Master's Degree Programme in Faith, Crises and Existential Wellbeing

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 Faith, Crises and Existential Wellbeing, a minimum of 60 ECTS credits in Theology or other fields relevant to Theology of Wellbeing (e.g., Psychology, Social Sciences, History, Philosophy, Nursing, Medicine) 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:

1. a) A language test is not required if the applicant has completed Finnish Matriculation Examination, English language (A-level, advanced syllabus) with a minimum grade of magna cum laude approbatur (M).

1. b) A language test is not required if the applicant has completed their secondary education 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 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.

1. c) A language test is not required if the applicant has completed a bachelor’s, master’s, or higher degree in an English-taught programme in EU/EEA countries, or in one of the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South-Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. 

Applicants from these countries 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.

1. d) A language test is not required if the applicant has completed a bachelor’s, master’s or higher degree in an English-taught programme in Australia, Canada, Ghana, New Zealand, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, or the United States.  The applicants prove their language skills with a university degree. 

The degree/programme must be taught and assessed in English (at least 50 % of the degree must be completed in English). The language of instruction must be clearly stated in the educational documents.

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. 

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, speaking comprehension, and speaking). It is possible to combine different tests.  

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 details

In 2026, a maximum of 20 students will be admitted to the Master’s Degree Programme in Faith, Crises and Existential Wellbeing. Admitted applicants will gain the right to complete a Master of Theology degree with a major in Theology of Wellbeing.

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:

• Video application. The video is used both for evaluating the applicant’s motivation and commitment and for obtaining information regarding the applicant’s intended preliminary career goals.

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.

Video application

In the video, the applicant must address the following questions:

• Describe your educational and professional background, and in what ways has this previous experience prepared you for success in this master’s programme?
• What are your key motives for pursuing and completing a master’s degree in Theology of Wellbeing?
• How does this master’s programme align with your long-term career goals and professional aspirations?
• What motivates you to join the Joensuu campus, and how do you see yourself relating to its academic environment and community?

Technical requirements:

• The video format must be one of the following: x-m4v, x-matroska, x-msvideo, mpeg, ogg, webm, 3gpp, 3gpp2, mp4, MP2T, quicktime, x-ms-wmv, x-ms-vob. Maximum size of the video file is 1 GB.
• Language: English.
• Length: 3–5 minutes. To ensure consistency and fairness in the evaluation process, the maximum duration of the video should be 5 minutes. Any parts exceeding this will not be assessed.
• The applicant is responsible for ensuring the quality of the video, including clear audio of their voice and a visible image of themselves.

Student selection procedure 

The admission process for the Master's Degree Programme in Faith, Crises and Existential Wellbeing aims to ensure the fair selection of high-quality applicants. Student selection is based on the application documents and an evaluation of how the applicant’s skills, competencies—gained through previous academic studies—and motivation correspond to the requirements of the Master’s programme. Meeting the minimum application requirements does not guarantee admission to the programme.

Applicants are ranked according to the selection criteria. The best 20 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:

• Applicant’s success in previous studies: 0–5 points, 60 % of overall score
• Applicant’s motivation to apply to the Master's Degree Programme in Faith, Crises, and Existential Wellbeing: 0–5 points, 40 % 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 right to study in the Master’s Degree Programme in Faith, Crises and Existential Wellbeing if they already have a valid right to study in a degree programme resulting in a Master of Theology degree 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 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 Faith, Crises and Existential Wellbeing, 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.

Other fees

Independent of tuition fees, all degree students are required to pay the Student union membership fee and the Student healthcare fee.