phd psychology finland

Education in psychology is primarily aimed at leading up to professional competence in psychology. The high quality of the education rests on cooperation with the six Finnish departments/sections of psychology through the Psykonet network.

Collaboration

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The first university laboratory for psychology was founded at the Finnish University of Turku already when the university was founded in 1922. The laboratory was then under the direction of the professor of philosophy. Psychology was ordained as an independent discipline in 1955. Currently the discipline has a complement of 60-70 teachers, researchers and other staff. Psychology is the main subject of ca. 300 students.

Doctoral Programmes

Faculty of built environment.

Doctoral Programme in the Built Environment  (DPBEN)

Faculty of Education and Culture

Doctoral Programme of Education and Society  (DPEDU)

Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences

Doctoral Programme in Engineering and Natural Sciences  (TLTO)

Doctoral Programme in Engineering Sciences  (TTITO)

Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences

Doctoral Programme of Humans and Technologies  (DPHAT)

Doctoral Programme in Media, Communication and Performing Arts  (DPMCP)

Doctoral Programme in Language Studies  (DPLA)

Doctoral Programme of Computing and Electrical Engineering  (DPCEE)

Faculty of Management and Business

Doctoral Programme in Administrative Sciences, Business Studies and Politics  (DPHKP)

Doctoral Programme in Business and Technology Management  (TOTO)

Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology

Doctoral Programme in Medicine, Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering  (DPMBBE)

Faculty of Social Sciences

Doctoral Programme in Literary Studies  (DPLS)

Doctoral Programme in Health Sciences  (DPHS)

Doctoral Programme in History  (DPHI)

Doctoral Programme in Psychology and Logopedics  (DPPL)

Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences  (DPSS)

Doctoral Programme in Medicine  (DPMD)

Doctoral Programme in Philosophy  (DPPH)

International Doctoral Programme in Epidemiology and Public Health  (IPPE)

Additional information on doctoral studies

Structure and duration of doctoral studies.

In addition to the doctoral dissertation, the requirements for a doctoral degree include other studies, which you should plan to support your doctoral research. The structure of the other studies can be found in the curriculum of your doctoral programme.

For full-time doctoral students, the target time of completing the doctoral degree is four years. Part-time students may take longer to complete their degree.

Doctoral dissertation

To earn a doctoral degree, students must complete a dissertation and defend it in a public examination. Students prepare a dissertation to demonstrate their ability to produce original scientific knowledge in the field of their research. Writing the dissertation requires that the student is capable of conducting independent scientific research.

Tampere University Doctoral School

The Doctoral School supports the development of diverse, multidisciplinary and international expertise among doctoral researchers and works to promote employability of our doctoral graduates.

You will be able to select courses that meet your needs over 50 courses that the Doctoral School offers each year. We give Finnish and English-taught courses both online and in a physical classroom environment.

The Doctoral School hosts regular events for doctoral researchers such as Orientation Day and open lectures. You get to meet other doctoral researchers, network and receive peer support.

Our courses and events provide you with the opportunity to gain experience of multidisciplinary and international teamwork while making effective progress towards your degree.

Get to know the Doctoral School

Doctoral studies can be financed in a variety of ways and admittance to a doctoral programme does not guarantee funding. Students are recommended to contact their supervisor before starting their doctoral studies to discuss their funding options. Funding options for doctoral studies are at least the following:

• Employment at the University (either project funding or a separate doctoral education funding)
• Scholarships and grants
• Student financial aid  (if eligible)
• Adult Education Allowance of the Education Fund  (if eligible) (motion to terminate the allowance was submitted to the parliament on 15 February 2024)
• Doctoral education pilot at Tampere University

The Doctoral School of Industry Innovations

The Doctoral School of Industry Innovations (DSII) offers Doctoral Researchers a unique opportunity to undertake dissertation research, gain a thorough understanding of product development, tackle real-world business challenges and expand their professional networks. Tampere University hires a Doctoral Researcher to complete a four-year, company-sponsored dissertation project under the joint supervision of a university professor and a company representative. 

Read more about DSII

Finland Fellowship

Finland Fellowship is a new funding option awarded by Tampere University as part of the national Finland Scholarship programme. Non-EU/EEA applicants to Doctoral programmes are eligible to apply. The Finland Fellowship contributes to the salary paid Tampere University and includes a 2000 EUR arrival allowance. The Finland Fellowship funding is available from 2022 to 2024. It is funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. Positions funded with the Finland Fellowship funding are published as part of open positions at Tampere University.

Read more about working at Tampere Universities

Additional information on applying

Detailed information on applying to a doctoral programme is available in the admission requirements of the programme and our webpage Applying to Doctoral programmes.

Applying to doctoral programmes

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If you have questions about studying with us, please contact [email protected] (Tampere University) or [email protected] (Tampere University of Applied Sciences). If you have problems with your user account or other IT-related issues, get in touch with our IT Helpdesk

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Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) constitute the Tampere Universities community. Our areas of priority in research and education are technology, health and society. Tampere University: +358 (0)294 5211 Tampere University of Applied Sciences : +358 (0)294 5222

27 Best universities for Psychology in Finland

Updated: February 29, 2024

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Below is a list of best universities in Finland ranked based on their research performance in Psychology. A graph of 3.66M citations received by 134K academic papers made by 27 universities in Finland was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Helsinki

For Psychology

2. University of Tampere

3. University of Turku

4. University of Oulu

5. University of Eastern Finland

6. University of Jyvaskyla

7. Aalto University

8. Abo Akademi University

9. Lappeenranta University of Technology

10. Hanken School of Economics

11. University of Vaasa

12. University of Lapland

13. Seinajoki University of Applied Sciences

14. Turku University of Applied Sciences

15. University of the Arts Helsinki

16. Laurea University of Applied Sciences

17. HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences

18. Kajaani University of Applied Sciences

19. Metropolia University of Applied Sciences

20. Jyvaskyla University of Applied Sciences

21. Arcada University of Applied Sciences

22. Oulu University of Applied Sciences

23. Satakunta University of Applied Sciences

24. Novia University of Applied Sciences

25. Savonia University of Applied Sciences

26. Diaconia University of Applied Sciences

27. Centria University of Applied Sciences

The best cities to study Psychology in Finland based on the number of universities and their ranks are Helsinki , Tampere , Turku , and Oulu .

Psychology subfields in Finland

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UEF Doctoral School

The University of Eastern Finland's Doctoral School and the associated doctoral programmes are responsible for arranging scientific doctoral studies at our university. Our doctoral programmes offer teaching and supervision for doctoral researchers. The aim is to ensure the high quality of doctoral education and to educate highly skilled researchers and experts.

The director of the doctoral school is Academic Rector Tapio Määttä. Administration of the school is coordinated by Head of Education Kaisa Laitinen, and the development of the doctoral school's activities and teaching programme are coordinated by Senior Lecturer Merja Lyytikäinen (contact information below).

Upcoming public examinations of doctoral dissertations

New in doctoral education

The University of Eastern Finland is involved in 11 doctoral education pilots. New doctoral positions with three-year employment contracts will be available.

Learn more about the doctoral education pilots

Doctoral programmes

Doctoral education in the University of Eastern Finland is arranged in 13 discipline specific or thematic doctoral programmes. Further information about applying to programmes, research areas and doctoral studies can be found on the homepages of doctoral programmes.

Philosophical Faculty

• Doctoral Programme in Educational Studies
• Doctoral Programme in Social and Cultural Encounters
• Welfare, Health and Management (WELMA) Doctoral Programme

Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology

• Doctoral Programme in Science, Forestry and Technology

Faculty of Health Sciences

• Doctoral Programme in Clinical Research
• Doctoral Programme in Drug Research
• Doctoral Programme in Molecular Medicine
• Doctoral Programme in Health Sciences

Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies

• Past, Space and Environment in Society Doctoral Programme
• Doctoral Programme in Business Studies
• Doctoral Programme in Law

Content related to doctoral education

Instructions and forms

Find information for different phases in the doctoral education on Kamu Student handbook.

Doctoral researcher positions

Learn more about salary-paying UEF doctoral researcher positions and shared doctoral researcher positions.

For grant-based researchers

We have gathered information and instructions for grant-based researchers in Kamu Student handbook.

Conferment ceremonies

The Doctoral Conferment Ceremony shows appreciation for persons who have completed a doctoral degree.

Contact information

The UEF Doctoral School coordinates doctoral education at the university and provides transferable skills studies to all of the university's doctoral students. All doctoral students are automatically included in the doctoral school.

Doctoral programmes processes applications and makes proposals for the faculties on the rights to study to be granted. They are responsible for the organisation of subject-related doctoral studies, and for the supervision of doctoral students.

Faculties are responsible for the administration of doctoral studies. Faculties decide on requirements of doctorates, approve the doctoral studies curricula, grant the right to pursue doctoral studies, approve the research topic and research supervisor(s), research and doctoral study plans and any changes made to these. Faculties also appoint the preliminary and final examiners for doctoral dissertations and licentiate theses and the opponents and the chairman of the public examination (the Custos) for doctoral dissertations. Faculties grant the permission for the public examination, approve and grade the licentiate thesis and the doctoral dissertation, and approve completed doctoral degrees, award the degrees and give the degree certificates.

Development of the doctoral school's activities and teaching programme: Senior Lecturer Merja Lyytikäinen .

Administration of the doctoral school: Head of Education Kaisa Laitinen .

Contact information of the directors and coordinator of the doctoral programmes can be found on the homepages of programmes .

Contact person: Amanuensis Kaisu Kortelainen .

E-mail: [email protected]

Contact person: Head of Education Kaisa Laitinen .

E-mail: [email protected]

Contact persons: Head of Education Annikki Honkanen and Academic Affairs Coordinator Anne Korhonen .

Doctoral funding

On doctoral level, no tuition fees are charged, but you will need to cover your living expenses. When you apply for doctoral admission , you can ask the Finnish university department for advice on research funding options. The university departments may have paid doctoral research positions available, or doctoral funding schemes of their own. They can usually also best direct you to potential grant-awarding foundations in your field of scientific research.

EDUFI Fellowships

The national EDUFI Fellowship scholarship programme is available for doctoral level studies and research in Finland.

• EDUFI Fellowship information on the EDUFI home pages

Note that you can not independently apply for the EDUFI Fellowship - the "applicant" in this scholarship programme is your Finnish university department. So, in order to be eligible for the EDUFI Fellowship, you must first successfully apply for doctoral admission .

If you have questions regarding the EDUFI Fellowship itself, please contact the scholarships admins directly. You can find their contact details on the above EDUFI Fellowship web page.

Note that EDUFI Fellowships are not full degree scholarships but "start-up grants" awarded for a maximum of 12 months. After the EDUFI scholarship period the student/researcher will need to find other sources of funding.

Other funding resources

For more information on scientific research funding in Finland, see the Research Council of Finland website and the Research.fi funding calls database .

Paid Doctoral positions may also be available - see links to the universities' Doctoral info pages in the section Doctoral Admissions .

Finland Doctoral Fellowships

As part of the Finland Scholarship programme, Finland Fellowships is a funding option for non-EU/EEA students and researchers admitted to start their Doctoral studies at one of Finnish research and arts universities.

The Finland Fellowship contributes to the salary paid by your Finnish university and also includes a 2000€ arrival grant. Check the availability and application details of the Finland Fellowship with the Finnish university you're interested in. Finland Doctoral Fellowships are available from 2022 to 2024. The scholarships are funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Rebecca Shiner: Recipient of the Psychology Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award

Dr. Rebecca Shiner is the 2024 Psychology Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award recipient. She graduated from the Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research (CSPR) PhD program in 1998 and is now a Charles A. Dana Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Colgate University in New York. She delivered a speech at the 2024 Psychology PhD Graduation Celebration on April 30th.

In Shiner’s remarks, she expressed gratitude for celebrating the new PhD graduates in psychology despite the challenges they faced, especially during the pandemic. She reflected on her own PhD experience, emphasizing the importance of relationships and support in overcoming fears and finding success. Shiner advised graduates to prioritize relationships in their future careers and lives, drawing from personal and observed experiences, and highlighting the significance of connections over achievements.

You can read the full version of  Shiner’s remarks .

Composed by Madison Stromberg, communications assistant.

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Emma Seppälä Has Thoughts on How to Avoid Kneejerk Decisions

The psychologist studies how to recognize emotions and cope with them. She learned the hard way.

By Matt Richtel

When it comes to your brain, who’s in charge: you, or the onslaught of incoming stimulation? In “Sovereign: Reclaim Your Freedom, Energy, and Power in a Time of Distraction, Uncertainty and Chaos,” Emma Seppälä , a psychologist with academic postings at Yale and Stanford, argues that modernity has forced the human brain into a highly reactive mode, effectively hijacking it with nonstop information and noise.

To soothe ourselves, Dr. Seppälä says, we mindlessly adopt an array of coping mechanisms, some of which are self-destructive, from excessive eating and alcohol intake to angry outbursts and social withdrawal. But there are ways to interrupt our kneejerk reactions and cope more thoughtfully, Dr. Seppälä argues. She spoke to The New York Times about her work and the science of resilience. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

In the book, you describe a formative experience in college involving your relationship to food. What happened?

Starting at the age of about 16 or 17, I developed an eating disorder. I would binge-eat when I was feeling low, and then I would feel worse. It was an addictive habit, a compulsion.

In college, in 1996, I went to a meditation session. It was Korean Zen, strict: You stared at the carpet for an hour with little to no instruction. I thought, I’m never ever doing this again.

But I felt peaceful afterward. Then, the next day, I felt down again. There was an old leftover pizza in the dorm room. It wasn’t even a kind I liked; it was gross. But I had this impulse to binge, because that’s what I did when I felt bad. And suddenly a light went off in my head and I thought: I always cry after I binge, and that makes me feel a little better, so why don’t I cry first? In that moment I thought, OK, I’ll cry and then I’ll binge all I want.

But when I was done crying, I no longer needed to binge, and I never binged again.

What did you think went on in that moment?

During the meditation? I had no idea; I was just waiting for it to be over. In that moment, I did not realize anything except that I felt calmer afterward. But it was the next day that I realized that the meditation had opened a space of awareness and insight in my mind that was not there before.

You make the case now that this wasn’t a one-off, or happenstance, but that there is science behind your experience.

There’s quite a good body of research now on the neuroscience of meditation, showing that it improves self-awareness, emotion regulation, self-control and many other things. Most people, if they’re honest with themselves, reach for some kind of coping habit when they are feeling stressed or down. Think food, alcohol, doomscrolling, entertainment, shopping, even overworking and overexercising. Most adults have never received formal education about what to do with negative emotions.

Addiction is not just about substance use. It’s about trying to avoid a feeling. It’s about trying to escape. You know it’s not good for you, but you do it anyway because you don’t like the current state that you’re in, whether it’s feeling pain, sorrow, loss or shame.

Why? Because your compulsion in that moment is stronger than your awareness. You’re thinking short-term, because the primitive areas of your brain hijack your ability to discern and be aware of the bigger picture of what’s good for you. You’re hyperfocused on relief from whatever you are experiencing, and impulsive to change it.

That hijacking occurs because the parts of the brain that serve decision-making and self-control — like the prefrontal cortex — often don’t work properly in the heat of the moment. This allows the more ancient brain areas that we share with our evolutionary ancestors (like rodents) to rule the mind. These areas, such as the amygdala, give quick, unrefined signals about potential threats and rewards. They are important for our immediate survival but can make wrong decisions without the prefrontal cortex giving us the bigger picture about what’s good for us in the long run.

Research shows that, when you meditate, you are strengthening that neural pathway for self-awareness. You’re expanding your ability to have awareness of, and therefore control over, your own emotions, without falling prey to compulsive behaviors. Meditation, because it cultivates self-awareness, allows you to gain perspective and thereby naturally gain self-control.

The main title of your book is “Sovereign.” I tend to think of sovereignty as it involves a nation-state. How do you mean it in this case?

Given the chaos of the past few years, starting with the pandemic, I wanted to share the science of how to be resilient regardless of what life brings, and how to stay true to yourself and intentional regardless of outside influences.

In many cases, we are embroiled with behaviors, emotions and thought patterns that are self-destructive and we’re not even aware of it. It’s especially important now, when there is so much coming at us — social media, marketing, negative news cycles, global threats — that there’s no awareness of being anxious and overwhelmed. The running theme of “Sovereign” is cultivating awareness so we’re not succumbing to reactivity, a programmed response and destructive behaviors but living the lives we want.

What tactics aside from meditation do you suggest people use to clear their minds?

A few key tactics are spending time in nature, which research shows not only significantly benefits our mental health but also our ability to think clearly and creatively. Spending time unplugging from our devices and media sources. Making time for periods of silence during the day or week. Breathing practices that our research has found significantly reduce trauma while cultivating the nervous system for greater calm. Sleep and exercise are a given.

Matt Richtel is a health and science reporter for The Times, based in Boulder, Colo. More about Matt Richtel

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Doctoral Programme in Social Sciences

The doctoral programme offers high-quality doctoral training in the areas of media and communication studies, social and cultural anthropology, social psychology, social and public policy, social work, sociology, social data science and criminology.

50 new doctoral students are admitted each year. We're an international community, and the programme is multilingual: you can complete a degree in either Finnish, Swedish or English.

Want to know more? Visit our profile & activities page to learn more about the key research areas and activities in the programme.

• Graduate School of Education and Psychology Newsroom

Mother and Daughter Receive EdDs Together at Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology Commencement 2024

In a rare occurrence, both a mother and daughter will receive the Doctor of Education degree (EdD) in Educational Leadership from Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology Education Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 18, 2024. 

The mother, Rosalyn S. Robinson, 51, has an extensive 23-year career, beginning as an elementary school teacher at Wilder’s Preparatory Academy Charter School in Inglewood, where she subsequently became principal. She now serves as a principal for Aspire Public Schools, a charter school district in Los Angeles. Robinson received her BS degree in Social Science from the University of Houston-Downtown, and her MS in Educational Leadership from National University. Her doctoral studies were an extension of her proven visionary leadership and passionate advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in K-12 education. Robinson says, “DEI is essential to creating an educational environment where every student, staff member, and stakeholder brings unique perspectives, experiences, and skills. DEI impacts classroom instruction by preparing students for a more diverse and interrelated world that empowers them to one day embrace collective action in their communities.”

Daughter Taylor S. Manuel Moore, 30, with 10 years of professional experience, worked as an academic intervention specialist at Wilder’s Preparatory Academy Charter School in Inglewood and later became a school psychologist. Presently, she is a director of Special Education for Inner City Education Foundation Public Schools, a charter school district in Los Angeles. Moore holds a BA degree in Psychology from the University of California, Merced, and an MS degree in School Psychology from National University. Her doctoral studies focused on how school psychologists can advocate for systemic change in schools to benefit black students. She, herself, is a strong advocate for, and supporter of children who face underrepresentation and endure a multitude of challenges within the public schools. “I explicitly advocate for children with disabilities and those of color, and I place a special emphasis on African American students,” says Moore.

Both Dr. Robinson and Dr. Moore reside in Hawthorne, CA. Congratulations to Dr. Rosalyn Robinson and Dr. Taylor Moore on this incredible achievement!

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