Assesment Guidelines for demonstrations of proficiency

Published 22.10.2024 | Updated 28.11.2024

Pre-examination guidelines for the artistic component

General

This is an English translation of the assessment guidelines originally written in Finnish. In the event of any conflict between the English language version and the original, the Finnish language version shall prevail.

In the arts study programme, the demonstration of proficiency for a doctoral degree is a thematically consistent artistic-research work consisting of artistic components and a written component. The scope of the demonstration of proficiency, i.e. all components together, is 165 credits, and the scope of the components may vary. The relationship between the artistic and written components is not prescribed, but set in accordance with the student’s objectives.

The artistic components of the demonstration of proficiency may be comprised of e.g. concerts, compositions, artistic productions, liturgies, recordings, online materials or videos. The scope of the components brings together no less than two and no more than four concert programmes or other artistic entities in a doctoral degree.

When the artistic components are compositions, the scope and complexity of the artistic components must correspond to one to two concert entities or entities consisting of other similar works or performances taking into account the student’s composition style and technique. With regard to the compositions, an entity that corresponds to the scope of at least one concert must be publicly performed (e.g. at least one artistic component must be a public composition concert or similar performance). In exceptional cases (e.g. a large-scale opera or other entity that is challenging in terms of production), a score alone is enough. Depending on the nature of the demonstration of proficiency, compositions must include scores whenever they are necessary for composing music, performing compositions or assessing them.

If the artistic components consist partly of composed music and partly of performed music, the ratio described above is taken into account in the number, scope and complexity of the components as well as in their assessment.

The demonstration of proficiency also includes a written component. Together, the written component and the artistic components form a coherent body of research. The written component also contains a summary which provides a report of the goals and framework of the complete demonstration of proficiency, the functions of its components and how they interrelate, along with a review of the results and a discussion of the significance of these results.

Demonstration of proficiency assessment stages in the arts study programme

The purpose of the preliminary examination of the written component is to ensure that the material to be used in the demonstration of proficiency meets the formal requirements and that it is of a sufficiently high standard. The pre-examiner is appointed by the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy. Separate guidelines have been issued for the preliminary examination of the written component.

The assessment committee is responsible for the actual assessment of the demonstration of proficiency. The assessment committee’s assessment task continues from the first component of the demonstration of proficiency to a public examination and an examination statement. The assessment committee listens to and follows all artistic components of the demonstration of proficiency, such as concerts and recordings. The student receives from the assessment committee oral and written feedback for each artistic component, and this feedback serves to support the demonstration of proficiency process and the student’s learning within it. The written feedback also supports the assessment of the demonstration of proficiency as a whole.After the completion of each artistic component, a feedback discussion is held, in which the assessment committee discusses the completed artistic component with the doctoral student concerned. The assessment committee may comment on the demonstration of proficiency stage and the direction of its future artistic and written components.

Once the Academy board has issued an examination permit, the demonstration of proficiency will be examined at a public examination event.

After the examination event, the assessment committee issues a written, signed statement on the demonstration of proficiency to the Division of doctoral education and research within one month of the examination event. The statement also addresses the examination event. The doctoral student is entitled to respond to the statement.

The Division of doctoral education and research approves the demonstration of proficiency and decides on the grade based on the statements provided. When handling the matter, the Division may request a hearing from the chair of the examination event or the examiners or opponents of the demonstration of proficiency.

Assessment of demonstrations of proficiency in the arts study programme

The assessment committee assesses the demonstration of proficiency as a whole in relation to the objectives of both the degree and the demonstration of proficiency. The general objective of doctoral education at the Sibelius Academy is to produce music sector experts who are capable of high-level creative and critical work and who operate in demanding art, research, development and educational positions. Doctors of Music graduating from the Sibelius Academy act as societal contributors promoting an ethically sustainable future.

The special goals of the arts study programme are to provide doctoral students with

the ability to express themselves artistically in a high-quality and visionary manner
the ability to produce conceptually clear knowledge
the ability to produce new knowledge through methods of art and research
the ability to engage in constructive interaction with the art community, academia and the rest of society

The assessment of artistic components is supported by a linking paper on each component. In it, the doctoral student explains the objectives for the artistic component and the relation between the component and the demonstration of proficiency as a whole.

With regard to the written component, the committee is supported by the relevant pre-examination statements.

Artistic component pre-examination and pre-examination statement

The pre-examination of the artistic component is a preliminary assessment, in which the pre-examiner assesses the doctoral student’s capabilities for completing the component. The pre-examiner assesses whether the component is ready for public performance and for committee assessment.

In the pre-examination, the doctoral student presents the pre-examiner with the artistic component of the doctoral project or key parts of it. If it is not possible to present the entire programme in the pre-examination, the pre-examiner and the student may agree on how the readiness is demonstrated.

The pre-examination may be carried out in an appropriate seminar in which the pre-examiner can take into account in their assessment the peer feedback presented.

The pre-examiner, doctoral student and seminar community are present at the seminar pre-examination. For the session, the doctoral student prepares a linking paper which is submitted to the seminar and the pre-examiner no later than one week before the session. The artistic component is assessed in relation to the objectives defined by the student in the linking paper. Following the doctoral student’s musical performance and oral presentation, both the seminar community and the pre-examiner give feedback and discuss the thoughts that the artistic component raised. At the end of the session, the pre-examiner indicates whether the pre-examination of the artistic component has been approved. For the purpose of a seminar examination, the student contacts the pre-examiner and agrees on arranging a pre-examination during a seminar session well in advance, by no later than six weeks before the public presentation of the artistic component.

At least one week before the pre-examination, the student registers for the artistic component by sending an electronically completed assessment form to the pre-examiner. The pre-examination must be carried out at least six weeks before the planned date of the publicly presented artistic component or assessment of the recording (see Artistic pre-examination practices below). A linking paper, in which the student explains the objectives of the artistic component and its relation to the demonstration of proficiency as a whole, is attached to the assessment form.

When the assessment committee assesses a demonstration of proficiency for an examination permit statement, the nine criteria in the table below are used as criteria. The same criteria are used as the assessment criteria in the pre-examination of the artistic component, taking into account the linking paper for the component and the fact that the pre-examination is targeted at the artistic component in question as part of the demonstration of proficiency. The pre-examination also takes into account that the doctoral student can further develop their capabilities by the actual presentation of the artistic component.

A demonstration of proficiency with a grade of Pass is based on independent artistic-research activities, contains new information and, with clear argumentation, corresponds with the task assignment of the demonstration of proficiency. The quality of the demonstration of proficiency sufficiently meets the requirements set for it.

The demonstration of proficiency and its components comprise a uniform, well-managed, consistent, appropriately defined and well-organised entity.
The topic, goals and new knowledge produced by the demonstration of proficiency have sufficient significance in the field of art and research or, in addition to the above, when it can be assessed, with regard to society or more broadly.
The demonstration of proficiency is a meaningful and contextualised continuation of the previous tradition and discussion in its field.
Artistic research methods have been presented and reasoned. They are suitable and appropriate for the topic and objectives, and have been used consistently and reliably.
The demonstration of proficiency is constructively critical in relation to prevailing practices, previous research and the artistic research, outputs or outcomes of one’s own work and their significance.
The demonstration of proficiency is sufficiently clear and convincing in terms of communication and style. Previous research and sources as well as the theory, methods and materials of the demonstration of proficiency are systematically structured and argued.
The demonstration of proficiency adheres to the norms of research ethics and responsible artistic and research practices. The ethical aspects of the demonstration of proficiency have been adequately addressed.
If the demonstration of proficiency includes collaborations (such as jointly created works or joint publications), the creator’s primary contribution is clearly demonstrated.

The pre-examiner confirms the pre-examination by signing the approved pre-examination statement assessment form. The pre-examination statement is forwarded in accordance with the form guidelines.

If the pre-examiner does not give their approval, they must describe in the form or statement the reasons for the rejection and the possible date of the new pre-examination. If the student receives a negative pre-examination statement, they have a week to make an appeal to the assessment committee, which may then choose to issue a performance permit at its own discretion. As a general rule, the committee cannot assess the performance without the approval of the pre-examiner.

About the practice of artistic pre-examination

Concerts and other publicly performed components

The doctoral student contacts the pre-examiner and agrees to hold the pre-examination well in advance so that it takes place no later than six weeks before the planned date of the artistic component. The holidays of the personnel must be taken into account.

The doctoral student must discuss any changes to the artistic component (concert programme or equivalent) with the supervisor-in-charge and committee chair well in advance. The supervisor-in-charge approves or rejects the changes. If the views of the student or committee chair differ from the supervisor’s decision, they can contact the head of the doctoral school, who makes the final decision on changes to the programme, as needed. Students shall also inform the pre-examiner and committee of any changes as soon as they arise.

Recordings (e.g. audio recordings, recorded media, video)

If the recording has been made before the doctoral degree, it will be pre-examined by no later than six weeks before the committee assesses it. The doctoral student contacts the pre-examiner and agrees on the date of the pre-examination. The recording is delivered to the pre-examiner by a representative of the doctoral school. If the pre-examiner supports approval of the recording as part of the demonstration of proficiency, the representative of the doctoral school provides the recording to the committee.

If the recording is to be made during doctoral studies, the pre-examination will be held by no later than six weeks before the recording. In this case, the student will present the programme to be recorded, or key parts of it, to the pre-examiner. The student contacts the pre-examiner in good time and agrees on the time of the pre-examination after ensuring that the recording can take place. After an approved pre-examination, the student may proceed with the recording and send a completed recording, a copy of the master tape, or an electronic version, along with the material related to the recording, to a specialist at the doctoral school office.

Compositions

In the pre-examination of compositions, the pre-examiner ensures that the whole or part of the works submitted for pre-examination adequately correspond to the artistic and research objectives mentioned in the postgraduate degree plan and the linking paper.

The pre-examination of the composition may be carried out in different stages, but it must be done in such a way that the publicly presented works of the artistic component are pre-examined by no later than six weeks before the work is carried out.

The doctoral student contacts the pre-examiner and agrees to hold a pre-examination by no later than six weeks before the planned date of the component to be presented publicly. The holidays of the personnel must be taken into account.

Artistic component works that are not presented publicly may be pre-examined either before or after the performance of the publicly performed works. They can be examined either for score only or for score and a possible recording or concert performance. The student agrees with the pre-examiner on the schedule for the pre-examination of works other than those performed publicly.

If changes have been made to the artistic component, the changes must have already been approved in advance by the supervisor-in-charge, and the chair of the committee and the pre-examiner must have been informed of these changes.

These guidelines enter into force on 11 December 2023 and apply to all students who commenced their studies on or after 1 January 2021. For doctoral students who started their studies at an earlier date, these guidelines apply in accordance with the separately issued transitional provision. The transitional provision is appended to the doctoral degree guidelines, which were concluded on 10 December 2021.

Pre-examination guidelines for the written component

General

Demonstration of proficiency assessment stages in the arts study programme

The purpose of the pre-examination of the written component is to ensure before the assessment committee’s overall assessment of the demonstration of proficiency, the public examination and the printing of the work, that the written component’s manuscript meets the formal requirements and that it is of a sufficient standard.

When the written component is ready to be submitted for pre-examination, a pre-examiner is appointed by the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy, based on a proposal prepared by the supervisor-in-charge with other supervisors.

The pre-examiners prepare a written, reasoned statement and provide it to the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy within three months. The doctoral student is entitled to respond to the statement.

If the statement of the pre-examiner does not support the granting of an examination permit due to deficiencies in the work, the pre-examination procedure shall expire without a separate decision. However, the doctoral student can bring the matter to the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy, who will decide whether the examination process continues or expires. After the pre-examination procedure has expired, the doctoral student may request a new pre-examination when the demonstration of proficiency has been modified on the basis of the rejection statements and the supervising teacher is in favour of initiating the pre-examination procedure.

The assessment committee is responsible for the actual assessment of the demonstration of proficiency. The assessment committee’s assessment task continues from the first component of the demonstration of proficiency to a public examination and an examination statement. The assessment committee listens to and follows all artistic components of the demonstration of proficiency, such as concerts and recordings. The student receives from the assessment committee oral and written feedback for each artistic component, and this feedback serves to support the demonstration of proficiency process and the student’s learning within it. The written feedback also supports the assessment of the demonstration of proficiency as a whole. After the completion of each artistic component, a feedback discussion is held, in which the assessment committee discusses the completed artistic component with the doctoral student concerned. The assessment committee may comment on the demonstration of proficiency stage and the direction of its future artistic and written components.

Once the Academy board has issued an examination permit, the demonstration of proficiency will be examined at a public examination event.

Assessment of demonstrations of proficiency in the arts study programme

The special goals of the arts study programme are to provide doctoral students with

the ability to express themselves artistically in a high-quality and visionary manner
the ability to produce conceptually clear knowledge
the ability to produce new knowledge through methods of art and research
the ability to engage in constructive interaction with the art community, academia and the rest of society

With regard to the written component, the committee is supported by the relevant pre-examination statements.

Written component pre-examination and pre-examination statement

In the pre-examination of the written component, the criteria described below are used as the assessment criteria. Together with a tenth criterion, which concerns defending the demonstration of proficiency at a public examination, these form the criteria for an acceptable demonstration of proficiency used in the assessment conducted by the assessment committee.

The demonstration of proficiency and its components comprise a uniform, well-managed, consistent, appropriately defined and well-organised entity.
The topic, goals and new knowledge produced by the demonstration of proficiency have sufficient significance in the field of art and research or, in addition to the above, when it can be assessed, with regard to society or more broadly.
The demonstration of proficiency is a meaningful and contextualised continuation of the previous tradition and discussion in its field.
Artistic research methods have been presented and reasoned. They are suitable and appropriate for the topic and objectives, and have been used consistently and reliably.
The demonstration of proficiency is constructively critical in relation to prevailing practices, previous research and the artistic research, outputs or outcomes of one’s own work and their significance.
The demonstration of proficiency is sufficiently clear and convincing in terms of communication and style. Previous research and sources as well as the theory, methods and materials of the demonstration of proficiency are systematically structured and argued.
The demonstration of proficiency adheres to the norms of research ethics and responsible artistic and research practices. The ethical aspects of the demonstration of proficiency have been adequately addressed.
If the demonstration of proficiency includes collaborations (such as jointly created works or joint publications), the creator’s primary contribution is clearly demonstrated.

In the pre-examination, it should be noted that the written component is part of the demonstration of proficiency, which also includes artistic components. The written component contains a summary which provides a report of the goals, framework, components of the demonstration of proficiency and their functions and mutual relations, and a review of the results and a discussion of the significance of these results. The pre-examiner of the written component is offered an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the artistic components or the recordings related to them.

The written component does not need to follow the conventional research publication model if it is possible to create a format that better serves its goals and those of the doctoral-level arts study programme. However, the written components to be examined as part of the demonstration of proficiency cannot be implemented without an adequate text section, which presents the topic in question to artistic actors and the academic community. The suggested length of the written component text section is approximately 40–100 pages or 25 000 ± 9 000 words (the reference list, attachments, images or possible multimedia sections are not included).

It is preferable that the statement includes a summary, which contains the following:

a brief description of the nature of the written component
key findings and the highest merits
the quality of the written component
a general description of the deficiencies identified and their rectification

The examination permit statement must not be conditional – it must be either affirmative or negative. The pre-examiner may include suggestions for corrections and additions in their approving statement, but in this case, any deficiencies in the written component must not be so significant that they would lead to rejection if they were not rectified. Suggestions for rectification may include additional materials that can be produced with reasonable effort or additional familiarisation with research literature. A statement of rejection shall be issued if there are such serious deficiencies in the work that they cannot be rectified with a reasonable amount of work.

At the end of the statement, the pre-examiner must state unambiguously whether they support the granting of an examination permit or suggest rejecting the work. If desired, the pre-examiner may append a separate list of minor deficiencies and errors in their statement to be provided to the doctoral student. This should be mentioned in the pre-examination statement.

The pre-examiners prepare a written, reasoned statement and submit it to the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy within three months. The pre-examiners may each issue their own, separate statement or a joint statement. The statements are addressed to the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy and provided to the doctoral school’s office.

These guidelines enter into force on 11 December 2023 and apply to all students who commenced their studies on or after 1 January 2021. For students who started their studies at an earlier date, these guidelines apply in accordance with the separately issued transitional provision. The transitional provision is appended to the doctoral degree guidelines, which were concluded on 10 December 2021

Assessment guidelines for deminstrations of profiency in the arts study programme

General

In the arts study programme, the demonstration of proficiency for a doctoral degree is a thematically consistent artistic-research work consisting of artistic components and a written component.

Demonstration of proficiency assessment stages in the arts study programme

The demonstrations of proficiency for the doctoral degree are pre-examined and examined. In the arts study programme, the artistic components of the demonstration of proficiency are pre-assessed and the written component is pre-examined separately. The preliminary examination of the artistic component is a preliminary assessment, in which the pre-examiner assesses the doctoral student’s capabilities for completing the component. The pre-examiner assesses whether the component is ready for public performance and for committee assessment. The purpose of the preliminary examination of the written component is to ensure that the material to be used in the demonstration of proficiency meets the formal requirements and that it is of a sufficiently high standard. The pre-examiner is appointed by the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy. Separate guidelines have been issued for the preliminary examination of the artistic component and written component.

The assessment committee is responsible for the actual assessment of the demonstration of proficiency. Demonstrations of proficiency in the arts study programme are examined as a whole. The Academy board of the Sibelius Academy appoints an assessment committee composed of at least three members, with one of these members appointed as committee chair.Each doctoral student has an individual assessment committee. The assessment committee’s assessment task continues from the first component of the demonstration of proficiency to a public examination and an examination statement.

The assessment committee listens to and follows all artistic components of the demonstration of proficiency, such as concerts and recordings. If, for compelling reasons, a committee member cannot attend a concert, for example, they can assess it from the recording.

The student receives from the assessment committee oral and written feedback for each artistic component, and this feedback serves to support the demonstration of proficiency process and the student’s learning within it. The written feedback also supports the assessment of the demonstration of proficiency as a whole.

After the completion of each artistic component, a feedback discussion is held, in which the assessment committee discusses the completed artistic component with the doctoral student concerned. When the artistic component is a concert or similar, the committee holds an assessment discussion and a feedback discussion with the student primarily the next working day or no later than two weeks after the concert in a manner to be decided by the assessment committee chair. When the artistic component is an audio or other type of recording, a representative of the doctoral school provides it to all members of the assessment committee, after which the committee chair convenes a feedback discussion within two weeks.

The committee chair gathers the written feedback of the board members and provides it to the student within two weeks of the feedback discussion. The chair saves the feedback for use in assessing the demonstration of proficiency.

The assessment committee may comment on the demonstration of proficiency stage and the direction of its future artistic and written components.

In the feedback discussion or immediately thereafter, the chair fills in an assessment form, which lists the committee members who participated in the assessment. The chair provides the form within two weeks of the feedback discussion to the office of the doctoral school.

Once the Academy board has issued an examination permit, the demonstration of proficiency will be examined at a public examination event. See the Guidelines for the public examination event.

After the examination event, the assessment committee issues a written, signed statement on the demonstration of proficiency to the Division of doctoral education and research of the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy within one month of the examination event. The statement also addresses the examination event. The doctoral student is entitled to respond to the statement.

Assessment committee members

familiarise themselves with the content of the upcoming demonstration of proficiency to the extent necessary and with the written background material of each component (such as the linking paper and programme booklet)
listen to and follow all artistic components
participate in the assessment of artistic components
make notes and keep them for the preparation of assessment reports
participate in the feedback discussion following the artistic component and, in the joint discussion after the completion, provide the student with oral feedback on their content and quality
provide feedback appropriately and constructively, but also critically
provide written feedback to the committee chair within one week of the feedback discussion
participate in the assessment of the written component based on their expertise, supported by the relevant pre-examination statement
under the direction of the chair, participate in drafting the examination permit statement
participate in the public examination event and the attendant discussion
under the direction of the chair, participate in the drafting of the examination statement
comply with the chair’s instructions and recommendations
immediately inform the chair of the board if they will be unable to participate

Assessment committee chair tasks

The assessment committee chair

oversees the assessment committee activities and ensures that the guidelines and recommendations concerning them are followed
if necessary, familiarises themselves with other Sibelius Academy guidelines about the assessment as well as steering documents concerning the demonstration of proficiency and doctoral degree, such as doctoral degree guidelines
informs the doctoral student, the committee and the doctoral school of any absences from the assessment committee
ensures that the committee is aware of the objectives and nature of the demonstration of proficiency and the assessment criteria and,
if necessary, convenes the committee to inform the committee of the above-mentioned matters
listens to and follows all artistic components and leads the feedback discussions following them
participates in the assessment of the artistic components and the written component as with other members of the assessment committee
if necessary, convenes and chairs the committee for an assessment meeting (e.g. for the assessment of a recording or other similar artistic component or for drafting a statement)
compiles the written contributions provided by the committee members for each artistic component, receives the pre-examination statements of the written component and leads the committee’s grade proposal discussion and other activities in preparation for the examination permit statement, and provides the statements to the doctoral school
participates in the public examination of the degree

In the feedback discussion and assessment meeting, the chair of the assessment committee

ensures that the order is maintained and that the speeches are appropriate: the assessment and feedback must take place in the form of discussion and constructive, but reasonably critical spirit
ensures that all committee members can freely and independently express their views
ensures that the student can participate in the feedback discussion and respond freely and independently to the criticism and questions presented to them
may, for a special reason, ask the student to leave the feedback discussion for a moment to allow the committee to consult on a given matter

After the feedback discussion, the chair

gathers written feedback from the committee members concerning the artistic component and provides it to the student within two weeks of the feedback discussion, and retains the feedback for the assessment of the demonstration of proficiency and drafting assessment committee statements
completes the assessment form for the component and provides it to the office of the doctoral school within two weeks of the feedback discussion
if necessary, informs the head of the doctoral school and the student’s responsible supervisor of the student’s progress in the demonstration of proficiency and its assessment process

During the public examination, the chair

reads the statement(s) of the assessment committee on the demonstration of proficiency and
participates in the discussion on the demonstration of proficiency (see the Guidelines for the public examination event)

After the public examination event, the chair

convenes the assessment committee to discuss additional information arising from the examination event and to propose a grade under the supervision of the chair of the public examination
leads the committee in drafting the examination statement and provides it to the office of the doctoral school within one month of the examination (see Assessment committee statements below)

Assessment of demonstrations of proficiency in the arts study programme

The special goals of the arts study programme are to provide doctoral students with

the ability to express themselves artistically in a high-quality and visionary manner
the ability to produce conceptually clear knowledge
the ability to produce new knowledge through methods of art and research
the ability to engage in constructive interaction with the art community, academia and the rest of society

With regard to the written component, the committee is supported by the relevant pre-examination statements. The written component does not need to follow the conventional research publication model if it is possible to create a format that better serves its goals and those of the doctoral-level arts study programme. However, the written components to be examined as part of the demonstration of proficiency cannot be implemented without an adequate text section, which presents the topic in question to artistic actors and the academic community. The suggested length of the written component text section is approximately 40-100 pages or 25,000 ± 9000 words (the reference list, attachments, images or possible multimedia sections are not included).

The assessment criteria for a demonstration of proficiency grade of Pass or Pass with distinction are described below.

Assessment criteria

The demonstration of proficiency and its components comprise a uniform, well-managed, consistent, appropriately defined and well-organised entity.
The topic, goals and new knowledge produced by the demonstration of proficiency have sufficient significance in the field of art and research or, in addition to the above, when it can be assessed, with regard to society or more broadly.
The demonstration of proficiency is a meaningful and contextualised continuation of the previous tradition and discussion in its field.
Artistic research methods have been presented and reasoned. They are suitable and appropriate for the topic and objectives, and have been used consistently and reliably.
The demonstration of proficiency is constructively critical in relation to prevailing practices, previous research and the artistic research, outputs or outcomes of one’s own work and their significance.
The demonstration of proficiency is sufficiently clear and convincing in terms of communication and style. Previous research and sources as well as the theory, methods and materials of the demonstration of proficiency are systematically structured and argued.
The demonstration of proficiency adheres to the norms of research ethics and responsible artistic and research practices. The ethical aspects of the demonstration of proficiency have been adequately addressed.
If the demonstration of proficiency includes collaborations (such as jointly created works or joint publications), the creator’s primary contribution is clearly demonstrated.
The doctoral student has successfully defended their thesis at a public examination.

A demonstration of proficiency with a grade of Pass with distinction is based on independent artistic-research activities, contains distinctively new information and, with clear argumentation, corresponds with the task assignment of the demonstration of proficiency. The quality of the demonstration of proficiency meets the requirements set for it with distinction.

The demonstration of proficiency and its components comprise a thematically uniform, well-managed, consistent and appropriately defined entity that clearly shows the significance of the different parts of the project.
The topic, goals and new knowledge produced by the demonstration of proficiency play a notable role in the field of art and research or in addition to the above, when it can be assessed, with regard to society or more broadly.
The demonstration of proficiency is a meaningful and contextualised continuation of the previous tradition and discussion in its own field, and it is a visionary reform of the field.
Artistic research methods have been presented and reasoned. They are especially suitable and appropriate for the topic and objectives, and have been used consistently and reliably to a laudable degree.
The demonstration of proficiency is, in a commendable way, constructively critical in relation to prevailing practices, previous research and the artistic research, outputs or outcomes of one’s own work and their significance.
The demonstration of proficiency is especially clear and convincing in terms of communication and style. It is laudable how previous research and sources as well as the theory, methods and materials of the demonstration of proficiency are consistently structured and argued.
The demonstration of proficiency adheres to the norms research ethics and responsible artistic and research practices. The ethical aspects of the demonstration of proficiency have been laudably addressed.
If the demonstration of proficiency includes cooperation (such as jointly created works or joint publications), the creator’s primary contribution is clearly demonstrated.
The doctoral student has insightfully defended their thesis at a public examination.

Assessment committee statements

Once all the artistic components have been implemented and the written component pre-examined, the assessment committee provides the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy with a statement on the demonstration of proficiency for the issuing of the examination permit. This statement is based on the committee’s assessment of the demonstration of proficiency as a whole, which also takes into account the pre-examination statements for the written component. The assessment criteria for the grade of Pass described above are used as the criteria for the examination permit, with the exception of the criterion of defending the demonstration of proficiency at a public examination event. The pre-examination statements of the written component shall be provided to the Academy board as an appendix to the assessment committee statement.

The examination permit statement must not be conditional – it must be either affirmative or negative. If the committee cannot reach a consensus on whether they are in favour of the examination permit or not, the matter shall be decided by a vote. In the event of a tie, the chair shall cast the deciding vote.

The chair of the assessment committee signs the assessment committee statement and provides it to the office of the doctoral school. The statement on the examination permit shall list the name of each committee member who assessed the demonstration of proficiency. A committee member may also issue a separate statement if they so wish. The Academy board of the Sibelius Academy decides on the examination permit.

It is preferable that the statement has a summary, which contains the following:

a brief description of the nature of the demonstration of proficiency
key artistic research findings and the highest merits
the quality of the demonstration of proficiency
a general description of the deficiencies identified and their rectification

The assessment committee serves as the examiners for the arts study programme at the public examination event. The criteria for grades Pass and Pass with distinction described above are used as the assessment criteria for the examination of the demonstration of proficiency. After the examination event, the committee gives a written, signed statement on the demonstration of proficiency within one month of the examination event. The statement also addresses the examination event itself and proposes the approval and grading of the demonstration of proficiency or its rejection. The proposed grade can be “Pass” or, when the demonstration of proficiency clearly meets the relevant requirements for high standards described in the assessment criteria, “Pass with distinction”. The grades Pass with distinction and Fail generally require a consensus of the assessors. The grade proposal is made under the direction of the event chair.

The examination statement must clearly indicate whether the statement proposes the approval of the demonstration of proficiency or not. It cannot be conditional. If the committee cannot reach a consensus on whether they approve of the demonstration of proficiency or not, the matter shall be decided by a vote. In the event of a tie, the chair shall cast the deciding vote. The examination statement is addressed to the Division of doctoral education and research of the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy and provided to the office of the doctoral school.

These guidelines enter into force on 29 May 2023 and apply to all students who commenced their studies on or after 1 January 2021. For students who started their studies at an earlier date, these guidelines apply in accordance with the separately issued transitional provision. The transitional provision is appended to the doctoral degree guidelines, which were concluded on 10 December 2021.

Assessment guidelines for deminstrations of proficiency in the research study programme

General

The demonstration of proficiency in the research study programme is a dissertation. The dissertation is a uniform entity based on research conducted by the doctoral student. It contains new scientific knowledge in a field of research represented at Sibelius Academy. A dissertation may be approved as either

a monograph, or
article dissertation

A monograph comprises a coherent, sufficiently extensive and meaningfully defined entity established around its research questions.

An article dissertation must contain 3–5 articles that are published or approved for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific publication series and that deal with the same set of problems. The researcher must be the primary author of the articles, and they must be able to show their independent contribution to the topic. The number of articles depends on the nature of the research project and the amount of work that goes into preparing the articles. A summary of the research objectives, problem, method and results is to be included in an article dissertation. The author of the study must provide a written explanation of their contribution to co-publications at the same time as the study is submitted for pre-examination.

Articles that have already been published or approved for publication are to be submitted for assessment without any editing or rewrites. Any minor overlaps or repetitions resulting from this are permitted in an article dissertation. In other respects, the same criteria shall apply to an article dissertation as to a monograph. In their statement, the assessor of the dissertation presents their assessment of the scientific standard of the entity, regardless of whether the articles have already been published or not.

Demonstration of proficiency assessment stages in the research study programmeB

The demonstrations of proficiency for the doctoral degree are pre-examined and examined. The purpose of pre-examination is to ensure before the public examination event and the printing of the work that the dissertation manuscript meets the formal requirements and that the scientific quality of the dissertation is sufficient.

The Academy board of the Sibelius Academy appoints pre-examiners for the dissertation as well as language examiners. There must be at least two pre-examiners, who must be sufficiently familiar with the field of the demonstration of proficiency in question and must have a doctorate.

The pre-examiners prepare a written, reasoned statement and provide it to the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy within three months. The doctoral student is entitled to respond to the statement.

If the statement of the pre-examiner does not approve the granting of an examination permit due to deficiencies in the work, the pre-examination procedure shall expire without a separate decision. However, the doctoral student can bring the matter to the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy, who will decide whether the examination process continues or expires. After the pre-examination procedure has expired, the doctoral student may request a new pre-examination when the demonstration of proficiency has been modified based on the rejecting statements and the supervisor-in-charge is in favour of initiating the pre-examination procedure.

The Academy board of the Sibelius Academy issues an examination permit for a demonstration of proficiency based on the pre-examination statements and the language examiner’s statement. When the Academy board issues the examination permit, it shall also appoint the opponent or opponents. The opponents must have a doctorate and be sufficiently familiar with the field of the demonstration of proficiency in question. The board also appoints a chair for the examination event.

Once the Academy board has issued an examination permit, the demonstration of proficiency will be examined at a public examination event. See the Guidelines for the public examination event.

After the examination event, the opponent or opponents will provide a written, signed statement on the dissertation, including the proposed grade, to the Division of doctoral education and research of the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy within one month of the examination event. The statement also addresses the examination event. The doctoral student is entitled to respond to the statement.

Assessment of demonstrations of proficiency in the research study programme

The assessors assess the demonstration of proficiency as a whole in relation to the objectives of both the degree and the demonstration of proficiency. The assessment criteria are uniformly focused on the whole demonstration of proficiency and all its components.

The general objective of doctoral education at the Sibelius Academy is to produce music sector experts who are capable of high-level creative and critical work and who operate in demanding art, research, development and educational positions. Doctors of Music graduating from the Sibelius Academy act as societal contributors promoting an ethically sustainable future.

The specific goals of the research study programme are to provide doctoral student with

the ability to produce high-quality knowledge
the ability to interact with the academic community and wider society
the ability to integrate into the activities of the international research community
the ability to strengthen the position of scientific research

Assessment criteria

A dissertation with a grade of Pass is based on independent research, contains new knowledge and, with clear argumentation, answers the research questions. The quality of the doctoral dissertation sufficiently meets the requirements set for it.

The dissertation comprises a uniform, well-managed, consistent, and appropriately defined entity that sufficiently reflects the link between the topic and objectives, research questions, methods, results and conclusions.
The topic and goals of the dissertation and the new knowledge produced by it have sufficient research significance. The dissertation’s significance with regard to art, education and society can also be taken into account in the assessment.
The dissertation is a meaningful and contextualised continuation to the previous research tradition.
Research methods have been presented and justified. They are suitable and appropriate for the topic and objectives, and have been used consistently and reliably.
Research methods have been presented and justified. They are suitable and appropriate for the topic and objectives, and have been used consistently and reliably.
The dissertation is constructively critical in relation to previous research and the author’s own research work, outcomes and their significance.
The dissertation is clearly communicated. Previous research, theory, methods, data and sources are systematically structured and argued.
The dissertation adheres to the norms of research ethics and responsible research practices. The ethical aspects of research work have been adequately addressed.
If the dissertation includes collaborative elements (such as joint publications), the author’s primary contribution is clearly demonstrated.
The author of the dissertation has successfully defended their dissertation at a public examination.

A dissertation with a grade of Pass with distinction is based on independent research, contains new knowledge and, with comprehensive argumentation, answers the research questions of the arguments. The quality of the doctoral dissertation meets the requirements set for it with distinction.

The dissertation comprises a uniform, well-managed, consistent, and appropriately defined entity that clearly reflects the link between the topic and objectives, research questions, methods, results and conclusions.
The topic and goals of the dissertation and the new knowledge produced by it have notable research significance. The dissertation’s significance with regard to art, education and society can also be taken into account in the assessment.
The demonstration of proficiency is a meaningful and contextualised continuation of the previous tradition and discussion in its own field, and it is a visionary reform of the field.
Research methods have been presented and justified. They are especially suitable and appropriate for the theme and objectives, and have been used consistently and reliably to a laudable degree.
The dissertation is, in a commendable way, constructively critical in relation to previous research and the author’s own research work, outcomes and their significance.
The dissertation is very clearly communicated. It is laudable how previous research, theory, methods, data and sources are systematically structured and argued.
The dissertation adheres to the norms of research ethics and responsible research practices. The ethicalaspects of research work have been laudably addressed.
If the dissertation includes collaborative elements (such as joint publications), the author’s primary contribution is clearly demonstrated.
The author of the dissertation has insightfully defended their dissertation at a public examination.

Pre-examination and pre-examination statement

The purpose of pre-examination is to ensure before the public examination event and the printing of the work that the dissertation manuscript meets the formal requirements and that the scientific quality of the dissertation is sufficient. The assessment criteria for the grade of Pass described above are used as the criteria for the examination permit, except for the criterion of defending the dissertation at a public examination event.

The pre-examiners prepare a written, reasoned statement and provide it to the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy within three months of receiving the manuscript. The pre-examiners may also issue a joint statement. The signed statement(s) are to be delivered to the doctoral school office.

The examination permit statement must not be conditional – it must be either affirmative or negative. The pre-examiner may include suggestions for corrections and additions in their approving statement, but in this case, any deficiencies in the manuscript to be assessed may not be so extensive that they would lead to rejection if they were not rectified. Suggestions for rectification may include e.g. additional materials that can be obtained with reasonable effort or additional familiarisation with research literature. The pre-examination statement must reject the manuscript if it fails to meet the criteria for an acceptable doctoral dissertation.

It is preferable that the statement has a summary, which contains the following:

a brief description of the nature of the research
key findings and the highest merits
the quality of the manuscript
a general description of the deficiencies identified and their rectification

At the end of the statement, the examiner must state unambiguously whether they propose approval or rejection of the manuscript. If desired, the pre-examiner may append a separate list of deficiencies and errors in their statement to be provided to the doctoral student. This should be mentioned in the pre-examination statement.

Examination and opponent’s statement

The purpose of the examination itself is to assess how well a dissertation edited in the pre-examination process meets scientific and formal requirements and how well the candidate defends their final dissertation orally in a public examination event. The criteria for grades Pass and Pass with distinction described above are used as the assessment criteria for the examination of the dissertation.

After the examination event, the opponent or opponents issue a written, signed statement on the dissertation to the Division for doctoral education and research of the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy within one month of the examination event. The statement also takes into account the examination event and gives a proposal for the acceptance and grading of the dissertation or its rejection. The statement cannot be conditional. For reasons of legal protection, the opponent may not introduce any new criticism in their statement – only the criticism to which the doctoral student has had the opportunity to respond at the examination event may be included. If there are several opponents, they may each issue their own statement or a joint statement.

The proposed grade can be “Pass” or, when the dissertation clearly meets the relevant requirements for high standards described in the assessment criteria, “Pass with distinction”. The grades Pass with distinction and Fail generally require that each opponent proposes the grade in question. The grade proposal is made under the direction of the event chair.

The examination statement is provided to the doctoral school’s office after the examination event within two months.

These guidelines enter into force on 29 May 2023 and apply to all students who commenced their studies on or after 1 January 2021. For doctoral students who started their studies at an earlier date, these guidelines apply in accordance with the separately issued transitional provision. The transitional provision is appended to the doctoral degree guidelines, which were concluded on 10 December 2021.

Assessment guidelines for demonstrations of profiency in the applied study programme

General

An applied study programme degree may be either research-orientated or artistic. The core content of the degree is called the development target. The demonstration of proficiency is comprised of outputs connected to the development target in such a way that is appropriate for the nature of the development target. The development target consists of new and tested methods, applications and practices. Development work and testing are described in written work.

In the appblied study programme, the demonstration of proficiency for a doctoral degree completed as an artistic degree includes the following:

a development project, the results of which are
- intangible (insight, knowledge and skills, competence and abilities), and
- material (concerts, recordings, sheet music, teaching materials, online materials, methods, programs, instruments, databases), and
a description of how the development project results were tested and the comprehension obtained was utilised as well as a summary of other parts of the development work

In the scientific degree, a description of the project’s starting points, development process background and frame of reference, developmbent and results as well as the utilisation of comprehension obtained is compiled in the demonstration of proficiency.

Demonstration of proficiency assessment stages in the applied study

The demonstrations of proficiency for the doctoral degree are pre-examined and examined. The purpose of pre-examination is to ensure that the material intended as a demonstration of proficiency meets the formal requirements and that its level is sufficient. The pre-examiner is appointed by the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy.

The pre-examiners of the development project and its summary assess the demonstration of proficiency on the basis of the assessment criteria described below and give a written, reasoned statement, which is provided to the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy within three months. The doctoral student is entitled to respond to the statement.

Any artistic component included in the demonstration of proficiency in artistic applied study will be pre-examined separately. The preliminary examination of the artistic component is a preliminary assessment, in which the pre-examiner assesses the doctoral student’s capabilities for completing the component. Separate guidelines have been issued for the pre-examination of the artistic component.

If the statement of the pre-examiner does not support the granting of an examination permit due to deficiencies in the work, then the pre-examination procedure shall expire without a separate decision. However, the doctoral student can bring the matter to the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy, who will decide whether the examination process continues or expires. After the pre-examination procedure has expired, the doctoral student may request a new pre-examination when the demonstration of proficiency has been modified based on the rejecting statements and the supervisor-in-charge is in favour of initiating the pre-examination procedure.

The Academy board of the Sibelius Academy issues an examination permit for a demonstration of proficiency based on the pre-examination statements and the language examiner’s statement. In scientific applied study programme, the actual examination of the demonstration of proficiency is the responsibility of an examiner or examiners of the development work and its summary. In artistic applied study programme, it is that of an assessment committee. The examiners and the assessment committees are appointed by the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy. In addition to these assessors, the Academy board appoints the chair of the examination event and members to be separately appointed to the Grading committee. The Grading committee also includes the examiner or examiners, or the chair of the assessment committee.

Once the Academy board has issued an examination permit, the development project and its summary will be examined at a public examination event. See the Guidelines for the public examination event. The purpose of the examination is to assess how well the demonstration of proficiency, which is modified on the basis of the pre-examination process, meets the criteria described below, including how well the doctoral student defends their demonstration of proficiency orally at a public examination.

After the examination event, the examiners issue a written, signed statement on the demonstration of proficiency to the Division of doctoral education and research within one month of the examination event. The statement also addresses the examination event. The doctoral student is entitled to respond to the statement.

Assessment of demonstrations of proficiency in the applied study programme

The assessors assess the demonstration of proficiency as a whole in relation to the objectives of the degree and the demonstration of proficiency. The general objective of doctoral education at the Sibelius Academy is to produce music sector experts who are capable of high-level creative and critical work and who operate in demanding art, research, development and educational positions. Doctors of Music graduating from the Sibelius Academy act as societal contributors promoting an ethically sustainable future.

In the applied study programme, the primary focus is on becoming a specialist through carrying out a development project that builds the specialist knowledge and skills in a particular topic within the music field and the development work related to this topic. The specific objectives of the applied study programme are to to provide the students with

Assessment criteria

A demonstration of proficiency with a grade of Pass is based on independent research and development activities, contains new information and, with clear argumentation, meets the objectives of the development project arguments. The quality of the demonstration of proficiency sufficiently meets the requirements set for it.

The demonstration of proficiency comprises a uniform, well-managed, consistent, and appropriately defined entity.
The topic, goals and new knowledge produced by the demonstration of proficiency have sufficient significance and applicability in their field.
The demonstration of proficiency is a meaningful and contextualised continuation of the previous discussion and research and development.
The methods for research, development and testing the development target have been presented and justified. They are suitable and appropriate for the topic and objectives, and have been used consistently and reliably
The demonstration of proficiency is constructively critical in relation to prevailing practices, previous research, and the research, outputs or outcomes of one’s own work and their significance.
The demonstration of proficiency is clearly communicated. Previous research and sources as well as the theory, methods and materials of the demonstration of proficiency are systematically structured and argued.
The demonstration of proficiency adheres to the norms of research ethics and responsible artistic and research practices. Any ethical challenges related to the demonstration of proficiency have been adequately addressed and reported.
If the demonstration of proficiency includes collaborations (such as jointly created works or joint publications), the creator’s primary contribution is clearly demonstrated.
The doctoral student has successfully defended their demonstration of proficiency at a public examination.

A demonstration of proficiency with a grade of Pass with distinction is based on independent research and development activities, contains new information and, with comprehensive argumentation, meets the objectives of the development project. The quality of the demonstration of proficiency meets the requirements set for it with distinction.

The demonstration of proficiency comprises a uniform, well-managed, consistent and appropriately defined entity that clearly shows the significance of different parts of the project.
The topic, objectives and new knowledge producbed by the demonstration of proficiency have notable significance and applicability in their field.
The demonstration of proficiency is a meaningful and contextualised continuation of the previous discussion and research and development, and it is a practical and visionary reform of the field.
The methods for research, development and testing the development target have been presented and justified. They are especially suitable and appropriate for the topic and objectives, and have been used consistently and reliably to a laudable degree.
The demonstration of proficiency is, in a commendable way, constructively critical in relation to prevailing practices, previous research and the research, outputs or outcomes of one’s own work and their significance.
The demonstration of proficiency is very clearly communicated. It is laudable how previous research and sources as well as the theory, methods and materials of the demonstration of proficiency are consistently structured and argued
The demonstration of proficiency adheres to the norms of research ethics and responsible artistic and research practices. Any ethical challenges related to the demonstration of proficiency have been laudably addressed and reported.
If the demonstration of proficiency includes collaborations (such as jointly created works or joint publications), the creator’s primary contribution is clearly demonstrated.
The doctoral student has insightfully defended their demonstration of proficiency at a public examination.

Pre-examination and pre-examination statements

The purpose of the pre-examination is to ensure that the material intended as a demonstration of proficiency meets the formal requirements and that its level is sufficient.

The pre-examiners of the development project and its summary prepare a written, reasoned statement and provide it to the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy within three months of receiving the materials to be assessed. The pre-examiners may also issue a joint statement. The signed statement(s) are to be delivered to the doctoral school office. The assessment criteria for the grade of Pass described above are used as the criteria for pre-examination, with the exception of the criterion of defending the demonstration of proficiency at a public examination event.

For the pre-examination of the artistic component included in the demonstration of proficiency in artistic applied study, see the Guidelines for pre-examination of an artistic component.

It is preferable that the statement has a summary, which contains the following:

a brief description of the nature of the development work and testing
key findings and the highest merits
the quality of the demonstration of proficiency
a general description of the deficiencies identified and their rectification

The examination permit statement must not be conditional – it must be either affirmative or negative. The pre-examiner may include suggestions for corrections and additions in their approving statement, but in this case, any deficiencies in the materials to be assessed may not be so extensive that they would lead to rejection if they were not rectified. Suggestions for rectification may include e.g. additional materials that can be produced with reasonable effort or additional familiarisation with research literature. A statement of rejection shall be issued if there are such serious deficiencies in the work that they cannot be rectified with a reasonable amount of work.

At the end of the statement, the pre-examiner must state unambiguously whether they propose issuing an examination permit or rejecting the work. If desired, the pre-examiner may append a separate list of minor deficiencies and errors in their statement to be provided to the doctoral student. This should be mentioned in the pre-examination statement.

Examination and examination statement

In the applied study programme, the development project and its summary are examined at the public examination of the demonstration of proficiency. The criteria for grades Pass and Pass with distinction are used as the assessment criteria for the examination of the demonstration of proficiency. The assessment criteria are uniformly focused on the entire demonstration of proficiency and all of its components.

Meeting as soon as possible after the examination event, the Grading committee proposes to the Division of doctoral education and research of the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy, that the. demonstration of proficiency be approved, and a grade for it, or that it be rejected. The proposed grade can be “Pass” or, when the demonstration of proficiency clearly meets the relevant requirements for high quality described in the assessment criteria, “Pass with distinction”. The grades Pass with distinction and Fail generally require that each member with voting rights in the Grade committee proposes the grade in question. The Grade committee does not need to be in consensus. If the Grade committee is not in consensus, each member with voting rights shall give a separate written justification for their views. The grade proposal is made under the direction of the event chair.

After the examination event, the examiners issue a written, signed statement on the demonstration of proficiency to the Division of doctoral education and research of the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy within one month of the examination event. The statement also takes into account the examination event and records the proposal provided to the Grade committee for approval of the demonstration of proficiency and its grade, or its rejection. For reasons of legal protection, the examiner may not introduce any new criticism in their statement – only the criticism to which the doctoral student has had the opportunity to respond at the examination event may be included. Examiners may each issue their own statement or a joint statement.

It is preferable that the statement has a summary, which contains the following:

a brief description of the nature of the development work and testing
key findings and the highest merits
quality of the demonstration of proficiency and identified deficiencies

The examination statement must clearly indicate whether the statement proposes the approval of the demonstration of proficiency or not. It cannot be conditional. The examination statement is addressed to the Division of doctoral education and research of the Academy board of the Sibelius Academy and provided to the office of the doctoral school.

This decision enters into force on 29 May 2023 and apply to all students who commenced their studies on or after 1 January 2021. For students who started their studies at an earlier date, these guidelines apply in accordance with the separately issued transitional provision. The transitional provision is appended to the doctoral degree guidelines, which were concluded on 10 December 2021.