Master's Degree Programme in English Language and Culture

The Master's Degree Programme in English Language and Culture, taught entirely in English and directed to international applicants, provides an opportunity to study English from a variety of literary and linguistic perspectives.

The objectives of the programme include in-depth understanding of the multifacetedness of contemporary English studies, increased awareness of key debates in contemporary linguistics and ability to carry out independent research.

Key information

Level of degree: Master's degree
Programme duration: 2 years / 120 ECTS credits
Language of instruction: English
Application period: 7–21 January 2026
Programme start: September 2026
Tuition fee: EU/EEA nationals: no tuition fee; non-EU/EEA nationals: €10,000 per academic year
Study campus: Joensuu

Why study with us?

This programme gives you an opportunity to study English language and culture in an international environment, at a small, safe and modern campus.

Studies

The degree consists of coursework and a research thesis. During their studies, students will specialize in linguistics or literary and cultural studies. The linguistics studies include dialectology, language contact, language variation and change, pragmatics and bilingualism. As for the literary and cultural studies, the Department's areas of strength include - among others - postcolonial and ethnic literatures, American literature, popular fiction, and contemporary fiction, among others.

Structure of studies

The Master's degree (120 ECTS) consist of Advanced Studies in English Language and Culture (80 ECTS), Finnish Studies (4 ECTS) and Other Studies (36 ECTS).

Advanced Studies in English Language and Culture (80 ECTS)

Research Studies 15 ECTS: Research seminar and methodology.
Master's thesis 30 ECTS
Optional Studies 35 ECTS: Advanced level courses according to students' personal interests. The selection of courses offered varies annually.

Finnish Studies (4 ECTS)

Finnish studies will introduce you to the Finnish language. You can also complete a minor in Finnish as a Second Language.

Other Studies (36 ECTS)

Any courses offered by the university according to students' personal interests. The courses may be selected from optional studies in English Language and Culture, other international study programmes, or they can be general knowledge courses.

For more detailed information concerning the structure of the programme, please see the degree structure in Peppi.

Objectives of education

A graduate from the degree programme for languages who has been awarded a Master´s degree with English Language and Culture as their major has gained a many-sided familiarity with the English language and Anglophone cultures. They have a wide understanding of the English language and its structure and usage and of the culture, especially literature, of the Anglophone world.

They have the following academic and professional skills:

Academic skills

They know several research trends in linguistics or literary and cultural studies and have specialized on particular research area
They can independently plan, implement and report an academic study and choose the approaches and methods relevant to their research question
They recognize the central ethical questions in their field of research
They master the basic practices related to academic communication in their field of research
They have the basic skills for postgraduate study in their own field

Professional skills

They master the relevant skills required in other professions demanding expertise in language and culture
They are able to observe and evaluate the use, variation and change of the English language in different cultural and social contexts
They are able to evaluate the knowledge of their discipline from a professional perspective and relate it to the working life.

How to apply?

Admission requirements

Eligibility criteria

A previous bachelor's degree corresponding to at least three years of full-time academic studies from an institution for higher education is required from all master's degree applicants. The degree must be awarded by an internationally recognized university.

In the Master’s Degree Programme in English Language and Culture, a recognized bachelor’s degree (or higher) in the area of English Language and Literature, English Linguistics, or English Translation is required for eligibility.

Language requirements

Applicants must either (1) meet the language proficiency criteria (see below), or (2) reach the minimum required language test results to be considered eligible to the University of Eastern Finland. No exceptions are made and no waivers regarding the language proficiency requirements are given.

1. Applicants who hold one of the following do not have to take an English language test:

Secondary education or a bachelor's, master's, or higher degree completed in English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, or an EU/EEA country
Finnish Matriculation Examination, English language (A-language, advanced syllabus) completed with a minimum grade of eximia cum laude approbatur (E)
A university degree in Finland with English as a major subject

Applicants from EU/EEA countries and Switzerland must prove the language of instruction. The language of instruction must be clearly stated in the educational documents. If the documents do not explicitly mention English as the medium of instruction, the applicant must provide an additional official statement issued by a representative of their educational institution confirming this.

Online studies or studies completed on offshore campuses outside the accepted countries cannot be used to indicate language skills, even if the degree-awarding institution is in one of the accepted countries.

2. All other applicants have to take one of the following language tests:

TOEFL iBT, overall score 100, writing section score 22
IELTS Academic, overall score 7.0, writing section score 6.5
PTE Academic, overall score 68, writing section score 59
C1 Advanced, overall score 185, writing section score 176
C2 Proficiency, overall score 185, writing section score 176

The University of Eastern Finland also accepts the following tests:

IELTS Academic Online, IELTS Academic for UKVI, IELTS One Skill Retake
PTE Academic Online, PTE Academic UKVI
TOEFL iBT Home Edition, TOEFL MyBest Scores

Language test certificates are valid for two years from the day they are issued. Language test scores need to be in effect during the application period, and the scores must be verifiable from the online verification service of the test organiser.

Application process

Application procedure

In 2026, a maximum of 15 students will be admitted to the Master’s Degree Programme in English Language and Culture. Admitted applicants will gain the right to complete a Master of Arts degree with a major in English Language and Culture.

The application period opens on 7 January 2026 and closes on 21 January 2026 at 3 pm (EET). Applicants need to apply through the national Studyinfo portal at studyinfo.fi. Each applicant can only fill in and submit one application form in the first joint application.

Enclosures

The required enclosures need to be uploaded electronically to the application by 28 January 2026 at 3 pm (EET). UEF does not process application documents that have arrived after the deadline.

Required enclosures:

Certificates:

Degree certificate(s). The degree certificate should include the name of the awarding institution, the date of issue, the recipient's name, and the title/degree conferred.
Transcript(s) of academic records. The transcript of records should include full titles of the units completed for the degree, completion dates of study units (or at least the overall study period at the institution), grades obtained, credits awarded, and information on the grading scale used by the institution at the time of study.
English language certificate. Detailed information about submitting language test reports is available on the Language requirements webpage.

Additional enclosure:

Motivation letter. The letter should clearly outline the applicant’s academic and professional goals, with careful consideration of how these align with the profile areas of the subject of English Language and Culture programme at UEF. It should also include a clear explanation of the applicant’s personal and academic motivation for applying to this specific programme.

All enclosures are compulsory. Incomplete applications will not be processed.

If educational documents are issued in a language other than English, Finnish or Swedish, official translations of them to one of these languages are required.

Detailed information about submitting enclosures is available at the Application instructions website.

Student selection

Student selection procedure

The admission process for the Master's Degree Programme in English Language and Culture aims to ensure the fair selection of high-quality applicants. Student selection is based on the application documents and an evaluation of how the applicants’ skills and competences align with the master's studies applied for. Meeting the minimum application requirements does not guarantee admission to the programme.

Applicants are ranked according to the selection criteria. The best 15 applicants are accepted to the programme and the rest of the applicants are rejected. The programme may, at its discretion, accept more applicants to fill the available study places. Applicants are not placed on a waiting list.

Applications will be graded using the following criteria:

Academic performance: 0–5 points, 40 % of overall score
Motivation: 0–5 points, 20 % of overall score
Language test, overall score: 0–5 points, 20 % of overall score
Language test, writing section score: 0–5 points, 20 % of overall score

Grading scale: 0 = poor, 5 = excellent.

Admission results

The results of the student selection for studies starting in September 2026 will be published by 27 May 2026. All applicants will be notified of the admission decision by email.

Admitted students are required to inform whether they accept their study place offer by 9 July 2026 at 3 pm (EEST), either electronically via the Studyinfo portal or by submitting a confirmation form to the Admissions Office of the University of Eastern Finland.

Conditional admission

Admission to the programme is conditional for applicants who apply with a degree that is not finished during the application period. It is required that conditionally accepted applicants deliver officially certified copies of the final degree certificate and the transcript of records to the programme coordinator by 30 July 2026.

All accepted students need to provide officially certified copies of their educational documents if they cannot authenticate their degree/transcript electronically when applying. These students will be conditionally accepted until they have provided certified copies of their degree certificate and transcript of records. Country-specific requirements apply in situations when applicants cannot provide the documents electronically. The last date when the documents need to be at the university is 29 May 2026. Failure to deliver the required documents by the given deadline will result in the cancellation of the right to study.

Delimitation of granting right to study

Applicants cannot be granted a new right to study in the Master’s Degree Programme in English Language and Culture if they already have a valid right to study in the Master’s Degree Programme in English Language and Culture at the University of Eastern Finland.

According to the One study place per term provision, a student may accept only one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland during one academic term. This rule applies to all higher education.

Appeal

Applicants who disagree with the student selection decision may apply for rectification of the decision from the Dean of the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Eastern Finland. It is possible to make a request for rectification only after the admission results have been published. The deadline is 10 June 2026 at 3 pm (EEST). The instructions for making a request for rectification can be found on the Admissions results website.

Tuition fees and waivers

Tuition fee

The annual tuition fee for non-EU/EEA students is 10,000 €. There are no tuition fees for students who are citizens of EU/EEA countries or Switzerland.

Waivers

Applicants subject to tuition fees can apply for tuition waivers and scholarships during the application process by completing the relevant section on the application form. In the Master's Degree Programme in English Language and Culture, the best 70 % of admitted applicants (as ranked by the reviewers of the applications) receive a scholarship covering 50 % of the tuition fee. In addition, the highest ranked applicant will be completely exempted from paying the tuition fee

The waiver decision is made during the admissions process, and applicants are informed of the outcome in their acceptance letter. The waiver is valid for two academic years.