University of Helsinki

Guidelines for postgraduate (doctoral) studies

Guidelines for postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry (approved at the Faculty Council meeting September 8 th, 2005, defined 11 October, 2007)

• How to apply
• General guidelines for the supervision of research and studies
• Postgraduate study plan
• Postgraduate studies
• The Doctoral degree
• The Licentiate degree
• The Licentiate or Doctoral Diploma

 

Scientific postgraduate studies

In order to qualify for postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, applicants must have completed a basic degree or training that meets the Faculty requirements for the postgraduate studies programme.

The applicant should have

• an appropriate higher university degree, i.e. a Master’s-level degree; or
• an appropriate foreign university degree that qualifies the applicant for corresponding postgraduate studies in that country; or
• otherwise proven skills and sufficient knowledge for scientific postgraduate studies.

In addition, the student should have demonstrated a sufficiently high level of academic performance in his or her major subject and Master’s thesis. If not, the student can provide additional proof of his or her skills in a manner agreed on with the professor in charge, e.g. in the form of an extensive essay or a manuscript for a scientific article, or by taking an examination.

The aim of scientific postgraduate studies is for the student to

• become profoundly familiar with his or her field of research and its impact on society, and acquire the ability to independently and critically apply scientific research methods and contribute to new scientific knowledge within the field;
• become well-versed in the development, basic problems and research methods of his or her discipline;
• acquire a level of knowledge of general scientific theory, and of the disciplines related to his or her field of research, that permits him or her to follow future developments.

Postgraduate degrees offered by the Faculty are Licentiate and Doctoral degrees: Licentiate of Science in Agriculture and Forestry; Licentiate of Food Sciences; Doctor of Science in Agriculture and Forestry; Doctor of Food Sciences; and, Doctor of Philosophy. When approving the application for postgraduate studies, the Faculty will decide on the basis of the applicant’s previous studies and the topic of the planned doctoral dissertation or Licentiate thesis to what degree the applicant’s postgraduate studies will lead.

How to apply

Postgraduate degrees can be completed in all the major subjects specified in Section 3 of the Standing Regulations of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. If the major subject comprises several specialization lines approved by the Faculty Council, eligibility for postgraduate studies in a major subject can be specified for a particular specialization line. The application is for the right to pursue a doctoral degree, but also comprises the right to complete a Licentiate degree. The application should be submitted in writing to the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. Application forms for postgraduate studies and for drawing up a postgraduate study plan can be downloaded from the Faculty website. The application process varies slightly depending on the student’s previous degree and where it was completed.

1) Applicants who have graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry
A student with a Master’s degree from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry may be granted the right to pursue studies leading to a doctorate in Agriculture and Forestry or Food Sciences, provided the applicant has demonstrated a sufficiently high level of academic performance and the professor in charge supports the application. The student should have received a final grade of at least 3 (previously Good or 2-/3) in his or her major subject and a minimum grade of non sine laude approbatur for his or her Master’s thesis.

If the student is applying for the right to pursue studies in a different major subject from the one in which his or her previous degree was completed, the professor in charge of the postgraduate major subject should write a well-founded statement on the applicant’s eligibility for studies in that subject. In order to be considered eligible for postgraduate studies, the student should have completed a minimum of 100 credits in the major subject of the postgraduate degree programme or in other equivalent studies. The credits can be from basic, intermediate or advanced-level studies or other studies relevant to the major subject. If necessary, the student must complete supplementary studies in the postgraduate major subject in a manner agreed on with the professor in charge. The professor’s statement should be enclosed in the application. The supported application and enclosures should be submitted to the Faculty Office (Student Affairs). The procedure above can also be applied within the major subject if the student wishes to change specialization lines.

2) Applicants who have graduated from another faculty at the University of Helsinki or from another Finnish university
A student with a Master’s degree from another f aculty at the University of Helsinki or from another Finnish university may be granted the right to pursue studies leading to a doctorate in Agriculture and Forestry or Food Sciences or to the degree Doctor of Philosophy, provided the applicant has demonstrated a sufficiently high level of academic performance and the professor in charge supports the application. The professor in charge of the postgraduate major subject should write a well-founded statement on the applicant’s eligibility for studies in that subject. The student should have completed a minimum of 100 credits in the major subject of his or her postgraduate degree programme or in other equivalent studies. If the student has completed the credits in the major subject of the degree programme, the degrees of Licentiate or Doctor of Agriculture and Forestry or Food Sciences are available; if the credits have been completed in a subject corresponding to the postgraduate major subject, the degree is that of Doctor of Philosophy. The credits can be from basic, intermediate or advanced-level studies or other studies relevant to the major subject. If necessary, the student must complete supplementary studies in the postgraduate major subject in a manner agreed on with the professor in charge. The professor’s statement should be enclosed in the application. The application should also include an officially certified copy of the student’s diploma and a transcript of completed studies. The application, complete with enclosures, should be submitted to the Faculty Office (Student Affairs).

3) Applicants who have completed their Master’s degree abroad
Students who have obtained eligibility for postgraduate studies abroad should apply for postgraduate studies using the application form for international students (available from Student Information and Counselling or from http://www.helsinki.fi/admissions/). The application form and required enclosures should be submitted to the Faculty Office. The professor responsible for the postgraduate major subject should write a statement on the applicant’s eligibility for studies in that subject. If necessary, the student must complete supplementary studies in the postgraduate major subject in a manner agreed on with the professor in charge.

The applications are reviewed by the Committee for Research and Postgraduate Education appointed by the Faculty Council. The right to pursue postgraduate studies is granted by the Dean. If the student is accepted, he or she will be sent instructions for enrolment. The student should return the enrolment documents to the Faculty Office, which will then send the documents to the Student Register where the information will be transferred into the Oodi student register. The Student Register will notify the student of his or her registration and student number.

Postgraduate study plan
When applying for the right to pursue postgraduate studies the student must include a preliminary postgraduate study plan (including an outline of the intended studies and research topic). The student must present a detailed study plan within a year of being accepted for postgraduate studies.

The student should draw up the study plan together with his or her supervisor or the professor in charge, using a form available on the Faculty website. At this point the student should also have a research plan that has been approved by the professor, and a financing plan. A field-specific monitoring group can be appointed to provide scientific support for the dissertation or thesis work. If the dissertation or thesis work is being done outside the Faculty, both the relevant Faculty department and the place of research must be represented in the monitoring group.

The student’s study plan must be approved by the professor in charge of the major subject. If the supervisor is someone other than the professor, the study plan requires the approval of both persons. The completed and approved study plan form should be submitted to the Faculty Office. The plans are reviewed for consistency by the Committee for Research and Postgraduate Education and approved by the Dean. If, over time, an approved postgraduate study plan needs to be slightly revised, the professor is authorized to approve changes of up to 20 credits. Significant changes have to be reviewed by the Committee for Research and Postgraduate Education. If, upon completing a Licentiate degree, the student continues to study the same major subject, there is no need to draw up a new study plan.

Degree requirements
A student who has been accepted for scientific postgraduate studies must complete the following:

A minimum of 60 credits of postgraduate studies in accordance with the study plan; and
A Licentiate thesis and/or a doctoral dissertation that demonstrates an independent and critical approach to the field of research and is approved by the Faculty after being defended at a public examination.
The purpose of the postgraduate studies referred to in item 1 is to form the necessary knowledge base for the Licentiate thesis or doctoral dissertation. The student should integrate his or her studies and research work in such a way that when the thesis is submitted for examination, the studies will have been completed. The postgraduate studies referred to in item 1 must be completed before the examiners of the Licentiate thesis or the pre-examiners of the doctoral dissertation are appointed. If the required studies have not been completed, a report of the missing courses and their planned completion must be enclosed in the proposal for the appointment of the examiners or pre-examiners.

The student may not use previously completed studies that have already been included in the Master’s degree in his or her postgraduate degree.

If the student wishes to pursue another, same-level postgraduate degree, he or she must complete another set of postgraduate studies (60 credits).

Students pursuing the Licentiate and Doctoral degrees must complete 60 credits of postgraduate studies as follows:

I GENERAL POSTGRADUATE STUDIES (min. 15 credits)

• Language studies (max. 6 credits)
• Methodology
• Applied ethics
• Philosophy of science
• The research process
• Popularization of research data
• Research policy and management
• Research funding and planning
• Studies in university-level teaching and practical training (max. 5 credits)
• Studies related to the commercial use of research results
• Scientific publications (max. 5 credits)
  

II FIELD-SPECIFIC STUDIES (min. 45 credits)

Major and minor subjects (10-35 credits)

• Field-specific postgraduate studies
• Major subject literature exam
• Postgraduate seminars
• Conference presentations and posters (max. 6 credits)
• International expert assignments (max. 3 credits)

Field-specific methodology studies (10-35 credits)

• Studies in scientific research methods (specific to field of research and research topic)

I GENERAL POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
General postgraduate studies should comprise courses that support the student’s research work, e.g. studies in applied ethics, scientific publication, the popularization of research data, research policy and management, research funding and planning, and university-level teaching and learning.

Studies in the theory of science offered by the Faculty include the following courses: The Research Process, Philosophy of Science, and Methodology. It is advisable for the student to complete the course The Research Process at the very beginning of his or her studies. The courses Philosophy of Science and Methodology can also be completed by taking a book examination. A reading list for the examination is available on the Faculty website. Other options must be discussed separately with the teacher responsible for the course in question.

The Faculty recommends that the student take a course in academic writing, such as Academic Scientific Writing. Further information on language studies may be obtained from the University’s Language Centre. The maximum number of credits in language studies allowed in a postgraduate study plan is 6.

The postgraduate study plan may include a maximum of 5 credits’ worth of scientific articles that are not a part of the dissertation work.

Studies and practical training in university-level teaching and learning may be included in the study plan for a maximum number of 5 credits.

II FIELD-SPECIFIC STUDIES

Field-specific studies include courses in the major and minor subjects and field-specific methodology courses, and should total at least 45 credits. The student may emphasize studies from either group according to his or her research topic. As a rule, the studies should be intermediate or advanced courses and the subject matter should contribute to the student’s dissertation/thesis work.

The study plan should contain as much detailed information as possible on the courses the student plans to complete: name of course, code, level, credits, time and place of completion. If the course takes place or has taken place elsewhere than at a university in Finland or abroad, a course description should be included. In order to complete a course the student must pass an examination or write a report or complete a written assignment, or produce some other form of written documentation; mere attendance is not enough.

Conference presentations and posters at an international conference or symposium can be included in the postgraduate study plan for a maximum number of 6 credits. An oral presentation yields 4 credits and a poster 2 credits, if the student is the primary author and presenter.

International expert assignments may be included in the study plan for a maximum number of 3 credits with the consent of the professor in charge.

Major and minor subjects (10-35 credits) are studies agreed on with the professor in charge, and they may include postgraduate courses in the student’s own field, a literature examination in the major subject, and active participation in postgraduate seminars. The scope of the literature examination and the reading list are agreed on with the professor in charge. Postgraduate courses are taught both by departments and by graduate schools within the Faculty.

Field-specific methodology studies (10-35 credits) include studies in scientific research methods relevant to the student’s own field of research and research topic, such as statistics, data processing, chemical analysis, econometrics, etc.

The student may include completed studies at other faculties and universities in the studies referred to in Sections I and II. The Faculty recommends that the student pursue at least three months of postgraduate studies at a university or research institute abroad.

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry is a member of NOVA, the Nordic Forestry, Veterinary and Agricultural Network, a network of Nordic universities that organizes several field-specific postgraduate courses every year. For information on courses offered by NOVA, see http://www.nova-university.org/ .

The Doctoral degree

Doctor of Science in Agriculture and Forestry and Doctor of Food Sciences

A student who has been admitted to pursue scientific postgraduate studies must complete his or her studies in accordance with the postgraduate study plan approved by the Faculty, and write a doctoral dissertation that demonstrates his or her ability for independent and critical thought in the field of research and is approved by the Faculty after a public examination (Standing Regulations of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Section 26).

Doctor of Philosophy
A person who has completed a higher (i.e. a Master’s) degree at a Finnish university or a corresponding degree at a university abroad can be admitted to pursue studies leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. In order to complete the doctoral degree, the student must complete at least 60 credits of postgraduate studies in accordance with the study plan, and write a doctoral dissertation that demonstrates his or her ability for independent and critical thought in the field of research and is approved by the Faculty after a public examination. Students who have graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry with a Master’s degree in either Agriculture and Forestry or Food Sciences may not complete the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Changing the major subject after completing a Licentiate degree
If a student who has completed a Licentiate degree in Agriculture and Forestry or Food Sciences wishes to change his or her major subject when pursuing a doctoral degree, or the Faculty has admitted a person with a Licentiate degree in Philosophy to pursue a doctorate in Philosophy, the professor in charge must submit a written statement as to the usefulness of a dissertation in that major subject and the student’s eligibility for studies in the new major subject. If necessary, the student must complete supplementary studies in the doctoral major subject.

The format of the dissertation
A doctoral dissertation can be a monograph or it can be in the form of a compilation, or article-based, dissertation, i.e. a collection of several separate scientific articles or manuscripts that have been accepted for publication and all focus on the same topic. An article-based dissertation must always contain a summary. Regardless of its format, the work should meet the scientific criteria set for a doctoral dissertation. The summary of an article-based dissertation should clearly present the theoretical background of the research, its objectives, methods, results, analysis and conclusions.

The separate articles should mainly have been published in refereed scientific journals, and previously unpublished manuscripts should have been refereed and accepted for publication. At least half of the articles included in a compilation dissertation should have been previously published or accepted for publication, and the rest should have been submitted for publication. Compilation dissertations submitted to the Faculty typically contain four separate articles.If the number of articles in an article dissertation is less what is typical in the Faculty, the professor in charge should prepare a report regarding the scope of the dissertation work (Faculty Council decision 11 October, 2007, §B2). If an article included in a dissertation has not yet been accepted for publication, the pre-examiners should pay particular attention to the quality of this article in their assessment.

Co-authored publications may be included if the author’s independent contribution to them can be verified. If a co-authored publication is included, the doctoral candidate must, when submitting the dissertation, always provide the Faculty with a report on the division of labor in the co-authored article(s) and the candidate’s own contribution in particular. The candidate, his or her thesis supervisor, and the other co-authors of the joint publication must verify the report by their signatures. When several candidates wish to include the same co-authored publication in their dissertations, the matter is resolved on a case-by-case basis depending on the reported contribution of each co-author.

The names and posts of the supervisor(s), pre-examiners and opponent of the dissertation must appear on the page following the title page of the completed dissertation.

Pre-examination of the dissertation and permission to defend it at a public examination
Permission to defend a doctoral dissertation is granted by the Faculty Council. For this purpose, the Faculty Council requests and obtains assessments of the dissertation manuscript from at least two experts (pre-examiners), who have the qualifications of a docent or equivalent academic qualifications. When choosing the pre-examiners, particular attention should be paid not only to their expertise but also to their impartiality regarding the topic of the dissertation. The pre-examiners should be chosen from outside the department and mainly from outside the Faculty. A person who has acted as a supervisor of the dissertation or has co-authored any of the articles included in it may not be appointed as pre-examiner. The appointment proposal is made by the professor in charge. The doctoral candidate should confirm in a separate written statement that he or she does not object to the appointment of the nominated pre-examiners. The proposal form is available on the Faculty website. Before the pre-examiners are appointed, the dissertation manuscript should be submitted to the Faculty Office. If the dissertation is made up of separate articles and a summary, the summary and all articles should be submitted; if any one of the articles is co-authored, a report on the division of labor should be included. If the doctoral candidate has not previously completed a Licentiate degree, he or she must also provide the Faculty with an account of what postgraduate studies he or she has completed (see the section on degree requirements above).

After the pre-examiners have been appointed, the department supplies them with all the necessary documents for issuing their statement: the dissertation manuscript or summary; the separate articles included, and, in the case of co-authoring, the report on the candidate’s contribution to the co-authored articles. The department must also supply the pre-examiners with instructions on how to examine the manuscript and with an extract of the minutes of the Faculty Council meeting at which they were appointed. The pre-examiners must issue a written statement, either jointly or individually, within three months of accepting the assignment. The statement must explicitly recommend that the candidate either be granted or denied permission to defend his or her dissertation in public. The Faculty has issued separate instructions on how a dissertation is to be pre-examined (Examination and grading of doctoral and Licentiate theses, available on the Faculty website: http://honeybee.helsinki.fi/opiskelu/jatko-opinnot/engtark.htm).

If the pre-examiner recommends that permission be denied, the candidate is offered an opportunity to appeal against the statement before the Faculty Council decides whether or not permission is to be granted.

Before a dissertation can be approved it must be printed, and the candidate must defend it at a public examination arranged by the Faculty.

Preparing for the public examination
Upon granting the candidate permission to defend the thesis, the Faculty appoints a Dissertation Grading Committee for the public examination. The members of the committee are: the Opponent (in special cases, two opponents), the pre-examiners and the Custos (chairman) of the public examination. The Custos is a permanent or fixed-term professor of the faculty; the professor in the field of the dissertation is generally appointed Custos. When selecting the Opponent, particular attention should be paid to both academic expertise and impartiality in relation to the work. The Opponent should have the qualifications of a docent or equivalent academic qualifications. He or she should be selected from outside the department and, in general, outside the Faculty. A pre-examiner of the dissertation may not act as opponent. The supervisor of the thesis or any one of the co-authors of an article included in the thesis may not be members of the Dissertation Grading Committee. If the supervisor or co-author of an article is also the professor in charge, he or she may act as Custos, but may not participate in the final grading of the dissertation. The proposal for the composition of the Dissertation Grading Committee is made by the professor in charge. The doctoral candidate should confirm in a separate written statement that he or she does not object to the appointment of the Opponent. Proposal forms are available on the Faculty website. The department is responsible for communicating with the Dissertation Grading Committee.

When the Faculty Council has granted permission to defend the dissertation, the candidate must contact the Opponent and Custos to set a time and place for the examination. The pre-examiners are not required to be present at the examination in order to grade the dissertation. The candidate and his or her department are responsible for the practical arrangements and dissemination of information concerning the public examination. The venue of the examination can be booked through the University’s Technical Department. See http://www.tekn.helsinki.fi/tilavara/Varaajat.html for more information (in Finnish only).

When the candidate is granted permission to defend the thesis, he or she also receives an information package for doctoral candidates. The package includes forms for disseminating information about the dissertation, application forms for grants to cover printing costs, instructions concerning the printing and distribution of the thesis, information on electronic publication on the University’s E-thesis website, and a description of the practices and procedures at the public examination. This information is also available on the Faculty website (Information package for public defence of doctoral dissertation).

The University website has information in English at www.helsinki.fi/tohtoriksi/english/. The Helsinki University Press website also contains information in English about dissertation publishing (see www.yliopistopaino.helsinki.fi).

The dissertation must be displayed and available for public viewing on the University’s official notice board (on the ground floor of the Main Building) for at least ten days prior to the public examination. The Faculty Dean may, subject to a written application by the doctoral candidate, shorten this time to five days (Section 29 of the university regulations concerning examinations, grading of completed studies and the Board of Examination Appeals at the University of Helsinki). If the applicant wishes to shorten the time of public display, he or she must submit a reasoned, freely formulated application to the Faculty Office (Academic Affairs). It is the responsibility of the candidate to see that the Opponent and Custos receive copies of the dissertation in good time before the examination.

Approval and grading of the dissertation
The Opponent(s) must submit a reasoned written statement on the dissertation to the Faculty Council within six weeks of the public examination. If the Opponent recommends that the dissertation be rejected, he or she must also present the grounds for this recommendation. The Faculty has issued instructions on thesis examination (Examination and grading of doctoral and Licentiate theses). In addition to this, the Dissertation Grading Committee must submit a joint statement proposing a grade for the dissertation. The Custos must submit a statement concerning the doctoral candidate’s performance during the public examination. The Custos’ statement can also form part of the committee’s statement.

The Faculty Council makes the decision concerning approval or rejection and the subsequent grade of the dissertation, based on the statements of the Opponent and the Dissertation Grading Committee. There are three grades: Approved with distinction, Approved, and Rejected. If the proposed grade is Approved with distinction, the committee must be unanimous and present exceptionally strong grounds for the grade. Before the grading of the dissertation, the candidate must be provided with the opportunity to submit an objection to the opponent’s statement. Doctoral candidates who wish to object to the grading of their dissertation may appeal in writing to the Board of Examination Appeals within 14 days of the receipt of the grading decision (Section 33 of the regulations concerning examinations, grading of completed studies and the Board of Examination Appeals at the University of Helsinki).

The Licentiate degree

The degrees of Licentiate of Agriculture and Forestry and Licentiate of Food Sciences

A student who has been admitted to pursue scientific postgraduate studies must complete his or her studies in accordance with the postgraduate study plan approved by the Faculty, and write a Licentiate thesis that demonstrates the student’s familiarity with the field of research and his or her ability for independent and critical application of scientific research methods (Standing Regulations of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Section 27).

The format of the Licentiate thesis
A Licentiate thesis can be a monograph, or it can be in the form of a compilation, or article-based thesis, i.e. a collection of several separate scientific articles or manuscripts that have been accepted for publication and all focus on the same topic. An article-based thesis must always contain a summary. Regardless of its format, the work should meet the scientific criteria set for a thesis of this kind. The summary of an article-based thesis should clearly present the theoretical background of the research, its objectives, methods, results, analysis and conclusions.

The separate articles should mainly have been published in refereed scientific journals, and previously unpublished manuscripts should have been refereed and accepted for publication. At least half of the articles included in a compilation thesis should have been previously published or accepted for publication, and the rest should have been submitted for publication. Compilation theses submitted to the Faculty typically contain 2-3 separate articles. An article included in a Licentiate thesis can later be included as a separate article in a doctoral compilation dissertation. Co-authored publications may be included if the author’s independent contribution to them can be verified. If a co-authored publication is included, the student must, when submitting the thesis, always provide the Faculty with a report on the division of labor in the co-authored article(s). The student, his or her thesis supervisor, and the other co-authors of the joint publication must verify the report by their signatures. The author of the Licentiate thesis must also provide the Faculty with an account of what postgraduate studies he or she has completed (see the section on degree requirements above).

When several students wish to include the same co-authored publication in their theses, the matter is resolved on a case-by-case basis depending on the reported contribution of each co-author.

The names and posts of the supervisor(s) and examiners must appear on the page following the title page of the completed thesis.

Examination of the Licentiate thesis
The Faculty Council appoints as examiners the professor in charge (in case this professor is unable to act as examiner, another Faculty professor is appointed instead), and at least two other examiners who must at least hold a doctorate. A person who has acted as supervisor of the thesis or has co-authored any of the articles included in it may not be appointed as examiner. The appointment proposal is made by the professor in charge. The proposal form is available on the Faculty website. Before the examiners are appointed, the thesis manuscript should be submitted to the Faculty Office. If the thesis is made up of separate articles and a summary, the summary and all articles should be submitted; if any one of the articles is co-authored, a report on the division of labor should be included.

After the examiners have been appointed, the department supplies them with a bound copy of the thesis. If the thesis consists of separate articles, the examiners should be provided with both the articles and the summary, and, in the case of co-authoring, the report on the candidate’s contribution to the co-authored articles. The department must also supply the examiners with instructions on how to examine the manuscript and with an extract of the minutes of the Faculty Council meeting at which they were appointed. The department is responsible for communicating with the examiners.

Approval and grading of the Licentiate thesis
Before the Licentiate thesis can be approved and graded, the student must present his or her research at a Licentiate seminar, during which the examiners and other interested parties will present their commentaries. After this, the examiners will write their statement.

The examiners of the Licentiate thesis must issue a written statement, either jointly or individually, within two months of accepting the assignment. The statement must explicitly recommend the thesis either be approved or rejected, and the subsequent grade. The Faculty has issued separate instructions on how a thesis is to be examined (Examination and grading of doctoral and Licentiate theses, available on the Faculty website).

The Faculty Council makes the decision concerning approval or rejection and the subsequent grade of the thesis on the basis of the examiners’ statement. There are three grades: Approved with distinction, Approved, and Rejected. Before the grading of the thesis, the student must be offered an opportunity to submit an objection to the examiners’ statement. Students who wish to object to the grading of their Licentiate thesis may appeal in writing to the Board of Examination Appeals within 14 days of the receipt of the grading decision (Section 33 of the regulations concerning examinations, grading of completed studies and the Board of Examination Appeals at the University of Helsinki).

The Faculty Council’s role in the proceedings
The Faculty Council is responsible for appointing examiners for Licentiate theses and pre-examiners for doctoral dissertations; for granting permission to defend dissertations; and, for grading and approving Licentiate and doctoral theses. Licentiate theses are discussed at two separate Faculty Council meetings and doctoral dissertations at three meetings before arriving at a final decision. In order to have his or her thesis taken up for discussion at a Faculty Council meeting, the student must have been accepted for postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry and he or she must be registered as attending in the student register. The Faculty Council convenes once a month except during the summer months. The meeting timetable can be found on the Faculty website at /www.mm.helsinki.fi/english/administration/faculty_council.html (in English) or at www.mm.helsinki.fi/hallinto/tdkneuvosto/kokousajat.htm (in Finnish). The material for the meeting must be given to the presenting official at the Faculty Office not later than on Tuesday of the week preceding the meeting.

The Licentiate or Doctoral diploma

In order to be awarded the degree of Licentiate or Doctor, the student must be registered as attending in the Student Register and he or she must have been admitted to pursue postgraduate studies at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. After the Licentiate thesis or doctoral dissertation has been approved and graded, the Faculty will issue a postgraduate degree diploma. The student does not automatically receive a diploma; it will be issued upon a written application to the Faculty Office administration.

The diploma can be applied for when

• the student has completed all the required postgraduate studies (checked and confirmed by the signature of the professor in charge); and,
• all postgraduate studies are registered as whole units (postgraduate studies in major subject, which are divided in general postgraduate studies and postgraduate studies in the student’s own research area) at the department ; and,
• the Faculty Council has approved and graded the Licentiate thesis or doctoral dissertation.

The Faculty Office administration (Viikki Infocentre, 3rd floor, Viikinkaari 11) is responsible for issuing diplomas. The student should fill in a form for requesting the diploma. This form will be mailed to the student upon the approval of his or her thesis, and can also be printed from the Faculty website. The form contains additional information on obtaining the degree diploma.

Entry into force
These guidelines are in effect as of 8 September 2005. Students who have begun postgraduate studies before 1 August 2005 have the right to transfer to the new degree system and complete their degree in accordance with the Government Decree on University Degrees (794/2004) and the Standing Regulations that entered into force on 1 August 2005. The student must notify the Faculty of the transfer in writing. The transfer is binding and cannot be reversed. If the student has not completed his or her degree by 31 July 2008, he or she must transfer to the new degree system and pursue his or her studies in accordance with the new Decree and Standing Regulations.

Students who have begun postgraduate studies before 1 August 2005, but whose postgraduate study plan has not yet been approved when these guidelines take effect, must draw up their postgraduate study plan according to the principles presented above.