Graduate schools

The Finnish graduate school system was established in 1995 and has been gradually expanded ever since. A key goal is to secure the high quality of researcher training and to shorten the time used to work on a doctoral dissertation, thereby lowering the age of gaining the doctorate. Graduate schools are assigned the task to provide systematic teaching and supervision for the doctoral students involved. The aim is to complete the doctoral dissertation in four years. The studies at a graduate school are full-time and salaried.

The Ministry of Education has delegated the decision-making regarding the graduate school call to the Academy of Finland as from 1 January 2008. The Academy has the responsibility for the graduate schools and for opening the graduate school call. Graduate school calls are arranged every second year, when applications are invited for graduate school positions, coordinator tasks and operational grants for the upcoming four-year term.

The Academy of Finland makes the decisions regarding graduate school positions, coordinator tasks and operational grants. In its performance agreements with universities, the Ministry of Education allocates to the universities funds for the costs of graduate school positions and coordinator tasks, as specified in the Academy’s decision. The operational funds are granted directly from the Academy to the universities.

List of present graduate schools