Master's Degree Programme in Biology of Environmental Change

An eligible applicant should have at least a lower university degree (BSc) in biological or environmental sciences, obtained at an internationally recognized and accredited university or higher education institution.

The degree should entitle the applicant to apply to Master's studies in the country where the degree has been awarded. In addition,  In case, the applicant has not yet received a Bachelors degree certificate by the admission deadline, he/she is required to submit an officially certified copy of his/her latest transcript of records during the application period. If the applicant receives the degree certificate and the final transcript of records during the application period it is recommended to submit them as soon as possible. 

Applicants are ranked according to the selection criteria. 10 best applicants are accepted and the rest are rejected. There is no waiting list.

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 will be made and no waivers to the language proficiency requirements are given.

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

• Previous education or higher education has been completed in English in EU/EEA -countries, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand or in Switzerland.  

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

• TOEFL iBT, overall score 92, min. 22 in writing
• IELTS (academic) overall score 6.5, min. 6.0 in writing
• PTE (academic), overall score 62, min 54 in writing
• C1 Advanced overall score C or 180, with min. 162 in writing
• C2 Proficiency overall score level C1 or 180, with min. 162 in writing
• National Certificate of Language Proficiency YKI-test: level 5 in all different subtests (reading comprehension, writing and speaking). It is possible to combine different examinations. 

No other degrees or statements of language proficiency will be accepted. TOEFL, IELTS and PTE certificates are valid for two years from the day they are issued, i.e. the language test need to be in effect during the application period, from 3 January 2022 onwards.

Online application form is required to be submitted by 17.1.2024 (studyinfo.fi) and the required enclosures can be uploaded electronically to the application until 24.1.2024. Incomplete or delayed applications will not be considered. 

Required enclosures to the application form

• A certified copy of Bachelor’s degree certificate or temporary degree certificate and translation of it, or a statement concerning the expected date of graduation
• An official transcript of records (not needed if submitted electronically)
• Proof of English language proficience
• Curriculum vitae (CV) of the applicant
• A copy of passport's information page or a copy of an official ID card 

UEF Admission verifies applicants' language skills according to the programme-specific requirements, and processes applicants' educational certificates. This includes verifying the authenticity of the educational documents as well as credential evaluation.

The admission processes aims at fair selection of high-quality applicants. Student selection is based on the application documents and evaluation how the applicant’s skills and competences gained by the previous academic studies correspond to the Master's studies applied for. Meeting the minimum application requirements does not guarantee acceptance to the programme.

Applicants will be ranked according to the selection criteria. The best 10 applicants (based on the total scores, see the grading criteria below) are accepted to the programme and the rest of the applicants are rejected. In a case of equal scores, the suitability is the most important, success in studies next and motivation letter the last. The motivation letter is one way to assess the background and suitability of the applicant.  

The programme may accept more applicants by discretion to fulfill the available study places in the programme.  Applicants are not placed on the waiting list.

The applications will be graded using the following criteria:
1. Suitability and the content of the previous studies: 0-5 p (0=poor, 5=excellent)
2. Applicant's success in the previous studies in general: 0-5 p
3. Applicant's success in the previous studies of the suitable field of science: 0-5 p
4. Applicant's own explanations about their motivation to apply for studies: 0-5 p

If the applicant scores 0-2 p in any of the components 1.,2. or 3., the application will not be processed further.

Announcement of the student selection results 

Results for studies starting in September 2024 will be published on 12.4.2024 at the latest. When the selection decision has been made, the results will be posted immediately to applicants by e-mail.

Tuition fees

Tuition fees will be collected from citizens outside the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, starting their studies in Master's degree programmes conducted in English.  

You will not need to pay the fee if you are:

• EU/EEA citizen or their family member (spouse/child)
• equivalent to EU/EEA citizens (i.e. citizen of Switzerland)
• already reside in Finland or some other EU country on a permanent basis (continuous (A) or permanent (P/P-EU) residence permit type), or have an EU Blue Card
• are enrolled in Doctoral/PhD level studies and research
• exchange student, regardless of the citizenship
• have started your Master's degree studies before autumn 2017  

The tuition fees in this programme is 8 000 euros. For students, the tuition fee will remain the same throughout the entire time of completing their degrees.  

The tuition fee covers the studies included in the degree (personal study plan), studies-related supervision and counseling, and studies-related supporting services offered by the university. In addition, students are entitled to the services of the Finnish Student Health Service by paying the membership fee of the Student Union. The university assists students in finding accommodation.  

Tuition waivers

Tuition waivers are awarded for two academic years to all selected applicants who are responsible to pay tuition fee. The tuition fee waiver covers the tuition fee partially (50 %).  

General information about the waivers is available at the university webpage.