Admissions

Welcome to the Institute of Philosophy and Semiotics at the University of Tartu, a leading research university with a strong international academic community and a long tradition of excellence in the humanities.

We offer degree programmes for international students at both the master's and doctoral levels.

OPEN CALL: Applications for doctoral studies and Junior Research Fellow positions in the humanities are open from 1–15 June 2026 for Estonian citizens and holders of an Estonian master's degree.

Specialisations in:

• Philosophy;

• Semiotics and Culture Studies.

  The PhD programme lasts for 4 years. There are several ways to complete doctoral studies, though for all doctoral researchers, the doctoral supervision, research, and study opportunities are based on the same quality standards. Those accepted for a junior research fellow position have an employment contract with the university as well as a student status. It is possible to combine your day job and doctoral studies as an intersectoral doctoral researcher by doing research for a company or institution. In considered cases, it is possible to complete your doctoral studies as a student while continuing to work in a job unrelated to doctoral research. Read further about the doctoral studies career pathways.

  To find potential supervisors, visit our staff contacts page to explore their research areas and supervision topics.

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Top reasons to choose the University of Tartu

Find yourself a scholarship

International master's admissions will open on 2 January 2027

Our institute offers international master's programmes in Semiotics and Philosophy in Practice.

Why study with us?

Our master’s programmes are designed for students who want to combine strong theoretical foundations with practical, transferable skills and an international study environment.

Key advantages

• No tuition fee for EU/EEA students.
  EU/EEA students do not need to pay tuition for the master’s programme.
• Tuition fee reduction for non-EU/EEA students.
  Each year, two students per programme from outside the EU/EEA are eligible for a 25% tuition fee reduction, starting from the spring semester.
• International learning environment with students and staff from different countries and academic backgrounds.
• Strong research tradition combined with contemporary, socially relevant topics.
• Excellent study and living conditions in the compact, student-friendly city of Tartu.
• Ranked among the world’s top 350 universities, the University of Tartu is one of the leading institutions in Northern Europe and is placed 176–200 globally in Arts and Humanities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
• You study, we support - the university has an excellent Counselling Centre that offers many trainings, career and psychological counselling.

General info about master's studies at the University of Tartu