Master's Degree Programme in Toxicology

Eligibility criteria

A previous Bachelor's degree corresponding to at least 3 years of full time academic studies (equivalent of 180 ECTS credit units in the Finnish university system) from an institution for higher education is required from all Master's degree programme applicants. The degree must be awarded by an internationally accredited university or higher education institution (excluding Bachelor's or Master’s degree from either the University of Applied Science or Polytechnic).
 

• Suitable background studies are for example biochemistry, biology, biosciences, chemistry, dentistry, environmental sciences, medicine, pharmacy, physiology, veterinary medicine
• In addition, you must show documents that your background studies include university level courses of anatomy, physiology and pharmacology which are prerequisites for acceptance. If the content of the studies in previously mentioned subjects is not obvious from the name of the course, you must include separate document of the course content.

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 will be made and no waivers to the language proficiency requirements are given.

1. Applicants who hold one of the following do not have to take an English language test
   • Passed English exam in Matriculation Examination in Finland
   • A language test is not required if the applicant has completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s or higher degree in English language in EU/EEA -countries*, or in one of the following countries:

     • Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Canada, Dominica, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South-Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

       * EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. EEA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

       The degree/programme must be taught and assessed entirely in English. If you verify your language skills with your education degree, the language of instruction must be clearly indicated on the educational document or on a separate official statement provided by the degree awarding university.
       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. Applicant can only indicate the language skills with an incomplete degree if he/she is applying for the studies with the same degree.

2.  All other applicants have to take one of the following language tests
   • TOEFL iBT, overall score 92, min. 22 in writing (UEF’s TOEFL code is 9779)
   • 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 and speaking). It is possible to combine different examinations.

No other degrees or statements of language proficiency will be accepted.
TOEFL, IELTS and PTE certificates are valid for two years from the day they are issued, i.e. the language test need to be in effect during the application period, from 8 January 2023 onwards. The language test results must be verifiable from the online verification service of the organiser.

Required documents

You must attach the following documents in your application on Studyinfo:

1. The original degree certificates (in the original language) and if needed an English translation provided by an authorized translator of the degree certificates from all degrees you have completed.
2. The original transcript of records (in the original language) and if needed an English translation provided by an authorized translator of the degree certificate from all degrees you have completed. The transcripts should include the course units, their completion time, grades and credits awarded, and information on the grading scale used at institution as well as information of the language of instruction if the degree is used as a proof of English language skills.
3. Copy of the identification page of your passport or national ID (not required from Finnish applicants).
4. If required, certificate of English language proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS/PTE/ C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency /YKI).
5. Letter of Motivation (ca 500 words written in English) stating why the applicant is interested in studying toxicology in the Master’s degree programme in Toxicology.
6. Curriculum Vitae (CV) stating how your previous education and experience supports the Master's studies. You can use e.g. the Europass template: http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu > Europass CV

All enclosures are compulsory for the selection process.

Detailed information about prerequisites is available on Studyinfo web page.

Official translations

Official translations: If your educational documents are issued in a language other than English, Finnish, or Swedish, you must provide official translations in one of these languages. These translations must be done by the degree-awarding institution or a certified translator. Every page of the official translation should include the translator's stamp and/or signature. The translation must accurately reflect the original documents, and self-translations by applicants are not accepted. 

The instructions are described in verification of official educational documents web page.

1. Search & apply online

General instructions for applying can be found in How to apply website.The application form is filled in and submitted online at national Studyinfo portal.The online application is accessible only during the application period, so be sure to check the dates. There is no entrance exam. 

2. Gather your documents

Details about the documents required for admission are provided by the program you are applying to (see above section about admission requirements), as well as on the Studyinfo portal. The list of necessary documents is also included in the online application. Check the language requirements – is a language test needed?

3. Submit the application 

You must submit the required documents as electronic copies or scanned attachments along with your online application. Instructions are provided on the application form in Studyinfo. Ensure all documents are uploaded by the specified deadline.

4. Verification of educational documents

The University of Eastern Finland will assess the eligibility and authenticity of educational certificates for all applicants. This process includes verifying information with previous educational institutions and language test providers. 

Application period

The application period starts on 8 January 2025 and closes on 22 January 2025 at 15.00 (EET). After you have successfully sent your application, it is possible to upload documents after the application deadline until 29 January 2025, 3 pm (EET) (supplementary time). Application documents received after the deadline will not be processed.

Selection process

The admission process in the Master's Degree Programme in Toxicology aims at fair selection of high-quality applicants. Student selection is based on the application documents and evaluation how the applicant’s skills and competences gained by the previous academic studies correspond to the Master's studies applied for. Also, success in earlier studies, work experience as well as curriculum vitae and the motivation letter will be considered in the selection process. Meeting the minimum application requirements does not guarantee acceptance to the programme. Applicants will be ranked according to the selection criteria. 

Selection results 

The best 20 applicants are accepted to the program and the rest of the applicants are 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.

Results for studies starting in September 2025 will be published on 28 May 2025 at the latest. When the selection decision has been made, the results will be posted immediately to applicants by e-mail. 

Admitted students shall inform whether they accept their study place by latest on 10 July 2025 at 3 pm (EEST) electronically via Studyinfo portal or by submitting the confirmation form to hakijapalvelut@uef.fi.

According to 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.

The annual tuition fee for non-EU/EEA students is 10,000 EUR. There are no tuition fees for students who are citizens of EU/EEA countries or Switzerland. Applicants subject to tuition fees can apply for tuition waivers and scholarships during the university application process by completing the relevant section on the application form. 

There are three types of scholarships available: 

• UEF Scholarship
  A 100% tuition waiver, one per programme. Tuition waiver is granted to Master's students for two academic years (= 4 semesters).
• Tuition Waiver
  50% of the tuition fee, for limited number of applicants. Tuition waiver is granted to Master's students for two academic years (= 4 semesters)
• Finnish Language Scholarship
  Applied for during studies at UEF.

 More information available on Tuition fees, waivers and scholarships website.

Other mandatory fee: Membership of the Student Union. Further information is available on the website of the Student Union.