Master's Degree Programme in Sustainable Business Leadership

Eligibility

Admission group I: Applicants with a bachelor’s degree completed outside of Finland or in Finland at a Finnish university or university of applied sciences. Intake: 10.

Admission group II: Applicants applying with a bachelor's degree in social sciences (economics) (Taloustiede, yhteiskuntatieteiden kandidaatti) at the University of Eastern Finland that started on 1 August 2025. Intake: 5. 

Applicants with the following degrees and studies are eligible in admission group I: 

1. Bachelor’s degree 
   • A 3- or 4-year, or equivalent, bachelor’s degree at an accredited university or an accredited university of applied sciences/polytechnic level is required. Also, the degree must give the right to apply for university-level master's studies in the country concerned.
   • The grade point average (GPA) of the degree used as the basis for the application must be at least 3.5/5 (on a 5-point scale). 
2. Academic business studies 
   • Either a minimum of 60 ECTS* in academic business studies, or a bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree in business studies is required. (* 1 ECTS = a workload of 27 hours (lectures, assignments etc.)
   • Language and communication studies, internships, work experience, and final thesis/exam/project are not included in the above-mentioned studies. However, one course in economics, one course in logistics, one course in mathematics, one course in industrial management, one course in innovation, and one course in business law may be included in the above-mentioned studies.
   • If an applicant has several higher education degrees or separate studies in higher education that are not part of a degree, all these academic business studies can be considered when defining the applicant’s eligibility.
3. Research method studies
   • A minimum of 5 ECTS or two courses (minimum total of 5 ECTS) of research methods studies, e.g. Econometrics, Statistics, or Quantitative/Qualitative Research Methods.  
   • If the name of your research method course is not directly 'Econometrics', ‘Statistics’, or 'Quantitative/Qualitative Research Methods,' you may attach a course description to ensure the relevant course is counted toward the required research method studies. If no course description is provided, the course suitability will be evaluated based on the course name provided in the transcript. 

Please note that all these three (3) requirements must be met for the applicant to be eligible to apply.  

Applicants must apply with a Bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree, which will be used as the basis for the application. Applicants must also submit all other higher educational documents that prove their eligibility for the programme, i.e., if the academic business studies are not included in the bachelor’s degree.

Applicants selected to pursue the master’s degree may be required to take supplementary studies; this is defined on an individual basis and will be included in the study plan for the student.

Applicants who have completed a higher university degree leading to a higher university degree that does not include a lower university degree (e.g., a Finnish master's degree completed before the two-tier degree system) may be selected to complete a master’s degree.

Applicants with a combination of a 2-year bachelor’s and 2-year master’s degree completed in certain countries are eligible to apply when the combination of these two degrees is equivalent to a Finnish bachelor’s degree. Applicants may attach an additional document supplied by the awarding university supporting their eligibility, proving the bachelor’s degree gives the right to apply for university-level master's studies in the country concerned.

Applicants who are not eligible in group I:

Applicants with a Finnish higher university degree in Master of Science in the field of Economics and Business Administration or equivalent are not eligible. This applies also to those applicants who will graduate with a Master of Science in the field of Economics and Business Administration before the right to study begins. 

Language requirements for group I: 

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.

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

• 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)  
• 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. 
• 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 in the educational documents. If the documents do not explicitly mention English as the medium of instruction, an additional official statement issued by a representative of the educational institution must be provided to confirm.
• 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.

Applicants with the following degrees and studies are eligible in admission group II:

1. The applicant must apply with a bachelor's degree in Social Sciences completed in the Economics degree programme (Taloustiede, yhteiskuntatieteiden kandidaatti) at the University of Eastern Finland that started on 1 August 2025.
2. The applicant must have completed the Basic Studies, Management and Leadership minor (min. 25 ECTS). The applicant must have also completed the course Introduction to Management, 6 ECTS, at the University of Eastern Finland or a corresponding course defined in this curriculum.
3. The grade of the bachelor’s thesis included in the degree being applied with must be at least 3 on a scale of 1 to 5.
4. The credit-weighted grade point average of the degree being applied with must be at least 3.5 on a scale of 1 to 5. The average of the degree includes all the courses included in the degree, with the exception of those courses that have been assessed on a pass–fail scale. 

For admission group II, 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).

A maximum of 15 students in Sustainable Business Leadership programme will be accepted. The programme may accept more applicants to fill the available study places in the programme. 

In Studyinfo.fi, the applicant may apply to a maximum of two application options offered by the UEF Business School. Applications are assessed based on the information available to the applications after the application and completion period. No further information is requested, and incomplete applications are rejected. 

The granted right to study  

If admitted to the programme, the applicant will gain the right to complete a Master of Science (Economics and Business Administration) degree.

You may accept only one study place leading to a higher education degree that begins in the same academic term. Furthermore, under the one study right rule effective from 1 August 2026, you may hold only one study right leading to a bachelor's or master's degree at a time. Accepting a new bachelor's- or master's-level study right will automatically terminate any existing study rights at the same or a lower degree level. 

Applicants cannot be granted a new right to study resulting in a Master of Science (Economics and Business Administration) degree if they already have a valid right to study in a degree programme resulting in a Master of Science (Economics and Business Administration) degree at the University of Eastern Finland.

Enclosures

The required enclosures need to be uploaded electronically to the application by 28 January 2027 at 3 PM EET at the latest. UEF does not process application documents that have arrived after the given deadline. All enclosures are compulsory for the selection process, and if an applicant fails to attach the required documents, their application will be rejected. If the required information is not included in the degree certificate or transcript of records, ensure that you submit a certified letter from the awarding institution which verifies the required information.  

Admission group I:

• Bachelor’s degree certificate, and if necessary, an English translation provided by an authorised translator. Applicants are also required to submit educational documents for other degrees that are used to demonstrate eligibility, e.g., language proficiency or business studies.
• Original (or officially certified copy of) transcript of academic record, and if necessary, an English translation provided by an authorised translator. The transcript must include the following, otherwise the application will not be considered:
  • the course names
  • the number of credits of each course
  • grading
  • beginning and end dates of the studies/duration of the degree 
  • the scale of grading used for the GPA and course grading
  • the grade point average must either be given in the degree certificate, transcript of records, or a separate, certified calculation. 
• English language test certificate (if needed)
• A certificate of name change, if the applicant’s name has changed since the completion of the degree 
• A copy of a passport/other document of identification (not required from Finnish applicants)
• A 2-minute video, sharing the applicant’s motivations for studying at UEF. Please answer both of the following questions in the video:
  • 1) How do your abilities help you to succeed in your studies at UEF Business School?
  • 2) What are your motivations when applying to UEF?
  • This video is an introduction video of the applicant. The maximum duration is 2 minutes, within which the applicant must answer all the above questions. Please note that if the applicant applies to two Business School programmes, they only record one video. The video must have both sound and video to be considered. The Studyinfo application must be submitted before submitting the motivation video. 
  • Submit the video through this link.
  • The link to the Recright recording platform can be found in the Studyinfo application and the programme website.The motivation video must be submitted before 28 January 2027 3 PM (EEST).

Admission group II:

• Bachelor’s degree certificate, and if necessary, an English translation provided by an authorised translator. 
• Original (or officially certified copy of) transcript of academic record. 
• A certificate of name change, if the applicant’s name has changed since the completion of the degree 
• A copy of a passport/other document of identification (not required from Finnish applicants)

Selection 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 EEST. 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 there are any issues, please request a separate confirmation form from the programme coordinator. 

Conditional acceptance  

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: 

Verified educational documents must be submitted to UEF by 31 May 2027. Graduating students: The final educational documents must be submitted by 30 July 2027. If the applicant does not deliver their documents by the given deadline, their study right will be cancelled.

Appeal

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

Admission group I:

Applications that satisfy the eligibility criteria will be put through a subsequent evaluation process to determine, which applicants are selected for admission to the programme. The following selection process is made up of two (2) phases; in phase one (1) applicants are ranked according to their GPA and in phase two (2) the best scoring applicants will be ranked according to the points received for previous studies and motivation video. Further information on scoring detailed below.    

The top scoring applicants will be admitted, and the rest of the applications will be rejected. The programme may accept more applicants to fill the available study places in the programme. There will be no waiting list. Applicants must receive selection points from both their previous studies and motivation video to be accepted. Selection points will not be calculated for applicants who do not receive points from both previous studies and motivation video. 

To be considered for admission, the applicant must receive a minimum of 10 selection points. Meeting the minimum application requirements does not guarantee acceptance to the programme. 

Phase 1: Eligible applicants will be ranked based on their GPA   

In phase 1, eligible applicants are ranked based on the GPA they received in their bachelor’s degree. 

The GPA must either be given in the degree certificate, transcript of records, or a separate, certified calculation, otherwise the application will not be considered. If the applicant’s GPA does not follow the ECTS grading system, it will be converted accordingly by the admission committee during the evaluation process. 

Phase 2: Suitability of the earlier studies for the master’s programme and the motivation video evaluation  

In the phase 2, the top ranked applicants based on their GPA, will have their motivational video and relevant studies scored, based on the description below.  

First, the motivation video is scored. The applicant can receive a maximum of 5 selection points from their motivation video. A 0 or 1 point is awarded for each question answered (maximum 2 points). A maximum of 3 points are awarded for communication skills. The video duration is maximum 2 minutes, only the first 2 minutes of the video will be scored. The video must contain functional video footage and audio. 

Finally, applicants are awarded selection points based on the amount of relevant previous studies (in ECTS) in relevant fields of Management and Organisation in Business Studies. In addition, one appropriate research method course will also be calculated into this section. These studies are scored as follows: 1 ECTS = 0,5 points. Internships, work experience, and final thesis/exam/project (or equivalent) are not included in the above-mentioned studies.

If an applicant has several higher education degrees or separate studies in higher education that are not part of a degree, all of these can be considered when calculating the suitable studies, provided that the attachments proving these studies meet the University’s document requirements.

Admission group II:

Admission group II applying to Sustainable Business Leadership with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences (economics) completed at the University of Eastern Finland, which started on the 1 of August 2025 who meet the eligibility criteria, do not have any additional student selection procedures. 

The annual tuition fee for non-EU/EEA students is 12,000 EUR. There are no tuition fees for students who are citizens of EU/EEA countries or Switzerland. All tuition fees and deductions for the 2027–2028 academic year are determined by the Vice Rector’s decision and published on the official UEF website Tuition fees, waivers and scholarships.

The Early Bird deduction is 30% (3,600 EUR) of first academic year’s tuition fee (12,000 EUR) and to qualify for the discount, students must accept their offer of admission and pay the tuition fee, or the first instalment of the fee, within 21 days of the publication of the admission results. The tuition fee payment for the academic year 2026-2027 needs to be made by 31 August 2027. In addition, Student Union membership fee and Kela student health care fee is obligatory for the degree students. Please also note: a national application fee is collected from applicants from countries outside EU/EEA.