Master's Degree Programme in Photonics

The application period opens on 3.1.2024 and closes on 17.1.2024 at 15.00 (EEST). In 2024, a maximum of 20 students will be selected into the programme on the basis of their application documents.

Eligibility

Degree certificate

A previous Bachelor's degree* corresponding to at least 3 year's of full time academic studies (equivalent of 180 ECTS credit units in the Finnish university system) from an institution for higher education is required from all Master's programme applicants. The degree must be awarded by an internationally recognized university. The degree should entitle the applicant to apply to master's studies in the country where the degree has been awarded.

*Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in physics, optics, photonics, physical and engineering sciences with an extensive physics basic education, or another discipline related to the program, entailing proficiency in physics and mathematics.

Admission is conditional if applicant applies to the programme with a degree that is not finished during the application period. It is required that the applicants deliver officially certified copies of the final degree certificate and the transcript of records to the programme coordinator by 9 August 2024.

The applicants should follow the guidelines given for the temporary (provisional) degree certificate and for official translations and country-specific requirements here.

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 to the University of Eastern Finland. No exceptions will be made and no waivers to the language proficiency requirements are given.

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

• Previous education or higher education has been completed in English* in EU/EEA -countries, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand or in Switzerland.

*If the applicant has completed his/her studies in English, applicant must include the official statement of his/her educational institution that the medium of the instruction has been 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, overall score 92, min. 22 in writing
• IELTS (academic) overall score 6.5, min. 6.0 in writing
• PTE (academic), overall score 62, min 54 in writing
• C1 Advanced overall score C or 180, with min. 162 in writing
• C2 Proficiency overall score level C1 or 180, with min. 162 in writing
• National Certificate of Language Proficiency YKI-test: level 5 in all different subtests (reading  comprehension, writing and speaking). It is possible to combine different examinations.

If the result of the language test is below the required minimum, the application will not be considered for the admission.

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

TOEFL, IELTS and PTE certificates are valid for two years from the day they are issued, i.e. the language test need to be in effect during the application period, from 3 January 2022 onwards.

More information about submitting the language test reports:

All language test results must be submitted as instructed here. 

The applicant needs to apply through national Studyinfo portal at studyinfo.fi. Once the applicant has filled out the online application, required enclosures must be uploaded electronically to the application.

Online application form is required to be submitted by 17.1.2024 at 15.00 (EEST) and the required enclosures can be uploaded electronically to the application until 24.1.2024 at 15.00 (EEST). UEF does not process application documents that have arrived after the deadline.

Application form is available at studyinfo.fi only when the call for applications is open (3.1.2024-17.1.2024). 

After you submit your application you receive a confirmation email. This email includes a link for making changes to your application. Changes can be made until 24.1.2024 at 15.00 (EEST).

At the application state we require only scanned enclosures attached (uploaded) to the application form. Paper copies are not required during the application period. Once you have filled out the online application, required application enclosures (see content below) must be uploaded electronically to the application (recommended file types pdf and jpeg, max. file size 10 MB). More information about how to submit documents is available here.

Instructions in a nutshell

• Make sure you know the admission requirements (content above). Sign up for a language test, if required and/or necessary.
• When the application period begins, fill out the online application form with care, upload all the required documents in electronic format and then submit the online application.
• Required enclosures (content below) must be uploaded electronically to the application (recommended file types pdf and jpeg, max. file size 10 MB). Please see more information on How to submit documents.
  • We accept scanned copies of the original degree certificates and transcripts as well as the translations when they are required.
  • We do not accept scans of photocopies unless they have been certified by the awarding institution
  • Please scan the original documents with care, always scan in color and remember to scan all pages. If your scan is blurred, discolored or the file is flawed it will not be accepted. The use of PDF -format is encouraged, as this ensures that the files can be opened in all operating systems.
  • The University of Eastern Finland also accepts electronic transcripts submitted through a few recognized sources. Please see Electronic Transcripts for details.

• Make sure your application enclosures are uploaded by the given deadline at 3 pm (EEST). Also the language test results must reach the University of Eastern Finland by the deadline.

• Should you have any questions about completing your application and uploading the documents to UEF application form, please contact our admissions office, admissions@uef.fi, tel. +358 29 445 8990.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit certain educational documents to the University of Eastern Finland  in electronic format as attachments to your application. Paper copies are not required during the application period.

Each application must include the following documents:

The required enclosures need to be uploaded electronically to the application by 24 January 2024 at 3 pm (EEST) at the latest. UEF does not process application documents that have arrived after the deadline.

• Bachelor’s degree certificate (and an official English translation of it if needed)
• An official transcript of academic records (and an official English translation of it if needed). The transcript should include the course units, their completion time, grades, and credits awarded, and information on the grading scale used at the institution.
• English language certificate
• Copy of passport / ID
• A personal motivation letter, written in English, describing the reasons for application to the Master's program in Photonics, any relevant previous experience, and future educational and/or career plans.
• Curriculum vitae (CV) stating the main personal information (full name, birth date, citizenship, address) the studies since high school (degrees, institutions, grades) as well as any professional experience and any other relevant information (Europass CV template is recommended).

All enclosures are compulsory for the selection process.

Degree Certificate

A degree certificate is a document issued by an institution to a student who has successfully completed all studies included in the degree. The student has graduated. The degree certificate should include the name of the institution awarding the degree, the date of issue, and the name of the person to whom the degree certificate has been issued and which title/degree the person has been awarded.

Temporary (Provisional) Degree Certificate

A temporary (provisional) degree certificate is a document issued by an institution to a student who has been awarded or conferred an academic degree. The temporary degree certificate is issued as a replacement for the actual degree certificate e.g. in case the actual degree certificate cannot be given to the student immediately after the studies have been completed due to technical or administrative reasons. The temporary degree certificate must include:

• the name of the institution awarding the degree
• the date of award/conferral of the degree
• the name of the person to whom the temporary degree certificate has been issued
• which academic title/degree the person has been awarded.

It is important to note that a document stating only that the student has completed all the courses is not sufficient as a temporary degree certificate.

Transcript of Records

The official transcript of records should include the following information:

• full titles of the units that the student has completed for the degree
• completion times of study units (or at the very least the overall study time at the institution)
• grades obtained
• credits awarded
• information on the grading scale used at the institution at the time of study
• If you have not yet graduated: The transcript of records must include the name of the degree that will be awarded to you when you graduate (Bachelor of, Master of, etc.)

The transcript must cover the full length of studies. If the degree includes course units that the student has completed at another institution and the transferred credits are not indicated in detail on the transcript of records, a separate transcript of records regarding the transferred credits should be submitted. Please also note possible country-specific requirements.

University of Eastern Finland only accepts official transcripts of records.

The documents can also be submitted electronically through a few recognized sources. To see whether the service possibly used by your institution is accepted please check Electronic Transcripts for details.

The admission processes in the Master's Degree Programme in Photonics aims at fair selection of high-quality applicants. Student selection is based on the application documents and evaluation 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 acceptance to the programme.

Applicants will be ranked according to the selection criteria below (total points). The best 20 applicants are accepted to the program and the rest of the applicants are rejected. The programme may accept more applicants by discretion to fulfill the available study places in the programme.  Applicants are not placed on the waiting list.

The applications will be graded using the following criteria:

1. Suitability and the content of the previous studies to the area of Photonics: (0-25 points);
2. Applicant's success in the previous studies in general: (0-5 points);
3. Applicant's success in the previous studies of the suitable field of science: (0-15 points);
4. Prestige and level of the home university: (0-10 points);
5. Applicant's motivation to apply for studies: (0-15 points);

Maximum total points are 70.

Selection results

Results for studies starting in September 2024 will be published on 12 April 2024 at the latest. When the selection decision has been made, the results will be posted immediately to applicants by e-mail.

Admitted students shall inform whether they accept their study place by latest on 11 July 2024 at 3 pm (EEST) electronically via Studyinfo portal or by submitting the confirmation form to hakijapalvelut@uef.fi.

According to 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.

Additional information

Conditional acceptance

All accepted students will be conditionally accepted until

• they have provided officially certified copies of their educational documents if they cannot authenticate their degree/transcript electronically when applying. The students will be conditionally accepted until they have provided the certified copies of the educational documents (degree certificate and transcript of records). Country specific requirements are in use in the situations when the applicant cannot provide the documents electronically. The last date to send the documents is 9 August 2024. In case the applicants do not deliver the documents by the given deadline, their study right will be cancelled.

In addition,

• non-EU/EEA students who are required to pay tuition fees will be conditionally accepted until they have paid the required tuition fees and signed the Student Agreement.
• students to whom a Finland scholarship has been proposed, need also to sign Finland scholarship agreement.

Verification of original documents

Orientation program for the new international students and the photonics courses start on the first week of September.
 

Tuition fees & waivers

Fees will be collected from citizens outside the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. The amount of the tuition fees for each master’s degree program is decided by the UEF Academic rector. The yearly tuition fee in MDP in Photonics program is 8 000 €.  

All new students who are admitted to Master’s Degree Programme in Photonics 2024 and are required to pay tuition fees, are eligible to receive a partial tuition waiver. The tuition waiver is 50 % of the annual tuition fee and it is granted for maximum of four (4) semesters.

Please note, that the tuition fee waiver must be applied for when applying for admission to the university.

The University of Eastern Finland will also grant an Early Bird tuition fee deduction of 500 EUR to students who accept the study place and pay the tuition fees within three weeks of the date the results are published (for Master's students starting in autumn 2024 by 3 May 2024).

The annual tuition fee is paid in two equal instalments per academic year. Tuition fee must be paid, and the Student Agreement must be signed before the student can register as present student.

Student Union membership fee and the Kela healthcare fee are obligatory for master’s degree students.

More information about tuition fees, waivers and scholarships is available here.

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. The total value of the Finland Scholarship is € 13 000–15 000, depending on the programme’s tuition fee. The Finland Scholarship includes:

• 100 % tuition waiver for the first year's tuition fee (value € 8 000–10 000)
• € 5 000 relocation grant 

The scholarship is a one-year scholarship for first-year Master’s students. For the second year of study, students need to secure sufficient funds themselves. The programmes' general tuition waivers will be offered for the second-year studies.  

You must state your wish to apply for a Finland Scholarship on the Studyinfo application form. Finland Scholarships are awarded based on the programme's own admission criteria for the two best applicants (best points) per programme who have been chosen for the studies based on their success in the admission process. Scholarships are always personal, and UEF will notify applicants about the decision regarding the scholarship at the same time with the admission results. The decisions on scholarships cannot be appealed against.

The Finland Scholarships will be granted until 2024. Students who apply to Master’s studies in 2025 are not eligible. The national Finland Scholarship programme is funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture.

See more information here.