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Doctoral Programme in Law

The Doctoral Programme in Law of the UEF offers high-standard and interdisciplinary oriented doctoral studies that prepare doctoral students for both academic research career as well as various legal expert tasks in working life. The Doctoral Programme in Law offers the following degrees: Doctor of Law and Doctor of Philosophy. The programme is available in English for both international and Finnish postgraduate students.

The head of the doctoral programme is senior lecturer Seita Romppanen and the academic coordinator is senior lecturer Outi Ratamäki. Their contact information can be found below.

If you have questions ragarding application process, please contact our applicant guidance services: [email protected].

Research areas in the doctoral programme

The UEF Law School conducts high quality research in all represented disciplines. The Law School has a strong tradition of multidisciplinary research and wide cooperation with other fields of science. Research is continuously developed in order to create an even stronger national and international profile as a research unit.   Research at the UEF Law School places strong emphasis on international cooperation and networking. The following research areas are particularly emphasised as strengths of the Law School:

• Climate-, Energy and Environmental Law

Welfare Law

• Empirical Juridical Research

In addition to these research areas, doctoral students can pursue doctoral degree in other disciplines, such as criminal law, administrative law and commercial law.

Doctoral Researchers

Doctoral researchers are awarded with the degree of either Doctor of Law (LL.D.) or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).

The major subject can be chosen from the following disciplines: administrative law, constitutional law, commercial law, criminal law, environmental law, European law, family and inheritance law, financial law, general jurisprudential studies, international law, lab

• Administrative law
• Jaakko Seppänen (LL.D.), 2023: ( Tomi Voutilainen, Matti Turtiainen )
• Sanna Rantahalvari (LL.D.), 2023: Kunnallisen itsehallinnon oikeushistoriallinen tarkastelu  ( Matti Muukkonen, Toni Malminen )
• Sara Sairanen (LL.D.), 2022: Maahantulon rajoittaminen yhteiskunnan häiriötilanteissa ja poikkeusoloissa ( Matti Muukkonen, Eeva Nykänen, Pauli Rautiainen )
• Juuso Ouli (LL.D.), 2022: Vastuu yleisen tietosuoja-asetuksen rikkomisesta eräissä liiketoiminnan muutostilanteissa – lainopillinen tutkimus tietosuoja-asetuksen rikkomisesta seuraavan vastuun kohdentumisesta erityisesti liiketoiminnan kaupan ja konkurssimenettelyn yhteydessä ( Tomi Voutilainen ) 
• Juha-Matti Kiviluoto (LL.D.), 2022: Hallintomenettelyn laillisuustakeet − erityisesti riittävän ja asianmukaisen selvittämisen sekä perusteluvelvollisuuden kannalta ( Matti Muukkonen )
• Tuomas Huokuna (LL.D.), 2022: Päämiehen oikeus yksityisyyteen edunvalvojan tiedonsaantioikeuden rajoittajana ( Matti Muukkonen, Katja Karjalainen )
• Saanareetta Virikko (LL.D.), 2021: Luottamuspula kunnanjohtajan irtisanomisperusteena suomalaisessa kunnanjohtajajärjestelmässä ( Matti Muukkonen, Tomi Voutilainen )
• Heidi Hernetkoski (LL.D.), 2021:  Yleisiin taloudellisiin tarkoituksiin liittyvät palvelut kunnan näkökulmasta ( Matti Muukkonen, Samuli Miettinen )
• Klaus Järvinen (LL.D.), 2021:  Hallintotuomioistuimen selvittämisvelvollisuus ja virallisperiaate: Tutkimus hallintotuomioistuimen selvittämisvelvollisuuden laajuudesta kansainvälistä suojelua ja oleskelulupia koskevissa asioissa ( Tomi Voutilainen, Matti Muukkonen )
• Helinä Tiura-Virta (LL.D.), 2020: Henkilötietojen käsittely poliisissa yleisen järjestyksen ja turvallisuuden ylläpitämisen yhteydessä ( Tomi Voutilainen )
• Mika Koponen (LL.D.), 2020: Hallinto-oikeuksien yhdenmukainen ratkaisumenettely ampuma-aseasioissa ( Matti Tolvanen, Heikki Kallio )
• Meri Sariola (LL.D.), 2019: Tiedonhallinta kunnassa - kunta informaatio-oikeudellisen sääntelyn kohteena ( Tomi Voutilainen, Matti Muukkonen )
• Kreeta Pölönen (LL.D.), 2019: Lapsen oikeus oppimisen tukeen ( Suvianna Hakalehto, Anssi Keinänen )
• Tuomas Hassinen (LL.D.), 2019: Viranomaisten roolit kyber- ja informaatiovaikuttamisen alalla sekä kohteena että aktiivisena toimijana ( Tomi Voutilainen )
• Sari Korhonen (LL.D.), 2019: Oikeudellisen tiedon saavutettavuus ( Tomi Voutilainen )
• Virve Valtonen (LL.D.), 2018: Opetushenkilön harkinta perusopetuksen ojentamistilanteessa (Pauli Rautiainen, Suvianna Hakalehto)
• Ulla Peltola (LL.D.), 2017: Perusopetuksen ja varhaiskasvatuksen valvonta erityisesti elinkeinovapauden näkökulmasta (Suvianna Hakalehto, Pauli Rautiainen)
• Hannu Toivonen (LL.D.), 2016: Julkisen hankintayksikön vaikutusmahdollisuudet lähetettyjen työntekijöiden palkkatasoon (Tomi Voutilainen, Marjo Ylhäinen)
• Isamaria Mäkiaho (Ph.D.), 2016: Julkisten ICT-palvelujen tuotanto - oikeudelliset reunaehdot (Tomi Voutilainen, Kalle Määttä)
• Anu Koivuluoma (LL.D.), 2015: Kunnan harkintavalta (Ulla Väätänen, Mirjami Paso )
• Jarkko Pesu (LL.D.), 2014: Innovaatioiden tukeminen – valtion tukea vai julkista hankintaa? (Tomi Voutilainen, Matti Turtiainen)
• Maria Ovaska (LL.D.), 2012: Poliittinen virantäyttö kunnallishallinnossa ( Tarmo Miettinen, Ulla Väätänen )
• Tommi Oikarinen (D.Sc. (Admin.)), 2012: Julkisen hallinnon tietohallinnon ohjauksen säädösperusta ja sen vaikuttavuus (Tarmo Miettinen, Tomi Voutilainen)
• Anne Korhonen (D.Sc. (Admin.)), 2008: Työntekijöiden yhdenvertaisuus epätyypillisissä työsuhteissa (Tarmo Miettinen)
• Janne Kovanen (D.Sc. (Admin.)), 2008: Vaihtoehtoinen riidanratkaisu, hybridilausekkeet (Soili Nystén-Haarala, Tapio Määttä)
• Terhi Peuhkuri (D.Sc. (Admin.)), 2007: Toiminnanharjoittajan riskienhallinta muuntogeenisten elintarvikkeiden tuotantoketjussa (Soili Nystén-Haarala, Tapio Määttä)

Commercial Law

• Eetu Ahvo (LL.D.), 2020:  Intermediary liability in the European Digital Single Market ( Katja Weckström, Péter Mezei )
• Ndimyake Mwalugaja (LL.D.), 2018: Strengthening Climate Smart Agriculture and Food Security through Ecofeminism Approach: A study on Tanzanian rural women and marginalized groups ( Katja Weckström, Eeva Nykänen )
• Denis Galkin (LL.D.), 2017: Verkkopalvelun palvelun tarjoajan oikeudellinen asema ( Tomi Voutilainen, Matti Tolvanen )
• Juliet Ogbodo (LL.D.), 2016: The Need for Intellectual Property Rights in ECOWAS: Consequences for The Economic Partnership Agreements and Lessons to Be Learnt from The EU (Katja Weckström, Yeukai Mupangavanhu)
• Joonas Huuhtanen (LL.D.), 2015: Kehittyvät digitaaliset markkinat - Aineellisia esineitä koskevat normit sähköisessä ympäristössä (Katja Weckström)
• Sirpa Leväinen (LL.D.), 2015: Haja-asutusalueen valokuituverkon omistamisen oikeudelliset kysymykset (Katja Weckström)
• Kaisa Varis (LL.D.), 2013: Julkisen osakeyhtiön johdon toimivalta ja yhtiöoikeudellinen yhdenvertaisuusperiaate (Antti Kolehmainen, Matti Turtiainen)
• Onerva-Aulikki Suhonen (LL.D), 2008: Comparative Analysis of Breach of Contract and Remedies Undet the CISG and Japanese Contract Law (Soili Nystén-Haarala)

Constitutional Law

• Elina Lindström (LL.D.), 2023: Hallituksen esitysten hyödyntäminen poliittisessa argumentaatiossa ja retoriikassa sekä eduskunnan päätöksenteossa ( Maija Dahlberg, Anssi Keinänen )
• Juho Saloranta (LL.D.), 2017: Yritysvastuun mustat aukot - Miten saada yritykset vastaamaan ihmisoikeusvelvoitteistaan? ( Mikko Rajavuori, Outi Ratamäki )
• Johannes Alaranta (LL.D.), 2003: Papin uskonnonvapaus (Pauli Rautiainen)

Criminal Law

• Anne Appel (LL.D.), 2024: ( Mikko Aaltonen, Noora Ellonen, Elisa Silvennoinen )
• Reetamaria Ylitalo (LL.D.), 2024: (Mikko Aaltonen, Reima Kukkonen)
• Noora Halmeenlaakso (LL.D.), 2023: ( Tarja Koskela, Elisa Silvennoinen, Julia Korkman )
• Noora Juntunen (LL.D.), 2023: ( Heikki Kallio, Elisa Silvennoinen, Mikko Aaltonen )
• Anna Ovaska (LL.D.), 2023: ( Mikko Aaltonen, Giulio Calcara )
• Juha Määttä (LL.D.), 2023: Rikosvastuun kohdentaminen työturvallisuusrikoksissa - Tutkimus vastuun kohdentamisesta tyypillisissä ja epätyypillisissä työntekemisen muodoissa ( Heikki Kallio, Reima Kukkonen )
• Marko Piipponen (Ph.D.), 2022: Rikostutkimuskeskus  –  Suomalaisen teknisen rikostutkimuksen pioneeri 1926–1954 ( Mikko Aaltonen, Miikka Vuorela )
• Annikaisa Kevätmetsä (LL.D.), 2022: Osallisuuden vaikutus rangaistuksen mittaamiseen törkeissä huumausainerikoksissa ( Matti Tolvanen, Heikki Kallio )
• Linnea West (LL.D.), 2022: Lapsi asianomistajana – oikeusturva silloin kun esitutkintaa ei toimiteta tai toimitetaan vain osittain ( Matti Tolvanen, Elisa Silvennoinen )
• Jussi Karkkulainen (LL.D.), 2021: Tavoitetahallisuus volitiivisen tahallisuuden teoriana ( Matti Tolvanen, Heikki Kallio ) 
• Anu Puustinen (LL.D.), 2020: Seksuaalirikoksiin liittyvät ongelmakohdat samaa sukupuolta olevien välillä ( Matti Tolvanen, Heikki Kallio )                        
• Kirsi Huotari (LL.D.), 2020: Kustannusperusteinen syyttämättäjättäminen ( Matti Tolvanen, Mikko Aaltonen )                          
• Janne Ripatti (LL.D.), 2019: Urheilukilpailun manipulaatio rikollisena toimintana ( Matti Tolvanen, Heikki Kallio )
• Pasi Tuominen (LL.D.), 2019: Ajopiirturimanipuloinnin rikosoikeudellinen ja kriminaalipoliittinen ulottuvuus ( Matti Tolvanen, Heikki Kallio )
• Tuija Saloranta (LL.D.), 2019: Miten raiskausrikos tapahtuu? - Onko tekijällä merkitystä? ( Matti Tolvanen, Jussi Pajuoja )
• Jussi Kyllönen (LL.D.), 2019: Jutun palauttaminen siviiliprosessissa ja hallintoprosessissa ( Matti Tolvanen, Tuula Linna )           
• Antti Hamari (LL.D.), 2016: Yksityisen turvallisuusalan toimijoiden rikosoikeudellinen vastuu ja suoja - Tutkimus vartijan ja järjestyksenvalvojan työväkivallan, tehtävien ja toimivaltuuksien suhteesta rikosoikeudellisen suojan ja vastuun sääntelyyn (Matti Tolvanen, Jyri Paasonen)
• Petteri Jartti (LL.D.), 2016: Rikosoikeudellisten seuraamustietojen säilyttäminen ja luovuttaminen (Tomi Voutilainen, Matti Tolvanen)
• Jonne Rinne (LL.D.), 2015: Rikosoikeudellinen tutkimus sisäpiirintiedon julkistettuisuudesta sekä informaation hyödyntämisestä arvopaperimarkkinakaupoissa (Matti Tolvanen, Mika Launiala)
• Mona-Kristiina Martiskainen (LL.D.), 2015: Työturvallisuusrikoksen tunnusmerkistö ja soveltamiskäytäntö (Matti Tolvanen, Heikki Kallio)
• Petri Tolppa (LL.D.), 2015: Sairauden vaikutus testamentin pätevyyteen (Matti Tolvanen, Antti Kolehmainen)
• Seppo Immonen (LL.D.), 2015: Poliisin lupahallinnon mahdollisuudet aseturvallisuuden kehittämisessä (Matti Tolvanen, Aarne Kinnunen)
• Juha Leinonen (LL.D.), 2015: Poliisimiehen vapaa-ajan toimimisvelvollisuus - Tutkimus poliisimiehen toimimisvelvollisuuden oikeudellisista rajoista (Matti Tolvanen, Veijo Tarukannel)
• Antero Seppä (LL.D.), 2012: Alukseen kohdistuva täytäntöönpano (Matti Tolvanen, Tuula Linna)
• Kaj-Erik Tulkki (LL.D.), 2010: Rikoksen uusiminen rangaistuksen koventamisperusteena (Matti Tolvanen, Anssi Keinänen)

Criminal Law and Prodecural Law

• Mia Kilpeläinen (D.Sc. (Admin.)), 2010: Vankeusrangaistuksen täytäntöönpano (Matti Tolvanen, Anssi Keinänen)

Environmental Law

• Larissa Dietz (LL.D.), 2024: ( Niko Soininen, Seita Vesa )
• Elina Heikkilä (LL.D.), 2024: ( Antti Belinskij, Niko Soininen )
• Nina Koistinen (LL.D.), 2024: (Annalisa Savaresi, Joana Setzer)
• Katja Kurki (Ph. D.), 2024: (Seita Vesa, Kati Kulovesi)
• Eveliina Laine (Ph. D.), 2024: (Yulia Yamineva, Lauri Peterson)
• Myele Rouxel (LL.D.), 2024: (Niko Soininen, Kaisa Huhta, Teemu Koskimäki)
• Sara Tolonen (Ph.D.), 2024: (Kati Kulovesi, Kateryna Holzer)
• Otto Bruun (Ph.D.), 2023: ( Annalisa Savaresi, Seita Vesa )
• Catherine Hall (LL.D.), 2023: ( Harro van Asselt, Sebastian Oberthür )
• Niklas Löther (Ph.D.), 2023: ( Yulia Yamineva, Sebastian Oberthür )
• Marika Teini (LL.D.), 2023: ( Aleksi Heinilä, Ismo Pölönen )
• Samuel Alemayehu (Ph.D.), 2023: The Human Right to Water in Transboundary Water Law Context: Examining the Interplay between Human Rights Law and International Water Law ( Antti Belinskij, Tuula Honkonen )
• Francisca Gallegos Aguirre (LL.D.), 2023: Hydrogen certification schemes ( Kim Talus, Sirja-Leena Penttinen )
• Heikki Salonen (LL.D.), 2022: Äänimaiseman ympäristöoikeudellinen sääntely ( Ismo Pölönen, Aleksi Heinilä ) 
• Kärkkäinen Anni (LL.D.), 2022: Ympäristövaikutusten seuranta ja kehittämistarpeet kaivossektorilla ( Ismo Pölönen, Aleksi Heinilä )
• Catherine Hall (Ph.D.), 2022: The Role of Sectoral Clubs in Global Climate Governance: An Investigation into the Legal Implications of Climate Clubs ( Harro van Asselt, Sebastian Oberthür ) 
• Thiago Borma Chagas (LL.D.), 2021: Making financial flows climate-consistent through the application of cyberlaw principles and related legal constructs ( Harro van Asselt, Charlotte Streck )
• Paula Leskinen (LL.D.), 2021: Oikeuden rooli ilmastopolitiikan valtavirtaistamisessa ( Antti Belinskij, Kati Kulovesi )
• Nicola Sharman (LL.D.), 2021: Enhancing the legitimacy of multilateral decision-making related to climate change through public participation: the role of procedural environmental rights and the Aarhus Convention ( Harro van Asselt, Kati Kulovesi )
• César Soares de Oliveira (Ph.D.), 2021: One sea, five legal regimes? A study of environmental problems produced by legal boundaries in the UNCLOS ( Niko Soininen, Timo Koivurova )
• Francesco Venuti (Ph.D.), 2021: A comprehensive legal framework on Nature-based Solutions for urban biodiversity and climate resilience in the EU ( Niko Soininen, Christopher Raymond )
• Antti Jukka (LL.D.), 2021:  Extended Producer Responsibility for the European Circular Economy ( Harri Kalimo, Anssi Keinänen )
• Minna Ojanperä (LL.D.), 2021: Pellon käyttö ja maaperän hiilensidonta. Mahdollisuudet ja rajat ympäristö- ja ilmasto-oikeudellisessa sääntelyssä ( Antti Belinskij, Seita Vesa )
• Anita Kittery (LL.D.), 2020: Contamination with pharmaceutical products in the environment: The Evolution of EU pharmaceutical legislative and regulatory frameworks ( Mirella Miettinen, Sabaa Ahmad Khan )                        
• Janika Gummerus (LL.D.), 2020: Asian selvittäminen ympäristönsuojelulain mukaisissa hallintolainkäyttöasioissa ( Niko Soininen, Antti Belinskij )
• Arja Halinen (LL.D.), 2020: Ympäristövastuullisuus ja ympäristövaikutusten hallinta kaivostoiminnassa ja malminetsinnässä ( Ismo Pölönen )
• Tatu Hocksell (LL.D.), 2019: Incentivizing negative emission in the EU's climate legislation ( Kati Kulovesi, Harro van Asselt )
• Raihanatul Jannat (LL.D.), 2019: Role of transnational climate law in in enhancing socio-economic resilience of rural women through gender based adaptation: case studies from Bangladesh and the Finnish Arctic ( Yulia Yamineva, Seita Romppanen )
• Otso Myrsky (LL.D.), 2019: Osittamisrajoitusten tila ja tulevaisuus - lainopillinen tutkimus maankäytön suunnittelun ja kiinteistönmuodostamisen rajapinnoista ( Tapio Määttä, Matti Niemi, Kimmo Malin )
• Riku Anttila (LL.D.), 2017: Hyvä merimiestaito ja -tapa ( Tapio Määttä, Matti Tolvanen )
• Amanda Nikkilä (LL.D.), 2017: Sopeutuvan sääntelyn mahdollisuudet suometsien kestävässä käytössä ( Antti Belinskij, Niko Soininen )
• Juha Perho (LL.D.), 2016: Ympäristövaikutusten arviointitulosten hyödyntäminen ympäristöluvasta päätettäessä – tutkimus uudistuva YVA-lain vaikutuksista ympäristölupaharkintaan (Tapio Määttä, Ismo Pölönen)
• Sara Kymenvaara (LL.D.), 2016: Low-emission Transport Fuels - Regulatory Potential in the Multi-Level Governance of Climate Change (Kati Kulovesi, Harro van Asselt)
• Arto Hietaniemi (LL.D.), 2016: Käyttöoikeussääntelyn rajat vesioikeudellisessa päätöksenteossa (Antti Belinskij)
• Saara Österberg (LL.D.), 2015: Kaivosten ympäristövaikutusten hallinnan innovatiiviset ratkaisut ympäristöoikeudessa (Ismo Pölönen, Jukka Similä)
• Laura Leino (LL.D.), 2014: Korvaavat toimenpiteet luonnonsuojelun keinona (Ismo Pölönen, Antti Belinskij)
• Jussi Airaksinen (LL.D.), 2013: Ympäristönsuojelulain 2013 uudet sääntelyinstrumentit ja niiden soveltaminen (Tapio Määttä, Ismo Pölönen)
• Kimmo Huttunen (D.Sc. (Admin.)), 2012: Metäsalueiden käytön suunnittelu- ja ohjelmaohjauksen oikeusvaikutukset ympäristöpäätöksenteossa (Tapio Määttä, Ismo Pölönen)
• Hanna Partinen (LL.D.), 2006: Suunnittelutarvealue ( Tapio Määttä, Kimmo Malin )
• Tero Laakso (D.Sc. (Admin.)), 2004: Metsärikossääntely ja sen vaikuttavuus (Tapio Määttä, Matti Tolvanen)
• Susanna Wähä (D.Sc. (Admin.)), 2001: Kunta ympäristöviranomaisena (Tapio Määttä)

European Law

• Marina Dutra Trindade (LL.D.), 2024: ( Kaisa Huhta, Niko Soininen )
• Jonas Holm (LL.D.), 2024: ( Kim Talus, Angus Johnston )
• Markus Sairanen (LL.D.), 2023: EU´s post crisis legislative approach for accelerating the energy transition ( Kaisa Huhta, Seita Vesa )
• Alexander Glapiak (LL.D.), 2021:  Regulation in low-carbon Europe — hydrogen production and transmission ( Kim Talus, Penelope Crossley )
• Lolita Cigane (Ph.D.), 2021: The European Union’s openness to 3rd country lobbyists: a blessing or a peril? The role of Russia in the development of EU energy law- and policy-making ( Emilia Korkea-aho, Kim Talus )
• Sébastien Noel (LL.D.), 2020:  Towards a relaxation on Subsidies rules for renewable energy in EU's new generation Preferential Trade Agreements ( Harri Kalimo, Moritz Wüstenberg )
• Katariina Särkänne (LL.D.), 2017: Euroopan unionin autonominen asema investoijien ja valtioiden välisessä riitojen ratkaisussa ( Kim Talus, Nikos Lavranos )

Dayann Obeng-Darko (LL.D.), 2016: On the Rules and Regulations of Electricity Production from Renewable Energy Sources: A Comparative Examination Between Ghana and the European Union (Kim Talus, Tapio Määttä)

Family and Inheritance Law

• Kaisa Näkki (LL.D.), 2021:  Muistisairauksien monet muodot — tutkimus edunvalvonnan tarpeen arvioinnista ( Anna Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Eino Solje )
• Laura Saloranta (LL.D.), 2021: Avoliittolain hyvityssäännökset ( Antti Kolehmainen )
• Marko Mykkänen (LL.D.), 2016: Päämiehen etu holhousoikeuden järjestelmässä (Antti Kolehmainen, Suvianna Hakalehto)

Financial Law

• Saga Eriksson   (Ph.D.), 2022: EU sustainable finance policy and legislation: Towards creation of green markets and agency ( Matti Turtiainen, Yulia Yamineva, Mikko Rajavuori )
• Saku-Matti Koponen (LL.D.), 2015: Holding-yhtiörakenteen verotus ja rakenteen sivuuttaminen verotuksessa (Marianne Malmgrén)
• Kimmo Nieminen (LL.D.), 2015:  Vähennysoikeus arvonlisäverotuksessa - erityisesti kulujen kohdistus ja vähennysten jakaminen (Erkki Kontkanen, Petri Saukko)

General Jurisprudential Studies

• Jenni Laine (LL.D.), 2022: Ihmisarvo, yhdenvertaisuus ja jokaisen oikeus hyvään opetukseen – Kriittinen tarkastelu perusopetuslain 18 § mukaisesti toiminta-alueittain opiskelevan oppilaan oikeudellisesta asemasta ( Pauli Rautiainen, Maija Aalto-Heinilä )
• Martina Nyman (LL.D.), 2021: Korkeimman oikeuden äänestysratkaisut oikeuslähteinä: Eriävien mielipiteiden funktiot ja oikeudellinen argumentaatio ( Maija Dahlberg, Mirjami Paso )
• Hanna-Maria Niemi (Ph.D.), 2016: Mitkä ovat ihmisarvoisen elämän edellytykset? - käsitteen oikeudellinen ja filosofinen analyysi (Toomas Kotkas, Maija Aalto-Heinilä)

International Law

• Alice Bisiaux (LL.D:), 2023: ( Annalisa Savaresi, Joana Setze )
• Maiju Mähönen (LL.D.), 2023: The role of the Court of Justice of the European Union in holding the EU institutions accountable for the enforcement of climate law ( Kati Kulovesi, Annalisa Savaresi )
• Jaqueline Pinto (LL.D.), 2023: In search for cross-sectoral coherence: an emerging regulatory framework for hydrogen ( Kim Talus, Sirja-Leena Penttinen )
• Katri Varis (LL.D.),2023: Role of science in EU climate law and policy ( Kati Kulovesi, Yulia Yamineva )
• Moritz Petersmann (Ph.D.), 2022: Fit for governing modern wicked problems? International science-policy interfaces under scrutiny ( Niko Soininen, Yulia Yamineva )
• Vandson dos Santos Galdino (LL.D.), 2022: The role of the right to a healthy environment in climate litigation in Latin America ( Annalisa Savaresi, Harro van Asselt )
• Vilja Johansson (LL.D.), 2021: Just transition – an emerging legal concept guiding the justness of climate policies ( Kati Kulovesi, Harro van Asselt )
• Ama Opoku Acquah (LL.D.), 2020:  The Fiduciary State Shareholder in the Sub-Saharan African Petroleum Industry and Fundamental Rights of Citizens ( Kim Talus, Oyetade Oyewunmi )
• Tuomas Palosaari (LL.D.), 2019: National Disruptions Caused by Informal International Law ( Harro van Asselt, Antto Vihma )
• Adrián Martinez Blanco (LL.D.), 2019: The Right of Public Participation in International Climate Change Law: A Critical Analysis ( Harro van Asselt, Kati Kulovesi )
• Eleanor Mateo (LL.D.), 2018: The Internet of Things in the Circular Economy: Reconciling Environment, Data and Trade under the WTO in the digital age ( Harri Kalimo, Kati Kulovesi )
• Veera Pekkarinen (Ph.D.), 2017: Global Regulation of Methane ( Kati Kulovesi, Harro van Asselt)
• Patrick Toussaint (LL.D.), 2017: Reification in international climate law: A critical analysis of the role of legal constructs in realizing equity and justice under UNFCCC regime ( Harro van Asselt, Kati Kulovesi )
• Outi Manninen (LL.D.), 2016: Material scope of the access and benefit-sharing system under the Nagoya Protocol: Implications of evolutive interpretation for the understanding of the key concepts ( Kati Kulovesi, Ismo Pölönen )                     
• Reza Maddahi (LL.D.), 2014: International Legal Regime of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Technology (Kati Kulovesi, Kim Talus)
• Karl Upston-Hooper (LL.D.), 2013: Where Two Worlds Collide: Emission Reduction Purchase Agreements, the Evolution of the Dialectic Relationship of Private Contracts and International Environmental Law at the Heart of the Global Climate Regime (Kati Kulovesi, Kim Talus)
• Viivi Vidgren (LL.D.), 2024: ( Marjo Ylhäinen, Jari Murto )
• Max Lindholm (LL.D.), 2023: ( Marjo Ylhäinen, Johan Bärlund )
• Rahma Hersi (LL.D.), 2021: Choice or access? An ethnographic study of Finnish Somali women’s rights to pursue higher education & employment ( Marjo Ylhäinen, Sanna Mustasaari )
• Mira Karppanen (LL.D.), 2021: Työlainsäädännön kehittämiskohteita alustatalouden työoikeudellisten kysymysten valossa ( Marjo Ylhäinen, Anssi Keinänen, Emilia Korkea-aho )
• Maija Moisio (LL.D.), 2020:  Osallisuus. Työoikeudellinen tutkimus osallisuudesta ja sen ilmenemismuodoista oikeusteoreettisena konstruktiona ja työoikeudellisina käytäntöinä ( Marjo Ylhäinen, Maija Aalto-Heinilä )
• Jenni Varis (LL.D.), 2016: Asiantuntijan toimintavapaus (Marjo Ylhäinen, Outi Ratamäki)
• Maria Mustajärvi (LL.D.), 2011: Työntekijän osaamisen ylläpidon ja kehittämisen oikeudellinen sääntely (Mirjami Paso, Tarmo Miettinen)

Legislative Studies

• Lisa-Maaria Keskinen (LL.D.), 2023: ( Anssi Keinänen, Niko Vartiainen )
• Minna Mattila (Ph.D.), 2022: In the dawn of better regulation: The chameleonic intermediaries in regulatory processes ( Anssi Keinänen )
• Esa Iivonen (LL.D.), 2022: Lainsäätäjän perus- ja ihmisoikeuksiin perustuva velvoite edistää lasten yhdenvertaisuuden toteutumista varhaiskasvatuksessa ja koulussa ( Suvianna Hakalehto, Virve Toivonen )
• Sebastian De Caro (LL.D.), 2021: Pelastuslain uudistus – Empiirinen oikeustutkimus pelastusviranomaisen päätöksenteosta, valvonnasta sekä pelastuslain uudistuksen vaikutuksista ( Anssi Keinänen, Veli-Pekka Hautamäki )
• Joel Karjalainen (LL.D.), 2021:  Tiedon hyödyntäminen säädösvalmistelussa ( Anssi Keinänen )
• Outi Örn (Ph.D.), 2021:  Kesyt, sotkuiset ja pirulliset lainvalmisteluhankkeet ( Anssi Keinänen, Petri Uusikylä, Harriet Lonka )
• Tapio Räty (LL.D.), 2020: Sijaishuollossa olevan lapsen oikeus palveluihin, hoitoon ja huolenpitoon – miten lapsen oikeusturva toteutuu ( Anssi Keinänen, Jussi Pajuoja, Eeva Nykänen )
• Risto Tuominen (LL.D.), 2018: Lailla vai asetuksella - Kansallisten asetusten rooli osana lainsäädännön toimeenpanoa Suomessa (Anssi Keinänen)
• Laura Rinne (LL.D.), 2017: Lainsäädännön jälkikäteinen arviointi ja seuranta osana laadukasta lainvalmistelua ( Anssi Keinänen )
• Satu Pentikäinen (LL.D.), 2017: Yhteisöoikeudellisen lainsäädännön tavoitteiden toteutuminen kotimaisessa lainvalmistelussa - Sääntelyteoreettinen näkökulma ( Kaisa Sorsa, Anssi Keinänen )
• Ville Pulkkinen (LL.D.), 2016: Pelastaa ja valvoo - empiirinen tutkimus hyvän valvonnan toteuttamisesta pelastustoimessa (Anssi Keinänen, Veli-Pekka Hautamäki)
• Miikka Vuorela (Ph.D.), 2015: Eduskunnan valiokunnat vallankäyttäjinä (Anssi Keinänen, Matti Wiberg)
• Dzmitryieva, Aryna (LL.D.), 2014: Agenda Setting in the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation (Anssi Keinänen, Vadim Volkov)
• Sami Rusanen (D.Sc. (Admin.)), 2012: Kiinteistönhoitopalveluiden kilpailuttaminen julkishallinnon turvallisuuskriittisemmissä kiinteistöissä (Matti Tolvanen, Anssi Keinänen)
• Juha Kreus (D.Sc. (Admin.)), 2011: Tietoturvallisuusoikeus (Anssi Keinänen, Sirpa Virta)
• Vesa Ellonen (D.Sc. (Admin.)), 2011: Yksityisen turvallisuusalan rajapinnat (Anssi Keinänen, Matti Tolvanen)

Procedural Law

• Noora Suokas (LL.D.), 2024: ( Mirjami Paso, Maiha Dahlberg )
• Enni Alm (LL.D.), 2023: ( Mika Launiala, Outi Ratamäki )
• Susanne Karlsson-Elonheimo (LL.D.), 2023: Lainvastaisesti hankittujen todisteiden hyödyntämiskieltojen ja hyödyntämiskieltoharkinnan problematiikkaa rikosprosessissa ( Mika Launiala, Antti Tapanila )
• Sami Nevalainen (LL.D.), 2023: Poliisin ennalta estävän toiminnan sääntely ( Mika Launiala, Mikael Lohse )
• Hilla Viljamaa (LL.D.), 2022: Näytön arviointi kansainvälistä suojelua koskevissa muutoksenhakuasioissa ( Mirjami Paso, Tarja Koskela, Tuomas Kuokkanen)
• Outi Leppäjoki (LL.D.), 2022: Tuomiovallan siirto ja rikosprosessin keventäminen - rattijuopumusten siirto poliisin sakkomenettelyyn lainopillisesta ja empiirisestä näkökulmasta ( Mikko Aaltonen, Matti Tolvanen, Heikki Kallio )
• Hannu Moilanen (LL.D.), 2021: Velkajärjestelyn yleis- ja erillistäytäntöönpanon väliset oikeudelliset siirrännäiset ( Matti Tolvanen, Mika Launiala )
• Jasmin Heiskanen (LL.D.), 2020: Prosessilajien välisestä oikeusvoimavaikutuksesta ( Mirjami Paso, Mika Launiala )
• Marko Forss (LL.D.), 2020: Vapautensa menettänyt lapsi – miten lapsen etu toteutuu poliisi-, esitutkinta- ja pakkokeinolain vapauteen kohdistuvia toimivaltuuksia sovellettaessa ( Mika Launiala, Suvianna Hakalehto )
• Tuomas Ikonen (LL.D.), 2018: Salaisella pakkokeinolla saadun ylimääräisen tiedon käyttäminen ( Matti Tolvanen, Heikki Kallio )
• Jussi Kyllönen (LL.D.), 2018: Jutun palauttaminen siviiliprosessissa ja hallintoprosessissa ( Matti Tolvanen, Tuula Linna )

Property Law     

• Anna Oksanen (LL.D.), 2023: (Mia Hoffrén, Matti Ilmari Niemi)
• Valtteri Laukkanen (LL.D.), 2016: Kiinteistön myyjän pidättymisoikeuden sivullissitovuus (Matti Ilmari Niemi, Tomi Voutilainen)

Social Welfare Law

• Kati Saurula (Ph.D.), 2024: ( Pauli Rautiainen, Heidi Vanjusov )
• Lauri Tanner (LL.D.), 2023: Terveyden- ja sairaanhoidon johtaminen ja valvonta osana riittäviä terveyspalveluja ( Eeva Nykänen, Samuli Saarni )
• Tanja Valkonen (LL.D.), 2022: Iäkkäiden henkilöiden oikeus vammaispalveluihin – Erityiskysymyksinä vammaispalvelulain toissijaisuus, lain 8 c §:n 3 momenttiin sisältyvä ikääntymisrajaus ja asian selvittäminen hallintoprosessissa ( Eeva Nykänen, Anna Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen )
• Niina Gråsten (Ph.D.), 2020: Vammaisuus oikeudellisessa ajattelussasosiaalioikeus ( Eeva Nykänen, Pauli Rautiainen )
• Oskari Korhonen (LL.D.), 2018: Lääkärinlausunto sosiaalioikeudellisessa päätöksenteossa ( Toomas Kotkas, Pauli Rautiainen )
• Jutta Kinnunen (LL.D.), 2015: Potilaslain muistutusmenettely potilaan oikeusturvana (Toomas Kotkas, Ulla Väätänen)
• Tiia Tamlander (LL.D.), 2015: Syy-yhteyden käsite lakisääteisessä tapaturmavakuutuksessa (Toomas Kotkas, Katja Weckström)
• Iryna Ptashnyk (LL.D.), 2013: Legality of organ transplantation anf right to organ transplantation as an initial part of the right to health care (Toomas Kotkas, Maija Aalto-Heinilä)
• Katri Harjuveteläinen (LL.D.), 2023: ( Anna Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Eino Solje, Maija Dahlberg )
• Minni Teerikangas (Ph.D.), 2023: ( Mikko Aaltonen, Anna Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Kaijus Ervasti )
• Alex Berg (Ph.D.), 2022: Neuro-Ethics and Law: Socio-Legal Perspective to Legal Rights and Access to Justice of People with Neurodegenerative Diseases ( Anna Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Kaijus Ervasti )
• Henna Nikumaa (Ph.D.), 2019: Muistisairas ihminen autonomisena toimijana - oikeudellisen toimintakyvyn tukeminen ( Anna Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Antti Karisto )

How to apply?

Degrees and subjects.

The Doctoral Programme in Law offers the following degrees: Doctor of Law and Doctor of Philosophy.

The major subject of the degrees Doctor of Law and Doctor of Philosophy may be one of the following:

• Commercial law
• Constitutional law
• Criminal law
• Criminology
• Environmental law
• European law
• Family and inheritance law
• Financial law
• General jurisprudential studies
• International law
• Legislative studies
• Procedural law
• Property law
• Welfare law

Eligibility for doctoral degree studies

An eligible applicant for the right to pursue doctoral degree in law (LL.D.) must have completed an LL.M. degree or some other masters' degree corresponding to it. The degree must include at least 120 ECTS legal studies.  Furthermore, in the evaluation of the application attention will be paid to the quality of the research plan, the applicant's success in prior studies (especially in regard to the merits and grade of his/her master's thesis), and possible publishing activities.

The right to pursue doctoral degree in philosophy (Ph.D.) can be granted based on a Master’s degree in another discipline, provided that the applicant is deemed sufficiently competent to pursue postgraduate studies in law. In the evaluation of the application attention will be paid to the quality of the research plan, the applicant's success in prior studies (especially in regard to the merits and grade of his/her master's thesis), possible publishing activities and experience of professional duties supporting his/her intended research. An applicant is required, in addition to the requirements mentioned above, to prove that his/her degree gives him/her the capabilities to participate in postgraduate studies in Law and that his/her language skills are sufficient for participating in the postgraduate studies.

The applicant's master's thesis should have been awarded by a grade of 3/5 or cum laude approbatur or higher. This requirement may be waived if the applicant demonstrates his/her eligibility by other means, e.g. by an outstanding research plan or by extensive publishing activity.

Applying and admission requirements

The applicant applies for the right to pursue doctoral studies online in Studyinfo portal. 

Application attachments: 

• copy of the basic university degree certificate, and other documents which may affect the granting of a study right
• a transcript of earlier academic records
• a research plan
• the consent from the supervisor
• researcher’s curriculum vitae (please see instructions and template )

The application time for autumn 2024 is from the 1st of August to the 29th of November.  

Before submitting your application, an applicant must contact a professor or other main supervisor of the Law School who represents the applicant's field of research to discuss the research topic, research plan and supervision for the postgraduate studies. A list of the main supervisors is available on the doctoral programme website. The main supervisor must be a member of the staff of the Law School. 

The applicant must indicate the main supervisor’s and other supervisor’s consent to act as a supervisor by enclosing a print of an email to the application where the supervisors give their consent to act as the applicant's supervisors. Only after having received the consent from the supervisors, the applicant can submit the application. The email must state that the supervisors have read the research plan and agreed to act as the applicant’s supervisors, if the applicant is granted the right to study for a doctorate in philosophy or law. 

The recommendation of the law school is that professors and other main supervisors take on a maximum of two new students per semester. When following the recommendations, the number of active supervisees as well as the resources available can be considered. 

The applications of applicants who fill the eligibility for postgraduate studies are evaluated based on the following:

• Especially the research plan; but also
• Success in previous studies
• Other experience supporting the research: previous research or scientific publications, international orientation and knowledge of languages needed in the research, working as a researcher, acquired funding or financing plan.

Evaluation of the research plan 

As the research plan is the central document in the evaluation of the applicant's competence to conduct scientific research, it is important to draw up the research plan as carefully and well as possible. Sufficient time should be allocated for writing the research plan. It should also be noted that the research plan is an independent document written by the applicant. However, the supervisor who has agreed as to act as the applicant's supervisor may provide the applicant with appropriate guidance. The actual supervisory guidance will begin after the applicant has been admitted to pursue the doctoral studies at UEF Law School in the doctoral programme in law and registered to the university.

The standard length of a research plan is approximately ten pages, and it must detail the following:

• Background of the research project, the significance and scientific relevancy of the chosen topic, and previous research on the topic.
• Research question and general objectives of the research project. 
• Research methods and data, and if necessary, a plan for collecting relevant research data and methods of analysis;
• Reflection of the ethical perspectives associated with the research and its execution; for example, good scientific practice, evaluation of data privacy impacts, ethical considerations regarding data management and collection;
• A work plan and plans for subtasks; particularly in case of doctoral dissertations consisting of articles, it is important to describe in detail the parts from which the study consists and which serve as the basis for reporting.
• Tentative schedule and funding plan.
• Publication plan.
• An assessment of the potential uses and the social significance of the research results.

Research plan template

The evaluation board, consisting of members of the board of the Doctoral Programme in Law, evaluates the applications received and drafts a proposal on the eligible candidates to the faculty .

The scientific quality of the research plan is evaluated based on the following criteria:

• originality of the research topic and clarity and ambition of research objectives (research problem, research tasks, and scientific, societal, and practical significance of the research topic);
• theoretical or legal framework, concepts and mastery of research literature;
• research methods and the connection between research questions and methods (the research plan should demonstrate that the applicant understands the methods used to address research questions);
• If necessary, a plan collecting relevant research data and methods of analysis;
• feasibility of the research plan;
• schedule, publication, and funding plans;
• Reflection on the potential ethical perspectives associated with the research and its conduct; for example, following good scientific practices, assessing the impact on data privacy, and assessing ethical questions regarding data management and collection;
• structure and content of the plan;
• coherence of the research plan.

Based on the application, the evaluation board, composed of members of the board of the Doctoral Programme in Law programme, may or may not support the application. The Dean will decide on the study right, appoint the supervisors and accepts the research plan. For each doctoral candidate at least two supervisors are appointed.  The dean's decision will be sent by the faculty to all applicants by email.

If you have questions, please contact our applicant guidance services: [email protected].

Major subjects and supervisors

Administrative law Tomi Voutilainen Suvianna Hakalehto Matti Muukkonen

Commercial law Katja Weckström Matti Turtiainen

Constitutional law Maija Dahlberg

Criminal law Matti Tolvanen Mikko Aaltonen Heikki Kallio Tarja Koskela

Criminology Mikko Aaltonen

Environmental law Ismo Pölönen Niko Soininen Antti Belinskij Harri Kalimo Sebastian Oberthür Outi Ratamäki

European law Emilia Korkea-aho Kim Talus Mirjami Paso Kaisa Huhta

Family and inheritance law Antti Kolehmainen

Financial law Mika Nissinen

General jurisprudential studies Niko Soininen Maija Aalto-Heinilä Mirjami Paso

International law / international environmental law Kati Kulovesi Harro van Asselt Harri Kalimo Annalisa Savaresi

Labour law Marjo Ylhäinen

Legislative studies Anssi Keinänen Virve-Maria Toivonen

Procedural law Matti Tolvanen Mika Launiala

Property law Matti Ilmari Niemi Mia Hoffrén

Social law Eeva Nykänen Pauli Rautiainen Welfare law Eeva Nykänen Anna Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen Kaijus Ervasti Pauli Rautiainen

Funding doctoral studies

The right to pursue doctoral studies does not include funding or a contract of employment or teaching tasks at the University. However, full-time doctoral students need funding to cover their costs of living and potential research costs (travel costs, research material etc.). Funding options should be discussed with the supervisor already when planning to apply for a doctoral study right and creating a research plan.

Doctoral studies can be funded for example by a scholarship, by working as a researcher in a research project, by working as a doctoral candidate at the University of Eastern Finland (doctoral student position), or by studying part-time while at work. Doctoral students apply for funding themselves.

Read more about funding options of doctoral studies on Kamu Student handbook.

Application period

The application form for the Doctoral Programme on Studyinfo.fi is open during the spring semester from the beginning of January until the last weekday of May, and during the autumn semester from the beginning of August until the last weekday of November. Always check the exact application deadlines from Studyinfo.fi. Prepare the attachments required for the application carefully before submitting the application. Applications are processed as needed during the semester, and the granted study right begins in the same semester.

What is Studyinfo.fi?

Studyinfo is the official national admissions portal with all the up-to-date information about study programmes leading to a degree in Finland.

Apply via Studyinfo

Fill in the online application for the programme at the studyinfo portal., requirements for the doctoral dissertation, requirements for the doctoral dissertation, faculty of social sciences and business studies.

The doctoral dissertation demonstrates the doctoral researcher’s in-depth knowledge of the field of research, related fields and the philosophy of science. Furthermore, the dissertation demonstrates his/her ability to apply the methods of scientific research in practice, both independently, and critically in his/her field of research as well as independently to generate new information.

Forms of the dissertation

One of the following can be accepted as a doctoral dissertation:

• a separate piece of research (monograph). A monograph is a work based on the research project by the doctoral researcher. It is a coherent and independent study and should contain the data and methodology and the results as a whole.
• an article-based dissertation. An article-based dissertation shall contain at least two peer-reviewed articles accepted for publication and one manuscript accepted for the review process. Peer review refers to an assessment process carried out by the scientific community where an article or part of a collection of articles undergoes an advance assessment by an independent expert. The review must be verifiable. The other articles may be manuscripts to be published. An article electronically pre-published by a scientific series is regarded as published. In case the articles are joint publications, a doctoral candidate must be mainly responsible for at least two of them. If the publications include collaborative work, a doctoral candidate must present a written account of his/her own contribution to those publications when requesting a public examination. A joint publication may be included in a maximum of two different dissertations.

In Business Studies, an essay-based dissertation can also be approved. An essay-based dissertation comprises at least three published or unpublished independent manuscripts dealing with the same set of research problems. Some of these manuscripts may be scientific articles or other publications and unpublished essays.

It is recommended to publish in national and/or international scientific journals, series or monographs, which are specialised in publishing scientific research results, have an editorial board comprising experts and hold ISSN or ISBN numbers (e.g. the Finnish JUFO Publication Forum classification levels 1 – 3, see  Publication Forum for more information).

In addition to the articles or essays, the dissertation must include an introduction.

The language of the doctoral dissertation is Finnish, English or another language accepted by the Dean responsible for postgraduate education.

Evaluation criteria of doctoral dissertations

The general quality of a doctoral dissertation shall be assessed according to the following criteria in particular:

• Relevancy of the research task and the appeal of the research problem: Assessment emphasises the innovativeness and scientific relevancy of the research task.
• Level of sophistication and the management of methods necessary for research: Assessment pays special attention to the skills necessary for complementing the research task. Sophistication means both adequate expertise in the field of research and the student’s general knowledge and understanding of the academic subject and the area of research.
• Practical implementation of the research project: Assessment focuses on the functionality of the structure of the study, the delimitation of the scope, the degree of sophistication in finishing and the stylistic aspects.
• Results of the research project, their novelty, validity and importance: In the field of law, results of a research project cannot often be distinguished from other elements of research, as this is a matter of different interpretations and their justification. This further highlights the importance of overall assessment.
• The author’s ability to defend the research project in public: An integral part of a presentation of a doctoral dissertation or a licentiate thesis is that the author is able to defend appropriately the work in public. A licentiate thesis or a doctoral dissertation may be approved if it meets the minimum requirements of each criterion.

Doctoral dissertations are graded using the following grading scale: rejected, approved and approved with distinction.

Structure of the doctoral studies

The degrees include 30 ECTS of studies supporting the research project and professional competence. The aim is to provide doctoral researchers with an in-depth knowledge of the scientific basis of jurisprudence, theoretical foundations and research methods, so that they are well prepared to write a licentiate thesis or a doctoral dissertation.

The personal study plan specifies the courses which can be included in the Doctor of Law or Doctor of Philosophy degree. The total extent of the degree is 30 ECTS. 5-10 ECTS are to be taken from the courses of general transferable skills studies and 20-25 ECTS from studies that provide theoretical and methodological skills as well as in-depth studies of the doctoral researcher's field of research. In addition, a doctoral dissertation must be written.

Studies must be completed and registered as completed before the doctoral dissertation is submitted for preliminary examination.

General transferable skills studies 5-10 ECTS

• Orientation to doctoral studies 1 ECTS
• Research Ethics 1 ECTS
• 5312109 Teaching and professional tasks
• 5312112 Developing Legal Learning 2 ECTS
• 5012030 How to write a successful research grant proposal 1 ECTS
• General transferable skills studies organised by UEF Doctoral School 
• Studies in the Training Programme in University Pedagogics
• Courses supporting general competence in the national doctoral curriculum (Doctoral courses in Finland)
• YUFE - Academic Courses supporting 

Completion of general transferable skills studies is approved by the supervisor.

Studies in the discipline and the field of research 20-25 ECTS

Studies in the discipline and the field of research aim to familiarise doctoral researchers with scientific writing, theoretical and methodological issues in jurisprudence, and the different stages and career paths of a researcher. Studies in the discipline and the field of research support the development of scientific thinking and the ability to carry out independent research. They also aim to develop the capacity of doctoral researchers to work as legal experts within and outside the university. 

Depending on the number of general transferable skills studies, 20-25 ECTS of studies in the discipline and the field of research must be completed. The number of studies in the discipline and the field of research must be sufficient to meet the total of 30 ECTS for the degree.

Compulsory courses

• Legal research skills and career development 5 ECTS 
• 5312105 Participation in Law School’s Doctoral Seminar 5 ECTS or YO00CY56 CCEEL Research Group 5 ECTS
• Theoretical and methodological studies,10 ECTS of the following:
• 5311918 Philosophy of Human Rights 5 ECTS
• 5311922 Philosophy of Law 5 ECTS
• 5311936 Advanced Comparative Law 5 ECTS
• YO00CR48 International Legal Theory 5 cr
• 5311407 Introduction to Empirical Juridical Research 5 ECTS
• Or other methodological studies provided by the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies

Optional courses

• 5312107 Publications
• Other activities supporting doctoral studies (new course)

Doctoral dissertation

Personal study plan must be prepared in cooperation with the supervisor within three months from the beginning of the study right.

The supervisor provides guidance in matters related to the content of the dissertation and doctoral studies.

General guidance for the doctoral studies:

• Head of the doctoral programme Seita Vesa
• Academic coordinator of the doctoral programme Outi Ratamäki

Applying process, graduation and administration of the doctoral studies:

• [email protected]

Instructions and forms for doctoral studies

You can find information for different phases in the doctoral education on Kamu Student handbook :

• Doctoral education at the University of Eastern Finland
• Starting doctoral education
• Doctoral curriculum and study requirements
• Internationalisation in doctoral education
• Guidance and support in doctoral education
• Support for doctoral research
• Funding of doctoral education
• Wellbeing of doctoral researcher
• Permission for public examination and pre-examination of doctoral dissertation
• Publishing of doctoral dissertation

Travel and start-up grants for doctoral researchers

Travel and start-up grants for doctoral researchers will be applied for using a common application form. The application period for travel and dissertation start-up grants for doctoral researchers will be continuous. These grant applications are intended for doctoral researchers who are not employed by the University of Eastern Finland (including part-time work for grant-funded researchers). 

Travel grants may be awarded for study, seminar and conference trips for faculty´s doctoral researchers. The application form and detailed application instructions are available in Kamu: Travel grants - UEF Kamu

Start-up grants are available to faculty´s doctoral researchers for 1-3 months to start their doctoral research. Start-up grants are awarded within a maximum of six months of being granted the right to pursue postgraduate studies. The application form and detailed application instructions can be found in Kamu:

Funding options for doctoral researchers - UEF Kamu

News and events

Dissertations in law, doctoral defence of suvi-tuuli puharinen, m.sc. (admin.) , 12 june 2024: eu environmental law obligations based on the state of waters and the marine environment challenge existing legal structures, doctoral defence of aryna dzmitryieva, ma, llm, 9.2.2024: russian legal culture in the courts and the judiciary: a socio-legal analysis, doctoral defence of mykola iakovenko, m.sc.(pol), 21.8.2023: novel study suggests improvements securing the gas supply in the eu and energy community gas sectors, doctoral defence of laura tammenlehto, m.sc.(admin), 28.4.: the nordic criminalizations regarding copyright and trademark infringements are in need of revision, doctoral defence of rosemary mwanza, ll.m., 12.12.2022: right to a healthy environment is not necessarily a regulatory panacea for corporate environmental damage, doctoral defence of giulio calcara, ll.m., 11.11.: interpol has favoured effectiveness in cooperation over safeguarding rights and interests of individuals subject of cooperation.

All dissertations

Upcoming examinations in Law

All examinations

Follow us on Twitter!

The UEF Law School and the Doctoral Programme in Law on Twitter: UEFLawSchool.

Contact information

Further information on the doctoral programme.

Deputy Head of Department

Law School, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies

seita.​vesa​@uef.fi

+358504423430

Outi Ratamäki

Senior university lecturer.

outi.​ratamaki​@uef.fi

+358504651592

The Board of the Doctoral Programme in Law

Anssi Keinänen

anssi.​keinanen​@uef.fi

+358504422582

Maija Aalto-Heinilä

University lecturer.

maija.​aalto​@uef.fi

+358504420611

Marjo-Riikka Ylhäinen

Associate professor.

marjo.​ylhainen​@uef.fi

+358503247589

Heikki Kallio

heikki.​kallio​@uef.fi

+358504660820

Maija Dahlberg

maija.​dahlberg​@uef.fi

+358504423352

Kaisa Huhta

kaisa.​huhta​@uef.fi

+358505947271

Jarkko Pesu

University teacher.

jarkko.​pesu​@uef.fi

+358505285413

Jussi Karkkulainen

jussi.​karkkulainen​@uef.fi

+358503232096

Hanna Partinen

hanna.​partinen​@uef.fi

+358504780055

Further information on applying to the doctoral programme

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Doctoral admissions

You can search for doctoral programmes on the application portal Studyinfo.fi , or you can contact the universities directly about the doctoral study and research options they offer. Check the application times and procedures, eligibility requirements and other details with the university you are interested in. The following links will take you to each university's Doctoral studies and research info pages.

• Aalto University
• University of Helsinki
• University of Eastern Finland
• University of Jyväskylä
• University of Lapland
• LUT University
• University of Oulu
• Hanken School of Economics
• University of the Arts Helsinki
• Tampere University
• University of Turku
• University of Vaasa
• Åbo Akademi University  

Doctoral / PhD funding opportunities

See the advice on doctoral level scholarships  to learn where you can search for doctoral level research funding. The universities may also offer paid doctoral and post-doc positions, see below.

Academic research positions and jobs

Announcements for doctoral and post-doc researcher positions at Finnish universities can also be found on academic recruitment sites like:

• Jobs in Finland / Academic
• Academicpositions.fi

Early career researcher info & advice

Information, advice and guidelines for early career researchers - compiled by the Finnish Union of University Researchers and Teachers (FUURT)

Scientific research in Finland

Research.fi is a service offered by the Ministry of Education and Culture where you can learn more about the Finnish science and innovation system and policy, and research conducted in Finland.

• Research.fi

Apply to doctoral programmes

The University of Helsinki is an international research environment: one fourth of our doctoral researchers are international students. Completing a doctoral degree in English is possible in all our doctoral programmes. No tuition fees are charged of doctoral researchers, but you are expected to cover your costs for living and accommodation. Approximately a quarter of our doctoral researchers complete their research in an employment relationship with the University.

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Study PhD's in Helsinki, Province of Southern Finland, Finland

Helsinki at a glance.

Study abroad in Helsinki and enjoy the welcoming and highly multicultural environment. A large number of international students, with this number continually increasing, come to Helsinki to enrol in some of the world’s best universities. With a great focus on research, local higher educational institutions are promoting internationalisation and competitiveness and the teaching style aims at supporting the development and professional growth of the learner. Helsinki is the capital and largest city of Finland, located in the region of Uusimaa, in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, having the Baltic Sea on one side. Helsinki is the third biggest Nordic city after Stockholm and Oslo. The capital is Finland's major political, educational, financial, cultural, and research centre as well as one of northern Europe's major cities.

• 560K Population
• 975 - 1590 EUR /month Living Costs
• 4 Universities

Studying in Helsinki

As a bilingual city, in Helsinki, you can study in either Finnish or Swedish, but you will also find a huge array of study courses taught in English as well, mostly for graduate level.

For any language you choose to follow your studies, you must provide a proof of language proficiency. For English, the accepted certifications are: TOEFL, Cambridge, PTE or International Baccalaureate in English diploma. For Swedish and Finnish languages, a proof indicating CEFR B2 level of knowledge in Finnish or Swedish is accepted.

In most universities, you can apply for Finnish language courses. You can also select bilingual degrees (attend teaching in Swedish or English, and complete the assignments and examinations in Finnish).

Helsinki universities provide the whole range of study programmes: Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, PhD courses and study programmes that are part of degree studies regardless of your former education or work experience.

Become an expert in one of the following fields: engineering, business administration, health care, construction, social services, design, nursing, architecture, law, pharmacy, medicine, sciences (chemistry, biology, mathematics, etc.) and more. You can register for some unique music and music technology courses (for example, signal processing and acoustics).

As online degree courses, students can select from: information technology, business informatics, history, life sciences.

Career opportunities in Helsinki

As one of Europe’s richest capitals, Helsinki has a well-developed economy. The city’s major sectors are: serviced-related IT and public sectors, manufacturing (electronic, metal products, paper, board, textiles and clothing).

Top companies in Helsinki are: Microsoft, Tieto, Nokia, Intel Corporation, KPMG, Ferratum Group, SAP Consulting, Accenture.

International students will find numerous internship opportunities in companies based in Helsinki, as most students prefer the ITC industry.

Helsinki city life

You could never get bored in Helsinki, as this city has many interesting and unique places, truly satisfying all tastes. From relaxing parks to eccentric night clubs, Helsinki has it all.

Helsinki’s main attractions:

• The National Museum of Finland
• The Finnish National Gallery (consisting of three art museums)
• Fortress of Suomenlinna
• Rock Church
• Helsinki Cathedral
• Kamppi Chapel of Silence

Have long walks and admire the Esplanadi Park, the Senate Square (Senaatintori) and check out the Old Market Hall.

Helsinki has a long tradition in sports, organising athletics championships, football matches and in the past hosted summer Olympics, and figure skating championships.

Join one of the festivals held in the city, like Vappu, an annual carnival for students and workers, and many film festivals.

Once the world design capital, you can find many design boutiques and stores, selling all kinds of special items and crafts. Fashion addicts should also love Helsinki, as it is home to some popular and interesting fashion stores as well.

In the evenings until late at night, you can choose from a wide range of clubs and bars.

If you ever feel like getting out of the city, make a trip to Turku, two hours away. You can also easily cross the border and see Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, which is almost an hour away.

International atmosphere in Helsinki

Helsinki is a very multicultural city. Here, you will encounter many international students coming from all over the world and also many tourists. In addition, many different nations are present in Helsinki: Swedes, Russians, Estonians, Chinese, Spanish, Germans, French, Vietnamese, Turkish and more.

Many multinationals have set up headquarters here mainly because of the good logistics network, international connectivity and the availability of a skilled workforce. Starting or setting up a business in Finland is easy due to the local relaxed business policies, foreign investors also have access to the latest research findings.

Weather Helsinki

Helsinki has four seasons, with cold winters and warm summers. Temperatures in winter are high for a northern country, with averages in January and February of around -5 °C (23 °F). The average high temperature in summer is around 19 to 22 °C (66 to 72 °F) and it is also the season with most thunderstorms.

Universities in Helsinki

Hanken School of Economics is a leading university with 110 years of experience in research and education in economics and business administration. Hanken holds the three most prestigious accreditations for business schools, EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA, which only one percent of business schools worldwide have achieved.

What kind of a university is The University of Helsinki? It is Finland’s largest and oldest academic institution. Since 1640, it has contributed to the establishment of a fair and equal society that is considered the best in the world according to a number of indicators. Today, this multidisciplinary academic community solves problems that concern all of us, also on a global scale.

Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We are an international community, working on top research, art and education. Join us in changing the world!

Aalto University is a multidisciplinary community where science and art meet technology and business. We are committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future.

Go to your profile page to get personalised recommendations!

Law Doctoral Program at the University of Helsinki

Deadline : 31 October 2013 Open to : candidates with   second-cycle degree and an approved research proposal Remuneration : salary dependent on qualifications and work experience

Description

The University of Helsinki is one of the best multidisciplinary research universities in the world. The high-quality research carried out by the university creates new knowledge for educating diverse specialists in various fields, and for utilisation in social decision-making and the business sector. The University of Helsinki is an international academic community of 40,000 students and staff members. It operates on four campuses in Helsinki and at 17 other locations.

The University will introduce a doctoral education system consisting of four doctoral schools and 32 doctoral programmes at the beginning of 2014. The goal of the reform is to improve the quality and efficiency of the doctoral education.

The University of Helsinki invites applications for  three doctoral student positions  in the Doctoral Programme in Law for a fixed term of no more than four years starting from 1 January 2014. There can be a four-month trial period for the positions.

Doctoral students in the Doctoral Programme in Law can carry out research in any field in law. The extensive approach of the doctoral programme encourages to broaden the scope in research, theoretical reasoning and interdisciplinary research. The Doctoral Programme in Law is part of the Doctoral School in Humanities and Social Sciences.

The duties of a doctoral student are to work on his or her own doctoral dissertation and to complete his or her postgraduate studies. In addition to conducting research leading to the doctoral dissertation, the doctoral student will participate in teaching duties and other duties at the Faculty.

Eligibility

A doctoral student must hold a second-cycle degree and have an approved research proposal . Other requirements include the ability and motivation, as demonstrated in previous degree studies or otherwise, to pursue postgraduate studies and a doctoral degree according to the study plan and research proposal. The appointee must hold the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki by the start of the appointment.

Appointees to the position of doctoral student must be proficient in the language in which they provide instruction , i.e., Finnish or Swedish. They must also have at least satisfactory spoken and written skills in Finnish and Swedish.  Foreign citizens, non-native Finnish citizens or citizens who have not been educated in Finnish or Swedish may be exempted from this requirement without a separate application. In order to fulfill the duties of the position, the appointee should have good knowledge of English.

Remuneration

The University of Helsinki offers a salary dependent on qualifications and work experience. The salary will be based on levels 2–4 of the job requirement scheme for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee shall be paid a salary component based on personal work performance. The salary will be EUR 2022–2970 per month , depending on the appointee’s qualifications and work experience.

Annual workload provisions issued in the collective agreement for universities apply to doctoral students. Guidelines for drawing up an annual work plan may be requested via email from  [email protected].

The Faculty Council’s recommendation on the pedagogical training of teachers may be requested from  [email protected] .

Application

The closing date for the applications is 31 October 2013. (The Registry closes at 15.45 local Helsinki time).  The applicants must submit an electronic application form AVAILABLE HERE  with following enclosures:

• research plan (max 6 pages)
• study plan , based on the study requirements and courses of the Faculty of Law (max 2 pages), should include timetable and information on possible previous tasks and funding for this research project
• curriculum vitae and a list of (possible) publications (or alternatively, an academic portfolio containing the above mentioned documents and information) (max 3 pages);
• supervisor’s (supervisors’) statement in which the qualifications of the applicant and the feasibility and appropriateness of the study and research plans are assessed (max 2 pages)

In addition to the electronically submitted application, the application must be delivered, together with the required enclosures, in paper form addressed to the Dean of the Faculty of Law to the following address:

Registry of the University of Helsinki P.O. Box 33 (Yliopistonkatu 4) FI-00014 University of Helsinki Finland

Further information about the positions can be obtained from Postgraduate Studies Coordinator Jutta Kajander ([email protected], tel. +358-9-191 24367 ) or Head of Administration Tarja Pellinen ([email protected], tel. +358-9-191 22463 ).

See the official call HERE  for further details.

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The University of Helsinki offers doctoral degrees as the primary postgraduate research degree, but postgraduate students can also choose to complete a research-oriented licentiate degree. At present, the right to pursue such a licentiate degree cannot be separately applied for, but the degree can be completed by those granted the right to complete a doctoral degree. Exceptions to the above include specialist licentiate degrees, whose completion provides graduates with certain professional qualifications (e.g., in law). Specialist licentiate education differs from postgraduate research education and, thus, always has separate degree requirements. These instructions apply to the completion of a research-oriented licentiate degree.

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General information on licentiate degrees.

The number of research-oriented licentiate degrees has continuously declined, with the licentiate degree turning into an “interim” degree typically completed when the progress of the student’s dissertation has proved difficult or uncertain due to, for example, the student’s personal life situation or other changed circumstances.

A research-oriented licentiate degree consists of a licentiate thesis as well as the compulsory studies required for a doctoral degree. Similarly to the doctoral dissertation, a licentiate thesis can also be a monograph or an article-based work. However, the scope of a licentiate thesis is significantly less extensive than that of a doctoral dissertation.

Licentiate thesis

A licentiate thesis must demonstrate its author’s ability to independently and critically apply scientific research methods in his or her own field. The research workload is less heavy than that of a doctoral dissertation, but a licentiate thesis must meet the same scientific standards as a dissertation. A licentiate thesis may be a scholarly work on a single topic or a collection of scholarly publications on a single topic and a summarising report. A master’s thesis or another thesis included in a second-cycle degree cannot as such be accepted as a licentiate thesis or its part.

An article-based licentiate thesis typically consists of one to three academic articles and a summarising report. The objectives, methods and results of the thesis must be outlined in the summarising section. Co-authored publications may be included if the author’s independent contribution to them can be demonstrated. The author must submit to the faculty a report on his or her contribution to co-authored publications. The report must be delivered when submitting the thesis for examination.

In accordance with the University’s principles of open publishing, licentiate theses must be published in the University’s open digital repository (E-thesis) after they have been examined.

Examination and grading of licentiate theses

The faculty council grades licentiate theses on the scale of pass with distinction, pass, fail.

The faculty council appoints a minimum of two examiners for licentiate theses at the proposal of the student’s coordinating academic. The examiners must have completed a doctoral degree. The examiners are subject to the same rules of disqualification as the preliminary examiners and opponents of doctoral dissertations. The examiners must submit, either jointly or separately, a written reasoned statement on the licentiate thesis, including a grade proposal, within two months of accepting the task. Before the thesis is assessed, the author must be provided with the opportunity to object to the examiners’ statements. If either or both of the examiners propose in their statements that the thesis be rejected, the author can ask for the assessment procedure to be suspended. This will terminate the examination process, which can later be started again once the required revisions have been made to the thesis.

Once the faculty council has decided on the thesis grade, the author receives detailed instructions concerning graduation from the faculty’s doctoral student services.

Transition period in licentiate studies

As of August 2020 (or earlier if the student has already transferred to the new degree system), studies included in a licentiate degree must be completed in accordance with the curriculum of the student’s doctoral programme. Doctoral-programme curricula now require the completion of a total of 40 credits of studies, rather than the previous 60 credits. The studies are divided into the 30-credit module of discipline-specific studies and the 10-credit module of transferable skills studies. Further information on the degree structure of your doctoral programme can be obtained from its course catalogue in Sisu .

The same rules on the expiry of studies in the new degree system apply to both licentiate and doctoral degrees. A degree cannot include studies or modules completed more than 10 years prior to the time of graduation. Read more in the instructions related to the expiry of studies .

If a postgraduate student completing a licentiate degree has completed all the postgraduate studies required in the old degree system (i.e., 60 credits), and these have been registered as a module, the expiry of studies is calculated from the date of completing the module. In other words, individual courses included in the module do not expire even if they were completed more than 10 years earlier. If some studies defined as compulsory in the new curriculum of the doctoral programme (e.g., research ethics) are missing from the 60-credit module, the student must complete such studies in addition to the 60 credits he or she has already completed.

Submission of a licentiate thesis for examination

The commencement of the examination of a licentiate thesis is largely governed by the same instructions and timetables as those applying to the commencement of the preliminary examination of a doctoral dissertation. Any faculty-specific specifications or exceptions regarding the examination of licentiate theses and the preliminary examination of doctoral dissertations can be found below. If you do not find instructions specific to your faculty on this page, this means that such instructions do not exist. The faculty-specific instructions for submitting a doctoral thesis for pre-examination are available under the theme Preliminary examination .

Also bear in mind:

• You must always be registered as an attending student throughout the examination process, until the completion of your degree.
• As a rule, all the studies required for a degree must have been completed and registered by the time you submit your thesis for examination.
• Similarly to a dissertation manuscript, a licentiate thesis must also be submitted for analysis to the Urkund plagiarism recognition system before the thesis is submitted for examination.
• Acquaint yourself with the timetables for the submission of doctoral dissertations for preliminary examination well in advance, as they also apply to the submission of licentiate theses for examination.

Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry

The faculty-specific instructions: In an article-based licentiate thesis all the articles should be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. At least one article must be published or accepted for publication, and the rest have to be submitted for publication.

An article included in a licentiate thesis can later be included as a separate article in a doctoral dissertation. 

The thesis is submitted for examination to the Faculty's doctoral student services. Please use the forms and follow the instructions given on submitting a doctoral thesis for pre-examination in the faculty of agriculture and forestry. Don't forget to state on the form that the manuscript you have submitted is a Licentiate thesis. Note, that the abstract following the title page of a licentiate thesis must be drawn up on the university's abstract form .

Before the licentiate thesis can be approved and graded, the student must present his or her research at a licentiate seminar, during which the examiners and other interested parties will present their commentaries.  After this, the examiners will write their statement.

Faculty of Arts

Unlike doctoral dissertations, which allow the author to choose the format of the accompanying abstract, the abstract following the title page of a licentiate thesis must be drawn up on the university's abstract form.

Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences

The faculty-specific instructions: In an article-based licentiate thesis the articles should preferably be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals or be manuscripts that have been refereed and accepted for publication. A thesis may also include manuscripts not yet approved for publication. Also systematic review articles comparable to original publications may be included in a thesis. An article included in a licentiate thesis can later be included as a separate article in a doctoral dissertation.

The number of articles included in an article-based Licentiate thesis varies depending on the candidate's independent contribution to the articles and the scientific quality and scope of the package that they form (the thesis as a whole).

For justified reason, same co-authored articles can be included in a Licentiate thesis of more than one candidate. Especially in such case, the candidate’s own distinctive research perspective must be clearly demonstrated in the summary section of the dissertation. The matter of including same co-authored article in a thesis of more than one student is decided by the Faculty Council on a case-by-case basis with consideration given to the clarification of author contributions.

The thesis is submitted for examination to the Faculty's doctoral student services. Please use the forms and follow the instructions given on submitting a doctoral thesis for pre-examination in the faculty of biological and environmental sciences. Don't forget to state on the form that the manuscript you have submitted is a Licentiate thesis. Note, that the abstract following the title page of a licentiate thesis must be drawn up on the university's abstract form .

Faculty of Educational Sciences

When you are ready to submit your thesis manuscript for examination, submit the following documents in good time to the faculty’s postgraduate student services:

• Contact details form
• Your Licentiate thesis as a single pdf-file to the address: [email protected] . The manuscript must included a Finnish-language and an English-language abstract . I n the case of an article-based thesis, the file must include a summarising report and original articles. The file is named: lastname_lic.pdf . It is possible to use PDF-Xchange Tools or PDF-Xchange Editor programmes installed on University workstations to compile the materials. If the manuscript is too large to be sent by email, please use Funet Filesender .
• At the same time, submit a report on the share of independent work , which is signed by the supervisor in addition to you. This report should be written in the language used in the study. For article-based Licentiate theses, the report must clarify the share of independent contribution by article. For monographs, the share of work by the doctoral student and others (e.g., the supervisor or external experts) in the planning of the study, the collection and analysis of the material as well as the use of information technology and the graphic design of the thesis should be clarified.

Faculty of Medicine

The scope of a licentiate thesis is approximately half of what a doctoral dissertation would cover, and is subject to the same general regulations. 

An article-based thesis typically includes two separate articles and a summarising report. The scope of the report is approximately half of what the equivalent section of a doctoral dissertation would cover. As a rule, the articles included must have been published in high-level international peer-reviewed journals or academic publication series. One of the articles must have been approved for publication. At least one of the articles must feature the licentiate student as the first author.

A monograph submitted as a licentiate thesis is a scholarly work issued under the name of the thesis author alone and based on the previously unpublished results of independent research. A monograph submitted as a licentiate thesis must meet scholarly criteria equivalent to an article-based thesis.

Once completed, licentiate theses are submitted for examination to the faculty’s doctoral student services. In addition to the thesis manuscript, submit to doctoral student services a proposal for the appointment of thesis examiners using this form (in Finnish), an abstract drawn up on the university's abstract form as well as any other required enclosures.

Faculty of Science

The proposal for the examiners of the Licentiate thesis should be sent to the Faculty's doctoral student services using the attached form (in Finnish). An abstract, drawn up on the the university's abstract form , must be included in the thesis after the title page.

Faculty of Social Sciences

The layout of Licentiate theses submitted for examination must correspond to the instructions (in Finnish) given on the layout of Master's theses.

An abstract must be included in the thesis, drawn up on the university's abstract form .

The thesis is submitted for examination to the Faculty's doctoral student services. Please use the forms and follow the instructions given on submitting a doctoral thesis for pre-examination (including the instructions on the Urkund-check). Don't forget to state on the form that the manuscript you have submitted is a Licentiate thesis.

Faculty of Theology

Unlike doctoral dissertations, which allow the author to choose the format of the accompanying abstract, the abstract following the title page of a licentiate thesis must be drawn up on the university's abstract form .

Publishing the Licentiate thesis

Once the Licentiate thesis has been approved at the Faculty Council, it will be published in the University’s open digital repository (E-thesis). The Faculty can, for well-grounded reasons, grant the student a special exemption to forego the electronic publication. In these cases, you must provide the University library with one printed, bound and covered copy of the thesis. For more information on the practices and regulations related to special exemptions, please see the instructions related to publishing a doctoral thesis .

Once you have received a confirmation that your Licentiate thesis has been approved, send the thesis as a single pdf-file to [email protected] . Attach also a scanned copy of a filled-in and signed publishing contract form .

Digital dissertations and theses at the University of Helsinki

This site describes how to search dissertations and theses written at the University of Helsinki. You can also read instructions about submitting and publishing theses. You can find more information about the services related to digital theses and dissertations here .

Browse or search dissertations and theses

You can search for digital theses and dissertations in the Helsinki University Digital Repository Helda .

• Browse digital master's theses in Helda
• Browse digital doctoral dissertions in Helda
• Forthcoming public examinations of doctoral dissertations
• Search digital and printed theses in the Helka Library Catalogue

How to publish your doctoral dissertation

Please read the instructions how to fill in the doctoral dissertation form and publish your doctoral dissertation in the digital repository Helda.

How to submit your master's thesis

Please read the instructions how to submit your master's thesis (or equivalent like licentiate thesis in veterinary medicine and thesis in advaced studies in medicine) for evaluation and instructions how to publish your thesis. Please read the faculty specific instructions below.

• Agriculture and Forestry
• Biological and Environmental Sciences
• Educational Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Veterinary Medicine

How to submit your bachelor's thesis

Please read the faculty specific instructions how to submit your bachelor's thesis for evaluation.

• Swedish School of Social Science

Instructions for examiners of master's theses

Please read the examiners instructions for using the E-thesis system for evaluating master's and bachelor's theses.

Contact information

• Evaluation of master's and bachelor's theses
• Teaching and Learning Services
• [email protected]
• Doctoral dissertations, availability and publishing of dissertations and theses
• Helsinki University Library
• [email protected]
• © HULib 2012-2020

UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI

• About E-thesis
• Data protection
• Accessibility

Doctoral Programme in Law

• Doctoral School and Doctoral Programmes
• University of Helsinki Doctoral School
• Website https://www.helsinki.fi/en/research/doctoral-education/doctoral-schools-and-programmes/doctoral-school-in-humanities-and-social-sciences/doctoral-programme-in-law

Research units

• Name (descending)

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