Apply to doctoral studies in music

Published 15.11.2019 | Updated 11.12.2024

General instructions

Doctor of Music degree and study programme

The Doctor of Music degree is either an artistic or scientific third-cycle degree and is completed in one of the following three study programmes:

• In the arts study programme, the primary focus of the third-cycle studies is on independent and thematically coherent artistic and research work combined with supporting studies.

• In the research study programme, the primary focus of studies is on scientific research and supplementary studies that strengthen research competence.

• In the applied study programme, the primary focus is on becoming a specialist through carrying out a development project that builds the specialist knowledge and skills in a particular topic within the music field and the development work related to this topic. An applied study programme degree may be either research-orientated or artistic.

The scope of the Doctor of Music degree is 240 ECTS credits. Completion includes a demonstration of proficiency scored at 165 ECTS credits and supporting studies to a total of 75 ECTS credits.

The supporting studies must be at the university-level and comprise competence, research foundations and methods in the field of art as well as research communication and working life skills (see Study Guide). The supporting studies must be applicable to the set of problems covered by the doctoral dissertation.

Applications instructions

In addition to these general application instructions, applicants must comply with the more detailed instructions of the selected study programme, which can be found below.

The application period is between 8 –22 January 2025. The application period will end on Wednesday 22 January 2025 at 15.00.

The eligibility for doctoral studies applies to persons who have completed the Master of Music degree (master’s degree) or a corresponding degree earlier at Sibelius Academy or another applicable master’s degree. Doctoral studies can also be based on other previous studies, if the the Committee for Doctoral Education and Research at the Board of Directors of the Sibelius Academy considers the person to have the prerequisites for successfully pursuing doctoral studies.

You must submit your application through the Studyinfo.fi website.

WhenThe application documents are sent in a single PDF document compiled according to the instructions of the study programme. (However, according to the instructions linked below, separate files can be appended to the portfolio included in the application documents for the arts study programme and the artistic applied study programme.) When filling in the application form on Studyinfo.fi, you can upload application documents after selecting your study programme (arts study programme, research study programme, applied study programme).

Based on their application, the student may:

1. Be granted the right to study in a degree that leads to a doctorate (Dean’s decision)
2. Have the opportunity to become a student preparing a third-cycle degree plan
3. Have their application rejected 

Studies preparing a third-cycle degree plan are arranged in the Open Campus of the University of the Arts Helsinki, and as of the academic year 2023–2024, the Open University fee will be charged for these studies (primarily EUR 15/ECTS credit as of the academic year 2022–2023). Study or annual tuition fees do not apply to studies in a programme that leads to a doctorate.

Decision on admission as a student and announcement of the results

The key criteria for admitting an applicant are the assessments of the applicant’s chances of achieving success in doctoral studies. Admission as a student is based on the application, the related documents sent to the application system as well as the entrance examination results. The expert committee will assess the entrance examination results to determine the applicant’s skills, knowledge, competence and educability. The assessment is based on the following general application-specific entrance requirements, which are described below.

General admission criteria

• The applicant’s competences of performing their planned third-cycle degree successfully
• The application documents and possible entrance examination results
• The feasibility of the degree in the framework of the indicative periods of study (third-cycle degree by studying full-time for four years)
• The originality of the degree project
• The significance and impact of the degree in the field and in society
• The suitability of the programme regarding the artistic and research profile of the university.

The selection results will be announced to the applicants as soon as they become clear, but no later than 15 June 2025.

Rectification procedure

If you believe that the Sibelius Academy has acted contrary to its admission criteria, you can request for rectification to the student admission decision from the Sibelius Academy in writing within 14 days of the publication of the admission results.

The rectification procedure is not intended as a means for receiving feedback, asking for further information about the admission or requesting unjustified re-evaluation. Instructions for submitting a request for rectification will be published on the Uniarts Helsinki website in connection with the publication of the admission decision.

More information about the rectification process can be found here.

Further information

Sirpa Järvelä, sirpa.jarvela@uniarts.fi, +358 40 710 4286

Current doctoral projects at the Sibelius Academy

• Theses by students who have completed their artistic doctoral studies in the in the Arts Study Programme

• Dissertations and theses published at the University of the Arts Helsinki
• Doctoral degrees completed at the Sibelius Academy

Applying for the Arts Study Programme

The Arts Study Programme involves producing a thematically coherent, research-oriented artistic demonstration of proficiency

The specific objectives of the arts study programme are to develop the student’s skills and capacity for:

• artistically high-quality and visionary expression,
• conceptually clear knowledge production,
• producing new knowledge through art and research methods and
• engaging in constructive interaction with the art community, the academic world and the rest of society.

In the arts study programme, the demonstration of proficiency for a third-cycle degree is a thematically consistent research work consisting of an artistic component and a written component. As part of their application, applicants must specify the goals, contents, scope and interrelation of the sections in the third-cycle degree plan. The third-cycle degree plan is updated as the doctoral studies progress.

• The artistic components of the demonstration of proficiency may include concerts, compositions, artistic productions, liturgies, recordings, online materials or videos. The scope of the components for a doctorate must correspond to between two and four concert programmes or other artistic entities.
• The demonstration of proficiency also includes a written component which may consist of either a monograph-format thesis or at least one peer-reviewed research article. The written component may also be multimedia in form. The written component forms a coherent research project when taken together with the other components of the demonstration of proficiency.
• The written component also contains a summary which provides a report of the goals, framework and components of the demonstration of proficiency and of how they interrelate, along with a review of the results and a discussion of the significance of these results. If the written component is a monograph, the contents of the summary are included in the monograph. If the written component is in article form, the summary is a report separate to the written component, unless the description is included in one of the articles

Doctoral students are selected on the basis of the 1) application documents, 2) an artistic level test, 3) an interview and 4) a material test. The material test also tests the applicant’s proficiency of their language of study.

In connection with the assessment, the board members assess the applicants’ skills, knowledge, competences and chances of achieving success in doctoral studies. The assessment criteria include:

• The clarity of the third-cycle degree plan
• Artistic and technical skills
• The individuality, distinctiveness and maturity of musical expression
• The ability to argue one’s artistic and research goals
• The potential for renewing artistic practices and generating new knowledge
• The potential for interaction and for strengthening the status of art and research in academic communities and in wider society.

Application documents – Arts Study Programme

The application documents must include the following parts, with parts 1–3 combined in a single PDF file and part 4, i.e. the portfolio according to more detailed instructions (see below):

1. The proficiency test programme (see Artistic proficiency test below)

2. Third-cycle degree plan

The third-cycle degree plan describes the goals of the degree, the sections of the doctoral dissertation and how they interrelate, the contents of the supporting studies as well as the schedule for completing the third-cycle studies. The length of the plan may not exceed 20,000 characters with spaces included. The list of references is not counted towards the character limit.

The third-cycle degree plan must contain the following information:

• The artistic and research basis of the doctoral dissertation, the task assignment and goals
• The contents, interrelation, and focus of the doctoral dissertation (in what ways are the goals achieved through the doctoral dissertation, how does the dissertation combine artistic activity and research?)
• The thematic ideas of the artistic sections in the doctoral dissertation, the main features of the programme and the role of each part in the entirety; applicants should take into account that they are responsible for organising the artistic sections, such as hiring assistants and the procurement of an orchestra or choir
• A preliminary description of the research task, theoretical framework, methods and materials of the monograph, each research article or exposition as well as the relationship of the written section to the other sections of the doctoral dissertation
• An assessment of the significance of the results of the doctoral dissertation for one’s own field of art and related research as well for society at large
• An outline of the supporting studies worth 75 ECTS credits in total required to achieve the goals of the degree (topics, scope)
• The planned schedule for the third-cycle studies
• The references used in the third-cycle degree plan.

You may propose a small amount of material previously produced by you for inclusion in your degree, The applicant can propose a small amount of previously produced material to be included in the degree, provided that it seamlessly fits the subject matter and content of the doctoral dissertation. Applicants are also recommended to participate in Sibelius Academy’s open info sessions for doctoral education applicants, which are held during the autumn term. Applicants have the right to suggest supervisors in their third-cycle degree plans.

3. Motivational essay

See the separate instructions for writing a motivational essay.

4. Portfolio

The portfolio must contain CV information and appropriate samples of the applicant’s artistic activity with regard to the third-cycle degree plan. These include, for example: (a) video and audio recordings of performances, (b) a selection of scores (4–6 pieces) with sound recordings, (c) sound material (3–5 samples) with scores or equivalent documentation of the performance of the composition or (d) combinations thereof.

See the separate instructions for compiling a portfolio.

Entrance examinations

Artistic proficiency test

Once the application period has closed, the heads of the doctoral schools will decide which applicants shall be invited to take the proficiency test. Applicants planning a degree with an artistic section must participate in the artistic proficiency test. The programme presented in the proficiency test must be clearly related to the subject area of the planned doctoral dissertation. The programme may last no more than 15 minutes.

You cannot be admitted as a doctoral education on the basis of recordings only. Applicants from outside Europe will have the opportunity to submit a video recording to a platform that will be announced later and receive a preliminary assessment of their chances of passing the proficiency test. A technically high-quality recording, which is no more than two years old, may last no more than 30 minutes and must include content related to the planned doctoral dissertation.

The artistic proficiency test in DocMus doctoral school will be on March 17-18.2025. The interview for applicants who pass the proficiency test will be either on 19.3.2025 or 20.3.2025. In MuTri doctoral school the artistic proficiency tests will be as follows: Folk Music 18.3.2025, Jazz 28.3.2025, Global Music 17.3.2025, Music Technology 18.3.2025.

Composition applicants trying to apply to the DocMus Doctoral School will perform a proficiency test by performing scores (4–6 pieces) of their portfolio with included audio samples to the Board.

Interview, material test and eventual language test

Applicants who pass the proficiency test can be interviewed about matters that were not apparent from the application documents as well as about the aims of the applicant and their chances of completing the third-cycle degree.

Applicants who pass the proficiency test and are interviewed will also be given a material test after the interview. The assignment in this test is to write an essay about two pages long on a topic related to your For those who have passed the artistic proficiency test and have been invited to the interview, a writing test can also be arranged, following the interview. The applicant will be asked to write a text of approximately two pages on a subject connected to the doctoral plan. The purpose of the material test is to give an indication of the applicant’s written expression skills and knowledge regarding the subject of the planned degree. The exam also serves as a language test for those applicants who intend to write the written parts of the doctoral dissertation in a language other than their native language or whose native language is not Finnish, Swedish or English

Applying for the Research Study Programme

In the research study programme, the primary focus of studies is on scientific research and supplementary studies that strengthen research competence. The demonstration of proficiency is a dissertation. Applicants to the research study programme are accepted on the basis of a research plan, other application documents, and a possible interview. In connection with the assessment, the committee members assess the applicants’ skills, competences and chances of achieving success in doctoral studies. The expert committee will assess the clarity of the research plan, the contextualisation of the research and the clarity of the argument. In addition, the committee will assess the interest of the subject and the significance and impact of the project within its respective field and society at large

The specific objectives of the research study programme are to develop the student’s skills and capacity:

• producing high quality knowledge,
• interacting with the academic community and wider society,
• integrating into the activities of the international research community; and
• strengthening the position of scientific research.

Application documents – Research Study Programme

Your application documents must include the following:

1. A research plan outlining the basis and objectives of the research project, earlier research related to the project, and the topics and research methods of the project. The length of the plan may not exceed 20,000 characters with spaces included. The list of references is not counted towards the character limit. Here are the instructions for preparing a study plan
2. A general description of the supporting studies, their scope and their subjects. (The overall scope of the supporting studies is 75 ECTS credits.)
3. Your CV
4. An explanation of previous qualifications and studies and other factors which the applicant sees as relevant for their eligibility for further studies.
5. An abstract and grade for the written presentation or equivalent submitted for a previous degree, and, if the dissertation is online, a relevant URL
6. A verified copy of the previous degree certificate.

Applying for the Applied Study Programme

The aim of the applied study programme is to develop music-related practices, approaches, methods, software, innovations, applications, tools, or other similar shareable outputs. The development will be carried out using scientific and/or artistic research methods, and the development target will be tested as part of a doctoral project. Development is generally based on the applicant’s own experience and interests and on the needs of changing musical environments. The studies can be either research-oriented or artistic. 

Students for the applied study programme are selected based on a project plan, application documents and a possible interview and/or artistic level assessment. The selection process will assess the applicants’ skills, knowledge, abilities, and potential for success in postgraduate studies. 

The assessment will also focus on the identification of the need for development, the originality of the project and its relevance to the field of art, the thoroughness of the contextualisation of the topic, as well as the argumentation, coherence, and clarity of language. For those applying for an artistically oriented degree, the selection criteria also include an assessment of the artistic skills related to the demonstration of proficiency and its implementation.

The aim is for the student to achieve:

• a high-quality combination of scientific, methodological, pedagogical, artistic, or technical skills 
• the ability to develop new high-quality methods, capabilities, materials, and tools, 
• the ability to gather, critically evaluate, apply, and produce knowledge, 
• the ability to work in cooperation with Finnish and international actors within their own field and in a multidisciplinary manner,
• the ability to communicate the results of their work to different audiences. 

The project plan must indicate that the planned studies are aligned with the goals set by the Degrees Decree (794/2004).

Application documents – Applied Study Programme

The application file must contain the following parts in a single pdf file:

1. A letter of application containing

• contact information
• the choice of study orientation (research-based or artistic) 
• a brief description of the applicant’s motivation and goals for the development of his/her field and the skills that will support the project.
• the number of characters in the project plan, including spaces 

2. Project plan (max 20 000 characters including spaces).

• The need for development and the justification for this need
• Subject, importance, and objective of the development work
• Contextualisation of the topic: key theoretical premises and concepts, framing, context, main features of previous research, artistic/scientific activities, and development, etc.
• Problem statement
• Methods and materials used in the development work
• Testing the development target
• Development phases and timetable, actors, and environment
• Description of the development objective and outputs (demonstration of proficiency) 
• Ethical principles for the project
• References

3. A plan for research-based and artistic studies required to implement the project by subject area. Individual courses need not be specified, but a plan of types and amounts of studies is required (see https://opinto-opas.uniarts.fi/en/index). (The total number of supporting studies is 75 ECTS credits.)

4. Applicants for research orientation, provide a curriculum vitae, applicants for artistic orientation provide a portfolio with links or attachments, if any  (see more detailed instructions on how to prepare an artistic portfolio).

5. Applicants for the applied study programme with research orientation must also include a summary and grade of a previously completed thesis and its online address (if the thesis has been published online). 
Applicants for the applied study programme with artistic orientation must also submit a programme (max 15 min), which they will present at the artistic level assessment if requested. If necessary, the level assessment will be held in conjunction with the interview at a time to be agreed. The programme to be presented at the level assessment must be clearly related to the subject of the planned demonstration of proficiency.

There is no need to include recommendations, reviews, or any other material not mentioned above.

Applicants are advised to familiarise themselves with the doctoral degrees completed and in progress at the Sibelius Academy, especially in the corresponding applied study programme:

Written works/theses and degrees completed in the field of applied studies