Doctoral Studies Contents LUT University
LUT University 3 LUT Doctoral School 4 Trailblazer. Show the way. Never follow. Good practices and recommendations of LUT DS 5 LUT University has pioneered as a science university combining technology and business since 1969. It has been recognised in international rankings as one of the world’s top 6 1. General information on doctoral studies universities. Completing a doctoral degree at LUT 6 From application to graduation 6 Clean energy and water, a circular economy and sustainable business are pivotal questions for humankind. LUT University applies its expertise in technology and business to seek solutions to these questions. 2. Admission, supervision and funding 8 Admission criteria 8 LUT University strongly promotes entrepreneurship stemming from its scientific research. Supervision 8 An example of this is the business accelerator Green Campus Open, which supports new spin-off companies that are based on LUT’s research. Funding 9
Application procedure 9 LUT's international science community consists of 6500 students and experts.
3. Studies and research 10 Doctoral studies 10 Research practice 10 Dissertation 11
4. Dissertation process 12 Dissertation Committee 12 Uni student portal Preliminary examination and assessment criteria 12 The Uni student portal is an online service that provides Permission to print and choice of opponents 12 LUT students all of the study-related services they need. Public examination and assessment 12 Graduation 13 uni.lut.fi Conferment ceremony 13
5. Support for doctoral students 14
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3 Good practices and recommendations LUT Doctoral School of LUT Doctoral School Aims and structure
The main objective of LUT Doctoral School (LUT DS) is The three schools of the university are home to the to provide an environment for high-quality, research- doctoral programmes covering all of the disciplines Admission procedure oriented doctoral education for all LUT doctoral of the university. Schools play an important role in the and criteria students. It facilitates the networking of its students by admission procedure and on the dissertation process. e.g. offering joint courses, lectures and workshops. The doctoral programmes of the schools take care of the The admission criteria are transparent and informed doctoral programmes/schools can have tutors to practical implementation of doctoral education and also in detail to potential applicants. help doctoral students. LUT DS consists of doctoral prorammes and operates participate in national doctoral education networks. The The application procedure follows the same basic The networking of doctoral students is supported by at the university level. It spreads good practices among heads and vice-heads of the doctoral programmes are steps in all schools. e.g. joint courses and workshops and through national the doctoral programmes of the university and gives members of the doctoral school steering group. All information on doctoral education at LUT University and international cooperation of doctoral programmes. recommendations concerning doctoral education. is available in Finnish and English in the student portal LUT DS is headed by the vice rector for research and Uni. innovation together with the doctoral school steering Evaluation group. Supervision Manuscripts of all dissertations are submitted to the Dissertation Committee of LUT before the decision LUT DS recommends that two supervisors are on starting the examination process. appointed for each student and supervisory groups The quality assessment of doctoral education as a are nominated where applicable. whole takes place as part of the quality system audit The maximum number of doctoral students per of LUT University (external/internal). tific rese one supervisor is defined. However, the fluency of cien arch supervision is the key issue. S Practical issues and targets for the first year are Feedback of the un agreed on at the beginning of doctoral studies. This ols iver ho sit can be done by using the supervision plan. LUT DS regularly gathers feedback from the doctoral Sc y At least twice a year the supervisors and the doctoral students and also from each doctoral graduate. student have a target discussion, in which they go The feedback is handled by the steering group of LUT through the student’s progress and agree on future DS and the necessary actions are agreed upon. targets. A doctoral research assessment tool is a helpful tool to use in the discussions.
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s T to four years of full-time study. innovation. The study and research plans drawn up at the Possible complaints or correction requests are application stage are updated regularly. The final handled according to the University Regulations on check and acceptance of the studies for graduation is Education and the Completion of Studies. L done before the beginning of the dissertation process. UT ol The doctoral programmes follow the progress of Docto l Scho Further information: ra their doctoral students regularly. uni.lut.fi - Doctoral Studies - LUT Doctoral School, Doctoral students have representatives in the Events and Mentoring steering group of LUT Doctoral School. In addition,
4 5 Applying for & starting studies
Discussion with the General information Preparation of the application supervising professor Submission of research plan concerning the start the application preliminary study plan on doctoral studies of doctoral studies required attachments 1 and defining possible supplementary studies During the doctoral education, the student acquires Electrical Engineering, Energy Engineering, Energy in-depth knowledge of his or her research field in order Market and Solar Economy, Mechanical Engineering, to be able to apply scientific research methods and Sustainability Science About one month Decision on the study right generate new scientific knowledge independently and with due criticism within his or her research field. In The research field is chosen when applying for the study addition to scientific research and studies, the doctoral right. student will further strengthen the transferable skills Research work and completing studies acquired during previous studies. The primary supervisor must be an LUT professor, LUT docent, person employed by LUT holding a docentship in another university or associate professor on the tenure Research work, publishing articles, attending Completing a doctoral track at LUT University. A person with a doctoral degree conferences, possible exchange period abroad, degree at LUT University can be appointed as the second supervisor. completion of doctoral studies (40 ECTS credits)
Education leading to a doctoral degree at LUT University is planned and organised for specific research fields. From application About 3,5 years The doctoral degree requires approximately four years to graduation Writing of dissertation of full-time studies. The licentiate degree usually
requires two years of full-time studies. The extent of The path towards a doctoral degree can be divided into About 4 years doctoral studies is 40 ECTS credits. three different sections: Dissertation process LUT awards the following postgraduate degrees: 1) applying for and starting studies Licentiate of Science (Technology), Doctor of Science 2) research work and completing studies Appointment Granting permission (Technology) 3) dissertation process. Submission of of preliminary to print the dissertation, Licentiate of Science (Economics and Business the manuscript examiners Preliminary choosing the Administration), Doctor of Science (Economics and It is essential to see the “big picture” from the very examination opponent(s) and custos Business Administration) beginning so that the studies and research work can Dissertation Committee Dissertation Doctor of Philosophy be scheduled without unintentional delays in the Committee Academic Council process. Doctoral education is offered in the following research fields: Further information: Economics and Business Administration uni.lut.fi - Doctoral Studies Publishing Custos and Assessment of Public examination Computational Science, Green Chemical Technology, dissertation, opponent will About six months the dissertation of the Press Industrial Engineering and Management, Software agree the date for Academic Council dissertation information Engineering, Technical Physics public examination.
Doctoral degree Conferment ceremony
6 7 Funding supervisors, prepares a postgraduate study plan which Admission, supervision is appended to the application. The plan includes Doctoral students have different alternatives to finance their studies. Common solutions include an a research plan and funding employment relationship at the university and/or a plan for publication, financing and supervision 2 a plan for doctoral studies applying for different grants and scholarships. It is essential to discuss funding issues with the The aim of LUT University is to admit skilled, motivated Supervision supervisors at the very beginning of the application More information on specific doctoral programme/ students who have the aptitude for a career in research process. research field requirements and submitting an applica- and other demanding expert tasks, who are committed Finding a supervisor tion is available in Uni. to their doctoral studies and research and who have It is also possible to combine work outside of the sufficient skills in research. Each doctoral candidate is supervised by one or more university with doctoral studies. However, this is often Business supervisors so one of the first tasks for the potential the most demanding way to complete the degree due Before applying for doctoral studies, the applicant must applicant is to find a supervisor for one’s doctoral studies. to the limited possibility to concentrate on research. Admission criteria complete the separately specified prerequisite courses. When the applicant has an initial idea of the research In such cases, it is extremely important to negotiate After completing the courses, the applicant contacts the topic, he or she should continue by collecting and reviewing with the employer and the supervisors on e.g. time A completed higher university or comparable degree doctoral programme and potential supervisors to discuss information on the university and the research area in allocated for doctoral research and practical in technology, business, or another field of science, the research field and the postgraduate study plan. question. It is also useful to check the publications of the issues. which provides a sufficient basis for further studies. research staff to learn more about their research focuses. An applicable education completed abroad which in Further information: Further information: the awarding country gives eligibility for corresponding uni.lut.fi - Doctoral Studies - Application Procedure After gathering enough background information, the uni.lut.fi - Doctoral Studies - Doctoral Education at LUT higher education. The extent of foreign degrees should next step is to check the university web page for possible and Supervision be equivalent to the Finnish Bachelor's and Master's open funded positions available at the university. degrees (in total 300 ECTS credits). Application procedure Advanced studies completed in the research field or equivalent information obtained otherwise. If the Supervision plan Technology applicant has not completed the required Master's After initial preparation and contact with the university level (advanced) courses, the doctoral programme For fluent progress in studies, it is important to ensure the applicant gets in touch with the supervisors-to-be decides on possible supplementary studies for each beforehand that different matters are understood in the to settle the basic issues (e.g. supervision, funding, case individually. same way by the parties involved in the process (the research field). The applicant, together with the The foregoing also applies to applicants who have student, supervisor(s) and other possible co-operating already obtained a doctoral or licentiate degree from parties, e.g. the employer). another field of study. In addition, the applicant must complete a sufficient amount of studies in his or her The function of the supervision plan is to facilitate field of research (major subject). doctoral studies and to avoid possible pitfalls especially An applicant who has completed a licentiate degree in practical issues. In the supervision plan e.g. the in the same field is required only to complete a following aspects are recorded in writing: doctoral dissertation to be published in the field of research in question. supervision time allocated for studies and research In addition to the educational background of the facilities applicant, also the following issues have an impact on costs the selection of doctoral students: Further information: the applicant’s knowledge and skills (e.g. success in uni.lut.fi - Doctoral Studies - Application Procedure previous studies, language skills) and Supervision the research topic (relevance of the topic to the university’s research strategy, quality and feasibility of the research plan) the applicant’s commitment to completing the degree the academic supervision capacity and/or financial resources
8 9 Studies and Dissertation LUT Academic Library The dissertation can be a monograph or an article- LUT Academic Library has an extensive collection based dissertation consisting of refereed scientific of literature titles and journals, both in print and 3 research publications on the research topic and a summary electronic format. The library helps doctoral students of them. Naturally, the dissertation shall contribute with issues such as information searching, reference new scientific knowledge to its field. It also has to management systems, copyright matters, and Doctoral studies Research practice demonstrate the author’s knowledge and capability publishing. to apply independently and critically the scientific The doctoral student completes his or her studies (total LUT University requires all researchers to comply with methods of the research area in question. The author’s 40 ECTS credits) in the form of doctoral programme good scientific practice when conducting or publishing contribution must be clearly stated and sufficient. courses or other postgraduate courses, courses offered research. The university has issued the LUT Code of Regardless of the form, all LUT dissertations must be by LUT/another university or by taking examinations on Conduct, the purpose of which is to assure that each based on peer-reviewed publications. scientific literature in the field. member of the academic community is aware of the essential requirements of e.g. legislation, agreements When starting the journey towards a doctorate it is and ethics. useful to go through some dissertations in order to learn what is expected from a dissertation in the research Through the LUT Code of Conduct, the university is also field in question. Additionally, it is recommended that committed to the guidelines for responsible conduct of the student attends public examinations. research and for handling alleged violations of conduct produced by the Finnish Advisory Board on Research The study and research plans are updated regularly Integrity.The document defines good scientific practice and and checked in the yearly target discussions with the violations of it in multidisciplinary terms. supervisor/s. The final check of the studies is done before the manuscript of the dissertation is submitted Research articles should be published in top for the preliminary examination. international scientific journals classified by the Finnish Publication Forum Project. The aim of the Publication The aim of the target discussion between the student Forum Project has been to create a system in which and the supervisor/s is to go through what has been scientific publication activity can be evaluated on the achieved in research and studies. It is also essential basis of quality, not only quantity. The classification is to define the future steps and decide on the next suited for the evaluation of large publication quantities, appointment. such as all works published by a university, but not for the evaluation of an individual researcher. It can also be All doctoral students are encouraged to include an used for comparisons between publications in the same exchange period abroad in their doctoral studies. discipline but not for interdisciplinary comparisons. Attending international conferences and going for research visits are also ways of getting international All manuscripts of dissertations are checked with experience and creating useful networks. Turnitin, which is an Internet-based tool for checking the originality of the text. In addition, it can be used Further information: for guiding academic writing. The check and the uni.lut.fi - Doctoral Studies - Studies and Enrolment interpretation of the originality report has to be done for the Academic Year before starting the dissertation process.
10 11 Dissertation 4 process
The examination of a doctoral dissertation is a two-stage clarity of the research questions and objectives process including the preliminary examination and the logical organisation, presentation and language. public examination. The process officially starts when the student submits a) the manuscript of the dissertation and Further information: b) the application for starting the dissertation process to uni.lut.fi - Doctoral Studies - Dissertation Committee to three hours. However, the maximum duration of an LUT Doctoral School. and Preliminary Examination examination is four hours. In addition, the doctoral degree certificate includes information on the public examination of the At the end of the public examination, the opponent (or dissertation, the opponent(s) and the custos. Dissertation Committee Permission to print one of the opponents) orally presents a final statement and choice of opponents in which he or she evaluates The certificates of Doctor of Science (Technology), The Dissertation Committee of LUT has representatives Doctor of Science (Economics and Business from all schools of the university. It gives a statement Based on the statements from the preliminary the merits and the deficiencies of the work, taking Administration) and Doctor of Philosophy entitle a on each dissertation manuscript before the dissertation examiners, the Academic Council decides on granting into account its scientific novelty value person to the corresponding doctor's degree. process is set in motion, i.e. the preliminary examiners permission to print the dissertation and also on the way the work has been carried out are appointed. appointing the opponent(s) for the public examination. its results and documentation Each graduate receives a student feedback The criteria for choosing opponents are the same as for the ability of the doctoral candidate to defend his or questionnaire including questions on doctoral education preliminary examiners. her work at the public examination. at LUT. The feedback is handled yearly by the steering group of LUT Doctoral School. Preliminary examination In addition to the opponent(s), the Academic Council After the public examination, the opponent(s) prepare and assessment criteria appoints the custos (chair) for the public examination, a written statement on the dissertation. This may also who is usually the supervisor of the dissertation. The purpose of the preliminary examination is to be a joint statement. In addition to the oral statement at Conferment ceremony establish whether the manuscript fulfils the academic The doctoral candidate may print the dissertation the public examination, the opponents may bring forth in requirements. The dissertation should not be submitted after the Academic Council grants permission. At their written statement certain new points that arose at At regular intervals, LUT University arranges a for preliminary examination unless the author and the LUT University, dissertations are recommended to be the examination. conferment ceremony at which the doctoral hat is supervisor consider it ready. The preliminary examiners published in the publication series Acta Universitatis officially presented to the graduate. In addition, the are not expected to do the work of the supervisor, but Lappeenrantaensis. More information can be obtained The final statement shall be closed by grading the doctoral sword is given to those with a doctorate in they may provide valuable comments and suggestions from LUT Academic Library. dissertation (approved or approved with distinction). business administration or philosophy. The doctoral for the improvement of the dissertation. There are Based on the final statement(s), the Academic Council hat may be bought and worn before the conferment criteria concerning the selection of preliminary decides whether the doctoral dissertation can be ceremony. Nevertheless, these unique academic examiners. The same criteria can be applied to the Public examination approved and gives it a grade. festivities are recommended to all those who have choice of opponents, as well. and assessment obtained a doctorate. The preliminary examiners should pay attention to the The dissertation must be on public display for ten calendar Graduation Further information: following points: days before the public examination, the date and place of uni.lut.fi - Doctoral Studies - Permission to Print, Public Examination and Graduation which the custos and the opponent(s) agree on together. On the basis of the dissertation approved by the the scientific value of the work (e.g. novelty, At the public examination, the opponent (or one of Academic Council and on the doctoral studies taken, the significance) the opponents) first gives a short oral statement rector of LUT approves the doctorate. scientific correctness, methodology and objectivity concerning the position and the scientific significance the doctoral candidate’s contribution, considering of the dissertation in its field. After this, the doctoral The degree certificate states also his or her role in joint publications dissertation is examined and the opponent(s) pose the coherence (i.e. does the manuscript compose a doctoral candidate both general and detailed questions the degree awarded and the doctoral programme coherent, unified entity?) concerning the work. The examination usually takes two the research field the title and grade of the doctoral dissertation.
12 13 Support for 5 doctoral students
LUT Doctoral School together with the doctoral DS coordinates doctoral education at the university programmes offers guidance and support for doctoral level and co-operates with the schools and doctoral students. The doctoral programmes are responsible programmes of the university in issues connected to for supervision and education in their own field. LUT doctoral studies.
LUT DOCTORAL SCHOOL
Doctoral programmes › Substance studies › Supervision of doctoral research › Research groups Attributes › Research co-operation with companies Skills › Networks in discipline › Developing doctoral education Doctoral student Doctor of Science
Support services for doctoral students › Study affairs services Requirements Employment › Informing and guidance of students › Infos for students
› Generic courses suitable for all doctoral students › Recommendations › Peer network for new supervisors › Developing doctoral education according to LUT DS guidelines
CLOSE CO-OPERATION
LUT Support for HR issues Academic Library internationalisation
LUT Doctoral School study affairs personnel helps obtaining permission to print applicants and doctoral students with appointing the opponent(s) the approval and grading of a dissertation applications for doctoral studies degree certificates and graduation. study-related issues changing/adding a supervisor Further information: uni.lut.fi - Doctoral Studies - Study Guidance and offers guidance on and Feedback
submitting the manuscript to the Dissertation Committee appointing the preliminary examiners
14 15 LUT University Yliopistonkatu 34 FI-53850 Lappeenranta FINLAND lut.fi [email protected]