Information about courses

KATAJA’s courses are offered during the calendar year, not the academic year. KATAJA publishes the program for the next calendar year at the end of October. The main channel of information is KATAJA’s website where all central information on courses and other events are published. On the website the information on a course is always published in the language in which the course is offered. Course information can be found under four different headings: ‘Subject courses’, ‘Specialized courses’, ‘Courses in research skills’, and ‘International cooperation courses’. Under the last heading is found information on KATAJA’s co-financed international course programs and on the opportunities for KATAJA students to participate in the Swedish doctoral program MIT. In addition there is information on the opportunities for participants in the MIT doctoral program to take part in KATAJA’s courses as well as on opportunities for other foreign research students to participate in KATAJA’s courses.

Each course has its own course coordinator whose contact information is published on the website in connection with the course information. Please get in touch with the course coordinator directly if anything is unclear or if you need more information on a course.

You can join KATAJA’s e-mail mailing list by sending your request along with your e-mail address to KATAJA’s coordinator ( pekka.saarikorpi This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) Please remember to get in touch with KATAJA’s coordinator immediately if your e-mail address changes or if you wish to withdraw from the e-mailing list.

Signing up for courses and choice of applicants

Increasing numbers of students wish to take part in KATAJA’s courses. Course organizers frequently have to make choices among applicants. It is therefore important that students read the course information carefully. Of special importance is paying attention to the prerequisites for the course and to filling in the application form with care.

KATAJA’s collaboration committee has decided on the following principles for the choice of applicants:

1. From each member university submitting applications at least one (the best) applicant is chosen, provided that s/he meets the necessary prerequisites and has followed the application procedure carefully (see the website under the heading ‘Member universities’ for the list of universities/institutions included in KATAJA).

2. From the Swedish doctoral program MIT at least two (the two best) applicants are chosen, provided that they have the necessary prerequisites and have followed the application procedure carefully.

3. Additional students from member universities/institutions including their foreign exchange students are chosen on the basis of how much progress they have made in their studies as well as on the basis of other merits. When necessary, professors of member universities are consulted. Priority is given to students who are members of a KATAJA doctoral program or are fulltime students at one of the member universities. Of course these students too are required to meet the prerequisites for the course in question and to follow the application procedure.

If there are places on the course and if the course organizers find that the applicants bring added value to the course, doctoral students from other Finnish universities/institutions and from other faculties/institutions at KATAJA member universities who do not pay membership fees to KATAJA and also foreign doctoral students (excluding MIT students and foreign exchange students at member universities/institutions) are also accepted. All students have to meet the prerequisites and have to follow the application procedure.

Students are strongly advised to check beforehand with his or her supervisor wether a specific KATAJA course may replace a compulsory course on the curriculum of the students home university's doctoral program.
Be sure to register your KATAJA course performance at your own university as soon as you get your certificate of completion from the course coordinator. KATAJA keeps no specific course participation records.

KATAJA’s member universities have agreed that there are no charges for participation in the courses. However, students themselves (or their institutions) must meet the costs for travel, board and lodging, and possibly for course materials. These costs are not financed by KATAJA and their doctoral programs.Read the course description carefully before you apply to the course. Then apply as follows:1) For EIASM collaboration courses, apply through the EDEN Programme course web pages http://www.eiasm.org/r/default.asp?iId=EEDIIJ,2) For other KATAJA courses please apply by sending your application to the local Course Coordinator (NOT to the Kataja coordinator). The Course Coordinator is listed in the course description.

How to propose a KATAJA Doctoral Course

KATAJA courses are developed and organized by national and international professors at the KATAJA member universities. The process for proposing new courses depends on whether it is a methods course or a subject course.

New method courses can be proposed once a year. The deadline for sending in proposals for doctoral methods courses to be given in the following year is March 31st, and decisions will be sent out to the course organizers in June. If you want to propose a methods course for the curriculum, please contact the KATAJA coordinator Pekka Saarikorpi ( pekka.saarikorpi This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) for further instructions together with the templates for course description and budget.

New subject courses can be proposed continuously to the corresponding graduate school. For information about these, please navigate to the section 'Graduate Schools' from the menu above.

Through all subjects, KATAJA strives to offer high quality international courses.