English

NB! All the required documents, including the English language proficiency certificate, have to be submitted with the application by March 31st 2025.

EKA accepts the following international language tests as proof of English language proficiency. Here are the minimum requirements set by EKA:

– TOEFL ITP: min 543
– TOEFL iBT: min 72
– IELTS (Academic or Indicator): min 5.5 (with at least 5.5 in each component)
– FCE (Cambridge English: First): required minimum result for B2 is 160
– CAE (Cambridge English: Advanced): C1 level
– CPE (Cambridge English: Proficiency): C2 level
– PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English Academic): min 59
– International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (English A, English B, English Literature and Performance) final exam grade at least 5
– European Baccalaureate Diploma Language 1 or Language 2: positive score in the final English exam

State exams in English taken in Estonia, Finland or Latvia:
– Estonian state exam in English: required minimum level is B2 (state exams taken between 1997 and 2013, 66 points or higher)
– Finnish Matriculation Examination (ylioppilastutkinto) in English (long course): at least cum laude approbatur
– Latvian state exam in English (centralizētais eksāmens): at least 70%

Upload the certificate digitally to the application.

NB! We accept language certificates for up to two years after they are issued.

WAIVING ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

English proficiency test may only be waived if the applicant meets one of the following requirements:

– The applicant has completed their secondary education, bachelor’s or master’s degree taught fully in English in one of the following countries: EU/EEA member states, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or United Kingdom. The applicant must have resided in the mentioned country while doing their studies. Please also note that the transcript of records must include that studies were conducted fully in English.

– The applicant has studied for at least one academic year as a full-time student (obtaining a minimum of 45 ECTS with positive results) in English in an institution of higher education in one of the following countries: EU/EEA member states, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or United Kingdom.

NB! We will only accept certificates issued by educational institutions if the waiver criteria is met.

A motivation letter must be added to your application.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

NB! All the required documents, including the English language proficiency certificate, have to be submitted with the application by March 31st 2025.


– CV (please find the form here)

– project of the doctoral thesis

– motivation letter

Please specify the position you are applying for in your motivation letter. Doctoral positions offered by EKA can be found here.


– defended master’s thesis (for a foreign language thesis, except English or German, a summary in English)

– academic CV of the prospective supervisor(s). Please note that having a supervisor is not required for applying. However, if you have a supervisor, you will need to ask their consent for submitting their CV. You will also need to include their name and email in your thesis proposal. If the supervisor is employed at the Estonian Academy of Arts, CV is not required.

Passing the preliminary round is required for admission to the interview.

The doctoral entrance examination consists of an individual interview (about 20 minutes). The result of the examination (max 10 points) will be based on the interview, the previously defended Master’s thesis and the submitted doctoral thesis proposal.

Evaluation criteria:
Motivation and qualifications for doctoral studies (25 %)
Previous research experience (25%)
Quality of the doctoral thesis proposal (knowledge of the field, relevance of the research topic, novelty and adequacy of the problem statement) (50%).

Interviews will take place on April 14, 2025.

NB! The exact interview time for each candidate will be announced to him/her via DreamApply a few days ahead.