Applicants Holding a Finnish M.Sc. (Econ.)

General Information on the Right to Study

A Master's degree with good grades from a recognised university constitutes the basis for admission to doctoral studies. The Master's degree has to include a comprehensive research based thesis.

Bachelor-level qualifications, degrees from polytechnics and programmes such as an MBA are not considered sufficient as basis for admission.

A person who intends to apply for admission to enter doctoral studies must before submitting his or her application decide which subject he or she would like to take as a major.

Students who are accepted for studies for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (Ph.D.(Econ.)) (Sw. Ekonomie doktor) can complete a degree of Licentiate of Science (Economics and Business Adminsitration) (Sw. Ekonomie licentiat). Students who are accepted for studies for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Sw. Filosofie doktor) cannot complete the Licentiate degree.

A student who has been accepted for studies for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy can complete supplementary studies concurrently with their doctoral studies in order to be able to apply for admission to the Doctor of Philosophy in Economics degree. Admission is based on a written application, and the final decision is made by the Rector.

Applicants Holding a Finnish Master's Degree in Economics

A student with a Finnish Master's degree in Economics may apply for admission to doctoral studies for the Doctor of Philosophy in Economics degree.

If the major in the applicant's doctoral studies is other than the major in his or her Master's degree in Economics, he or she must have completed

• at least 27 credits at intermediate level and
• at least 18 credits at advanced level in the intended major

If a student at the time of application does not possess sufficient knowledge in the intended major, he or she may be required to supplement his or her studies. See information on the supplementary studies procedure below.

Admission Step by Step

Step 1:
Please read the instructions carefully and ascertain that you fulfil the requirements for admission to doctoral studies (general requirements and major specific requirements) and decide which subject you want to apply to. You can apply to one first preference major and one second preference major in one application round.

If you wish to discuss your application prior to submitting it, you may contact the Doctoral Studies Co-ordinator (+358-40-3521 282, or e-mail doctoral.studies(at)hanken.fi). If you need to see the Co-ordinator in person, please make an appointment in advance. If you need further information about the major you are applying to, please contact a Degree Supervisor / Professor in the major in question.

Step 2:
A GMAT or GRE General Test result is mandatory for all applicants, as well as in many cases a certificate of knowledge of Swedish or English when applying to doctoral studies at Hanken. The official test results are to be sent directly to Hanken from the test organisers, you may attach an inofficial score report with your application. The tests are to be taken no later than the application deadline.

Step 3:
Complete the application form.

Please complete the form carefully and submit enclosures according to the instructions.

If you choose to apply for two majors at the same time a separate form should be completed for each major.

Step 4:
Send or submit your application and the enclosures.

The Co-ordinator will check that your application is complete. If something needs to be supplemented or clarified, you will be contacted by e-mail with a deadline for supplying the additional information. Please, make sure that the e-mail address you write on the application form is correctly spelled, and that it is working properly. Also make sure that e-mails are not filtered by your spam filter or rejecting e-mail due to quota issues.

Incomplete applications which have not been supplemented on time will not be considered for admission.

Step 5:
A Degree Supervisor or an admission committee for the major will make a recommendation regarding admission. An assessment on whether the applicant fulfils the prior knowledge requirements is made.

Interviews are normally carried out at the departments with the most promising applicants.

The following criteria are of importance when selecting new students:

• the applicant's field of research interest in relation to the major's research area
• motivation for doctoral studies and possibility/availability to study full time
• previous studies and demonstrated success in these
• ability to conduct doctoral studies and write scientific texts
• capacity for logical deduction and abstract thinking
• demonstrated success in research

If you do not meet the minimum requirements for the major, it may be suggested that you complete supplementary courses. The Degree Supervisor may contact you if he/she needs to discuss your application.

A Degree Supervisor will then write a statement of opinion regarding your admission which the Co-ordinator will present to the Rector.

Step 6:
The Rector will make the decision concerning admission, after which the decision will be sent by mail to the applicant by the Co-ordinator. The letter from the Co-ordinator will include information on enrolment procedures, the timetable and supplementary courses, if applicable.

Applicants not admitted may contact the Co-ordinator doctoral.studies(at)hanken.fi for more detailed information on the grounds for the decision.

Step 7:
When the student has enrolled he/she should contact the Degree Supervisor in order to get information about the studies within the major and discuss the studies in more detail.

Applicants should allow about 5-6 weeks after the application deadline for their application to be processed, and will be notified of the decision immediately via e-mail and letter.

Documents to be included in the application

Important! All documents and attachments mentioned below are mandatory when applying for doctoral studies at Hanken. Please submit them together with a completed and signed application form:

1) A GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) or GRE General Test (Graduate Record Examination) test result. The test result is to be sent directly to Hanken from the test organisers. The test result cannot be older than five (5) years and the test has to be taken no later than the application deadline.

To have the test result sent directly to Hanken please indicate Hanken's code when you make the request:
GMAT NRC-QZ-38
GRE 8433

2) Certificate of knowledge of Swedish or English (please se the language requirements below). The language test is to be taken no later than the application deadline.

3) A research proposal or a short description of the intended field of research.

4) Certified photocopies of your Bachelor's and Master's degree diplomas and transcripts of records, and a Diploma Supplement or other official description of the degree and grading system for the degree in question. This means that the copies are to be signed and stamped by the degree awarding institution in question or by a public notary. If you have not yet received your official diploma when applying, you can submit the certified copies of your diploma after the application deadline within a fixed timeframe. However, together with your application you must submit a certificate certified by the university in question proving that you have completed all study entities required for the degree constituting the basis for admission to doctoral studies and a transcripts of records, or a transcript of records showing that all the required entities are completed.

Regarding supplementing your application, please contact the Doctoral studies co-ordinator for more information.

5) An academic text written either in Swedish or in English (max.7000 words).

• The text can be an already written text, for example a part of your Master's thesis, or work done in connection with a course taken previously
• It is important that you are satisfied with the quality of the text
• The content of the text does not have to be connected to the major you are applying for

6) Other documents in accordance with the supplementary requirements set by the majors (please see below).

7) Other documentation that the applicant whishes to bring forward.

Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test result mandatory

A GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) or GRE (Revised) General Test (Graduate Record Examination) test result is mandatory for all applicants when applying to doctoral studies at Hanken. GMAT and GRE are tests designed to measure the skills shown to help graduate business students succeed in the challenging curriculum. The tests assess verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing skills.

The indicative GMAT / converted GRE threshold set by the Academic Council is 600 (applications rounds in 2012). If an applicant with a lower score shows considerable evidence of his/her propensity to conduct doctoral studies and research he/she may be considered for admission.

The test result cannot be older than five (5) years. All tests (GMAT/ GRE and language tests) must be taken by the application deadline and the official test score report has to be sent to Hanken directly from the test organiser. You may include a test taker copy in your application but in addition, you have to make a request to the test organiser before the application deadline to send an official test score report directly to Hanken School of Economics.

More information about GRE-test: ETS/GRE and Fulbright , test organiser in Finland Premeria
More information about GMAT-test: mba.com and the test organiser Lan Group Finland (LGF)

To have the test result sent directly to Hanken please indicate Hanken's code when you make the request:
GMAT: NRC-QZ-38
GRE: 8433

Language Requirements

Deadlines for applications: For deadlines please see Admissions

All tests (language tests and the admission tests GMAT/GRE) must be taken no later than the application deadline. The test results do not have to be included in your application, you have to request a test score report to be sent directly to Hanken School of Economics.

The applicant is obliged to demonstrate sufficient skills in English or Swedish through taking one of the following tests:

English

• IELTS (International English Language Testing System): A minimum score of 7. The test result can not be older than two (2) years.
• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): A minimum score of 650 (Paper-based test) /250 (computer-based test) /100 (internet-based test). Hanken's code for the TOEFL test is 8433. The test result can not be older than two (2) years.
• CPE with a minimum score of Grade C.
• The national certificate of langugae proficiency in Finland (English), advanced level, minimum score of 6.
• CEF (Common Europan Framework of Reference for Languages) Level C1.2

Swedish

• The national certificate of language proficiency in Finland (Swedish), advanced level, minimum score of 6.
• Language exam for the public administration in Finland, advanced level.

No other tests are accepted.

Applicants that fulfil one of the criteria below are exempt from the language test requirements:

English

• Applicants with English as their mother tongue who have obtained a Bachelor's and Master's degree with instruction only in English. A separate certificate from the higher education institution is required if this information is not stated on the degree or results transcript.
• Applicants who have completed their school education in Finland or in another
  Nordic country. An attested copy of the school leaving certificate or the matriculation examination is required.
• Applicants who have completed a Master's degree with instruction only in English in Finland or in another Nordic country. A separate certificate from the higher education institution is required if this information is not stated on the degree or results transcript.

Swedish

For information on the exemptions from taking a Swedish test, please see the information in Swedish.

Specific Requirements Set for the Majors

The majors have the right to limit the number of new doctoral students by applying the following criteria: demonstrated success in research, the scope and content, as well as success in previous studies in the intended major, field of research interest and other relevant information, such as different tests, availability to study full time, and a possible interview.

In addition to the general requirements, some majors have chosen to specify additional requirements:

Finance
Requires that the applicant has taken enough courses in Asset Pricing and Corporate Finance and has at least 5 credits in Econometrics. The applicant's Master's thesis should have received a minimum evaluation of "good" (on the scale excellent, very good, good, satisfactory, fair) or equivalent or be of corresponding standard in cases where grades are not given.

Entrepreneurship and Management, Management and Organization, Information Systems Science
Additional documents to be handed in by the applicant (in addition to those required by all Hanken applicants):

• A statement (no more than two pages long) of the applicant's field of research interest.
• At least one letter of recommendation, normally academic. The author of that letter should send it directly to Hanken's Doctoral Studies Coordinator.
• The applicant may also hand in a piece of written work of no more than 15 pages.

Having passed the documentation-based first phase, the applicant must participate in an interview with one or more potential supervisors in the department. The interview is also intended to inform the applicant of the conditions under which the doctoral studies are carried out at the department.

Economics
Applicants holding a Finnish Master's degree with a major in Economics:

• The applicant's Master's thesis should have received a minimum evaluation of "good" (cum laude approbatur) or be of corresponding standard in cases where grades are not given.
• The applicant's previous studies in Economics should have been evaluated as achieving the general grade "good".

Applicants holding a Finnish Master's degree with a major other than Economics:

• The applicant should fulfill the same requirements as stated above.
• The applicant must have written a Master's thesis in a field relevant to Economics.

To the extent possible, the same requirements are applied to international students.

Accounting

Applicants to the department of Accounting are to enclose a research plan with their application. The application can only be accepted if the research plan is approved by the admission committee of the department of Accounting. The research plan must include the following elements:

• A clear description of the statement of objective and the academic contribution of the research project and area of the dissertation.
• A preliminary review of the literature relevant to the research question. The review should be of sufficient extent so that an evaluation of the relevance and the intended contribution of the research project is possible.
• A preliminary description of the methods and material that the empirical study will be based upon.
• A preliminary time and project plan stipulating how the studies will be financed, how long the studies will take, as well as the amounts of part time and full time study respectively during different phases of the project.

If the thesis is to comprise of a series of published research articles - which is the format the department recommends - a description of the statement objective, literature, method and data should be presented for the first project (article). In addition, there should be some preliminary ideas, not necessarily including literature reviews, of how at least two other articles could be written within the same problem area.

Statistics
The following is required for admission:

• The applicant's Master's thesis should have been graded at least two on a three-grade scale and at least with the grade three on a five-grade scale or the equivalent.
• Among the applicant's previous studies there should be enough courses in probability theory, statistical inference and mathematics.

Hanken scholarship for first year doctoral students

Hanken offers the possibility of full-time funding for a certain number of first year doctoral students. The funding covers studies during the first academic year (the maximum length of the funding period is 1 September - 31 August). The grant amount is 1630 euro/month. The amount includes funding for the costs for a statutory pension insurance and an occupational accident insurance (approximately 14 percent of the grant amount).

Application for the scholarship is made in conjunction with applications for admission to doctoral studies using the same form. Applicants are informed of the funding decision in connection with the decision on admissions.

Conditions for granting the scholarship:

· The application for the scholarship can be made only in conjunction with application for admission to doctoral studies using the same form.

· Incomplete or late applications are not considered.

· Scholarships for full-time studies require a leave of absence from another position.

· The holder of a scholarship is to study full-time and make progress in his/her studies. The holder of a scholarship is to inform his/her degree supervisor if he/she interrupts his/her studies or no longer is studying full-time.

· A condition for payment of a scholarship for full-time studies is that the applicant has not received other funding for the same purpose for the same period. The holder of a scholarship is to inform his/her degree supervisor if he/she receives funding for full-time studies from another source.

· Scholarships for doctoral students require that the applicant is enrolled as a doctoral student at Hanken and registered as present.

Hanken retains the right to discontinue the payment if any one of the above requirements is not fulfilled.

Procedure for Required Supplementary Studies

If at the time of applying for doctoral studies, a student does not fulfil the minimum requirements in business economics and economics and/or does not possess sufficient knowledge in the intended major he or she may be required to supplement his or her previous studies. The supplementary courses are to be completed by students in addition to the requirements for a doctoral degree. The supplementary courses must have been completed before the student can graduate, or in some cases within a certain time frame. The Rector makes all decisions on supplementary studies. Please note that this procedure is applied only in exceptional cases.

The Degree Supervisor stipulates which courses, or what type of courses, should be completed. The applicant will be informed about the requirements in their admission letter. The Degree Supervisor may provide advice in the study plan as to whether the student should complete the supplementary studies before the doctoral studies commence or whether the supplementary courses can be completed concurrently.