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 2027
Programme start: September 2027
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 demonstrate the required level of language proficiency for admission by either (1) achieving at least the minimum required results in one of the approved language tests or (2) meeting the language proficiency criteria outlined below. These requirements apply to all applicants. No exceptions or waivers of language proficiency requirements will be given.

(1) Applicants must complete one of the following language tests, with at least the minimum scores listed:

TOEFL iBT: Overall score 100, writing section 22 (tests completed before January 21, 2026) / Overall score 5.0, writing section 4.5 (tests completed on or after January 21, 2026)
IELTS Academic: Overall score 7.0, writing section 6.5
PTE Academic: Overall score 73, writing section 65
Cambridge C1 Advanced: Overall score 185, writing section score 176
Cambridge C2 Proficiency: Overall score 185, writing section score 176

TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE certificates are valid for two years from the day they are issued, and the test needs to be in effect during the application period, from 7 January 2027 onwards. The language test results must be verifiable from the online verification service of the organiser.

Kindly note the University of Eastern Finland also accepts the following tests:

IELTS Academic online and UKVI tests, IELTS One Skill Retake test results.
PTE Academic online and UKVI tests.
TOEFL iBT Home Edition tests, MyBest Scores.

(2) Applicants who hold one of the following do not have to take an English language test

A language test is not required if the applicant has completed Finnish Matriculation Examination, English language (A-language, advanced syllabus) with a minimum grade of eximia cum laude approbatur (E)
A language test is not required if the applicant has completed their secondary education or a Bachelor’s, Master’s or higher degree in English in EU/EEA countries, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, or Switzerland. Applicants from EU/EEA countries and Switzerland must prove the language of instruction. The medium of instruction must be clearly stated in the educational documents. If your documents do not explicitly mention English as the medium of instruction, you must provide an additional official statement issued by a representative of your educational institution confirming this.

The degree/programme must be taught and assessed in English (at least 50 % of the degree must be completed in English).

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

No other degrees or statements of language proficiency will be accepted.

Application process

Application procedure

In 2027, 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 2027 and closes on 21 January 2027 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 2027 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 processes in the Master's Degree Programme in English Language and Culture aims at fair selection of high-quality applicants. Student selection is based on the application documents, including the motivation letter, focusing on how the applicant’s prior academic studies and competences correspond to the requirements of the programme. Meeting the minimum application requirements does not guarantee admission to the programme.

Applicants will be ranked according to the selection criteria. The top 15 applicants are admitted to the programme and the remaining applicants are rejected. The programme may admit more applicants at its discretion 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 2027 will be published by 31 May 2027. All applicants will be notified of the admission decision by email.

Admitted applicants must confirm their study place electronically in Studyinfo 13 July 2027 at 3 pm (EEST).

Conditional admission

Admission is conditional 1) if the applicant applies to UEF with a degree that is not completed during the application period or 2) if the degree cannot be electronically authenticated (verified) at the time of application. In such cases, applicants must submit officially certified copies of the final degree certificate and transcript of records by the deadlines specified by the UEF. Applicants remain conditionally admitted until the required certified documents have been provided.

Electronic verification of educational documents is strongly recommended; paper documents by mail are also accepted. Applicants must use the document submission methods specified by the UEF. For detailed instructions, please see the webpage Verification of official educational documents.

Verified educational documents must be submitted to UEF by 31 May 2027. Applicants who graduate after the application period must submit their final educational documents by 31 July 2027. If the applicant does not deliver their documents by the given deadline, their study right will be cancelled.

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

If you disagree with the student selection decision, you may apply for a rectification of the decision after the results have been published, no later than 20 July 2027 at 3 PM (UTC +3). The deadline for electronically submitted requests ends at 11:59 PM (UTC+3) on 20 July 2027. Appeal instructions.

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.

Scholarships

No scholarships are available for the first year of studies. Instead, applicants who accept their study place and pay the tuition fee within three weeks of the admission decision receive a 30% early bird discount on the first-year tuition fee. For the second year, students who complete at least 55 credits during their first year receive a scholarship covering 30% of the tuition fee.