Career path of doctoral students

Objective: to support the training needs of both academic and non-academic high-level specialists. In addition to one’s specialisation, doctoral studies also give the person general skills for wide‑ranging career choices. The models for knowledge transfer doctoral studies are developed, allowing to connect doctoral studies and research better with working outside the university.

Current state:

Texts of the draft for changes in the law and information on the procedure of changes (in Estonian) can be found on the homepage of the Riigikogu (Parliament). For a detailed overview, see the subpage of doctoral students’ status and income.

The administrative agreement between the Ministry of Education and Research and the University of Tartu for 2022–2024 lays greater emphasis than before on the output of doctoral studies to the labour market and obligation for cooperation with enterprises and other institutions and positively accredited research and development institutions. Negotiations on the administrative agreement are still in progress, but the needs of the labour market have already been considered in developing the new doctoral programmes (transferable skills training).

The principles of knowledge transfer doctoral studies at the university are being developed.
The Ministry of Education and Research is preparing requirements for the structural funds measure of knowledge transfer doctoral studies.

Schedule: the amendments enter into force on 1 August 2022.
The planned entry into force of the Ministry of Education and Research measure of knowledge transfer doctoral studies is in the autumn of 2022.