Doctoral admission for 2026
Tallinn University offers three statuses of PhD places:
- A Junior Research Fellow is a PhD candidate and an employee of the university at the same time. The exact workload and nominal study time depends on Individual Study and Research Plan and can be from 4 to 6 years. Starting from April 1, 2026, the minimum salary by the workload 1,0 is 2100 euros per month.
- A Knowledge Transfer Doctoral Fellow works in an external institution or in an enterprise where he/she performs duties related to the doctoral studies under an employment contract with a load of at least 0.5. The knowledge transfer doctoral fellow has at least two supervisors, one of whom is from the company or institution where the research is carried out.
- A Doctoral Student has a status of a student. The nominal study time depends from Individual Study and Research Plan and can be from 4 to 8 years.
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Junior Research Fellow | Knowledge Transfer Doctoral Fellow | Doctoral Student |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is it suitable for? | Those who wish to dedicate themselves full-time to research and be an integral part of Tallinn University’s research community | Those who wish to connect their research with the practical needs of a company or public sector organisation. | Those whose professional commitments do not allow them to dedicate themselves full-time to doctoral studies. |
| Status | Tallinn University employee and doctoral candidate | Employee of a knowledge transfer partner organisation and doctoral candidate | Doctoral candidate |
| Workload | At least 0.75 FTE at Tallinn University | At least 0.5 FTE at the partner organisation | No employment contract related to doctoral studies |
| Main responsibilities | Completion of the doctoral thesis and teaching activities accounting for 10–15% of working time | Completion of the doctoral thesis and development activities supporting the partner organisation’s needs | Completion of the doctoral thesis |
| Nominal study period | 4–6 years | 4–8 years | 4–8 years |
| Employment contract | Yes, with Tallinn University | Yes, with the knowledge transfer partner organisation | No |
| Income | Tallinn University Junior Research Fellow salary | Salary paid by the partner organisation | None |
| Additional information | You are an equal member of Tallinn University’s research community and receive support from your first year through to successful thesis defence. | Provides an opportunity to create direct and measurable impact beyond the university. | Previously known as an external doctoral student |
Available study places are shown on the programme's webpage. If the programme has places to a junior research fellow and a doctoral student statuses and the applicant wishes to apply to both places, an application must be submitted to both competitions on Dream Apply.
Baltic Film, Media and Arts School
| Programme | Description | Exam information | Contact person |
Audiovisual Arts and Media Studies |
Open topic |
2.-3. July 2026, room N-315. The exact time will be sent by 1 July 2026 by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Kerli Aguraiuja |
| Audiovisual Arts and Media Studies | Integrated Arts Education and Innovative Didactical Approaches in the Contemporary Learning Paradigm |
2.-3. July 2026, room N-315. The exact time will be sent by 1 July 2026 by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Kerli Aguraiuja |
| Audiovisual Arts and Media Studies | Audience data management and performance measurement in the cross-media landscape |
2.-3. July 2026, room N-315. The exact time will be sent by 1 July 2026 by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Ulrike Rohn |
School of Digital Technologies
| Programme | Description | Exam information | Contact person |
Information Society Technologies |
Computational Interaction |
9 July 2026 via Zoom. The exact time and Zoom link will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview by the evening of 6 July. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Kristel Viileberg |
| Information Society Technologies | Psycho-Physiological Indicators of Creative Barriers |
9 July 2026 via Zoom. The exact time and Zoom link will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview by the evening of 6 July. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Kristel Viileberg |
| Information Society Technologies | Higher Education Mathematics Didactics |
9 July 2026 via Zoom. The exact time and Zoom link will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview by the evening of 6 July. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Kristel Viileberg |
| Information Society Technologies | Informatics Didactics |
9 July 2026 via Zoom. The exact time and Zoom link will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview by the evening of 6 July. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Kristel Viileberg |
| Information Society Technologies | Responsible Artificial Intelligence for K-12 Education |
9 July 2026 via Zoom. The exact time and Zoom link will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview by the evening of 6 July. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Kristel Viileberg |
| Information Society Technologies | AI-Mediated Tacit Knowledge Transfer and Human Agency |
9 July 2026 via Zoom. The exact time and Zoom link will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview by the evening of 6 July. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Kristel Viileberg |
| Information Society Technologies | Human-Centered Computing |
9 July 2026 via Zoom. The exact time and Zoom link will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview by the evening of 6 July. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Kristel Viileberg |
| Information Society Technologies | Open topic |
9 July 2026 via Zoom. The exact time and Zoom link will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview by the evening of 6 July. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Kristel Viileberg |
School of Educational Sciences
| Programme | Description | Exam information | Contact person |
| Educational Sciences | Open topic |
1 July 2026, room M-649. The exact time will be sent by 30 June 2026 by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Elina van der Toorn |
| Educational Sciences | The Development of Reading Skills in Estonian as a Second Language and the Teaching Practices Supporting It in Lower Secondary Content-Area Instruction |
1 July 2026, room M-649. The exact time will be sent by 30 June 2026 by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Elina van der Toorn |
| Educational Sciences | Mathematics Teaching and Learning in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: A Didactical Perspective |
1 July 2026, room M-649. The exact time will be sent by 30 June 2026 by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Elina van der Toorn |
School of Humanities
| Programme | Description | Exam information | Contact person |
| History | Open topic |
10 July 2026, room S-415. The exact time will be agreed individually by email with candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Maris Peters |
| Studies of Cultures | Open topic |
10 July 2026, room S-415. The exact time will be agreed individually by email with candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Maris Peters |
| Studies of Cultures | Critical transition studies with the foci on the geopolitics and commoning of transitions |
10 July 2026, room S-415. The exact time will be agreed individually by email with candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Substantive questions: Tauri Tuvikene General questions: Maris Peters |
| Linguistics | Open topic |
10 July 2026, room S-415. The exact time will be agreed individually by email with candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Maris Peters |
| Linguistics | The use of AI and AI-powered assessment, feedback, and personalized learning |
10 July 2026, room S-415. The exact time will be agreed individually by email with candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Substantive questions: Andres Karjus General questions: Maris Peters |
School of Natural Sciences and Health
| Programme | Description | Exam information | Contact person |
| Complex Systems in Natural Sciences | Open topic |
3 July 2026, room A-354. The exact time and room will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Greete Horn |
| Psychology | Open topic |
2 July 2026, room A-544. The exact time and room will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Greete Horn |
| Health Behaviour and Wellbeing | Open topic |
1 July 2026, room A-354. The exact time and room will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Greete Horn |
School of Governance, Law and Society
| Programme | Description | Exam information | Contact person |
| Demography | Open topic |
6 July 2026 at 10 am, room M-553. The exact time will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Triin Vendik |
| Government and Politics | Open topic |
9 July 2026 at 10 am, room M-224. The exact time will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Triin Vendik |
| Government and Politics | Educational Choices, Inequality and Policy Feedback across the Life Course |
9 July 2026 at 10 am, room M-224. The exact time will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Triin Vendik |
| Sociology | Open topic |
7 July 2026 at 10 am, room A-213. The exact time will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Triin Vendik |
| Sociology | The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Young People’s Educational and Labor Market Transitions, Social Inclusion, and Well-Being |
7 July 2026 at 10 am, room A-213. The exact time will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Triin Vendik |
| Social Work | Open topic |
9 July 2026 at 10 am, room M-226. The exact time will be sent by email to candidates invited to the interview. Information about the entrance exam and the assessment is available on the programme's web page. |
Triin Vendik |
Minimum programme enrolment threshold: 75 points out of 100.
Changes may occur in the schedule.
Additional information
Phone (in English): 640 9234
E-mail: admissions@tlu.ee