Master's Degree Programme in Faith, Crises and Existential Wellbeing

Eligibility criteria

A previous bachelor's degree corresponding to at least three years of full-time academic studies from an institution for higher education is required from all master's degree applicants. The degree must be awarded by an internationally recognized university.

In the Master’s Degree Programme in Faith, Crises and Existential Wellbeing, a minimum of 60 ECTS credits in Theology or other fields relevant to Theology of Wellbeing (e.g., Psychology, Social Sciences, History, Philosophy, Nursing, Medicine) is required for eligibility.

Language requirements

Applicants must demonstrate the required level of language proficiency for admission by either (1) achieving at least the minimum required results in one of the approved language tests or (2) meeting the language proficiency criteria outlined below. These requirements apply to all applicants. No exceptions or waivers of language proficiency requirements will be given.  

(1) Applicants must complete one of the following language tests, with at least the minimum scores listed:

• TOEFL iBT: Overall score 92, with a minimum of 22 in writing (tests completed before January 21, 2026) / Overall score 4.5, with a minimum of 4.0 in each component  (tests completed on or after January 21, 2026)
• IELTS Academic: Overall score 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each component 
• PTE Academic: Overall score 68, with a minimum of 61 in writing
• Cambridge C1 Advanced: Overall grade C
• Cambridge C2 Proficiency: Overall result corresponding to level C1
• National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI test): Level 5 in all subtests (reading comprehension, writing, listening comprehension, and speaking). Results from different examination sessions may be combined.

TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE certificates are valid for two years from the day they are issued, and the test needs to be in effect during the application period, from 7 January 2027 onwards. The language test results must be verifiable from the online verification service of the organiser.

Kindly note the University of Eastern Finland also accepts the following tests:

• IELTS Academic online and UKVI tests, IELTS One Skill Retake test results
• PTE Academic online and UKVI tests
• TOEFL iBT Home Edition tests, MyBest Scores

(2)  Applicants who hold one of the following do not have to take an English language test 

• A language test is not required if the applicant has completed the Finnish Matriculation Examination, English language (A-language, advanced syllabus) with a minimum grade of magna cum laude approbatur (M)
• A language test is not required if the applicant has completed their secondary education in English in EU/EEA countries, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, or Switzerland. Applicants from EU/EEA countries and Switzerland must prove the language of instruction. The medium of instruction must be clearly stated in the educational documents. If your documents do not explicitly mention English as the medium of instruction, you must provide an additional official statement issued by a representative of your educational institution confirming this. 
• A language test is not required if the applicant has completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or higher degree in an English-taught programme in EU/EEA countries, or in one of the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Applicants from these countries must prove the language of instruction. The medium of instruction must be clearly stated in the educational documents. If your documents do not explicitly mention English as the medium of instruction, you must provide an additional official statement issued by a representative of your educational institution confirming this.
• A language test is not required if the applicant has completed a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or higher degree in an English-taught programme in Australia, Canada, Ghana, Ireland, New Zealand, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, or the United States.  Applicants prove their language skills with a university degree.

The degree/programme must be taught and assessed in English (at least 50 % of the degree must be completed in English).

Online studies or studies completed on offshore campuses outside the accepted countries/areas cannot be used to indicate language skills, even if the degree-awarding institution is in one of the accepted countries.

A language test is not required if the applicant has completed a degree at a Finnish university or university of applied sciences, provided that the degree includes the mandatory foreign language studies in English required by Finnish degree regulations (Government Decree on University Degrees 794/2004 or Government Decree on Degrees of Universities of Applied Sciences 1129/2014).

No other degrees or statements of language proficiency will be accepted.

Application details

In 2027, a maximum of 20 students will be admitted to the Master’s Degree Programme in Faith, Crises and Existential Wellbeing. Admitted applicants will gain the right to complete a Master of Theology degree with a major in Theology of Wellbeing.

The application period opens on 7 January 2027 and closes on 21 January 2027 at 3 pm (EET). Applicants need to apply through the national Studyinfo portal at studyinfo.fi. Each applicant can only fill in and submit one application form in the first joint application.

Enclosures

The required enclosures need to be uploaded electronically to the application by 28 January 2027 at 3 pm (EET). UEF does not process application documents that have arrived after the deadline.

Required enclosures:

Certificates:

• Degree certificate(s). The degree certificate should include the name of the awarding institution, the date of issue, the recipient's name, and the title/degree conferred.
• Transcript(s) of academic records. The transcript of records should include full titles of the units completed for the degree, completion dates of study units (or at least the overall study period at the institution), grades obtained, credits awarded, and information on the grading scale used by the institution at the time of study.
• English language certificate. Detailed information about submitting language test reports is available on the Language requirements webpage.

Additional enclosure: Video application

• The video is used both for evaluating the applicant’s motivation and commitment and for obtaining information regarding the applicant’s intended preliminary career goals. In the video, the applicant must address the following questions: 
  • Describe your educational and professional background, and in what ways has this previous experience prepared you for success in this master’s programme? 
  • What are your key motives for pursuing and completing a master’s degree in Theology of Wellbeing? 
  • How does this master’s programme align with your long-term career goals and professional aspirations? 
  • What motivates you to join the Joensuu campus, and how do you see yourself relating to its academic environment and community? 
• Please record the video in Recright by following this link: [link to be published in autumn 2026]. You have until 28 January 2027 at 3 PM (UTC+2) to record the video.

All enclosures are compulsory. Incomplete applications will not be processed.

If educational documents are issued in a language other than English, Finnish or Swedish, official translations of them to one of these languages are required.

Detailed information about submitting enclosures is available at the Application instructions website.

Student selection procedure 

The admission processes in the Master's Degree Programme in Faith, Crises and Existential Wellbeing aims at fair selection of high-quality applicants. Student selection is based on the application documents and evaluation of how the applicant’s skills and competences gained by the previous academic studies correspond to the Master's studies applied for. Meeting the minimum application requirements does not guarantee admission to the programme. 

Applicants will be ranked according to the selection criteria. The best 20 applicants are admitted to the programme and the remaining applicants are rejected. The programme may admit more applicants at its discretion to fill the available study places. Applicants are not placed on a waiting list. 

Applications will be graded using the following criteria:

1. Applicant’s success in previous studies: 0–5 points, 60 % of overall score
2. Applicant’s motivation to apply to the Master's Degree Programme in Faith, Crises, and Existential Wellbeing: 0–5 points, 40 % of overall score

Grading scale: 0 = poor, 5 = excellent. Grading scale: 0 = poor, 5 = excellent.

Admission results

Results for studies starting in September 2027 will be published on 31 May 2027 at the latest. When the selection decision has been made, the results will be sent to applicants immediately by e-mail.

Applicants must confirm their study place electronically in Studyinfo by 13 July 2027 at 3 PM (UTC+3). Applicants without a Finnish personal identity code use the confirmation link sent by email. Applicants with a Finnish personal identity code must log into My Studyinfo with Finnish online banking credentials, a mobile certificate, or a certificate card. If you encounter any issues, you may request a separate confirmation form from the programme coordinator.

Conditional admission

Admission is conditional 1) if the applicant applies to UEF with a degree that is not completed during the application period or 2) if the degree cannot be electronically authenticated (verified) at the time of application. In such cases, applicants must submit officially certified copies of the final degree certificate and transcript of records by the deadlines specified by the UEF. Applicants remain conditionally admitted until the required certified documents have been provided.

Electronic verification of educational documents is strongly recommended; paper documents by mail are also accepted. Applicants must use the document submission methods specified by the UEF. For detailed instructions, please see the webpage Verification of official educational documents.

Verified educational documents must be submitted to UEF by 31 May 2027. Applicants who graduate after the application period must submit their final educational documents by 31 July 2027. If the applicant does not deliver their documents by the given deadline, their study right will be cancelled.

Delimitation of granting right to study

Applicants cannot be granted a right to study in the Master’s Degree Programme in Faith, Crises and Existential Wellbeing if they already have a valid right to study in a degree programme resulting in a Master of Theology degree at the University of Eastern Finland.

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.

Appeal

Applicants who disagree with the student selection decision may apply for rectification of the decision from the Dean of the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Eastern Finland. It is possible to make a request for rectification only after the admission results have been published. The deadline is 10 June 2026 at 3 pm (EEST). The instructions for making a request for rectification can be found on the Admissions results website.  

Tuition fee

The annual tuition fee for non-EU/EEA students is 10,000 €. There are no tuition fees for students who are citizens of EU/EEA countries or Switzerland.

Scholarships

No scholarships are available for the first year of studies. Instead, applicants who accept their study place and pay the tuition fee within three weeks of the admission decision receive a 30% early bird discount on the first-year tuition fee. For the second year, students who complete at least 55 credits during their first year receive a scholarship covering 30% of the tuition fee.

Other fees

Independent of tuition fees, all degree students are required to pay the Student union membership fee and the Student healthcare fee.