Explore our International Master's Programmes

How to develop sustainable food and energy production? How to use automation and robotics in agriculture in the future?

In the Master’s Programme in Agricultural Sciences, you can pursue studies in agrotechnology, animal science, environmental soil science or plant production sciences. The University of Helsinki is the only university in Finland to offer academic education in this field.

More information on the Master's Programme in Agricultural Sciences website.

How to solve issues related to agriculture, biodiversity, food and forests? How are oceans re­stored as oceans?

In the Master’s Programme in Agricultural, Environmental and Resource Economics (AGERE), economics and natural sciences are combined. You will become a professional in applied economics in agricultural, environmental and resource-focused fields and well versed in topics such as climate policy, sustainable agriculture and food security.

More information on the Master's Programme in Agricultural, Environmental and Resource Economics website.

How to prevent hurricane disasters? How is climate changing? How do ecosystems interact with the atmosphere/hydrosphere/lithosphere?

In the Master's Programme in Atmospheric Sciences, you study aer­o­sol phys­ics, geo­phys­ics of the hy­dro­sphere, met­eor­o­logy, biogeo­chem­ical cycles, re­mote sens­ing or at­mo­spheric chemistry and analysis. You learn to work with environmental issues and deal with matters like air pollution, climate change, deforestation, extreme weather and water resources.

More information on the Master's Programme in Atmospheric Sciences website.

How to lead the future of learning?

In the Master’s Programme in Changing Education, you get an understanding of education as a dynamic and transformable construct from the individual neural level to global policies. You also gain the knowledge and skills to analyse, develop and influence the practices and structures of education systems, institutions, teaching and pedagogical issues.

More information on the Master's Programme in Changing Education website.

How to de­tect ill­nesses from breath? Can spent nuclear fuel be safely contained in bedrock? How does chemistry benefit bioeconomy?

In the Master's Programme in Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, you learn experimental research methods in many fields of chemistry, like analytical and synthetic chemistry, radiochemistry, molecular research, and spectroscopy.

More information on the Master's Programme in Chemistry and Molecular Sciences website.

How can programming change the world? What are all the things that could be automated? 

In the Master's Programme in Computer Science, you get skills that can lead you to create new network solutions, build the future digital society, develop secure digital services, or be involved in a ground-breaking software project.

More information on the Master's Programme in Computer Science website.

How to deal with complex, increasingly diverse and rapidly changing issues of contemporary societies? How to use data for social good?

In the Master's Programme in Contemporary Societies, you choose from six major subjects: Global Development Studies,  Social and Cultural Anthropology, Social and Public Policy, Social Data Science, Social Psychology, or Sociology. You also study themes like Data and Society, Ethnic Relations and Migration, Mind and Society, Socio-Cultural Shifts and Sources of Inequalities.

More information on the Master's Programme in Contemporary Societies website.

How to pre­vent ship­wrecks with the help of big data? How to construct solutions to complex data analysis problems?

In the Master's Programme in Data Science, elements from computer science and mathematical sciences are combined. You gain a solid knowledge of the central concepts, theories, and research methods of data science as well as applied skills. You acquire skills in topics such as machine learning, distributed systems and statistical methods.

More information on the Master's Programme in Data Science website.

Which spe­cies are able to ad­apt to en­vir­on­mental change? Why are some species able to invade new habitats?

In the Master's Programme in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, you get a perspective on biology from the level of genes to communities of species by studying ecology, evolutionary biology and conservation biology. The field courses range from the northern subarctic region to tropical rainforests.

More information on the Master's Programme in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology website.

How to decide how many mobile phone operators to have? What is the best way to alleviate climate change?

In the Master's Programme in Economics, you focus on the key elements of economic analysis and methods. You take courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics. In addition, you choose courses in subfields of economics, for example, economic theory, industrial organisation, international economics, labour economics, public economics or development economics. The programme is part of the Helsinki Graduate School of Economics, an academic initiative of three Finnish universities – Aalto University, Hanken School of Economics and the University of Helsinki.

More information on the Master's Programme in Economics website.

How did Eng­lish be­come a world language? How is sociocultural change and language change related?

In the Master’s Programme in English Studies at the University of Helsinki, you develop your expertise in areas that are often separated in other programmes: English language and linguistics, literature in English and the teaching of English. You can also combine modules from other programmes to your degree, for example, Digital Humanities and Literary Studies.

More information on the Master's Programme in English Studies website.

How to solve problems of socio-ecological sustainability?

In the Master’s Programme in Environmental Change and Global Sustainability (ECGS), you learn to tackle global environmental and sustainability challenges by integrating both natural and social sciences perspectives. You can also study topics like food and sustainability, climate studies, indigenous stud­ies, urban studies, global land use or Baltic sea stud­ies.

Read more on the Master’s Programme in Environmental Change and Global Sustainability (ECGS) website.

Why does Europe matter? How to understand populism in Europe? What is the significance of regional cooperation in the Nordic context?

In the Master's Programme in European and Nordic Studies, you get an understanding of European society, politics and culture today and in history. You benefit from the strengths of Nordic research on Europe with its strong focus on regional cooperation, diversity, identities, institutions, culture and politics of history and memory. You learn to know the Nordic countries through a European perspective and Europe from a Nordic perspective.

More information on the Master's Programme in European and Nordic Studies website.

What will people eat in the fu­ture? What is behind the good taste of food?

In the Master's Programme in Food Sciences, your studies cover the whole food production chain from primary production via food processing to consumers. You explore innovations in food and how to improve the healthiness, safety, ecology and ethics of food and food processing. You also learn laboratory working skills and increase your knowledge of food composition, processing, structure and legislation.

More information on the Master's Programme in Food Sciences website.

In the Master's Programme in Forest Sciences, you get a broad and versatile perspective on forests and their use. Your study and apply knowledge in biology, biogeochemistry, business economics, environmental sciences, logistics, geoinformatics and IT. You become a professional in forest ecology, the management and use of forest resources and forest bioeconomy business and policy.

More information on the Master's Programme in Forest Sciences website.

How are the building blocks of life arranged? How do genes regulate the development of cells, tissues and organisms? How do molecules, cells and tissues function and communicate with each other?

In the Master's programme in Genetics and Molecular Biosciences, you get in-depth knowledge and skills in modern genetics and molecular biosciences. You can specialise in Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Cell and Developmental Biology, Genetics and Genomics or Molecular Analytical Health Biosciences.

More information on the Master's Programme in Genetics and Molecular Biosciences website.

How to un­der­stand geo­graph­ical de­vel­op­ment and dif­fer­en­ti­ation of our planet?

In the Master's Programme in Geography, you study (1) physical geography, (2) geoinformatics or (3) urban and human geography and spatial planning. You get an understanding of current social and environmental issues in a top-ranked programme based on high-quality research groups.

More information on the Master's Programme in Geography website.

How will we re­act to the changes of the planet? How to sustain a growing population on our dynamic planet?

In the Master's Programme in Geology and Geophysics, you are trained to address pressing questions concerning our home planet's evolution, its role as the source of raw materials needed by modern civilisation, and environmental issues. You can study Petrology and Economic Geology, Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Palaeontology and Global Change and Solid Earth Geophysics.

More information on the Master's Programme in Geology and Geophysics website.

How to deal with the chal­lenges of glob­al­ising law?

In the Master's Programme in Global Governance Law (GGL), you develop the skills to understand and deal with the challenges of globalising law. You study public international law, European Union law, global administrative law, advanced human rights law and examine for example international institutions, decision-making and governance in the EU. You can also specialise in Russian or Chinese law.

More information on the Master's Programme in Global Governance Law website.

 How does nutrition maintain our health? How does culture influence our food choices? How is food discussed in the media?

In the Master’s Programme in Human Nutrition and Food-Related Behaviour (HNFB), you focus on human nutrition and food-related behaviour from the perspective of public health nutrition, nutritional physiology and social sciences. You gain an understanding of the significance of nutrition to human physiology and health, learn to analyse the physiological, psychological, social and cultural aspects linked to food choices and recognise the diversity of food and nutritional issues and ways to influence them.

More information on the Master’s Programme in Human Nutrition and Food-Related Behaviour (HNFB) website.

How can plants help us cope with global challenges? How do plants maintain ecosystems and thus life?

In the Master’s Programme in Integrative Plant Sciences (previously Master's Programme in Plant Biology), you study the diversity of wild and cultivated plants from the Arctic to the Tropics, as well as plant functions from the molecular to the ecosystem level. You can choose courses in topics like plant biotechnology and breeding, molecular biology and genetics, plant ecology and evolutionary biology, diversity and systematics of plants and fungi and regulation of growth, reproduction and differentiation of tissues.

More information on the Master's Programme in Integrative Plant Sciences website. 

How to promote mutual understanding with cultural di­versity?  How to be more competent in intercultural communication?

In the Master's Programme in Intercultural Encounters, you focus on questions of cultural diversity and mutual understanding and get insight into the diversified world from different perspectives such as religion, conflicts, human interaction, living traditions and transnationalism. You learn to deal with issues of intercultural interaction, diversity, internationalisation, cultural management, the media and power.

More information on the Master's Programme in Intercultural Encounters website.

How to understand the fine print on a global scale?

In the Master's Programme in International Business Law (IBL), you increase and deepen your knowledge and understanding of business law, including contract law, company law, intellectual property law, competition law and commercial dispute resolution. You can also study more rarely taught topics like Chinese Law. In addition, you further develop your analytical, legal argumentation and communications skills.

More information on the Master's Programme in International Business Law website.

How can mathematics and in­form­at­ics help you un­der­stand nature?

In the Master's Programme in Life Science Informatics, you combine the world of biodata and the expertise to utilise it.  You can study al­gorithmic bioin­form­at­ics, ap­plied bioin­form­at­ics, bio­mathem­at­ics, bio­s­tat­ist­ics and bioin­form­at­ics, eco-evol­u­tion­ary in­form­at­ics and sys­tems bio­logy and medicine.

More information on the Master's Programme in Life Science Informatics website.

What is special about the human mind that makes language possible? Why are there so many different languages and are some more complex than others?  Why do computers struggle with translating? Does your mobile device really understand what you are saying? Is it more difficult to learn for AI to communicate in natural speech than drive a car? Why doesn't computer-synthesised speech sound human?

In the Master's Programme in Linguistic Diversity and Digital Humanities (previously the Master's Programme in Linguistic Diversity in Digital Age), you deepen your understanding of the nature and diversity of human language and the theoretical and digital tools for working with language and speech. You may also focus on digital methods in other fields within humanities or on human cognition and artificial intelligence. You can specialise in Cognitive Science, Digital Humanities, General Linguistics, Language Technology or Phonetics.*

More information on the Master's Programme Linguistic Diversity and Digital Humanities website.

How to solve the en­ergy prob­lem? How to develop technology with new materials?

In the Master's Programme in Materials Research (MATRES), you focus on the fundamental physical and chemical problems in synthesising and characterising materials, developing new materials and improving existing ones. You can study ex­per­i­mental materials phys­ics, com­pu­ta­tional materials phys­ics, med­ical phys­ics and bio­phys­ics, poly­mer materials chemistry, in­or­ganic materials chemistry and elec­tron­ics and in­dus­trial ap­plic­a­tions.

More information on the Master's Programme in Materials Research website.

How to cal­cu­late your­self into the cen­ter of the Earth?

In the Master’s Programme in Mathematics and Statistics, you get a  solid basis for mathematics and statistics applications. You can study topics like geometry, algebra, topology, mathematical logic, mathematical physics, applied analysis, mathematical modelling, the mathematics of imaging, stochastics, insurance, financial mathematics, probabilistic modelling, statistics and social statistics.

More information on the Master’s Programme in Mathematics and Statistics website.

How to avoid microbial spoilage of food?

In the Master's Programme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, you learn about microbes and the biotechnological applications as well as what research techniques are used to study viruses, bacteria and other microbes. Your studies include topics like the application of microbiological knowledge, biotechnology and bioinformatics, functional principles of microbial cells and communities, research methods in microbiology and solving microbiological problems.

More information on the Master's Programme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology website.

How are our brains making us conscious, sense, feel and act? What are the neurobiological bases of behaviour?

In the Master's Programme in Neuroscience, you study Neuroscience or Cell and Systems Physiology and learn to understand of the diverse functions of the brain and the nervous system, and the complexity of life from molecules to functional organisms.

More information on the Master's Programme in Neuroscience website.

How did we get here from the big bang? How to understand space?

In the Master’s Programme in Particle Physics and Astrophysical Sciences, you get an extensive understanding of particle physics and cosmology and/or astrophysical sciences. You gain expertise in basic research and acquire proficiency in the use of mathematical methods, IT tools, experimental equipment, as well as strong problem-solving and logical deduction skills.

More information on the Master's Programme in Particle Physics and Astrophysical Sciences website.

How does knowing Russia help you think globally?  How to understand Russia's response to global challenges? 

In the Master's Programme in Russian Studies, you acquire in-depth knowledge of Russia's past and present benefiting from the world-class research conducted at the Aleksanteri Institute, Europe’s largest research institute of Russian studies. You develop Russia-related expertise on themes such as security and power; environment and climate; inequality and resilience; culture and identity.

More information on the Master's Programme in Russian Studies website.

How to create mathematical models of natural phenomena? How to generalise information on scientific phenomena?

In the Master’s Programme in Theoretical and Computational Methods, you get a strong basis in the theoretical methods, modelling, and mathematical and numerical analysis within physics, mathematics, chemistry and/or computer science.

More information on the Master’s Programme in Theoretical and Computational Methods website.

How to make scientific discoveries benefit the patients?  How to improve future diagnostics?

In the Master's Programme in Translational Medicine (TRANSMED), you learn to facilitate new therapies and medical procedures by implementing research findings in patient care, and by applying clinical data in research. This requires understanding both science and medicine. You also interact directly with researchers and clinicians to adopt and practice interdisciplinary communication skills.

More information on the Master's Programme in Translational Medicine website.

How to deal with com­plex urban en­vir­on­ments?

In the Master’s Programme in Urban Studies and Planning, you become a professional capable of understanding and addressing complex urban development challenges. You can specialise in Urban Planning and Design, Urban Ecologies and Systems or Urban Life, Economy and Cultures.

More information on the Master's Programme in Urban Studies and Planning website.