Application procedure

General information on doctoral studies in Finland

The following websites provide useful background information for potential IMPDET applicants about Finland, studying in Finland and UEF, and doctoral education at UEF.

Before applying

First, it is important that the applicant’s research interests are aligned with the main research interests of IMPDET:

digital learning
AI education
learning analytics and AI in education
VR/AR technologies in education
design research in educational technology
interactive technologies
ICT for development

Second, the potential applicant should explore the following websites to learn about the current research interest of potential supervisors:

Third, before proceeding with the application process it is important to study the profiles of the main supervisors in the IMPDET studies.

Finally, the application process requires writing a research plan. If the applicant submits a research plan that has been created using generative AI, the research plan will be rejected and the application process terminted.

Preparatory process

Since IMPDET is not an official doctoral programme in UEF, we have a prepartory process before the formal application is made in the LUMETO doctoral programme.

Phase 1: Preliminary evaluation

In the preliminary evaluation phase, the applicant’s background, motivation, and eligibility to pursue doctoral studies in IMPDET are assessed. The purpose of the preliminary evaluation phase is also to identify potential supervisors. The applicant should send the following documents to the IMPDET coordinator:

a 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 preliminary research proposal, check the LUMETO instructions for writing the research plan. Note: Those applicant’s who have used generative AI to create the research proposal will be immediately rejected.
CV
evidence of English language proficiency

The applicants are in the preliminary evaluation phase until their application has been evaluated in an applicant evaluation meeting. In the evaluation meeting, the faculty staff working with the IMPDET studies make a decision regarding the continuation of the preparatory process.

There are three options on how the preparatory process continues after the evaluation meeting:

1) Option 1: the applicant can proceed to submit a formal doctoral student application to the LUMETO doctoral programme, see Phase 3: Submission of the application.

2) Option 2: the applicant needs to provide more evidence regarding the level of academic skills, eligibility, motivation, etc. to complete IMDPET studies, see Phase 2: Refinement

3) Option 3: The preparatory process ends without proceeding to the submission of the formal application

Phase 2: Refinement

In the refinement phase, the applicants need to provide more evidence about their eligibility to pursue IMPDET doctoral studies. Another purpose of the refinement phase is to help the applicants to focus and clarify the research plan, as well as to ensure that the research topic is relevant and suitable for IMPDET studies.

There are two options for how the application process will continue after the refinement phase:

1) The applicant can proceed to submit a formal doctoral student application to the LUMETO doctoral programme, see Phase 3: Submission of the application.

2) Option 2: The preparatory process ends without proceeding to the submission of the formal application