than 120 ECTS abroad demonstrate the following: Familiarity with the key theoretical concepts of the field, foundations for scientific theory and research ethics, and mastery of the research methods at a level that is necessary for successfully completing a dissertation. This proficiency must be demonstrated by providing an account of completed studies related to the above-mentioned areas. The account must indicate the content and scope of the studies. Furthermore, the application must contain a summary and the final grade of the applicant’s thesis for the higher university of applied sciences degree.
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 on language requirements 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 |
| TOEFL PBT | 580 |
| 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 |
*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.
On the application rounds of 2020, the overall intake into doctoral programmes in the field of medicine and health sciences at the Faculty of Social Sciences is approximately 30 new students per academic year. The programmes are: the International Doctoral Programme in Epidemiology and Public Health, Doctoral Programme in Health Sciences, and Doctoral Programme in Medicine.
The Steering group for doctoral education assesses the ability and commitment of the applicants according to the following principles:
- The scientific quality of the research plan: the suitability of the methods and materials to solve the research question and the realism of the research plan
- The clarity of the research questions
- The practical or theoretical relevance of the research in its field
- The suitability of the research topic for the Doctoral Programme
- The realistic feasibility of the study plan
- The applicant’s academic success at undergraduate and graduate level
- The applicant’s methodological and theoretical abilities
- Tha applicant's motivation
- The applicant’s language proficiency
- The availability of competent supervision resources within the Faculty
The Steering group for doctoral education may also assess the applicant’s level of suitability and motivation by interviewing him/her. Evaluation statements concerning individual applicants are not public.
At the application stage, applicants will be required to deliver certified copies of their degree certificate and related appendices to the University. Country-specific requirements may apply.
The Faculty may restrict the number of its doctoral student intake based on insufficient supervision resources.
The following documents must be attached to the online application in Studyinfo.fi
1. Curriculum vitae (max. 5 pages)
- Please use the Europass format in English
- the list of publications should be organized as follows: international peer-reviewed publications, other publications
- include a list of completed epidemiology courses (level, number of credits)
2. Motivation letter (max. 1 page)
The motivation letter describes your personal goals for PhD studies. It should address the following:
- Why do you want to pursue doctoral studies in the IPPE Programme?
- How will PhD studies complement your previous education and professional experience?
- What new skills and opportunities are you looking for in the IPPE Programme?
- How do you plan to use the experience gained in IPPE training after completing the PhD degree? What are your future career goals?
3. Research plan (Please see detailed guidelines below, max. 6 pages excluding summary and including references)
4. Description of funding and support for studies
Please describe how you plan to
- pay for your living costs in Finland from August 2021 to May 2022 (The Finnish immigration service income requirement is 1000 €/month for doctoral researchers to admit a residence permit to Finland), and
- fund your research project (e.g. data collection, your salary/income during the thesis work).
Please include documentation of grant awards for the planned PhD project if appropriate.
5. Photocopies of university level degree certificate(s) and official transcript(s) of records, please see more below at "Officially certified educational documents"
6. Certificate of proficiency in English for academic purposes. For this requirement,
no exceptions will be granted.
7. Copy of your passport
Research plan guidelines
The research plan should explain clearly how the proposed research will answer the study question(s). Research plans should be structured according to the instructions given below. The research plan must not exceed 6 pages excluding summary (Times New Roman 11 pt or equivalent). Convert the research plan to a pdf file and append it to the online application. Name the attachment file as follows: yoursurname_research plan. Make sure the research plan remains legible after you convert it to pdf.
Structure and content of the research plan
Applicant’s name, project title, site of research, date of research plan
1. Executive Summary (1 page)
2. Background and Rationale
- Public health significance of the project in relation to current knowledge: How is the project linked to previous international and national research? How will the project advance the current knowledge?
- How is the project linked to previous research by the applicant or the research team, or to some other research?
3. Overall and specific objectives of the research
- Objectives of the project and their theoretical and methodological underpinnings
- Research questions or hypotheses
4. Research methods and material, support from research environment
- Research methods, described so as to explain how they will contribute to answering the research questions/confirming the hypotheses, or how they will support the chosen approach
- Research material to be used and its significance for the research project. Justification for the research material, how the data will be collected and used.
- What kind of tangible support will the project receive from local, national and international research environments?
- Use of research infrastructures, description of how the project benefits from such use
5. Ethical issues
- Description of ethical issues (e.g. ethical governance procedures, informed consent, anonymity of subjects, withdrawal from research) concerning the chosen topic, methods and data, as well as any research permits or information on pending permit applications
6. Implementation: schedule, reporting
- Tentative schedule for the research
- Publication plan: publishing of research results, dissemination and communication to the scientific community
7. Research team and collaborative partners
- Roles and merits of research team members that are relevant to the project
- National and international collaboration, and its significance for project implementation
8. Expected results and impact
- Expected research results and their anticipated scientific impact.
- Potential for societal impact in the long or short term
9. References
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.
Please make sure that the officially certified copies of your educational documents arrive at Tampere University by 5 January 2021.
The call for applications for the doctoral programme in international programme in epidemiology and public health is organised every other year.
The next application period is November 16 - December 15, 2020. The application period ends at December 15, 2020, 15.00 (Finnish time).
Applicants who qualify for the second stage of the selection process will be invited to video interviews which are held in February 9 - 18, 2021.
Applications are submitted through an electronic application system at studyinfo.fi . Please see more information at What is studyinfo?. A link to the application form is available during the application period.
The selection results are announced by March 31st 2021. Applicants are notified of the selection results by e-mail.
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, shall be addressed to: Tampere University, 33014 University of Tampere, Finland by post or tau [at] tuni.fi by email.
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.
Acceptance of study place
To maintain your right to enrol in the degree programme, please accept the study place through the link you have received by email from Studyinfo.fi. The confirmation must reach the Tampere University by 14 April, 2021 at 3 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 degree programme.
Enrolment
New doctoral students must enrol at the Student Affairs Office. More detailed instructions on enrolment are enclosed with the letter of acceptance.
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.