Doctoral programmes

Doctoral studies in Estonia are without tuition fee and with various grants and scholarship opportunities. Estonia is an exciting country for a PhD student: our universities have lots of different study programmes and Estonia has PhD students from more than 50 countries in the world. A master’s qualification is required for entry to doctoral studies.

Entry requirements for PhD students

The following documents are usually required for an application:

  • completed application form
  • certified copies of certificates/degrees/qualifications showing eligibility for Doctoral studies
  • academic transcript(s)
  • academic CV
  • statement of purpose
  • two or three photos
  • copy of an identification document

Specific requirements depend on the requirements of the institution of higher education and the particular course. Specific requirements may include an entrance examination, thesis plan or an interview etc. All prospective international students should contact the university they wish to attend for additional information.

Proficiency in Estonian at the B1 level is required; otherwise, PhD students will face limited funding opportunities from state level such as mobility funding.

Doctoral programmes and admission contacts:

School Accredited doctoral programmes E-mail
Estonian Academy of Arts
  • Art & Design
  • Architecture and Urban Planning
  • Cultural Heritage and Conservation
  • Art History and Visual Culture
irene.hutsi@artun.ee
Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre
  • Music and Theatre
admissions@eamt.ee
Estonian University of Life Sciences
  • Agricultural Sciences
  • Engineering Sciences
  • Environmental Sciences and Applied Biology
  • Forestry
  • Veterinary Medicine and Food Science
study@emu.ee
Estonian Business School Management doctoral@ebs.ee
Tallinn University
  • Analytical Biochemistry
  • Audiovisual Arts and Media Studies 
  • Demography
  • Ecology
  • Educational Sciences
  • Government and Politics
  • Health Behaviour and Wellbeing
  • History
  • Information Society Technologies
  • Linguistics
  • Physics
  • Psychology
  • Social Work
  • Sociology
  • Studies of Cultures
tlu.ee/en/ask
University of Tartu
  • Humanities

     • English Language and Literature
     • French Language and Literature
     • German Language and Literature
     • Russian Language and Literature
     • Scandinavian Languages and Literature
     • Spanish Language and Literature
     • Archaeology
     • Art History
     • Classical Philology
     • Comparative Literature
     • Ethnology
     • Estonian Literature
     • Finno-Ugric Studies
     • Folkloristics
     • History
     • Linguistics
     • Philosophy
     • Religious Studies
     • Semiotics and Culture Studies
     • Theatre Studies
     • Theology
     • Translation Studies

 

  •  Educational Sciences

     • Educational Science

     •Translation Studies

 

  • Social Sciences

     • Business Administration
     • Economics
     • Law
     • Media and Communication
     • Political Science
     • Psychology
     • Sociology

 

  • Medicine and Sport

     • Exercise and Sport Sciences
     • Medicine
     • Neurosciences
     • Pharmacy

 

  • Chemical and Physical Sciences

     • Chemistry
     • Physics
     • Space Research and Technology

 

  • Engineering and Technology

     • Computer Engineering
     • Environmental Technology
     • Materials Science
     • Molecular Biotechnology
     • Sustainable Energetics

 

  • Life and Earth Sciences

     • Biodiversity and Ecological Sustainability
     • Geography
     • Geology
     • Genomics
     • Molecular Biosciences

 

  •  Mathematics and Computer Science

     • Computer Science
     • Mathematical Sciences

www.ut.ee/ask
Tallinn University of Technology
  • Information and Communication Technology
  • Science

   •Biomedicine and Health Technology

   •Chemistry and Biotechnology

   •Earth Sciences

   •Applied Physics and Mathematics

 

  • Engineering Sciences

   •Building and Civil Engineering and Architecture

   •Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics

   •Chemical, Materials and Energy Technology

   •Environmental, Marine and Coastal Technology

   •Maritime Studies

   •Production and Materials Engineering, Robotics, Transport and Logistics

 

  • Business, Economics and Governance

   •Public Policy and Innovation

   •Economics and Finance

   •Business

docstudy@taltech.ee