Master's Degree Programme in Wood Materials Science

Do you want a career that makes a difference?

Master of Science in Wood Materials Science is a course-based MSc programme that trains experts who make a difference towards a sustainable future. This programme creates a link between wood and the final products such as bio-based materials, chemicals and energy derived from renewable biological resources.

MSc Wood Materials Science is a programme aims at training professionals who understand the entire chain from wood biomass production to product development and innovation management. It focuses on developing new products by combining wood with other materials and by creating novel materials and products from wood fibres. Our contemporary research is the basis for our teaching, which is developed in collaboration with the forest based industries.

Wood materials science is one of the branches in forest bioeconomy. In the coming years, the use of wood fibres is expected to increase especially in clothing and pharmaceutical industries and hand in hand grows the need for qualified professionals.

Our graduates are amongst the most sought after experts in the field by national and international employers alike. As a graduate of MSc Wood Materials Science you will find job opportunities in, for example as technology specialists, researchers, and project managers in the development organisations and R&D departments of bio-based mechanical and chemical industry or energy cluster.

Key information

Level of degree: Master's degree
Programme duration: 2 years / 120 ECTS credits
Language of instruction: English
Application period: 1.12.2020 - 20.1.2021
Programme start: September 2021
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?

Teaching is based on contemporary research and developed in collaboration with the forest based industries.
As a graduated student you will be one of the most sought after experts in the field by national and international employers alike.

Studies

: MSc in Wood Materials Science provides you with state-of-the-art knowledge on wood based materials. As our student, you will learn to master the material properties of wood and wood products in relation to their chemical and physical composition and ultrastructure, and to understand how to select, modify and convert materials for various applications.

MSc Wood Materials Science is a two-year programme (120 ECTS) and upon graduation you will receive a globally recognised Master of Science degree certificate. MSc Wood Materials Science is a taught programme and during your studies you will benefit from lectures, exercises and excursions run by our professors and senior lecturers. You will be studying in a multicultural environment and learn intercultural collaboration skills that are highly appreciated by your future employers.

See course catalogue for academic year 2019-2020

What you should do before your studies begin?

Please familiarize yourself with the new students' material carefully. We have complated an extensive information site for all the new students: Kamu Student Handbook - New Students Orientation

BEFORE ARRIVAL

Confirm your study place as soon as possible but no later than 15 May.
Sign and return your Student Agreement by 15 May.
Find out if you need a visa and residence permit for your studies in Finland and if needed, submit you application immediately.
Apply for housing as soon as possible.
Get an insurance.
Plan your travelling schedule and arrival.
Non-EU/EEA students: pay the first instalment of your tuition fee unless you have been given an exemption from it.
It is possible to register as a student at UEF at this point if you can pay the Student Union membership fee on-line. If you cannot pay the fee on-line, you can register as a university student after your arrival on campus. Student Union information for new students.
Keep in touch with your programme coordinator and your student tutor. Your student tutor will contact you by the end of May. Inform your student tutor about your arrival details.
Bring along your original degree certificate when you arrive.

AFTER ARRIVAL

Register as a student at UEF.
Activate your UEF user account.
Participate in the Orientation for International Students.
Participate in the School's and WMS's welcoming, see Smart Start for schedule.
Register for the courses in WebOodi.
You can download the mobile app for students: Tuudo. Tuudo includes for example course registration, timetable generator, menus for campus restaurants, schedules for local buses.
Start studying and enjoying the active student life at UEF. See for example the UEF sports services SYKETTÄ.

: 1. Wood is the material for the future

Wood materials science sector in the world is in constant demand for new experts and innovators. MSc in Wood Materials Science provides you with state-of-the-art knowledge on wood based materials and opens you doors internationally. As our student, you will learn to master the physical and mechanical properties of wood in relation to its chemical composition and ultrastructure, and to understand how to select, modify and convert materials for various applications. Our graduates have found job opportunities in many walks of life, for example as technology specialists, researchers, and project managers in the development organisations and R&D departments of bio-based mechanical and chemical industry or energy cluster. After graduation you will become a member of this alumni network, which supports you in your endeavours.

2. Finland is among the world leaders in forest bioeconomy

Finland is known for its forests and the industrial cluster built around it. The field is evolving rapidly with new products and companies entering the market continuously, while also the traditional materials such as print papers, tissues and packaging boards are economically significant. You are also likely to be surrounded by wood derived materials and chemicals, at home, in the car, at the office... everywhere! It's not always that obvious but it is continuously growing in significance. Your cosmetics, healthcare products, furniture, house interior and heat energy can originate from the forest, as may the diesel in your car. Pretty soon you may wear wood-derived clothing or have a prescription for wood-based medicine. Wood will replace a lot of plastics and metals, but also come up with totally new renewable products with the help of chemistry and nanosciences.

3. University of Eastern Finland is one of the best universities in the world

The University of Eastern Finland is among the best universities in the world ranking #53 according to the Times Higher Education that publishes a list of the world's top universities under 50 years of age. UEF Faculty of Science and Forestry is among the best higher educational units globally in the field of forest sciences and it is in close cooperation with universities such as: University of British Columbia, Canada University of Freiburg, Germany University of São Paulo, Brazil Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden Wageningen University, the Netherlands Federal University of Paraná, Brazil Northwest A&F University, China and institutes such as European Forest Institute, Finland (Europe) Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finland Innventia, Sweden Max Planck Institute, Germany TERI Institute, India VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Finland

4. Joensuu is the HUB for forest sciences

University of Eastern Finland is located in Joensuu, which is the European HUB for forest and wood science. Joensuu is also called the Forestry Capital of Europe because of it is home to many internationally recognised forest and wood cluster organisations. Did you know that: the head quarters of European Forest Institute are located right off the UEF campus in Joensuu John Deere factory in Joensuu is the biggest producer of cut-to-length forest harvesting machines Finnish Fortum Ltd operates the world's first industrial scale bio-oil pyrolysis plant near our Joensuu campus Natural Resources Institute Finland is known for its world class research in e.g forest bioeconomy and its Joensuu Unit is located just across the street from UEF Faculty of Science and Forestry

5. Finland is a safe country

Finland is a safe, clean, high-tech country where most of the people speak English. Finland is a good place to live and study. It is one of the Nordic countries where personal safety, clean environment, equity of genders and high technology are taken for granted. Finland is one of the least corrupted countries in the world, its people speak English as a second language widely which makes it easy for international students to get by in the society. This is Finland!

How to apply?

MSc in Wood Materials Science warmly welcomes talented and enthusiastic students from all over the world to apply.

The minimum eligibility criteria are:

Bachelor´s or equivalent engineering degree*) in e.g., chemistry, biosciences/life sciences, biotechnology, forest sciences, suitable engineering studies, applied physics, bioeconomy or forest products marketing; and
Good command of the English language (IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 92, PTE 62, C1/C2 180).

*) Applicant's with a Bachelor's degree in universities, polytechnics or universities of applied sciences (AMK insinööri) are eligible to apply.

Call for applications, intake 2020 The next call for applications is 2 December 2019 - 22 January 2020, 3.00 p.m. Finnish time (+2 GMT).

The online application form must be filled in Studyinfo:

At the application state we require only scanned enclosures in electronic format as attachments to your application form. Paper copies are not required during the application period. Download your attachments to the application form in pdf/jpg/png -format. If you cannot upload your attachments online please contact the admissions office for further instructions, admissions(at)uef.fi. The attachments have to be submitted by 29 Jan 2020 at 3 pm (GMT+2) at the latest.

The compulsory enclosures are:

Scanned copy of the original BSc degree certificate, and an English translation of it
Scanned copy of the original transcript of academic records, and an English translation of it
Scanned copy of English language test certificate (IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 92, PTE 62 or CAE/CPE pass level C)
Two recommendation letters, use the template provided below
Curriculum vitae. CV must be presented in chronological order, for example Europass format, and must not have gaps longer than 12 months during the recent five years.
Scanned copy of passport

Furthermore, we require from the applicants that have been admitted to the University of Eastern Finland that they submit their original degree certificates for verification upon arrival in Finland. In order for you to have the necessary attestation or legalization done in time, we ask you to check the country specific requirements concerning the verification of the original educational documents. If the country your degree was given is not on the list, we require you to bring us the original documents for verification. Please prepare to submit your certificates to the university at the latest by 15 September 2020.

Required documents

A successful applicant must have a Bachelor's degree, or an equivalent degree, in e.g. chemistry, biosciences/life sciences, biotechnology, forest sciences, suitable engineering studies, applied physics, bioeconomy or forest products marketing, corresponding to at least 3 years of full-time academic studies (equivalent of 180 ECTS credit units in the Finnish university system) obtained at an internationally recognized and accredited university or higher education institution.

If you have not yet received your official degree certificate, a temporary degree certificate is also accepted. In case you have not yet graduated, you may apply to the programme presuming that you will finish your studies by summer 2020. Instead of a degree certificate you must provide an estimated date of graduation and a recent transcript of records. If you will be accepted to the programme, it will be done on the condition that you submit an attested copy of your degree certificate to the programme coordinator by 7 August 2020.

For further information on required educational documents.

Language requirements

Applicants are required to have sufficient English language proficiency. The English language proficiency can be proved by:

IELTS (Academic): overall 6.5 (min. 5.5 in writing), or
TOEFL (ibT): 92 (min. 22 in writing), or
PTE: 62, or C1 Advanced: pass level C, or
C2 Proficiency: pass level C

The English language test is not required for applicants who

have Bachelor's degree conducted in English language. A certificate from the university stating that the language of instruction during the Bachelor's studies has been English is required; or
have secondary education conducted in English in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom or United States; or
are Finnish citizens and have taken the matriculation examination in English language.

For further information on how to submit your language test results.

Recommendation letters

Recommendation letters must be written by academics from your previous or current university. They must arrive in sealed envelopes either enclosed in the application with the other documents OR sent directly to the University of Eastern Finland by the recommender. Please use the letter template below:

Recommendation letter template (PDF)

Recommendation letter template (Word)

Annually, only 20 students are selected to the programme. The student selection is based on academic performance, relevance of previous degree and motivation towards learning. Eligible applications will be evaluated according to the following selection criteria:

Academic excellence
Relevance of degree
Prestige of the home university
Motivation letter
Other merits (work experience, international experience, publications, etc.)

Recommendation letters

Each criterion is evaluated numerically. Whenever two or more applicants have the same total score, the one who has higher score in academic excellence will be placed first.

The student selection results will be announced by 27 March 2020 by email to all the applicants. Acceptance letters will be sent by email to all the accepted students. The deadline for confirming the study place is 4 May 2020. The studies will begin on 1 September 2020.

Tuition fee for EA/EEA students: 0,00 EUR
Tuition fee for non-EU/EEA students: 8,000 EUR / year

Student union fee

The Student Union (ISYY) membership is mandatory for Master's degree students. The Student Union (ISYY) membership fee is 126 EUR for the full academic year and it will entitle you to a variety of benefits such as discount on meals at the campus restaurants, train and bus tickets and student health service. See Student Union website for a full list of membership benefits.

Other expenses

The below-mentioned expenses are estimates only:

Accommodation in a student flat: 200 EUR/month
Food and other living expenses: 400 EUR/month
Health insurance: 35 EUR/year
Transportation in Joensuu: 45 EUR/month
In total: 680 EUR/month or 8,160 EUR/year

Wood Materials Science financial support

1. Wood Materials Science scholarships

The University of Eastern Finland sees the Wood Materials Science as a field of the future, which is worth investing in. In order to attract talented new students to the programme, we offer a scholarship scheme through which grants are given to outstanding students on a competitive basis. In 2020, we will award scholarships of 12,800 EUR to all the non-EU/EEA students to cover the tuition fee partially *). The scholarship can be applied together with the study place. See application instructions for further details on the scholarship scheme.

2. Student Health Service

The Finnish Student Health Service (FSHS) is a unique in global scale but available to all our MSc students. FSHS is conveniently located in the middle of our campus and provides you a free access to services such as:

Public Health nurse
Health examination (by invitation)
General Practitioner Laboratory examinations with a referral from an FSHS doctor
X-ray examinations with a referral from an FSHS doctor/dentist
Appointment at mental health Dentist Oral hygienist
Consultation and treatment by a physiotherapist
Group visit
Speech therapy
Vaccinations
Certificates and statements

3. Meal support

As a UEF student you will benefit from a meal support. Our Fazer Food & co. campus restaurants offer MSc students a warm meal with a salad buffet for only 1,92 EUR.

4. University sports services SYKETTÄ

Do you crave for an active lifestyle? University sports services SYKETTÄ provides you with ample opportunities to exercise in a group or alone. Sports from basketball to ice hockey and pilates to cross training are available just a minute from your lecture room.

5. Student discounts

As a MSc student you will receive discounts in a number of places. For example, discounts at long distance transportation (buses and trains), discounts at a number of shops and restaurants in Joensuu, etc.

6. Student activities of ESN Joensuu

Trips, excursions, cultural events, parties - all that you need to get integrated into the Finnish society and life style! International Student Network Joensuu is there for you!

*) UEF reserves the right to make changes to the scholarship scheme.