How to apply to ExpREES?

Are you enrolled in a Finnish university? Would you like to specialise in Eastern Europe (incl. Ukraine, countries in Eastern Central Europe and South-Eastern Europe, the Baltic countries), Russia, Central Asia or the Southern Caucasus in your master’s?

The Aleksanteri Institute at the University of Helsinki coordinates a network of 12 Finnish universities which offer a multidisciplinary study programme known as ExpREES (Expertise in Russian and Eastern European Studies) to their students. The programme is open to students from a wide range of disciplines including the humanities, social sciences, business studies and technology. ExpREES studies provide valuable competencies for students aiming for careers in the public or private sector, as well as in academia. 

Although Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has profoundly changed world politics, including Finnish–Russian relations, the need for expertise on Russia has not disappeared. At the same time, demand for knowledge of Eastern Europe (particularly Ukraine) and Central Asia continues to grow. Through a combination of contact teaching, online courses, and excursions, the ExpREES programme supports you in developing regional expertise, identifying your strengths, advancing your career, and completing your master’s thesis.

Please check that you meet the following application criteria:

• You plan to enroll as a master’s degree student in one of the universities in the ExpREES network (and will have the right to pursue master’s studies in one of the network universities).
• You have completed or will complete your bachelor’s degree (180 credits) in one of our network universities by the end of the year during which you are applying.
• You plan to write your master’s thesis on a topic related to Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia or the South Caucasus.
• You have a strong motivation to pursue studies in the ExpREES programme.
• You have achieved good grades in your bachelor’s degree.

Please note that the ExpREES compulsory courses are offered in Finnish. However, we will identify suitable English-language courses that can be used to replace these compulsory courses. Approximately half of the ExpREES optional courses are available in English.

Please submit your application via the  by 14 April 2026.  As part of the application form, we ask for a brief preliminary plan for your master's thesis, including the title, topic, approach, and why the topic interests you. The plan does not need to be final, and it can be modified later as your studies progress. 

In addition to the completed application form, we ask that applicants contact their degree programme/home university, e.g. from a PSP supervisor, a bachelor's or master's thesis supervisor, Head of the degree programme and ask the person to fill out form by 24 April 2026. 

We will notify applicants of the admission decisions by 25 May 2026. 

For further information, please contact (weekdays at 9–16) Sirke Mäkinen, Senior University Lecturer and Head of the ExpREES programme at  or 050 4767293, or Hanna Peltonen, Education Specialist, ExpREES Coordinator, at  02941 23681.