Postgraduate Studies
The Finnish Academy of Fine Arts has an internationally acclaimed Department of Postgraduate Studies, with pioneering work in artistic research and postgraduate studies. The degree of a Doctorate in Fine Arts was established in 1997.
Postgraduate studies in the Academy are based on artistic research where high-quality artistic work intertwines with threoretical research. Doctoral students are experts in their own field, internationally renowned visual artists who apply research methods to their work.
The primary results of artistic research are artistic productions presented publicly.
As another important result of their research, postgraduate students produce reflective and theoretical information about their own art works, the process of making and presenting them.
Aims and Completion of the Doctorate in Fine Arts
The aim of postgraduate education is for the student to have a profound understanding of their own field and the capacity to produce high-quality work that demonstrates their artistic maturity, and engage in independent, innovative artistic research in the field of their choice.
Each doctoral student has a personal supervisor who is appointed by the Education and Research Council at the presentation of the Head of the Department of Postgraduate Studies.
Studies follow a personal research and study plan, which is drawn up together with the head of department and the student's personal supervisor. The research and study plan is submitted to the Education and Research Council for approval by the end of the first year of study at the department.