Improve your understanding of the rapidly changing world. Social scientists examine the dynamics of societal change and seek answers to questions such as what creates wellbeing or a lack of it, what causes alienation, what is happening in education and the labour market, and what is the role of culture in shaping our relationships with each other.
The Bachelor of Social Sciences degree consists of studies in sociology and social and public policy. Teaching covers key social scientific theories and methods for collecting and analysing data. These are applied to key topics in social sciences, such as labour, education, care, multiculturalism, and information and communication technology, and how they interlink with each other.
This programme is offered by the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland. The staff in the department are experts in their field and enthusiastically welcome new students from all backgrounds into the social sciences community. The programme is hybrid and does not require in-person participation on the campus.
For instructions on how to apply and a direct link to the application form on Studyinfo, please scroll down. The application period is open until 22 January 2025.
Key information
- Level of degree: Bachelor's degree
- Programme duration: 3 years / 180 ECTS credits
- Language of instruction: English
- Programme start: August/September 2025
- Tuition fee: EU/EEA nationals no tuition fee, non-EU/EEA nationals 10 000 €/academic year. Tuition waiver scholarship 50%/year
- Tuition waivers available for the top 70% of applicants. Note that also permanent residents are exempted from the tuition fee under certain conditions.
- Study campus: Hybrid. Studying on campus will provide more minor options.
Why study with us?
- This is the only Bachelor's programme in Social Science in Finland that is taught in English. Hybrid tuition also allows a high degree of flexibility.
- The programme provides tools for understanding society and its policy processes. It develops critical thinking in social sciences.
Studies
The Bachelor of Social Sciences degree familiarises students with key concepts and methods in social sciences. You will learn to gather information, organise it, and apply existing information in a range of tasks. During the three years of studies, you will take a combination of required and optional courses to total 180 ECTS.
The programme consists of basic and intermediate studies in social sciences, language and communication studies, general studies, and minor studies.
- Basic studies in Social Sciences 25 ECTS
- Intermediate studies in Social Sciences 60 ECTS
- Language and communication 12 ECTS
- General studies 18 ECTS
- Minor subjects 65 ECTS
Teaching emphasises the dynamics of contemporary society and the changing labour market, as well as the needs of everyday welfare. Teaching and learning take place online in lectures, seminars, and reading groups. Tasks range from learning journals to essays and exams. In the final year of your studies, you will choose either sociology or social and public policy as your main subject.
What does it mean that the programme is taught in a hybrid form?
Hybrid tuition means that classes are taught both online and on campus. It also means that flexible options exist, if your life situation makes presence on campus difficult. Please just keep in mind that you have more options regarding minor subjects, for example, if you choose to study on campus.
I don’t live in Finland. Can I study in the programme?
We do not keep track on the location of our students. Please just keep two things in mind.
First, from the 2025 intake onwards, all exams are taken in e-exam rooms. There are e-exam rooms in several cities in Finland, so travelling to Joensuu is not necessary. However, if you aim to be located abroad, be prepared to make a few annual exam-taking trips to Finland. For course assessment, we use learning journals more than traditional exams, so the number of exams is not necessarily that high, but this does not mean zero exams.
Second, do keep in mind that this is a Finnish university. While we warmly welcome all applicants, the programme is best suited for foreigners living in Finland. If you have no connection with Finland, you should in any case know that there will be some lectures on Finnish society and compulsory Finnish language courses.
How do I take exams without being on campus?
For course assessment, we use learning journals more than traditional exams, so the number of exams is not necessarily that high. When exams are taken, they are organized either through co-operation agreements (within Finland) or on online platforms.
I don’t have a high school degree in English but I have lived for years in an English-speaking country. Do I still have to take the language test?
Sorry but yes. We realize that sometimes taking a language test feels like a waste of time. However, we have to apply general requirements.
Do I have to pay a tuition fee?
Finnish universities charge a standard tuition fee from international students. Yet all EU/ETA citizens and permanent residents are exempted from paying the fee.
I have already completed some studies in another university. Can they be counted towards the degree?
Usually some can be, but not necessarily all. We have to see how the previous studies overlap with our curriculum requirements. Please also note that if these existing studies are part of a completed degree, they cannot be used again as part of your degree at UEF.
I work full-time. Is it possible to study in the programme?
We realize that our students have to support themselves. However, online study does not mean complete flexibility time-wise. There are scheduled classes in which presence is required. So you could maneuver working full time and studying, if your job allows a high degree of flexibility. Studying only outside office hours is not possible.
I would like to study, but all kinds of things keep me so busy that full-time studying feels exhausting. Can I use more than 3 years to complete the degree?
Yes. Finnish universities allow a high degree of flexibility in structuring your studies. Your Personal Study Plan can well be based on a more relaxed pace of studying and using 4 years to complete the degree.
I am super-ambitious and want to complete the degree in two years. Is this possible?
As said above, you can plan your studies flexibly. It will be a tough two years, though.
My Finnish is perfect and I would like to take courses taught in Finnish, too. Is this possible?
Please note that this programme is taught in English. This means that also minor subjects need to be from the selection of tuition offered in English. If you are fluent in Finnish and wish to benefit from the selection of minor subjects available in Finnish, we have plenty of programmes taught in Finnish you can consider applying to.
How to apply?
Application and documents
In order to check the eligibility of an applicant for the programme, the applicant has to submit an application and the following application documents:
- Certification of completed secondary education degree
- Certification of English language skills
Secondary education certification
Eligible applicants hold an upper-secondary education certificate:
- Finnish matriculation examination
- International Baccalaureate degree (IB) - European Baccalaureate degree (EB)
- Deutsches Internationales Abitur degree (DIA) or Reifeprüfung degree (RP) in Finland
- A Finnish vocational upper-secondary qualification, further vocational qualification, or specialist vocational qualification as set in the Vocational Education Act (531/2017)
- Any other comparable upper-secondary educational qualification that provides eligibility for university-level Bachelor’s studies in the country in question.
- Advanced International Certificate of Education degree (AICE) in Finland, or the right to study towards a university degree in Finland, or a degree conferred by a Finnish higher education institution, or at least a Bachelor-level degree conferred by a foreign institution.
Applicants who are in the final semester of their upper-secondary education are also eligible to apply.
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 for the University of Eastern Finland. No exceptions will be made.
(1) Applicants who hold one of the following do not have to take an English language test:
- Proof of completed secondary or tertiary education taught exclusively in English
- Finnish matriculation examination in English language (English as A language), minimum grade of cum laude approbatur (CL)
- International Baccalaureate degree (diploma completed in English, satisfactory completion of A level English exam (literature / language and literature / literature and performance), satisfactory completion of B level English exam, minimum grade of 5 (good)
- EB degree:
L1, mother tongue (English) completed successfully.
L2 or L3 language (English) completed with a minimum score of 7.
- Reifeprüfung (RP) degree (German School of Helsinki), with satisfactory completion of English A (or a similar expected grade from an upcoming DIA degree)
Written scores are at a satisfactory level.
Oral score is a minimum of 8.
The language of instruction in secondary education must be proven with the degree certificate, diploma, or transcript. Please note that all teaching and assessments must be entirely in English. 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.
(2) All other applicants have to take one of the following language tests:
- TOEFL iBT / TOEFL iBT Home Edition: minimum score 78
- IELTS (academic) test, minimum score 6.0
- PTE (academic) test, minimum score 54
- C1 Advanced score C
- C2 Proficiency, minimum score Level C1
National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI) (English) of the Finnish National Agency for Education, done at level 4 in all different areas
Some test organisers give an expiration date on the tests. The language test results must be verifiable from the online verification service of the organiser. Language test scores are valid for two years from the day they are issued.
Applicants have to submit their application within the application period (3-17 January 2024). After submitting the application with the required documents, the selection process proceeds with an entrance exam.
Selection process
A maximum of 30 students are admitted into the programme in 2024. Admission is based on the scores the applicant has received in the entrance exam.
Applicants must upload copies of diplomas (with translations) in the online application form by 15:00 (UTC +2) on 24 January 2024. Applicants receiving their diplomas in 2023 must meet the following deadlines:
- Any other comparable upper-secondary educational qualification that provides eligibility for University-level Bachelor’s studies in the country in question must be submitted with the most recent grades, with translation, by 15:00 (UTC +2) on 24 January 2024.
- The most recent transcript of a Bachelor-level degree conferred by a foreign institution, with translation, by 15:00 (UTC +2) on 24 January 2024.
- International Baccalaureate diploma (IB) and European Baccalaureate diploma (EB) predicted grades by 15:00 (UTC +2) on 3 April 2024.
- Deutsches Internationales Abitur diploma (DIA) final grades by 15:00 (UTC +2) on 30 April 2024.
- International Baccalaureate diploma (IB) and European Baccalaureate diploma (EB) final grades by 15:00 (UTC +2) on 11 July 2024.*
- Any other comparable upper-secondary educational qualification that provides eligibility for University-level Bachelor’s studies in the country in question with final grades, with translation, by 15:00 (UTC +2) on 11 July 2024.
- Bachelor-level degree final certificate conferred by a foreign institution, with translation, by 31 July 2024.
*Applicants receiving an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma in spring 2024 must apply for a Transcript of Grades from the IB organisation, to be submitted electronically directly to the University of Eastern Finland by 15:00 (UTC +2) on 14 July 2024. The IB organisation will submit the final grades electronically.
Originals of certificates and diplomas will need to be presented and verified when students begin their studies at the University of Eastern Finland. This is a requirement for all applicants, regardless of nationality or place of residence. You will receive further information on this upon selection. The only exceptions are students who have completed their Finnish matriculation examination in or after 1990, or a vocational qualification in Finland in or after 2017, as these are electronically available through Studyinfo.fi.
The admissions course serving as an entrance exam must be completed online using the university’s DigiCampus platform between 25 March 2024 and 28 April 2024. All applicants are required to complete all sections of the course. After the course, a maximum of 60 applicants are invited for an interview. The interviews take place in May.
Admission is based on the scores the applicant has received in the entrance exam; yet participation in the interview is necessary.
Final results
Results from the entrance examination are published on 31 May 2024 at the latest. Applicants must confirm their places by 11 July 2024 at the latest. Admissions from the waiting list close on 30 July 2024.
Students who are not citizens of EU/EEA countries are required to pay a tuition of € 10 000 per academic year. New students admitted in 2023 are granted a partial tuition waiver that will cover 50% (€ 5000) of the tuition fee per year. There is no tuition fee for EU/EEA nationals. Note that also permanent residents are exempted from the tuition fee under certain conditions.
Application period 2025
Our application period is open from 8 January 2025 to 22 January 2025. The application is completed and submitted online.
Apply via Studyinfo
Studyinfo.fi is the official national admissions portal with all the up-to-date information about study programmes leading to a degree in Finland.
