Master's Degree Programme in Pedagogy and Teaching for Sustainability

Eligibility

A previous bachelor's degree corresponding to at least 3 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.The programme also accepts degrees from a recognized university of applied sciences or polytechnic.  

In this degree programme, an applicable bachelor’s degree (or higher) including a considerable amount of studies in education 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 
  Total score: 92, with a minimum of 22 in writing (the test was completed before January 21, 2026) Overall score: 4.5, with a minimum of 4.0 in each component (the test was completed on or after January 21, 2026) 
• IELTS Academic 
  Overall score: 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component 
• PTE Academic: 
  Total score: 68, with a minimum of 61 in writing 
• Cambridge C1 
  Advanced Overall grade: C 
• Cambridge C2 Proficiency 
  Overall result corresponding to level C1 
• National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI-test) 
  Level 5 in all subtests (reading comprehension, writing, listening comprehension, and speaking). Results from different examination sessions may be combined. 

TOEFL, IELTS and PTE certificates are valid for two years from the day they are issued, i.e. the language test needs to be in effect during the application period, from 7 January 2025 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. 

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

2. a) 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 magna cum laude approbatur (M) 

2. b) A language test is not required if the applicant has completed their secondary education in English language in EU/EEA -countries, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand or in Switzerland. The applicants from EU/ETA -countries and Switzerland must prove the language of instruction. The medium of instruction must be clearly stated on 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. 

2. 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. The applicants from these countries must prove the language of instruction. The medium of instruction must be clearly stated on 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. 

2. 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, Ireland, 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). When language proficiency is demonstrated through the education degree, the language of instruction must be clearly indicated 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. 

A language test is not required if the applicant has completed a degree at a Finnish university or university of applied sciences, provided that the degree includes the mandatory foreign language studies in English required by Finnish degree regulations (Government Decree on University Degrees 794/2004 or Government Decree on Degrees of Universities of Applied Sciences 1129/2014). 

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

Application procedure

Applications are submitted through the national Studyinfo portal (studyinfo.fi). The application period is 7 January 2027 8:00 –21 January 2027 15:00 (EEST). Once the online application has been filled out, required enclosures must be uploaded to the application by 28 January 2027 15:00 (EEST).

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) relevant to the programme. The degree certificate should include the name of the institution awarding the degree, the date of issue, the name of the degree and the name of the degree holder.   
• Transcript of academic records. The transcript should include full titles and completion period of the units that the student has completed for the degree (or at the very least the overall study time at the institution), grades and credit points obtained together with information on the grading scale used at the institution at the time of study. The transcript must cover the full length of studies.  
• Certificate of English proficiency. For detailed information about submitting the language test 
reports, see http://www.uef.fi/en/web/admissions/language-requirements .  

Additional form   
• Motivation letter. The letter should depict the applicant’s study plans and academic goals, future career plans and professional goals, and contain a clear description of the personal and/or academic motivation for applying for this particular programme. 

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.  
All enclosures are compulsory for the selection process. 
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.  

All enclosures are compulsory for the selection process.  

Student selection procedure 

Admission group 1: Applicant’s with a bachelor’s degree in Lifelong Learning and Sustainable development. Intake 5 students 

Admission group 2: All other applicants: Intake 20 students 

Admission group 1: Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree in Lifelong Learning and Sustainable Development 

To be eligible to apply in admission group 1, applicant must have completed degree in Bachelor’s degree programme in Lifelong Learning and Sustainable Development in University of Eastern Finland. The applicant must have completed the major intermediate studies with overall grade 3. Applicants are ranked according to the major intermediate studies mean. If the applicants have equal mean of the major intermediate studies, all the applicants in the tie will be admitted.

Admission group 2: All other applicants 

The admission process in the Master's Degree Programme in Pedagogy and Teaching for Sustainability aims at fair selection of high-quality applicants. Student selection is based on the application documents and evaluation of 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. Applicants will be placed in a rank order based on their earlier academic performance and experience, their motivation letter, and their suitability for the programme. To be eligible to the programme, all assessed items must meet the criteria for academic excellence. The best 20 applicants will be accepted to the programme and the rest of the applicants will be rejected. 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. T

The applications will be graded using the combined scoring of the following criteria (overall maximum 20 points): 

1. Suitability and the content of the previous studies to the area of Teaching of Sustainability: 0-5 p (0=poor, 5=excellent) 
2. Applicant's success in the previous studies in general: 0-5 p (0=poor, 5=excellent) 
3. Applicant's success in the previous studies of the suitable field(s): 0-5 p (0=poor, 5=excellent) 
4. Applicant's own explanations about their motivation to apply for studies: 0-5 p (0=poor, 5. 5=excellent) 

Admission results 

Results for studies starting in September 2027 will be published on 31 May 2027 at the latest. When the selection decision has been made, the results will be posted immediately to the applicants by e mail. 

Applicants must confirm their study place electronically in Studyinfo by latest on 13 July 2027 at 3 PM (UTC+3). Applicants without a Finnish personal identity code use the confirmation link sent by email. Applicants with a Finnish personal identity code must log into My Studyinfo with Finnish online banking credentials, a mobile certificate, or a certificate card. If you encounter any issues, you may request a separate confirmation form from the programme coordinator. 

Conditional acceptance 

Conditional acceptance and document verification Admission is conditional if the applicant applies to UEF with 1) a degree that is not completed during the application period or if 2) 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. 

DEADLINES for document verification (Master's Programme applicants): 

Verified educational documents must be submitted to UEF by 31.5.2027. Graduating students: The final educational documents must be submitted by 30.7.2027. If the applicant does not deliver their documents by the given deadline, their study right will be cancelled. 

Appeal procedure 

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. Admissions results.

Tuition fee

The annual tuition fee for non-EU/EEA students is 10,000 EUR. The fee is paid in two instalments of 5000 euros. There are no tuition fees for students who are citizens of EU/EEA countries or Switzerland.

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.

Other fees

All degree students of the university are members of the Student Union. The Student Union membership fee is ca. 75 € per academic year. The membership entitles the student to, for example:

• reduced lunch prices at student cafeterias
• discounts on local buses and long-distance transportation
• discounts on many public services and free-time activities 

All students also need to pay a healthcare fee, which entitles students to use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service. The healthcare fee is ca. 35 € per semester.

Students should be able to cover all the other expenses related to their studying in Finland (500-800 €/month, depending on individual spending habits). The UEF does not offer selected students any additional funding or financial aid.