research

3. Organisation of higher education and research

A total of 89% of international students are satisfied with their overall living and studying standard in Estonia (International Student Barometer 2018).

Those wishing to study courses taught in English can submit documents via the electronic admissions portal DreamApply: www.estonia.dreamapply.com

The Estonian higher education system has three levels and follows the European Higher Education Area’s Bachelor’s-Master’s-PhD model. There are two types of higher education institutions: universities and institutions of professional higher education. Universities provide Bachelor´s, Master´s and PhD, and professional higher education programmes. Institutions of professional higher education offer professional higher education and some offer Master level studies as well. Estonian universities offer a wide selection of courses ranging from veterinary science to semiotics, and from animation to international relations.

A total of 21 educational institutions offer higher education in Estonia (as of 2019), of those: • 6 universities under public law

• 1 privately owned university • 8 state professional higher education institutions • 5 private professional higher education institutions

Universities under public law are the largest ones, and three quarters of all students study there.

Higher education is valued in Estonia: 44% of 30–34 year old people have a higher education. In the European Union, this percentage is only higher in Ireland, Lithuania and Luxembourg.

One third of young people in Estonia study social sciences, law and business; one-fifth study natural and hard sciences, and 15% focus on the fields of technology, production and construction.

3.1 Various levels of higher education

First level of higher education Secondary education is required to access higher education in Estonia. In addition, universities may impose additional entry requirements such as entrance examinations, results of state examinations, academic tests or interviews. Those wishing to study courses taught in English can submit documents via the electronic admissions portal DreamApply, www.estonia.dreamapply.com. Estonian students use the electronic Admission Information System SAIS, www.sais.ee. You may also submit your documents in person.

The first level of higher education comprises professional higher education study and Bachelor’s study. The first level of study usually lasts 3–4 years. Professional higher education study provides the skills required to work at a specific vocation or continue on the Master’s study level. Bachelor’s study is more academic and provides the basic theoretical knowledge and main skills required to either continue the studies or start work. The first level of higher education ends with an exam or a final research paper. A Bachelor’s degree is often insufficient to work at one’s chosen profession, and a Master’s degree or professional experience may be required. For example, you can only study to be a doctor, a veterinarian, a pharmacist, a dentist, an architect, a civil engineer or a class teacher through an integrated programme which combines the Bachelor’s and Master’s study and lasts 5–6 years and generally ends with an exam, sometimes also with a final thesis or project.

The second level of higher education is Master’s study, which allows students to acquire more profound knowledge and skills in their subject, and provides them with the knowledge and independent work skills to continue at the doctoral level. A

System of higher education in Estonia, www.hm.ee/et/tegevused/korgharidus

Bachelor’s or equal degree is a prereq- uisite for applying for Master’s study. A Master’s study generally lasts two years and ends with a Master’s exam or independently prepared and thor- oughly researched Master’s thesis. A Master’s degree is generally deemed sufficient to commence work in the field studied and it is also the mini- mum level for teaching at university.

The third level of higher education is doctoral study, which provides knowl- edge and skills for independent re- search, development or creative work. A doctoral study lasts 3–4 years. The outcome of doctoral study is a PhD degree – a research degree that re- quires the student to write and defend a doctoral thesis. A doctoral thesis may be a creative work (depending on the area of speciality) or scientific re- search in the form of a monograph or a collection of scientific articles. A PhD degree is a prerequisite for becoming a researcher, but some higher-lev- el civil servants are also expected to have it.

3.2 Higher education important definitions and information

The volume of study is measured in European Credit Transfer System credits (ECTS). A single ECTS is equiv- alent to 26 hours of work done by a student. Students can study at univer- sities full time or part time. However, it is also possible to study as an external student without matriculation at the university, for a fee.

Full-time study – 75–100% of the nominal volume (usually 60 ECTS per academic year) of the curriculum must be completed by the end of the academic year (i.e. 45–60 ECTS per academic year). If the student does not fulfil the requirements of full-time study by the beginning of the follow- ing academic year, he or she will be transferred to part-time study. In or- der to obtain and retain a residence permit for studying, you must study full time. Full-time tuition is a prereq- uisite for studying free of charge when studying Estonian-language (and sev- eral English-language) programmes and it is required by many grants and scholarships.

Part-time study – 50–75% of the curriculum must be completed by the end of the academic year (i.e. 30–44 ECTS per academic year). A part-time student is a fully entitled student in the eyes of the university.

External student – a student whose workload is less than that of a parttime student, but who has the right to complete the curriculum, take exam- inations and tests, and/or complete

Scholarships: www.archimedes.ee/ grants/ the final examination or defend their thesis. External students do not have the student status or rights.

There are mainly three forms of study in Estonian higher education. Daytime study means Mon-Fri during the daytime; cyclical study lectures take place on the weekends or in the evenings, and distance learning attends school less often than once a month and at other times, studies take place independently and at home. Which form of study is used depends on the curriculum and it is not in correlation with the workload of the students. Curricula are generally in Estonian, but it is exceedingly more possible to study in English and some higher education institutions also offer Russian-language study. More information about English-language programmes can be found at www. studyinestonia.ee. Curricula taught in Russian are offered by Euroacademy, (www.euroakadeemia.ee/ru) and The University of Tartu’s Narva College (www.narva.ut.ee/ru). There are generally no tuition fees in Estonia, Estonian-language curricula are free. A fee is generally charged for studying courses taught in English at Bachelor’s and Master’s levels, but all Doctoral study courses are free at universities under public law. It is possible to take out a student loan during studies and apply for scholarships. Read more about scholarships offered to foreign students on the Archimedes Foundation’s website, http://haridus. archimedes.ee/en/scholarships.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL, or VÕTA in Estonian) Estonia has developed its own principles of Recognition of Prior Learning. RPL is a process, which allows having your prior studies at another educational institution or work experience in the studied field recognised. RPL can be used when applying for a course, completing the curriculum or acquiring a vocation. Universities also have RPL advisers who can give information about the implementation possibilities of RPL.

3.3 More about higher education

Quality of higher education The quality of higher education can primarily be assessed by international comparison. QS World University Rankings has placed the University of Tartu as the highest ranked university in Estonia.. The Tallinn University of Technology is among the top 50, and the Estonian University of Life Sciences is among the top 100 universities in its respective fields (out of 3500 assessed universities).

Each curricula group taught in Estonia and each institution is assessed regularly, every seven years. Curricula are also regularly assessed by the state and new curricula must also receive state approval before opening. The main direction of education is towards a more practical and problem-solving based study. Curricula aims to include more modern methods and teach life skills such as group work and interdisciplinary approaches.

Students with special needs are also welcome at Estonian higher education institutions. The state supports students with special needs in acquiring higher education. Students with special needs who study in Estonia as long-term residents, with a temporary residence permit, or with a permanent or temporary right of residence, are also eligible for the scholarship scheme. Universities are mostly accessible: academic buildings are equipped with ramps and/or lifts. Larger libraries have Braille printers and other technical aids available. More information is available from the school you are interested in.

Besides the main studies, universities also offer shorter (1–4 week long) courses, taught in English, on Estonian language and culture, and courses on other topics (e.g. humanities, e-services and cybersecurity). More information is available on the Study in Estonia website, www.studyinestonia. ee/short-courses

The universities’ training centres also organise further training courses of varying lengths for professional development, as well as hobby trainings. These can be organised as study days, longer programs, e-learning courses, summer schools, a series of lectures, or commissioned trainings all over Estonia. A fee is normally charged for further training courses.

Further information:

Dreamapply – admissions portal for foreign students who do not have an Estonian ID card or bank account. Dreamapply allows you to search for

programmes taught in English in Estonia by name or a keyword, and provides information about admissions according to the applicant’s citizenship, www.estonia.dreamapply.com (in English)

Admission Information System (SAIS) – to apply for courses taught in Estonian. To apply through SAIS, you need an Estonian ID card or an Estonian Internet banking account that allows you to sign in. SAIS allows you to apply to several universities, track your application’s status compared to other applicants, and confirm your place. SAIS also exchanges information with other state databases, www.sais.ee

Study in Estonia – a comprehensive and practical website introducing higher education opportunities and

3.4 Research

student life in Estonia. Includes a list of courses taught in English, answers to student’s frequently asked questions (about scholarships, language requirements, etc.), useful links and examples from real life,

www.studyinestonia.ee

Archimedes Foundation – manages information about funding, scholarships and mobility opportunities, and directs it towards students, young scholars, and teachers.

State Portal Eesti.ee – contact details of universities. Each university’s website will have more information about courses offered, the organisation of studies, etc. The websites of larger universities also have a lot of practical information about admission requirements, scholarships, studying and student life, •

According to the Essential Science Indicators (ESI), Estonia’s research is within the top 50% of the world in all 22 research fields. The highest priority research areas are information and communication technologies, health technologies and services, and the effective use of resources. Dozens of researchers working in Estonia are in the world’s top 1% of most frequently cited researchers, e.g. in the fields of molecular biology and genetics, neurosciences and behavioural sciences, chemistry, computer sciences, nanotechnology, and material sciences.

Estonia’s R&D activities are conditionally divided into four subject areas: • Life and Environmental Sciences • Social Sciences and Culture • Medical Studies • Natural Sciences and Technology

Research is mostly conducted at universities. The largest research universities in Estonia are the University of Tartu, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn University, and the Estonian University of Life Sciences. There are also independent research centres, such as the Estonian Biocentre, the Tartu Observatory, the Estonian Literary Museum, and the Institute of the Estonian Language. Private sector research centres mostly focus on product development and innovation. Internationally recognized research groups are united as centres of excellence in research, and receive separate funding.

The infrastructure of Estonian research and development institutions has been developed strongly in recent years, and has reached a high international level.

Research funding and main research areas Research is primarily financed on the basis of quality competition. Financing mainly comes from • the state budget; • companies (e.g. large enterprises such • as Eesti Energia and Viru Keemia Grupp); • foreign funds (mainly the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020, and other EU initiatives, such as the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST), Joint Technology Initiatives (JTI), Joint Programming Initiatives (JPI), etc.).

The main national funding opportunities are: • basic financing – for reaching strategic goals, opening new research directions, and developing the infrastructure; • research grants – to support the work of institutions, research groups, and the top scientists; NB! To submit residence permit applications at the PPA service centre in Estonia, you need to make an appointment through the PPA website

To submit applications at an Estonian representation abroad, you also need to make an appointment through the website of the embassy.

Why are permanent residents guaranteed more extensive rights than aliens temporarily staying in the country?

In which domains are thirdcountry nationals that are long-term residents treated equally with the country’s own citizens?

Estonia’s research is within the top 50% in the world in all 22 research fields.

Research in Estonia: www.researchinestonia.eu

• national research programs; • financing for centres of excellence and doctoral schools; • covering the infrastructure costs of R&D institutions.

National funding is organised by the Estonian Research Council (www. etag.ee) or the ministry corresponding to the field of research ( • ). Research funding is mainly requested by and awarded to research groups. University students can participate in research as members of research groups. More information is available to students during their studies at specific universities.

In Estonia, the priority research fields (i.e. the Economic Growth Areas) are: • information and communication technology (ICT), such as the use of ICT in industries (automation and robotics), cybersecurity, software development; • medical technologies and services, such as biotechnology, e-medicine; • efficient use of resources, such as material science and industry, “Smart Houses”, healthy food, chemical engineering.

Research, development and innovation in these fields receives priority funding.

Centres of excellence in research European Union funds are used to finance the activities of research groups that have a high potential, including basic research, applied research and development; the acquisition and modernisation of small tools and equipment needed for the R&D; researcher mobility and training, as well as the activities of young researchers; national and international cooperation; the development and testing of innovative ideas; and dissemination and popularisation of research results.

A total of nine centres of excellence receive funding. As of 2016, you will find more information about centres of excellence on the Archimedes Foundation website: •• . Support for doctoral studies

To support the next generation of scientists, universities have established doctoral schools, which organise summer and winter schools, international study mobility and interdisciplinary research projects for PhD students, and which support students who have discontinued their doctoral studies upon completing their degrees. Information about doctoral schools can be found on the websites of different universities (as of 2016).

Doctoral students receive a Doctoral allowance (660 EUR per month in 2019) and can apply for additional scholarships from various Estonian and international programs. In addition there are various programme-based doctoral study placements, the funding for which comes from other sources. Opportunities that are more specific can be inquired about from the department of the university where you wish to study.

Young researchers can also participate in reasearch competitions; see more at the Estonian Research Council: www. etag.ee/en/science-communication.

Further information:

The welcoming programme’s research module – the one-day course with study materials provided focuses on the organisation of research in Estonia, www.settleinestonia.ee

The Estonian Research Council – deals with the financing of research, the analysis of financing results, the popularisation of science, and the development of international cooperation in research, www.etag.ee/en

The Estonian Research Information System – concentrates information on R&D activities in Estonia, e.g. information about researchers, research projects, published articles, financing information, etc., www.etis.ee

Research in Estonia – a website that introduces Estonian research to foreign scientists, doctoral students, and research officers. The website gives an overview of different research fields and institutions that deal with research. You can also find information there about financing opportunities and references to other websites about research in Estonia, www.researchinestonia.eu

Archimedes Foundation – manages information about funding, scholarships and mobility opportunities, and directs it towards students, young scholars and teachers.

The oldest university in Estonia is the University of Tartu, which was established by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden in 1632.

The Estonian Academy of Sciences – connects 72 Estonian academics and 16 foreign members. The academy provides suggestions and expert opinions, participates in the preparation of legislation related to R&D, helps to popularise science, cooperates with researchers on the national and international levels, www.akadeemia.ee/en