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Admissions criteria - Marketing, PhD Programme, Vaasa


Eligibility criteria

In order to be considered for admission the applicant should hold a university level Master's degree (B.Sc. plus MA / MSc) with good grades in relevant studies in business administration and economics, especially in studies within the major he/she applies to. Please note that a strict requirement is a comprehensive research based thesis. Note that the BSc degree alone (or other lower academic degree), or a non-academic programme (i.e. a professional higher education with a practical orientation) is not a sufficient qualification for eligibility for the doctoral programme.


Description of admissions criteria

A research-based 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. Before an applicant can be admitted to doctoral studies, he or she should have completed in-depth studies within the intended major or possess equivalent knowledge of the subject. More about required previous studies here.

Language requirements

Eligibility for doctoral studies also requires sufficient language skills. Applicants who fulfill one of the following criteria in either English or in Swedish are exempted from the language test requirement:

Eligibility for doctoral studies requires sufficient language skills in either Swedish or English. In English you can demonstrate your language proficiency in the ways below, either through educational background or a language test.

How do I demonstrate my language skills in English?

Language tests

No other than the tests below are accepted:

Aptitude tests

Educational background

  • Bachelor's, Master's, Licentiate's or PhD degree with tuition in English* obtained in specific countries and obtained at a education institution that is a recognized part of the official national education system in the country in question.
    • Degrees from the following countries are accepted: a country part of the EU/EEA, Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Dominica, Eritrea, Eswatini, South Africa, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Great Britain, Jamaica, Cameroon, Canada, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Switzerland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, New Zealand, USA or Zimbabwe.
  • Secondary education (final diploma) with tuition in English obtained in specific countries and which grants access to higher education in the country in question.
    • Degrees from the following countries are accepted: a country part of the EU/EEA, Switzerland, USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia or New Zealand.
  • The following way to demonstrate proficiency in English based on a university degree is only possible for applicants applying to doctoral studies in English. In addition to the above-mentioned ways of proving English language proficiency, applicants applying to doctoral studies in English only can also prove said language proficiency if they:
    • have acquired English skills that enable them to follow developments in their field and to work in an international environment in accordance with subsection 6.2 in the Government Decree on University Degrees (794/2004) in their Finnish Bachelor's or Master's degree.

*Note! In order to fulfill the language requirement, at least 50 % of the degree must have had English as the language of tuition and at least 50 % of the degree must have been obtained while the student physically has been studying in one of the listed countries if the degree has been completed in several countries or at several campuses.
 
The language of instruction and to which extent the degree has been completed in English must be clearly stated in the official educational documents (degree certificate, transcript of records, diploma supplement or other official certificate issued by the institution).

GPA or GMAT/GRE

This page applies to application to the PhD programme in English. Applicants applying to studies in English must prove their aptitude to be eligible to apply. Check below to which Admission Group you belong to determine which requirements apply to you.

Admission Group 1: Master's degree obtained in Finland, the EU/EEA or at a Hanken Partner University

Applicants applying to studies in English with a qualifying degree obtained in an EU/EEA country or a Hanken Partner University must fulfill the following requirements: 

  • The GPA in the qualifying degree must be at least a 3.0 (Finnish Grading Scale) or Grade B (US Grading Scale). 
    • You can check if your GPA meets the requirement by using the WES World Education Systems online grading scale conversion tool
    • You need to calculate and report your GPA in the online application using the grading scale referred to in your Diploma Supplement.
    • If the applicant does not submit an official certificate where the GPA is clearly stated, Hanken will verify that the GPA calculated by the applicant is correct. Hanken reserves the right to decide whether the applicant fulfills the GPA requirement or not. 
  • If you have not yet graduated at the time of applying, you must calculate the GPA for the qualifying degree for the courses which are included in the transcript of records submitted in the application and, if possible, submit an official certificate where the GPA in question is clearly stated. 
    • You must fulfil the GPA requirement both when applying and when graduating.
  • If the GPA in your qualifying degree does not meet the set requirements, you must take a GMAT/GRE test and obtain the minimum test score requirements as listed below under Group 2.

The United Kingdom belongs to group 2, regardless of when you have completed your degree in the country in question.

 

Admissions Group 2: Master's degree obtained outside of the EU/EEA 

If you do not hold a degree obtained within the EU/EEA or at a Hanken Partner University, or if your GPA is too low, you can apply based on a GMAT/GRE test score. Applicants who belong to Group 2 must score one the test results:

  • GMAT™ Exam (10th Edition) or GMAT™ Online exam with a minimum overall test score of 600,
  • GMAT™ Exam (Focus Edition) with a minimum overall score of 555, or
  • GRE™ Exam or GRE® General Test at home with a minimum score of 158 in the Quantitative reasoning section

Admissions procedure

Selection criteria

Threshold criteria

  • Everyone who meets the requirements for subject eligibility goes on to academic assessment.
  • The academic assessment is completed by the programme, that scores the candidates and makes an admission proposal regarding the applicants for the subject.
  • Applicants will be ranked based on the academic assessment in the first stage, after which the most qualified and highest-ranked candidates will be invited for an interview in the second assessment stage.
  • In the academic assessment, the candidates are ranked based on the following assessment elements:
  • Academic assessment (pass/fail)
  • Interview (pass/fail)
  • The candidates invited to the interview are assessed by a statement from the programme.
  • The proposed candidates proceed to the Doctoral Admissions Committee, after which the Rector makes a decision on admission based on the committee's proposal.

Attachments

Harkintaan perustuvan valinnan liite

Certificate of language proficiency


Attachment is uploaded on the application form

Must be submitted by

Jan. 16, 2025 at 03:00 PM UTC+2

Copy of passport


Attachment is uploaded on the application form

Must be submitted by

Jan. 16, 2025 at 03:00 PM UTC+2

Subject specific attachments


Attachment is uploaded on the application form

Must be submitted by

Jan. 16, 2025 at 03:00 PM UTC+2

Statement of purpose


Attachment is uploaded on the application form

Must be submitted by

Jan. 16, 2025 at 03:00 PM UTC+2

Research proposal


Attachment is uploaded on the application form

Must be submitted by

Jan. 16, 2025 at 03:00 PM UTC+2

Academic text


Attachment is uploaded on the application form

Must be submitted by

Jan. 16, 2025 at 03:00 PM UTC+2

Copy of degree certificate, transcripts of record and Diploma Supplement


Attachment is uploaded on the application form

Must be submitted by

Jan. 16, 2025 at 03:00 PM UTC+2

GPA or GMAT/GRE score report


Attachment is uploaded on the application form

Must be submitted by

Jan. 16, 2025 at 03:00 PM UTC+2

CV in English or Swedish


Attachment is uploaded on the application form

Must be submitted by

Jan. 16, 2025 at 03:00 PM UTC+2

Two reference persons

For more information about all application documents, please visit Attachments.


Attachment is uploaded on the application form

Must be submitted by

Jan. 16, 2025 at 03:00 PM UTC+2