The two-year Master’s Degree Programme in Pedagogy and Teaching for Sustainability is a multidisciplinary programme focusing on pedagogical approaches to promote sustainability through education. The programme is divided into orientation studies, methodological studies, subject studies, and other studies. The curriculum of the programme has a global focus and it offers a wide opportunity to learn about the sustainability from ecological, cultural or/and social aspects with a pedagogical viewpoint. The themes considered are related to teaching and learning in different subjects and educational contexts.
The programme tackles global and current issues of sustainability and will be considered from the viewpoint of teaching and pedagogy constituting the core of Finnish educational expertise recognized worldwide. The programme provides academic tools for developing students’ theoretical and empirical understanding of sustainability and recognizing it in teaching. In the course of their studies, students will learn how to apply their knowledge and skills to planning, implementing, and assessing different learning activities in primary and secondary school.
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 18 January 2023.
Key information
- Level of degree: Master's degree
- Programme duration: 2 years / 120 ECTS credits
- Language of instruction: English
- Application period: 4.1.2023 - 18.1.2023
- Programme start: September 2023
- 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?
- In this programme you will learn about the sustainability from ecological, cultural or/and social aspects with a pedagogical viewpoint.
- Finnish educational expertise is recognized worldwide. Added with a global focus, the result is a perfect combo for anyone interested to develop their expertise in promoting sustainability in primary and secondary schools.
Studies
The programme consists of altogether 120 ECTS divided into:
- Orientation Studies (7 ECTS)
- Major Studies (94 ECTS)
- Other Studies (19 ECTS)
Orientation studies (7 ECTS)
Orientation studies provide students with useful tools indispensable for successful completion of the courses included in the curriculum. They familiarize students with the University of Eastern Finland, present the core of the Finnish educational system in general, as well as introduce the main learning objectives, content and evaluation criteria of the programme.
Major studies (94 ECTS)
Major studies aim at deepening students' academic skills related to research methodology in educational sciences. They also prepare students to plan and execute their research activities related to the topic of their Master's thesis. Content studies, constituting an integral part of the major studies, include courses dealing with sustainability in the educational context.
Other studies (19 ECTS)
Other studies may include any university-level courses that serve to deepen students' expertise related to the topic of their master's thesis or personal interests.
Curriculum
Course catalogue for the academic year 2023-2023 is available in Peppi.
How to apply?
Eligibility
A recognized applicable Bachelor’s degree (or higher) including a considerable amount of studies in education is required for eligibility.
The programme will accept a temporary degree certificate. The temporary degree certificate is issued as a replacement for the actual degree certificate in case the latter cannot be given to student immediately after the studies have been completed due to technical or administrative reasons. The temporary degree certificate should include the same information as the actual degree certificate. The programme will accept a temporary certificate only if all the studies included in the degree have been successfully completed.
The programme will conditionally accept applications from persons who will not have graduated by the time the application period for the programme ends. Conditionally accepted applicants are required to indicate their anticipated graduation date in their application and submit an officially certified copy of their last transcript of records by the end of the application period. The conditional applicants must submit their final degree certificate and the final transcript of records to the programme coordinator by 28.7.2023.
English proficiency
Minimum requirements for the language skills verified through official language tests are as follows:
- IELTS Academic: overall score of 6.5, with 5.5 in the writing section
- TOEFL iBT: overall score of 92, with 22 in the writing section
- PTE Academic: overall score of 62, with 54 in the writing section
- C1 Advanced (formerly CAE): overall score of 180, with 162 in the writing section
- C2 Proficiency (formerly CPE): overall score of 180, with 162 in the writing section
- National Certificate of Language Proficiency (YKI): level 5 in the reading comprehension, writing, and speaking sections
Language test certificates are valid for two years from the day they are issued and they have to be valid during the application period.
A language test is not required of applicants who have completed
- upper secondary education in English in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, or in a Nordic country
- a university degree taught completely in English in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Switzerland, or an EU/EEA country
- a university degree in Finland with English as a major subject
Application period
Application period: 4.1.2023 8:00 – 18.1.2023 15:00 (UTC+2).
Application procedure
Applications are submitted through the national Studyinfo portal (studyinfo.fi) by 18.1.2023 15:00 (UTC+2). Once the online application has been filled out, required enclosures must be uploaded to the application by 25.1.2023 15.00 (UTC+2).
Should you have any questions about completing your application, please contact our admissions office, admissions@uef.fi, tel. +358294458990.
Required documents
Applicants must submit the following documents:
- Degree certificate(s). The degree certificate should include the name of the institution awarding the degree, the date of issue, the name of the degree and the name of the degree holder.
- Transcript of academic records. The transcript should include full titles and completion period of the units that the student has completed for the degree (or at the very least the overall study time at the institution), grades and credit points obtained together with information on the grading scale used at the institution at the time of study. The transcript must cover the full length of studies.
- Certificate of English proficiency. For detailed information about submitting the language test reports, see language requirements.
- Copy of the identification page of passport.
- Motivation letter. The letter should depict applicant's educational goals and study objectives for the University of Eastern Finland and explain their personal motives for choosing this particular programme.
See also country-specific document requirements. Please note that country-specific requirements apply only to admitted applicants. During the application period, only scanned copies of original documents are required.
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. Also officially certified copies of the original documents have to be submitted. All educational documents must be officially certified or legalised: How to submit documents.
Incomplete applications will not be processed.
Admission decision
The results of the selection will be announced to the applicants by 31.3.2023. All applicants will be informed of their acceptance/rejection by email. The successful candidates are required to accept their study place by 14.7.2023 15.00 (UTC+2). Students will start their studies in September 2023.
The programme will accept 20 students. The 20 best applicants are accepted and the rest are rejected. Applicants are not placed in a reserve list.
Applicants will be placed in a rank order based on their earlier academic performance, their motivation letter, and their suitability to the programme based on their earlier studies. To be eligible to the programme, all assessed items must meet the criteria for academic excellence.
Citizens of EU/EEA countries and Switzerland
This programme is offered free of charge for the citizens of EU/EEA countries and Switzerland.
- EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Gibraltar
- EEA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway
Citizens of other countries
The programme is offered free of charge for citizens of EU/EEA countries and Switzerland. There is an annual tuition fee of 8000 euros for other students. In 2023, all new students receive a scholarship covering 70 % of the tuition fee. For further information, see www.uef.fi/en/web/admissions/tuition-fees-and-scholarships.
Students are exempted from paying tuition fees if they have one of the following documents:
- Passport or identity card to indicate the citizenship of EU/EEA/Switzerland - EU Blue Card in Finland
- Continuous residence permit card in Finland, Type A
- EU Family Member's Residence Card in Finland
- Permanent residence permit card in Finland, Type P permit
- EU residence permit for third-country citizens with long-term residence permit card in Finland (Type P-EU)
Tuition fees cover the studies included in the degree (120 ECTS), as well as studies-related academic supervision and counseling. They also cover supporting services offered by the university; assistance in applying for student accommodation, orientation programme, tutoring, access to IT services, wireless internet access on campus, computer classrooms available 24/7 and library services.
The annual fee is paid in two equal installments for an academic year. The due dates are 31 July (autumn semester) and 30 November (spring semester). Each installment has to be completely paid until the concerning due date.
Other mandatory fees for all degree students regardless of their country of origin
All degree students of the university are members of the Student Union. The Student Union membership fee is 70-75 € per academic year. The Student Union membership fee entitles the student to, for example:
- reduced lunch prices at student cafeterias
- discounts on local buses and long-distance transportation
- discounts on many public services and free-time activities
Further information is available on the website of the Student Union.
All students also need to pay a healthcare fee, which entitles students to use the services of the Finnish Student Health Service. The healthcare fee is 35-40 € per semester.
Students should be able to cover all the other expenses related to their studying in Finland (500-800 €/month, depending on individual spending habits). The UEF does not offer selected students any additional funding or financial aid.
For more information about the residence permit, please see the Finnish Immigration Service's website.
The Finland Scholarship
UEF will grant a Finland Scholarship (Suomi-stipendi) of € 5 000 for the two best applicants in each Master's Degree programme. The Finland Scholarship is granted for the first year of Master’s studies and the students who receive it must be non-EU/EEA citizens who are liable to pay tuition fees.
For more information about the Finland Scholarship, please see the Tuition fees, waivers and scholarships website.
Application period 2023
Our application period is open from 4 January 2023 to 18 January 2023. 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.

Finland Scholarship
Finland Scholarship
UEF will grant a Finland Scholarship for the best two applicants in each Master's degree programme. The scholarship includes a 100% tuition waiver and a € 5 000 relocation grant.
Contacts
Please do not hesitate to contact us in case you have any questions about our programme.
General information and admissions: pts@uef.fi