Students are eligible for admission to the two-year Master’s Degree Programme in International Business (MIB programme) if they have completed a Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate field. The MIB programme is open both for international and Finnish applicants. Approximately 25 students are accepted to the programme each year. Application deadline is 28 February annually.
Evaluation of the applications
Eligibility
To be considered for admission to the programme, the applicant must fulfil the following criteria:
1. Scope of the degree
- A 3- or 4-year Bachelor degree at university or polytechnic level
2. Prior studies at Bachelor level or higher in the core areas of the programme
- For the MIB programme these areas are: international business, marketing, and management and organisation
3. Applicant’s performance (i.e. GPA) in previous studies, including the thesis or ‘final report’ (i.e. the final assignment students must complete in circumstances where a thesis is not used)
- The overall grade (GPA) and the grade of the thesis for a Bachelor’s degree from a university should be at least ‘good’ 3/5 (ECTS grading), or equivalent in the systems not using the ECTS.
- The overall grade (GPA) and the grade of the thesis or ‘final report’ for a Bachelor’s degree from a polytechnic or university of applied sciences should be at least ‘very good’ 4/5 (ECTS grading).
4. English language proficiency, which can be proved in one of the following ways:
- TOEFL -test with minimum score of 550 in paper-based test, 213 in computer-based test or 79 in iBT (The University of Vaasa TOEFL code is 0647)
- IELTS test (Academic) with minimum score of 6.0 (each section minimum 5.5)
- Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) with pass grade A, B or C
- Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) with pass grade A, B or C
- National Certificate of Language Proficiency (arranged by Finnish National Board of Education) with an average language skill level 5 or 6 in the English language
- Certificate of secondary education completed in English in EU / EEA countries, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa
- Certificate of English as the A language (i.e. mother tongue) as a part of International Baccalaureate degree, or as the LI (i.e. mother tongue) or the LII (i.e. as the official language) as a part of European Baccalaureate degree
- Bachelor's or Master's degree (or equivalent) completed in English in one of the EU / EEA countries, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. If the language of instruction (English) is not clearly stated in the degree certificate, it is to be verified by a certificate signed by a university official
- English as the major subject in Bachelor's or Master's degree
- Certificate of English as a foreign language in a Finnish university degree
Selection
Applications that satisfy the above eligibility criteria will be put through a subsequent evaluation process that will determine which applicants are selected for admission to the programme. The criteria used in the selection process are listed below in order of importance:
- Applicant's overall performance in relevant prior studies (GPA) and specifically the thesis or 'final report'
- Applicant's motivation (see instructions for the Letter of Motivation below)
- Applicant's language proficiency
- Applicant's amount of international experience (work and/or study)
- Applicant's amount of work experience in areas relevant to the MIB programme
Application
All applicants (both Finnish and international) must apply for admission to the programme by filling in the electronic application form available at Application Forms. After filling in and submitting the electronic form, applicants must print out the application form generated by the system, sign the form, and enclose certified copies of the required application documents.
To be enclosed in the application:
- Application form (generated by the electronic system)
- Passport photo
- Degree certificate(s)/certificate(s) of previous studies
- Transcript of university records: The transcript should clearly state the courses you have taken and the grades you have achieved. Please also attach an explanation of the grading system used if it is not clearly stated in the transcript.
- CV: Please use the Europass CV form
- Photocopy of passport's information page / official ID
- Certificate of language proficiency
- Letter of Motivation.
The letter of Motivation is used to assess the applicant's enthusiasm and commitment to studying International Business at the University of Vaasa. The letter should be a maximum of two pages and should, at the very least, provide clear and compelling answers to the following questions:
I) Why am I applying for admission to this programme (MIB) at the University of Vaasa?
II) What especially interests me in the programme?
III) How do my previous study and/or work experiences support my application, i.e. why should I be admitted?
IV) What issue in International Business do I find relevant and interesting that would make an interesting topic for research?
The applicant may also enclose other certificates and documents supporting the application (e.g. work certificates, certificates of other university level studies, and letters of recommendation) with the application. The documents must be submitted in Finnish, Swedish or English. The original documents must be presented upon registration.
The application and the required documents must be submitted to the university according to the instructions. The electronic application form must be filled in and saved to the system by 28 February 2012 at 24.00 (local, Finnish time) at the latest. The printed application form (generated by the electronic system) and the required documents must be submitted to the university by 13 March 2012 at 16.15 at the latest. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted or considered in the admission process.
Please see the General Application Instructions for information on how to submit your application to the university.
Detailed programme structure and course descriptions of the Master's Degree Programme in International Business (please navigate with the menu on the left-hand side of the page)
