Faculty of Social Sciences

Admission for Master´s Programmes and Graduate Studies 2009

Admission to Master´s Programmes and Studies leading to Master´s Degree

The Faculty of Social Sciences offers several options in different fields to pursue a Master´s degree at the University. The applicants may apply to the Master's Degree Programmes and/or to the studies leading to a Master's degree. In both cases, the outcome is the same: after completing the studies, the students obtain a degree of Master of Social Sciences (M.Soc.Sc.).

The application period for international applicants for Master´s Programmes and Master - level studies for the year 2010 starts on Nov. 16, 2009 and ends on Feb. 1, 2010. Admission criteria and application requirements for the year 2010 are decided by the Faculty Council in October 2009 and they will be updated by mid-November. However, the applicants interested in the Master's Degree Programmes of the Faculty of Social Sciences ought to meet the language requirements. Please remember to register for the language test as early as possible, at least two months before the deadline to make sure there are available test dates!

Master´s Programmes

Master´s programmes are new entities that are planned for international students and are held entirely in English language. The scheduled lenght of the programme is two years, 120 local credits (120 ECTS) and upon completion of the programme the students receive a Finnish Master´s Degree in Social Sciences (M.Soc.Sc.). There are currently six different Master´s degree programmes at the Faculty, and together they cover the 8 of the departments. The programmes are:

• ECON- Master´s Degree Programme in Economics
• for more information, please see the pages of the programme
  
  
• ERI - Ethnic Relations, Cultural Diversity and Integration - Master´s programme
• Arranged by the Swedish School of Social Science and the following Departments: Political Science, Social Psychology and Sociology
• for more information, please see the pages of the programme
  
  
• European Studies
• Arranged by the three different faculties of the University of Helsinki; at the Faculty of Social Sciences by following departments: Political Science and Social Science History.
• for more information, please see the pages of the programme
  
  
• Media and Global Communication
• More information is available at the web pages of the programme
  
  
• REMS Research Master´s Degree Programme in Social Sciences
• Arranged by the following Departments and in the following majors: Social Policy, Social Psychology and Sociology
• The available specialisation lines are the following: Actors, Practices and Institutions in Welfare Society, Values, Power and Morality in Contemporary Society and Urban Studies
• for more information of available choices, please see the pages of the programme
  
  
• Practical Philosophy - Theories of Good Society
• More information is available at the web pages of the programme

The department of social science history also participates in the The International Masters in Economy, State and Society (IMESS) master´s programme, as part of the Erasmus Mundus -programme. More information regarding the IMESS is available from here.

Studies leading to Master´s Degree

In addition to the fields mentioned above, also other fields arrange studies leading to a Master´s Degree. The main difference is, that there are more courses available in English in the proper Master´s programmes and thus the programmes might be a little more intensive and require more of the student. Please take a look here for the difference.

Major Subjects and Maximum Intake of Students are following:

• Communication 8 (including the quota of the Master's degree programme in Media and Global Communication).
  N.B.! Only available in Finnish, for the programme in English, please see the Master's Degree Programme in Media and Global Communication.
  
  
• Mathematics and Statistics 4
  
  
• Political Science
  • Administration and Organisations 1
  • Politics 2
  • World Politics 5
    
    
• Social and Moral Philosophy 4 (including the quota of the Master's Degree programme in Practical Philosophy)
  
  
• Social Policy 2
  NB. Only available in Finnish, for the programme in English, please see REMS!
  
  
• Social Psychology 2
  NB. Only available in Finnish, for the programmes in English, please see REMS or ERI!
  • English speaking applicants may also apply to the specialisation line of Social Psychology called Intercultural Encounters. Primarily the applicants apply to Social Psychology, but the specialisation line must be separately mentioned in the application.
    
    
• Social work 2
  NB! Some knowledge of Finnish or Swedish is essential!
  
  
• Social Science History
• Economic and Social History 2
• Political History 2
  
  
• Social and Cultural Anthropology 2
  
  
• Sociology 2
  NB. Only available in Finnish, for the programme in English, please see REMS or ERI!
  
  
• Development Studies 5

For application information, please see the admission criteria. The application period for international applicants for Master´s Programmes and Master - level studies for the year 2009 starts Nov. 17, 2008. Please note, that by Feb. 2, 2009 the application and all the required documents must have reached the University Admissions. The application period for the academic year 2010-2011 opens in mid-November 2009.

Applicants who have completed a Bachelor's degree in a Finnish University can apply for Master's Programmes in ERI, REMS and European Studies. However, the graduate admission of studies leading to a Master's degree is solely meant for students who have completed a lower academic degree (Bachelor's Degree or a similar degree) in a foreign university, outside of Finland. Information on how to apply with a Finnish Bachelor's degree for studies leading to a Master's degree is available in Finnish and in English here. Also, the graduates of Finnish Universities ought to follow these instructions, if they wish to apply for the Master's Programmes in Economics, Media and Global Communication or Practical Philosophy.