The research at the Faculty of Social Sciences is carried out in interdisciplinary and cross-faculty research groups. We conduct research with an unprejudiced and critical attitude, as we combine psychology with administrative sciences, research of work with environmental research, art with economic research, information technology with social work, and cultural history with research of international politics.
We operate actively in Northern Finland, as well as in the rest of the country and abroad.
You can read more about our research work below.
Research activity
We provide northern communities with critical scientific knowledge that reforms fixed ways of thinking. We are tightly networked in the research and business community: through working life oriented research and development projects we contribute to the development of organisations and work communities.
Our inspirational, free and bold academic community invites our students, alumni and partners to join us in carrying out impactful research. We are the leading research department in our field in Northern Finland.
Our research priorities
Our research is nationally and internationally acknowledged. It draws on the principles of creativity, boldness, criticality and theoretical interdisciplinarity, and addresses the following four thematic areas:
- digitalisation and knowledge-based activity of organisations
- cultural economy (e.g. the cultures of sleep, material culture)
- transformation, changing work, academic work, entrepreneurship, and strategic procedures
- welfare of work communities, community formation and social practices
Research activity
We strive to promote sustainable tourism through our research. We conduct critical tourism research in close collaboration with the tourism sector, and offer the surrounding society different forms of cooperation, and various projects and services.
We operate in the Multidimensional Tourism Institute (MTI), which unites tourism expertise from three educational levels: Lapland Tourism College, University of Lapland and Lapland University of Applied Sciences.
Our research priorities
We have wide-ranging expertise in the research of hospitality and sustainability. We focus particularly on the dimensions of the North, tourism education, relationships to nature in an urbanised society, and productising and consuming tourist experiences.
Research activity
We, in collaboration with the rest of the community, conduct research by generating knowledge of people’s everyday life and service needs, and the functionality of everyday services. We operate locally, regionally, nationally and globally to improve social wellbeing.
Our university hosts the Finnish National University Network for Social Work SOSNET. The network organises specialised studies and doctoral education in the field and strengthens university cooperation in basic education and research. We carry out research in collaboration with Northern Finland Centre of Excellence on Social Welfare (Poske) and are also part of Sociopolis, which is a centre of excellence on research, education and development in the social field.
Research priorities
Our social work research demonstrates leading expertise in the issues pertaining to the north and social welfare law. It also combines rehabilitation with social work in a unique way.
Our research includes the following four thematic areas:
- northern wellbeing, social justice and social welfare law
- the transforming society, as well as knowledge and expertise in social work
- sensitive phenomena of social work, and gerontological and rehabilitation social work
- rehabilitation
Research activity
The disciplines of Political Sciences and Sociology form a nationally and globally networked academic community that cooperates with the government, businesses and the civic society. We are the leading research department in our field in Northern Finland. Our research is characterised by critical, interdisciplinary and holistic approaches. We draw on theories and methods that cross traditional discipline boundaries, and examine phenomena in terms of social interaction and their links to the material world.
The disciplines of philosophy, cultural history, Sámi research and social scientific environmental studies play a significant part in our research. You can also take them as minor subjects.
Research priorities
The research in all our subjects is acknowledged to be high quality, wide-ranging and versatile. The core of our research is comprised of our four thematic research areas:
- nature and natural resource policy, circular economy, and material culture
- religion, welfare, indigenous people and cultures
- power, control and gender
- transformation of communities, work and politics
Become our project partner!
Our faculty is an efficient and reliable project partner. We are specialised particularly in northern regions. Following its Arctic strategy, our university carries out research on change in northern societies, and our faculty is its most significant individual service provider in Northern Finland.
Get to know our project activity
We also work closely together with the Arctic Centre, Northern Finland Centre of Excellence on Social Welfare (Poske) and Lapland University of Applied Sciences.
Aims of our project activity
Our project activity aims to strengthen social scientific research and publishing in northern regions. At the same time we help research groups to compete for funding in the strategic areas of our faculty.
Our interdisciplinary research and development projects generate knowledge, materials and tools that can be applied to societal decision-making, productisation of new services, and to the development of the digitalising public sector, responsible business and tourism.
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![]() Make your personal study plan
Your application should be appended with a personal study plan. When making your plan, comply with the requirements of the doctoral programme under consideration. In each programme, you can take courses from the Graduate School's offer and from other programmes.
If you have already agreed on supervising, complete the supervising agreement.
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The next application period is:
- 9 February – 2 March 2021 by 15:00 local Finnish time.
The dates and times are local Finnish time. If your application is successful, your study right begins either on 1 January or 1 August, depending on whether you applied in autumn or spring. It is possible to grant the study right at other times, but we require strong grounds – such as significant research funding requiring a doctoral study right – for making such an exception. Your study right application is addressed to the faculty relevant to your research.
To the online application system
Structure of a doctoral degree
The doctoral degree contains 240 study credits (ECTS). This considerable amount of work is divided into sections: the doctoral dissertation constitutes 180 credits, and studies constitute altogether 60 credits.
Read more about the structure of a doctoral degree >
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