Degree Regulations on Licentiate and Doctoral Studies in the Field of Business Studies

30.12.2018

Approved on 29 January 2013 in the Faculty Board meeting ofthe Faculty of Business Studies

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Degree Regulations on Licentiate and Doctoral Studies in the Field of Business Studies

Degrees and studies as well as teaching and students in the field of Business Studies at theFaculty of Business Studies and the Faculty of Technology are governed by the Universities Act (558/2009), Act on the implementation of the Universities Act (559/2009) and the following Decrees and Acts, as amended: Government Decree on University Degrees (794/2004), Decree on the System of Higher Education Degrees (464/1998), and University of Vaasa Degree Ordinance. These Regulations supplement and specify the above mentioned acts as regards doctoral and licentiate studies. The Faculty Board at the Faculty of Business Studies approves the Regulations. The Faculty Board or the Dean may specify the regulations or instructions on completing degrees at the Faculty of Business Studies.

Aims of Scientific Postgraduate Education

The aim of postgraduate education is that the student (Section 21 of Government Decree on University Degrees):

• becomes well-versed in his/her own field of research and its social significance and gains knowledge and skills needed to apply scientific research methods independently and critically and to produce new scientific knowledge within his/her field of research;
• becomes conversant with the development, basic problems and research methods of his/her own field of research; and
• gains such knowledge of the general theory of science and of other disciplines relating to his/her own field of research as enables him/her to follow developments in them.

By completing the Doctoral Programme in Business Studies or the Doctoral Programme in Technical Sciences, the doctoral candidates are awarded Doctor of Science in Economics and Business Administration or Doctor of Philosophy degrees which enable them to work in demanding expert, research or management positions.

Organisation of Scientific Postgraduate Education

The Faculty of Business Studies organises scientific postgraduate education in the Doctoral Programme in Business Studies. Scientific postgraduate education in the field of Business Studies in the Faculty of Technology is organised as part of the Doctoral Programme in Technical Sciences.

The major subjects in licentiate and doctorate degrees may be the following:

Faculty of Business Studies:

1)Business Administration: Management and Organisation

2)Business Administration: Accounting and Finance

3)Business Administration: Marketing

4)Economics

5)Business Law

Faculty of Technology:

1)Computer Science

2)Industrial Management

3)Business Mathematics

4)Statistics

Curricula of Licentiate and Doctoral Studies

Education leading to a degree must be arranged in a way that full-time students have the possibility to gain their doctorate degrees in four (4) years and licentiate degrees in two and a half (2.5) years.

As a rule, the curricula for licentiate and doctoral studies are confirmed for two years at a time.

Personal Study Plan

The accepted student and his/her supervisor confirm the personal study plan and agree in writing on the main principles of supervision for the doctoral studies. The study plan is updated annually. The department responsible for the major subject, study administration at the faculty, and the GraduateSchool of the University of Vaasa regularly follow the students’ progress in studies.

Full-time and Part-time Students

All active licentiate and doctoral students are registered at the GraduateSchool of the University of Vaasa. The personal study plan can be confirmed for either 4 years (full-time doctoral students) or 6 years (part-time doctoral students). The guidance and other resources at the University are targeted mainly at full-time doctoral students.

A student is not considered an active doctoral student if the student has not completed any studies nor prepared any publications or presented their research in research seminars, tutorials, or conferences within the past two years.

Study Right for Doctoral Studies

A person admitted to doctoral studies is granted a study right for a Doctor of Science in Economics and Business Administration degree. A person admitted to a Doctor of Science in Economics and Business Administration degree may take a Licentiate of Science in Economics and Business Administration degree after completing all the courses required by the Faculty for the postgraduate studies. Licentiate thesis is part of the licentiate degree.

Students may also complete a Doctor of Philosophy degree at the Faculty. General studies in the field of business studies are not required in the Doctor of Philosophy degree. Student admitted to a Doctor of Philosophy degree cannot complete a Licentiate of Philosophy degree before the doctorate degree.

Admissions

Students are admitted to the Doctoral Programme in Business Studies or the Doctoral Programme in Technical Sciences.Through the admission, they are also registered at the GraduateSchool of the University of Vaasa.

According to the admission process of the GraduateSchool, doctoral students are selected to the programmes two times per an academic year.

Eligibility for Doctoral Studies

Eligible for studies leading to an academic postgraduate degree shall be a person who has completed

• an applicable higher university degree
• an applicable polytechnic degree or
• an applicable education completed abroad which in the awarding country gives eligibility for corresponding higher education.

The university may require a student admitted to study for an academic postgraduate degree to complete the necessary supplementary studies in order to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for the studies (Section 37 of Universities Act 558/2009). If the amount of required supplementary studies exceeds 30 ECTS when evaluating the applicant’s eligibility for postgraduate studies, the previous degree is not considered applicable when applying for a Doctor of Science in Economics and Business Administration degree.

Admission Criteria

The doctoral student candidates are required to have adequate basic knowledge and research capabilities in the study field of their dissertation.

The applicants should have completed their previous degrees with at least the grade ‘Good’ and have been awarded the grade ‘Good’ or higher for their Master’s thesis (grade ‘Good’, 3/5 or other equivalent grade). In special cases, additional studies supplementing the awarded grade or other qualifying study attainments may be taken into account in the admission process.

The applicants should also have adequate language proficiency to complete their studies. Proof of language proficiency should be attached to the application.

Applicant’s study and research plan and the available resources of the unit providing the supervision and courses for doctorate degrees are also taken into account in the admission process. The topic of the applicant’s research must relate to the topics of the research groups in the Doctoral Programme in Business Studies or the Doctoral Programme in Technical Sciences.

Applicants who have not finished their Master's degree by the application deadline may apply for conditional admission to the doctoral programme during the final year of their studies if deemed appropriate. If the applicant is selected to pursue doctoral studies in the programme, they are required to submit a copy of their degree certificate to the university before the study right begins.

The Dean grants study rights for doctoral students based on a statement by the management group of the doctoral programme. For the acceptance as a licentiate or doctoral student, it is required that the student fulfils the above mentioned admission criteria, the department responsible for the major subject studies approves the granting of a study right, and accepts the research plan and the personal study plan.

A primary supervisor and possible other supervisors are appointed to each student if their applications are successful. At least one of the supervisors should be a professor or have the qualifications of a professor or docent.

Scope and Components of Doctorate Degrees

Full-time students can complete their doctorate degrees in four years.

Doctorate degree consists of:

• General and Method Studies,
• Studies in the discipline (Major Subject Studies) and studies in the research area,
• Optional Studies
• Dissertation.

The scope, contents and methods of completing the doctorate degrees are determined in detail in the curricula of the doctorate and licentiate degrees.

Assessing the Studies

Studies are assessed as Pass/Fail. Passed studies may also be assessed with a five-step grading scale from 1 to 5 in which 1 = sufficient, 2 = satisfactory, 3 = good, 4 = very good, and 5 = excellent.

The assessment of doctoral and licentiate theses is described below.

Students may request for rectification of the assessment of their studies or theses. Rectification process is described in detail in the Degree Ordinance of the University of Vaasa.

Degree Certificates

Upon application, the Dean awards a student a certificate of the completed degree. A Diploma Supplement intended especially for international use is attached to the degree certificate.

The degree certificate awarded for licentiate degree specifies the title of licentiate thesis and grade of the major subject as well as grades of possible minor subjects.

The degree certificate awarded for doctorate degree specifies the title of the dissertation and its grade, and the discipline of dissertation.

A degree which has been taught and studied in a language other than Finnish or Swedish shall be given an English degree title listed in the Appendix of Degree 794/2004. If the dissertation has been written and defended in public in English, the student completing the doctorate degree will upon request be given a degree certificate both in Finnish and in English.

Completion of Doctoral and Licentiate Studies

Doctorate Degree

According to the Government Decree (794/2004), the aim of the doctorate degree is that the student becomes well-versed in his/her own field of study, demonstrates independent and critical thinking in the field of research, and gains knowledge and skills needed to produce new scientific knowledge.

To complete a doctorate degree, a student must complete the courses and other studies required for the scientific doctorate degree, prepare a dissertation, and defend the dissertation in public.

Dissertation

Dissertation is a research which is based on independent scientific work, and it is submitted to public examination in the public defence of a dissertation.

The Forms and Requirements of Doctorate Dissertations in the Doctoral Programme in Business Studies

In the Doctoral Programme in Business Studies, the dissertation submitted for the Doctor of Science in Economics and Business Administration degree or the Doctor of Philosophy degree may be a monograph or a so-called article-based doctoral dissertation. The article-based doctoral dissertation may consist of articles or essays.

Article-based Doctoral Dissertation

An article-based doctoral dissertation is a publication consisting of an introduction and at least three (3) already published articles or articles accepted for publication. The articles briefly present and discuss the joint research problem or problems. The articles must be published or accepted for publication in a publication which has been awarded at least a level one (1) Publication Forum classification.

The publication intended to be a doctoralthesis must consist of a summary of the articles presenting the research problem, objectives, methods, material, results and conclusions, as well the position in and contribution to the research area.

The doctoral candidate must be the sole author of at least one (1) of the articles. An article-based doctorate dissertation may also consist of joint publications if the independent contribution of the doctoral candidate can be clearly indicated in them. In case of joint publications, the doctoral candidate must submit a written statement of his/her independent contribution when the manuscript intended to be a doctorate dissertation is submitted for pre-examination. The statement must contain an approval from the other authors. In justified cases, the same article may also be used in another doctorate dissertation.

Essay-based Doctorate Dissertation

An essay-based doctorate dissertation consists of an introduction and at least four scientific manuscripts presenting and discussing the joint research question or questions. The manuscripts must be independent unities which can be published and may be submitted to a distinguished refereed publication. The essays must have been presented in applicable conferences or workshops of the discipline.

The publication intended to be a doctorate dissertation must consist a summary of the articles presenting the research problem, objectives, methods, material, results and conclusions, as well the position in and contribution to the research area.

The doctoral candidate must be the sole author of at least one section of the essay-based doctorate dissertation. An essay-based doctorate dissertation may consist of joint publications if the independent contribution of the doctoral candidate can be clearly indicated in them. In this case the doctoral candidate must submit a written statement of his/her independent contribution when the manuscript intended to be a doctorate dissertation is submitted for pre-examination. The statement must contain an approval from the other authors. In justified cases, the same essay may also be used in another doctorate dissertation.

Regardless of the type, the doctorate dissertation is always evaluated based on the entire dissertation.

Submitting the Dissertation to Examination

The dissertation may be submitted to examination when the appointed supervisor(s) approves commencing the pre-examination process.The doctoral dissertation manuscript submitted for pre-examination must be carefully prepared as per the instructions and grammatically impeccable.

As a rule, the doctorate studies specified in the study plan must be recorded to the student’s register before commencing the pre-examination process.

Pre-examination and Right to Defend the Dissertation in Public

Three copies of the work that is intended to be a dissertation must be left to the Faculty for pre-examination.

The appointed instructor(s) will present justified suggestion for pre-examiners to the Faculty. After hearing the department, the Faculty Board appoints at least two pre-examiners for the research. The pre-examiners must be appointed from outside the Faculty. The instructors of the dissertation may not act as pre-examiners. The pre-examiners must have the qualifications of a professor or docent, or have a doctorate degree and expertise in the field of the dissertation.

Provisions on disqualification are enacted in Section 27 and 28 of Administrative Procedure Act (434/2003). Doctoral candidate is reserved the right to give a statement about the possible disqualification of pre-examiner before the decision is made by the Faculty Board.

The Faculty Board grants a permission to publish the dissertation. The permission is valid for six (6) months.

Pre-examiners are asked to give a written statement on whether or not they consider the research to have such scientific value that a permission to defend the dissertation in public can be granted. Their statement on granting a permission to publish the research cannot be conditional.Pre-examiners are required to make their statements within three (3) months of the request.

The pre-examination statement of a dissertation comprising articles and essays should evaluate if the articles and their summary constitute the kind of entity which can be recommended as a dissertation.

In addition, the content of articles must be evaluated even if they have been previously published in scientific publications which evaluated the content as well.

If the preliminary examination is cancelled or the Faculty Board does not grant a right for the public defence of the dissertation, a doctoral candidate may ask for a new pre-examination only after the corrections stated in the declining statement or other alterations have been made to the dissertation, and the instructor of the work recommends that the pre-examination process should commence.

Statements by the pre-examiners are submitted to the doctoral candidate. The candidate is reserved the right to make a statement of defence concerning the pre-examiners’ statements.

Appointing Opponents and Custos

The public defence of a dissertation must be organised within six months of granting the permission to publish the dissertation.When the permission to publish the dissertation has been granted, the Faculty Board appoints one or two opponents to examine the dissertation and a professor or docent of the University of Vaasa to act as a Custos in the dissertation proceedings.The opponent must be a professor or docent or have other verified scientific qualifications.

Provisions on disqualification are enacted in Section 27 and 28 of Administrative Procedure Act (434/2003). Doctoral candidate is reserved the right to give a statement about the possible disqualification of opponent before the decision is made by the Faculty Board.

Publishing, Printing and Distributing the Dissertation

Before the public examination of the dissertation, the doctoral candidate must hand in 50copies of the dissertation to the University by submitting the copies to the information desk. Dissertation must be available online in pdf format no later than on the day when it is put in public display at least 10 days before the public defence of the dissertation. If the dissertation is not published in electronic form, instructions given by the Publication Committee are to be followed. In case of a dissertation comprising separate publications, Faculty Board may determine how many copies of complete dissertation including all publications must be submitted to the Faculty. Dissertation must be available at the information desk at least 10 days before the examination

Opponent’s Statement

The opponent appointed by the Faculty Board must submit a written statement on the dissertation within 30 days of the public defence. The statement must contain a justified evaluation of the scientific value of the dissertation and state if the objectives have been achieved. The defending must also be evaluated. In addition, the statement must contain a suggestion for a grade.

The doctoral candidate is reserved the right to make a statement of defence concerning the opponent’s statement.

Grading Committee

The Faculty Board appoints a Grading Committee to approve the doctorate dissertation and to suggest a grade for it.

Detailed account of the Grading Committee is given in Section 13 of University Regulations.

The doctoral candidate is reserved the right to comment on the composition of the Grading Committee.