Graduate Admission

Selection Criteria

The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences makes the decisions concerning the applications based on an evaluation and proposition done by the Board of the Programme/discipline in question.

The following criteria will play the most crucial role in the selection:

• appropriate content of the previous studies to the Master's Degree Programme/major subject/specialization line, i.e. how well they enable the applicant to study in the programme/major subject/specialization line in question.
• grades awarded for previous studies in subject appropiate to the programme/major subject/specialization line.
• applicant's motivation, academic interests and suitability for the programme/major subject/specialization line s/he applies for.
• quality and level of the applicant's previous degree and studies.
• overall performance in previous studies as well as their scope.
• completion dates of the previous degree and studies.
• any other scholarly merits apart from previous studies

Special attention will be paid to how well the content of previous studies correspond with the major subject in question at the Faculty of Social Sciences.

An applicant who has completed or will complete a second-cycle degree in social sciences or a related field by 30.7.2013 may be admitted only for good reason if most of the proposed Master’s degree studies are identical in content to the applicant’s previous studies.

Please also note that students may hold the right to complete one undergraduate (first- or second-cycle) degree in the Faculty of Social Sciences at any given time. If a student participates in an admissions process and is granted a new right to complete a degree in another major subject in the Faculty, the new right will be valid, but the original right may be reinstated upon application. The date on which the student first received the right to study will then remain in the records as the date on which the student began studying.

Even though the applicant's previous studies must be such that they enable the student to continue his/her studies towards a Master's degree, in some cases, however, the students might be requested to complete some supplementary studies. Students will be informed of such requirements in the letter of admission. Such supplementary studies do not count toward the 120 credits required for a second-cycle degree. 

In addition, students educated in Finnish must supplement their studies by completing the language studies required for a first-cycle degree if they did not complete them for their prior degree. Only after completing the studies in the other national language of Finland (Finnish/Swedish) included in their first-cycle degree will students meet the language demands for positions requiring an academic degree. Students must demonstrate equivalent proficiency in their native language (Finnish/Swedish) by passing a language assessment (maturity test) in that language.

In acceptance to a Master´s degree programme, the study right is granted for the degree of Master of Social Sciences (M.Soc.Sc.). Therefore, the student does not have the right to take a lower degree (Bachelor's degree) at the Faculty.

Notification of Results

All applicants whose application was handled in the Faculty’s admissions process will receive information about the admission decision by email in April. The results are available here on 19 April 2013 at the latest. Only the accepted students will receive information on the acceptance also by post.

Please note that admission results will not be given by phone. If you are unsure about your application status you may send an enquiry with your application number by email to soc-sci(at)helsinki.fi .

The applicants who wish to have the notification of results only by post are advised to contact the Faculty by 28 February 2013 at the latest.

The applicant who is able to provide concrete evidence on a mistake that was made in the processing of the student’s application file is entitled to make a appeal for rectification in writing to the International Affairs Committee of the Faculty. In the appeal, applicants must specify the decision they are appealing and clearly state the grounds for the appeal, i.e. the applicant must be able to give valid reasons to justify his/her case.

N.B.! There are no grounds for a request for rectification, if the applicant's application was incomplete or s/he did not meet with all the requirements set for applicants.

The appeal has to be submitted in writing to the Faculty of Social Sciences within 14 days from the time the applicant had the possibility of receiving information on the student selection.

Accepting an offer of a study place

Admitted students must contact the Academic Affairs Office of the Faculty of Social Sciences by 12 June 2013 at 16.00 local Helsinki time to inform the Faculty whether they accept the place offered. Admitted students are entitled to submit their other enrolment documents by 30 July 2013. Students who have not completed the degree cited in their application by the application deadline must submit a degree diploma together with their enrolment documents. 

If admitted students fail to inform the Faculty that they accept their place or to submit the required documents by the due date, they will waive their right to study. The Faculty may offer the places of such students to applicants on the reserve list

The Faculty requires that admitted students submit original documents concerning the previous degree cited in their application for verification at the beginning of study in autumn 2013.

Recognition of prior learning 

The Faculty admits new international students to complete a second-cycle degree only. As a rule, none of their previous studies for a first-cycle degree will be recognised for their second-cycle degree. Thus, admitted students must complete all the studies required for a second-cycle degree as well as any supplementary studies required in the subject. Students pursuing a second-cycle degree may be credited for a degree completed outside Finland only in exceptional cases if the scope of their previous degree was considerably wider than that of a first-cycle degree at the University of Helsinki and if the studies in question were completed with good grades. The department representing the student’s major subject decides on the recognition of prior learning.

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