Doctoral Programme in Language Studies

The Doctoral Programme in Language Studies (HELSLANG) covers a wide range of linguistic fields, including various synchronic and diachronic approaches to language, translation studies and language technology.
Did you know?

The Doctoral Programme in Language Studies covers a wide range of linguistic fields, including various synchronic and diachronic approaches to language, translation studies and language technology.

25 new doctoral researchers 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.
University of Helsinki is the home for academic study of many languages and linguistic disciplines that are not offered elsewhere in Finland and are increasingly rare even worldwide.
Were you looking for these?
Instructions for applicants

The University of Helsinki (UH) annually allocates funding to doctoral programmes for salaried positions (employment contract). These doctoral candidate positions are designated as full-time work. The aim is that doctoral candidates employed by the University will pursue a post-graduate doctoral degree, which should be completed within four years.

Both current University of Helsinki doctoral candidates and new applicants planning doctoral studies are eligible to apply for these positions. 

Please read the application instructions carefully before applying. If you are also planning to apply for the right to pursue a post-graduate doctoral degree, remember to read the instructions related to applying for a doctoral study right.

Salaried doctoral candidate positions are aimed at enabling full-time work on dissertations and postgraduate studies, with the goal of completing a doctoral degree in four years. The exact duration of employment, its’ start and end dates are determined in the employment contract. 

The salary and other further details concerning the employment relationship are available in the call for applications.

Applications for a salaried position in a doctoral programme are submitted by completing an electronic form and enclosing the required attachments. 

If you already have the right to pursue a post-graduate doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki and you are applying for a salaried position in your doctoral programme:  

  • Read the application instructions regarding salaried positions
  • Complete the electronic application form 

According to the guidelines of the University of Helsinki, individuals recruited to salaried doctoral candidate positions must gain admittance to doctoral studies (doctoral study right) within the six-month trial period of the employment. 

If you already have the right to pursue a post-graduate doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki, you may apply for a salaried position from another doctoral programme that suits your research profile. If you receive a salaried position from another doctoral programme, you will need to change your doctoral programme. Please note that you may need to reapply for post-graduate study rights if your faculty or target degree change in relation to an awarded salaried position. This application should be made in the spring at the latest, but please note that this may affect the start date of your potential employment. 

If you are applying for a salaried position in more than one doctoral programme, please complete a separate application form for each one.
English