Who Can Apply

What are the Requirements for Master's Degree Studies?

You need a Bachelor's Degree Certificate (undergraduate degree EQF 6, or equivalent document). Upon request, you must also submit a transcript of records (a record of completed courses and grades).
If your bachelor's degree certificate is not issued in English, Swedish, or Finnish you need an authorised translation of the document into English, Swedish, or Finnish.
You need at least two years (24 months) of work experience, obtained after the completion of your bachelor's degree that can be verified by employment certificates, issued by your employer.
You need to have good English language skills. Your language skills will be tested in a possible entrance examination(s). A separate language test is not necessary in the application. In order to be successful in your studies, your English language skills should be at least at Level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).
You can apply to any field of study with any field of Bachelor degree studies except for the following degree programmes, which require a bachelor's degree in a specific field:
- Structural Engineering: Requires previous degree in the field of technology (e.g. Construction Engineering, Civil and Construction Engineering, or Mechanical and Production Engineering).
- Industrial Management and Engineering: requires previous degree in the field of technology, seafaring, economics, or business.
Most of our Master's Degree Programmes have a mandatory pre-task and/or CV requirement. Before applying, please familiarize yourself with the selection method used for each Master's degree programme.

Novia UAS follows the Finnish legislation 932/2014 § 25 concerning the requirements for admission to master's degree studies offered at Universities of Applied Sciences.

An identification document must be submitted with your application. The documents accepted as proof of identity are: passport, Finnish identity card (with a photo) issued by police, Finnish driver’s licence, EU/EEA country identity card (with a photo).

Admission as a Refugee

If an applicant is a refugee, asylum-seeker, or is in a refugee-like situation and is unable to upload documentary evidence of their qualification(s), a University of Applied Sciences may invite the applicant to sit an entrance examination. The applicant must have an official decision attesting to their refugee status (a decision on asylum or a residence permit granted on the basis of a need for protection). The applicant must upload a copy of such decision in the online application form by the deadline for uploading application attachments.

If applicants require assistance, they are welcome to contact the Admissions Services.

Discretionary admission

Novia UAS uses discretionary admission for all Master degree programmes. If you do not meet the above mentioned educational requirements for master degree studies, please upload all of your previous education documents (e.g., from University/Higher Education Institution) with your online application. The Admissions Services will only consider documents uploaded with the online application. Each case is evaluated individually.

Discretion may be considered in the following situations:

An applicant has completed a master's degree but does not hold a bachelor's degree.

Work Experience

Work Experience required for Master's Degree Programmes

You need at least two years (24 months) of subsequent work experience in a relevant field, obtained after the completion of your bachelor's degree.
Work experience must be verified by employment certificates (issued by your employer). Here you can download a work certificate template for your employer to complete.
The required work experience can be accumulated as from the date of award of the final Bachelor's Degree Certificate until 31 July 2024. Notice! You should submit a temporary work certificate with your online application, no later than 24 January 2024, even if you can obtain work experience until 31 July 2024.
Degree and employment certificates, as well as any other additional certificates, will be checked for those admitted as students. If your work experience is not in a relevant field, or if you do not have 24 months of work experience completed after the completion of your bachelor's degree, then your prospective admission may be cancelled.

Work Experience Q&A

What is a relevant field?

A relevant field is considered to include both the field being applied to and the field of the previous higher education degree.

Do I get extra points for work experience?

No, work experience is necessary to meet the general admission criteria to UAS Master degree programmes in Finland. No extra points are awarded for work experience for applicants applying to Master degree programmes in English at Novia UAS.

Does entrepreneurship count as work experience?

Entrepreneurship will be accepted as work experience if an applicant can produce a certificate attesting that he or she is or has been covered under the statutory Finnish YEL or MYEL pension scheme (YEL = statutory pension scheme for entrepreneurs; MYEL = statutory pension scheme for farmers, forest estate owners, fishers and reindeer herders and their family members). Enterprising activities outside Finland should be substantiated with comparable official documents.

Employment is rare within my field being an artist, what can I do?

Instead of work experience, artistic activities of equivalent duration, verifiable by evidence such as a portfolio, may be required in Crafts and Design, Media and Visual Arts, Theatre and Dance, and Music (Act 932/2014).

How is part-time employment converted into full-time employment?

Work experience should be indicated in full months. Applicants should convert part-time work into full-time equivalents such that 150 hours or 20 working days lasting at least 7 hours per day correspond to one month of work. Work experience does not have to be continuous or obtained working for the same employer. The amount of work experience points awarded for parallel employment relationships may only equate to the amount awarded for full-time employment.

Which information must be included in a work certificate?

Work experience must be verified with an employment certificate provided by the employer. An employment certificate must indicate details such as the exact start and end dates of employment, the employer’s contact information, work duties, as well as working hours for part-time work. If the employment is still ongoing, the applicant should request a temporary employment certificate from the employer. A work certificate template can be found here.

My work certificate is issued in another language than English, Swedish or Finnish, can I submit it anyway?

If an original employment certificate is issued in a language other than Finnish, Swedish or English, the applicant must upload a copy of the certificate translated into Finnish, Swedish or English by an official (authorised) translator, indicating the translator’s name, signature and stamp, along with the copy of the original certificate.

I have worked before completing my Bachelor degree, does that count as work experience?

No, the required work experience can be accumulated as from the date of award of the final Bachelor degree certificate until 31 July 2024. That is, if you e.g. have finished your Bachelor degree studies in April 2016 but the final Bachelor degree certificate has been awarded in June 2016, work experience can only be calculated from the graduation date in June 2016 onwards. Work experience obtained before the graduation date will not be considered.

Universities of applied sciences also accept work experience obtained after completion of a post-secondary or higher vocational level diploma in Finland (in any field of education) but prior to taking the higher education degree. At least two years of work experience obtained in a relevant field is also required in such cases.

Does military service or child care leave count as work experience?

No, military or non-military national service, women’s voluntary military service or child-care leave will not be counted towards work experience.

What is the deadline for submitting work certificates?

In order to prove their eligibility to apply, anyone applying to a Master degree programme must upload specific attachments, including work certificates, to their online application at studyinfo.fi. The application attachments must be uploaded in the online application form no later than 24 January 2024 at 3 pm Finnish time. If you have not obtained the required 24 months of work experience by the deadline for submitting attachments, you should submit a temporary work certificate. You are required to supplement your application later with another (temporary) work certificate indicating work experience obtained until 31 July 2024 if you are admitted as a student.