Master's Degree Programme in Tourism Marketing and Management is not only about making money; we aim to make tourism better. Better for tourism businesses, better for tourists, better for the environment and better for local communities. This is what we teach our students and this is what the students can do when they have finished our degree programme.
We will provide you with the tools and skills needed to make it in the future. Your choices of what to study and where define your future and we take this responsibility seriously.
Our students are problem solvers who enjoy challenges and want to see the effects of their work. They are critical thinkers who can identify and tackle complex problems in the field of tourism. They are creative, service-oriented, quality conscious and hard working.
We provide students comprehensive knowledge on how to manage and market tourism businesses and destinations in modern, global tourism field.
Our program is not the easiest there is, but there are not many like it in the world. We focus on understanding the customer, on creating value for all people and organizations involved in tourism, on small and medium-sized enterprises, and on wellbeing of tourists, nature, businesses and local people. We do this with the latest academic knowledge combined with real-life business challenges.
Key information
- Level of degree: Master's degree
- Programme duration: 2 years / 120 ECTS credits
- Language of instruction: English
- Next application period: 4.1.2023-18.1.2023 (admission requirements 2023 will be published on August 2022)
- Programme start: September 2022
- Tuition fee: EU/EEA nationals no tuition fee; non-EU/EEA nationals 8,000 €/academic year
- Tuition waivers available for everyone
- Study campus: Joensuu
Why study with us?
- High-quality studies. We are using innovative teaching methods that inspire and motivate you to give 100 % to the programme and to develop your skills and career.
- Focus on students. We take good care of our students, keep track of how their studies are progressing and help them to learn what is required and get their degree.
- Co-operation with destinations and tourism companies. We are networked with various destinations and tourism businesses in Finland. Our network makes it possible for us to knit our courses to real-life business goals.
- Academic research. Our programme has a strong research focus. Right from the start, you will start to familiarize yourself with academic research and prepare for writing a master’s thesis.
- Unique focus topics. Wellbeing, nature tourism, sustainable tourism and technologies are all globally trending topics and form a strong and unique focus for our programme.
Studies
Master's Degree Programme in Tourism Marketing and Management provides students comprehensive knowledge on how to manage and market tourism businesses and destinations in modern, global tourism field. The studies focus on understanding the customer, creating value for all people and organizations involved in tourism, small and medium-sized enterprises, and on the wellbeing of tourists, nature, businesses and local people.
The education will give the students knowledge and tools to work in various positions in the field, such as an entrepreneur, a destination marketer, social media specialist, business manager or a consultant, just to name a few examples. Focus on technology, wellbeing, and responsible tourism will give the student a great position to work in the field of tourism with skills and knowledge respected and sought after by employers. The students become problem solvers who enjoy challenges and want to see the effects of their work. They are critical thinkers who can identify and tackle complex problems in the field of tourism. They are creative, service-oriented, quality conscious and hard working. These aims are achieved in the programme with the latest academic knowledge combined with real-life business challenges.
Master's Degree Program in Tourism Marketing and Management 120 ECTS (Master of Science, Economics and Business Administration)
- Advanced level -studies in Tourism Marketing and Management 70 ECTS (courses in Major 30 ECTS; Master's Thesis and Seminar 40 ECTS and )
- Other Studies 50 ECTS (including research methods min. 10 ECTS, language and culture studies min. 4 ECTS)
Course name, ECTS
Curriculum 2022-2023
5216700, Tourism Marketing and Management, 70 ECTS
Courses in Major (at least 80 ECTS):
- Master's Thesis and Maturity Test, Tourism Marketing and Management, 30 ECTS
- Master's Thesis Seminar in Tourism Marketing and Management, 5 ECTS
- Current Research in Tourism, 5 ECTS
- Tourist Behavior, 6 ECTS
- Destination Marketing, 6 ECTS
- Destination Management, 6 ECTS
- Experience Design, 6 ECTS
- Information Technology in Tourism Business, 6 ECTS
Students admitted to the international masters degree programme in Tourism Marketing and Management must conduct advanced level studies in major (80 ECTS) in English. If you choose more courses in your major, you may reduce the number of ECTS credits in other studies accordingly.
Other Studies, 40 ECTS
COMPULSORY RESEARCH METHODS STUDIES:
- Qualitative Research Methods in Tourism Business, 5 ECTS
- Quantitative Research Methods in Tourism Business, 5 ECTS
COMPULSORY STUDY SKILLS STUDIES:
- Introduction to Tourism Marketing and Management, 2 ECTS
- Introduction to Tourism Studies, 5 ECTS or 5211214, Service Orientation, 6 ECTS
- Personal Study Plan, 1 ECTS
- Profitable Tourism Business, 5 ECTS
- Orientation for International Students, 1 ECTS or Orientaatio yliopisto-opiskeluun 1 op
- University Computing Skills, 2 ECTS or Tieto- ja viestintätekniikka opiskelun tukena 2 op
- Information Skills and Sources in Social Sciences for International Studies, 1 ECTS or Kauppatieteiden tiedonhaku 1 op
Recommended studies:
- University Study Skills, 1 ECTS
COMPULSORY LANGUAGE AND CULTURE STUDIES:
Choose min. 4 ECTS from the selection below according to the following rules. Start the studies as soon as you can.
The selection for those with the school education language other than Finnish or Swedish or school education abroad:
1. Finnish Language Skills
Choose courses according to your skills level.
1.1. New to Finnish
Take beginner-level Finnish courses. Choose the courses from the se-lection of the UEF has listed: beginner-level courses
1.2. Basic or intermediate Finnish skills
Take the placement test at the UEF Language Centre. Based on the test, take Finnish courses appropriate to your skills level. Choose the courses from the selection of the UEF has listed: follow-up-level courses
1.3. Advanced Finnish skills
Take the placement test at the UEF Language Centre. Based on the test, take Finnish courses appropriate to your skills level. Choose the courses from the selection of the UEF listed below. Please note that in the study module Suomen kieli ja kulttuuri vieraskielisille, the lan-guage of tuition is Finnish: advanced-level courses and the module Suomen kieli ja kulttuuri vieraskielisille
2. Studies in Finnish culture, society and history
In addition to Finnish language skills studies, you may also choose studies in Finnish culture, society and history, or studies in intercul-tural communication or competence. For further details and updated curriculum, please refer to Peppi or consult your programme coordi-nator.
The selection for those with the school education language Finnish or Swedish (i.e. koulusivistyskieli suomi tai ruotsi ja alempi korkeakoulututkinto suoritettu ulkomailla):
• Native language (maturity test 0 ECTS)
• Foreign language (English) min. 1 ECTS
• Second national language (Swedish) min. 3 ECTS (i.e. Ruotsia kaikkien koulutusalojen opiskelijoille, kirjallinen taito, 1,5 op ja Ruotsia kaikkien koulutusalojen opiskelijoille, suullinen taito, 1,5 op). NOTE! Recognition of prior learning of the communication and language studies (above) are decided by the Language Centre. The RPL of the foreign language (English) is applied for from the Language Centre after the master's thesis has been submitted for approval.
Language requirements met in a bachelor’s degree (koulusivistyskieli suomi tai ruotsi ja alempi korkeakoulututkinto suoritettu Suomessa):
Take studies worth 4 ECTS minimum from the selection below according to the following rules. Start the studies as soon as you can.
• Studies in intercultural competence or internationalisation
• Studies in Internationalisation
• Studies in Intercultural Competences
• Professional Intercultural Competence – theory and practice
Elective Courses
Students choose elective courses to fulfill the minimum of 120 ECTS credits required of a masters degree. These can include courses from their Major or separate courses from other majors, courses completed in international exchange, and courses offered in Finnish. This section can also include a full minor of at least 25 ECTS offered by other Business School majors or other departments or faculties.
Recommended courses for elective studies:
- Project Work in Tourism Business, 1-6 ECTS
- Practical Training in Tourism Marketing and Management, 2-6 ECTS
- Tourism Marketing Case Studies, 1-6 ECTS
- Tourism Promotion at a Travel Fair, 3-6 ECTS
- Other course Tourism Business, 1-6 ECTS
Detailed information on the courses can be found in the Study guide for Masters' degree programme (Peppi).
Master's Degree Programme in Tourism Marketing and Management (TMM) provides you the skills and knowledge for various positions in the fields of business and tourism. The programme teaches you skills useful in everyday business such as understanding customer behaviour and creating customer experiences as well as online marketing, content creation and curation in social media, and analytical thinking.
Specialization in tourism marketing and management enables you to work in for example following positions in the field of tourism:
- Destination manager
- Entrepreneur
- Consultant and expert
- Destination marketer
- Marketing manager
- Social media marketer
The main focus in our program is to create talents that make tourism better. Our students will be the ones that develop the field, both in academia as well as in the industry. By finishing our degree you are also eligible to apply for doctoral student positions in universities around the world.
However, many of the future jobs do not even exist yet! TMM teaches students the skills and knowledge to prepare and adapt to changes to come and how they can help the tourism industry and research to keep up to date with the latest economical and technological developments.
You can find alumni stories from our Instgram account updated by TMM students.
Learn more about students who graduated from the Master's Degree Programme in Tourism Marketing and Management and their thesis topics. Names link to their LinkedIn profiles, feel free to connect with them! Clicking on the master's thesis name takes you to the download page.
2021
- Jenni Kiuttu: The role of value creation in nature tourism experience
- Iuliia Kuzmina: The role of different stakeholders in destination development - Case Sortavala region, Russian Karelia
- Juuso Kakkonen: Perceived benefits of cross-border cooperation projects in North Karelia
- Tiia Nordström: Coping strategies of skilled seasonal workers during COVID19 - case ski instructors
- Joona Lamppu: The role of emotional attachment in the creation of true brand loyalty.
- Madeleine Frohnholzer: Tinder Tourism - Exploring the role of Tinder in solo female travel: An affordance- and motivation-based approach.
- Sanna Lehtonen: A co-operative as a form of collaboration in tourism businesses
- Suvi Piispanen: Finns’ perceptions of luxury tourism in Finland
- Juha Väisänen: Destination´s alcohol price effects on tourism flows. Illustrative case study of the Finnish “Booze Rally” in the Baltic
- Anniina Merilinna: Requirements of effective responsibility communication in tourism
- Rosa Repo: Developing new virtual tourism experience based on customer value: Case Experience Kalevala
- Emmiina Lindfors: Engaging stakeholders for sustainable development with means of destination leadership and Sustainable Travel Finland program - Case study for Visit Tampere
2020
- Elisa Sulkinoja: Eastern Finland service providers perception on Wellness Tourism
- Tuuli Pulkkinen: "Being able to be who I truly am, that is the most freeing feeling ever": experiences of travel behavior by transgender individuals
- Veera Riikonen: Consumer value of travelling by land experience
- Hanna Seitsonen: Destination leadership, collaboration and the effects of trust and power within the tourism network of North Karelia: A case study
- Sanelma Mäkelä: Altruistic values and actual behavior among cabin crew
- Tuulia Pelkonen: Motivations for silence tourism
- Tiina Kattilamäki: The Effect of Personal Values on Tourism Destination Choice from a Sustainability Perspective
- Jonna Kumpu: Measurement and financial value of social media marketing in destination marketing organizations
- Noora Väisänen: Activity-based Segmentation in North Karelian Rural Tourism Destinations
- Jatta Kalajoki: Residents perceptions of negative tourism impacts
- Janita Juvakka: Perceived barriers to sustainable tourist behavior among Finnish generation X females
- Ella Väänänen: Sustainable Tourism Destination Management, multiple case study from Lapland
2019
How to apply?
Applicants with the following degrees are eligible for the studies
A 3-year Bachelor’s degree (at least) in an appropriate field from a recognised university or a recognised university of applied sciences/polytechnic. The degree must give the right to apply for university-level master's studies in the country concerned. A minimum of 60 ECTS of academic studies in business and/or tourism business is required. At least one course in management or leadership and one course in accounting is required. Language, communication and research method studies, internships and final thesis/exam are not included in the above-mentioned studies. However, one course in economics, one course in logistics and one course in mathematics may be included in the above-mentioned studies.
If you have not completed your Bachelor's degree by the application deadline, you are eligible to apply. In this case, you may be admitted to the Master's degree programme on the condition that you graduate and send an officially attested copy of the degree certificate to the University no later than 10 August 2022 at 15.00 pm (Helsinki time). If you do not submit the degree certificate to the University in time, this conditional admission will expire.
Applicants holding a provisional degree certificate may also apply for the programme. That is, the degree must be verifiably completed and the required documents of the completion of this degree must be submitted.
Regardless of your educational background, you have to apply to our programme with your Bachelor’s degree.
Applicants selected to pursue the Master´s degree may be required to take supplementary studies.
Proficiency in English
The applicants are to prove their language skills in English as follows:
1. English language test:
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TOEFL Internet-based: Total Score min. 92 and 22 in writing
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IELTS (Academic): Overall Score min. 6.5 and 5.5 in writing
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PTE (Pearson Test of English), min. 62 points and 54 in writing
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C1 Advanced: 180 and min. 162 in writing (or at least level C)
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C2 Proficiency: 180 and min. 162 in writing (or least Level C1)
Learn more about the language requirements here.
2. Or, if the applicant fulfils at least one of the following requirements, a separate language test is not required but the applicant is to prove his/her English proficiency with the applicable degree certificate and the transcript of his/her academic record:
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Bachelor's or Master's degree conducted in English language in a Nordic country (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden)
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Bachelor's or Master's degree conducted in English language in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States
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Bachelor's or Master's degree conducted in English language in an EU/EEA country
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Secondary education conducted in English language in a Nordic country (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden)
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Secondary education conducted in English language in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States
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Secondary education conducted in English language in an EU/EEA country
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English as the A1 language as part of an International Baccalaureate examination (minimum grade 2)
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Secondary education conducted in a Nordic country (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden)
All available study programmes in Finland can be found on the Opintopolku portal where applicants can search for suitable programmes and start the application. The online application is only open during the application period.
Online applications are to be submitted through Opintopolku portal. Once you have filled out the online application, required enclosures must be uploaded electronically to the application (recommended file types pdf and jpeg, max. file size 10 MB) until 26 January 2022 at 15.00 pm (Helsinki time). Country-specific requirements will be announced here.
Applicants are required to prioritize one program over the others if they apply for more than one program from the UEF's Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies. If applicants are admitted to all the programs of their choice, a study place will only be offered for the prioritized program, cancelling the study place from the other programs.
Supporting documents to be enclosed along with the online application
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Degree certificate, and if necessary, an English translation provided by an authorised translator. If you are applying with one degree and indicating you’re your language skills with another, you are required to submit educational documents regarding both degrees.
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English language test certificate (if needed)
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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 number of credits, grading, and date of each study unit, and also the scale of grading used by the university, otherwise the application will not be considered.
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Letter of motivation
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GMAT score (if needed in the case the applicant has not completed bachelor’s thesis)
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A copy of a passport/other document of identification (not required from Finnish applicants)
Applications that satisfy the eligibility criteria will be put through a subsequent evaluation process in order to determine which applicants are selected for admission to the programme. The applicants that fulfill the above requirement of previous studies and English language skills are ranked according to the criteria below. Applicant may obtain a maximum of 30 admission points. The programme admits 20 students annually.
The eligible applicants will be evaluated according to the following principles:
1. Motivation
Letter of motivation in English according to the following criteria (Max. 1000 words as a whole) (max 5 admission points).
Try to keep the motivation letter no longer than 1,000 words and answer the questions in your own words.:
- A short introduction of the applicant (degrees and studies, current professional activity, special academic and professional merits, international experience and interests)?
- Reasons for applying to the programme?
- How are you planning to complete the Master’s Degree in two years?
- How would the Master’s Degree Programme in Tourism Marketing and Management benefit your career/future plans?
- See the research topics and questions of the program you are applying for: Which topic or topics would you like to research in your master’s thesis? (max. 500 words of 1000)
2. Academic research skills (the better of following criteria, a or b, is considered if the applicant has both)
a. Bachelor's thesis (or equivalent) grade:
- 4,0 or more: 10 points
- 3,99 or less: 0 points
If the grading is other than 1-5, it will be converted to 1-5.
b. In case there is no final thesis grade in the degree, the applicants may obtain points from a Graduate Management Admission Test based on their GMAT score:
- score 600 or more = 10 points
- 599 or less = 0 points
Please note that it takes 20 calendar days for you to receive a GMAT score after completing the test. Note also that the gmat test is for a fee.
3. General academic study success: Grade point average (GPA) as follows:
- 4,0 or more: 15 points
- 3,0-3,99: 8 points
- 2,99 or less: 0 points
The grade point average must either be given in the degree certificate, transcript of records or a separate, certified calculation, otherwise the applicant receives 0 points. If the applicant’s GPA does not follow the ECTS grading system, it will be converted accordingly.
For intake 2022
Applicants will be selected to pursue Master's degree studies based on their applications. Results will be announced on 31 March 2022, at the latest. The process could be finalized well before the set deadline.
When the selection decision has been made, the results will be sent immediately to the applicants by e-mail. Those applicants who have been accepted will receive a Notification of Admission, a Confirmation Form, and information package (including information about accommodation, student insurance programme, student union etc.) by email. These accepted applicants are required to formally accept their study place no later than 15 July 2022. This is an absolute deadline and will be treated as such. The autumn semester courses will begin on 1 September 2022.
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. For more information please see Opintopolku portal.
The annual tuition fee is applied in the Master's Degree Programme in Tourism Marketing and Management for non-EU/EEA students. The tuition fee will remain the same for students throughout the entire time of completing their degrees. The tuition fee is 8,000 € per academic year (16,000 € for 2 years). The due date for the first instalment is 31 July 2022.
What does the tuition fee include?
The tuition fee covers the studies included in the degree (personal study plan) and studies-related supervision and councelling and, studies-related supporting services offered by the university. In addition, students are also entitled to the services of the Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS). NOTE! There are separate fees for FSHS and the Student Union. The university assists students in finding accommodation. See also the residence permit requirements and application process from the Finnish Immigration Service website.
What is Early Bird deduction?
The University of Eastern Finland will also grant an Early Bird tuition fee deduction of 500 € to students who accept the study place and pay the tuition fees within three weeks of the date the results are published (for Master's students starting in autumn 2022 by 21.4.2022.
How to apply for a waiver and a Finland Scholarship?
The University of Eastern Finland offers all new students a partial tuition waiver in Master's degree programmes offered in English. In the Master's Degree Programme in Tourism Marketing and Management, the tuition waiver is 50% of the annual tuition fee. The waiver is personal and it is awarded for two academic years. For the second year of study, tuition waivers are available to students who have completed a minimum of 55 ECTS of studies included in their degree, during their first year of study.
The University of Eastern Finland will also grant a Finland Scholarship (Suomi-stipendi) of € 5 000 for the two best applicants in each Master's degree programme. The Finland Scholarship is granted for the first year of Master’s studies and the students who receive it must be non-EU/EEA citizens who are liable to pay tuition fees. The Finland Scholarship includes:
- 100 % tuition waiver for the first year's tuition fee (value € 8 000 in the Master's Degree Programme in Tourism Marketing and Management)
- € 5 000 relocation grant
The Finland scholarship is a one-year scholarship for first-year Master’s students. For the second year of study, students need to secure sufficient funds themselves. The programmes' general tuition waivers will be offered for the second-year studies.
The Finland Scholarships will be granted until 2024. Students who apply to Master’s studies in 2025 are not eligible. The national Finland Scholarship programme is funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture.
The waiver and the Finland scholarship are applied for when applying for admission to the university by filling out the relevant sections of the application form in the Opintopolku portal. The decision about the waiver and Finland Scholarship are made in connection with student admission, and the student is notified of the matter in the letter of acceptance. See the criteria at admission requirements.
Waivers and scholarships are always personal. The decisions on waivers and scholarships cannot be appealed against.
Learn more about the tuition fees, waivers and Finland scholarships here. If you have any questions about tuition fees and waivers, please don't hesitate to contact: mdp-tmm@uef.fi

Application period 2023
4.1.2023 - 18.1.2023
Opintopolku portal is the official national admissions portal with all the up-to-date information about study programmes leading to a degree in Finland. The search for "UEF" gives you all the master's degree programmes taught in English at the University of Eastern Finland.

Finland scholarship
Finland scholarship
UEF will grant a Finland Scholarship for the best two applicants in each Master's degree programme. The scholarship includes a 100% tuition waiver and a € 5 000 relocation grant.
Student stories
Learn more about studying at the UEF, our university and its campuses, and life in Finland!

Contacts
Faculty and units
Partners and collaboration
Master's Degree Programme in Tourism Marketing and Management works closely with other universities, tourism businesses and destinations. We are a global programme that accepts and works with partners from all over the world. If you want to be our partner, please contact Juho Pesonen (juho.pesonen@uef.fi) and let us know, in what kind of co-operation you would be interested in.
Advisory Board
Tourism Marketing and Management is advised by a board of senior tourism industry professionals. These professionals are ensuring that the content in our programme is relevant for the industry and that the skills and knowledge we teach to our students corresponds to the needs of tourism businesses and destinations.
- Sanna Kärkkäinen, CEO, Visit Rovaniemi
- Wille Markkanen, CEO, Entrepreneur, Salmi Inc.
- Juha Kivelä, CEO, S Group Regional Co-Operative in North Karelia
- Ari Vuorentausta. CEO, Lapland Hotels
- Matti Pulkki, Tourism entrepreneur
- Juha-Pekka Olkkola, CEO, Lomarengas