Teaching and course registration for doctoral researchers

The instruction belongs to the following themes

By selecting a degree programme you are able to see the general content as well as the possible degree programme-specific content. You do not have to select a degree programme to see the Open University's instructions.

There are many ways to complete studies related to the doctoral degree and only a small share of the studies involve traditional course-based teaching. However, there are courses available for doctoral students and they may often participate also in courses organised by master’s programmes, if they are suited for inclusion in the doctoral degree.

Find teaching

In the Course-service you can browse courses by doctoral programme or search for specific courses for example with study unit codes.

When you find a suitable course, add it to your study plan in Sisu, and then move to Sisu's study calendar to register for it:

  1. First add the course to your primary study plan and then select the method of completion and teaching dates through the course brochure.
  2. From the course brochure, verify the compulsory requirements and registration period for your selected course.
  3. When the registration period is open, go to the Study calendar in Sisu to complete your registration.
  4. For your registration to be approved, the following conditions must be met:
    1. You have registered for attendance for the duration of the course.
    2. You have a valid right to study for the duration of the course.
    3. You have included the course in your primary study plan.
    4. You have completed the prerequisites set for the course (you can find the selection criteria, if any, in the course brochure).
  5. When the selection criteria have been reviewed, you will receive a tentative approval or tentative rejection of your registration. If you do not meet some of the conditions listed above, for example, you have not registered for the academic year, do so and then register for the course in question.
  6. You will receive a final confirmation about being admitted to the course at the end of the registration period, when the registrations have been confirmed. For some courses, your registration might be confirmed automatically right after your registration (enrolment with direct confirmation).

For further information and detailed instructions (with screen captures) for registration to courses, see the Sisu user instruction Registering for teaching and examinationsN.B.! If there are more registrations than there are places on a course that is part of the transferable skills courses organized buy the doctoral school and the registered are on an equal footing on the basis of the selection criteria, the students are selected on the basis of a draw.

Who organizes teaching?

Doctoral programmes organise teaching related to the discipline-specific studies of the degree. You can look courses up in Sisu or the browse course listings by doctoral programme in the Courses service. Follow also your email: Upcoming courses are normally announced by email.

The Doctoral School organises teaching in transferable skills to all doctoral students. Information on these is also available in Sisu and the Courses service.

The Doctoral school offers regular teaching in Research Ethics, because Research Ethics is a part of every doctoral programme’s degree requirements. It’s recommendable to participate in a Research Ethics course early on in your studies, as knowing the practices and principles will be useful when conducting research work.

Courses organised by Master’s programmes

Some doctoral programmes organise joint teaching with master’s programmes in the same discipline. Information on these courses is available in the course catalogue of your doctoral programme. In addition, some of the master’s programmes have opened their optional study modules also to students from other degree programmes. Doctoral students can also complete these studies. The suitability of optional master’s level courses as a part of a doctoral degree must be checked separately, for example, from the supervisor or person responsible for approving the studies according to the practices of the doctoral programme. Further information about optional study modules in master’s programmes open to students from other degree programmes as well as regulations related to them is available in the instructions for undergraduates. If a master’s programme offers a module for students from other degree programmes, it does not mean that you should complete the whole module. You may also complete only an individual course that you find interesting from the module.

Other teaching

The Helsinki University Library organises instruction in seeking information and managing references. Further information on upcoming courses is available on the UH library website.

The University of Helsinki Language Centre provides teaching in over ten languages. Further information about the Language Centre’s course offerings is available in the instructions for undergraduate students