The programme organised by the Faculty of Philosophy comprises 120 ECTS. Students are admitted to study in the programme for a Master of Arts degree or a Master of Administrative Sciences degree on the basis of their previous studies.
After successful completion of the programme, students are eligible to apply for admission to doctoral studies. In the field of Languages and Communication (MA degree), eligibility for doctoral studies is given on the basis of the studies completed in the discipline and the thesis. The major subject of doctoral studies may be English Language, German Language and Literature, Communication Studies, Applied Linguistics or Modern Finnish. Studies in the field of Administrative Sciences (M.Sc. Admin. degree) give eligibility for doctoral studies in the field of Public Management.
Students are granted a study right only for a Master’s degree (A 794/2004). If a study place is offered, an accepted student shall start his or her studies in the programme in the semester determined by the programme. A new group of students start their studies in the programme in August each year. Students must register as attending at least for the first semester of studies. Accepted students cannot register as non-attending (absent) for the first semester of studies and cannot postpone the beginning of the studies in the programme. The offered study place is valid only for one intake.
Annual intake of the programme is 20 students. Out of these 20 students, approximately half are admitted to a Master of Arts degree and half to the Master of Administrative Sciences degree. Approximately half of the students are admitted to the programme on the basis of a degree completed outside Finland.
The applicants should have completed a Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate field before applying for admission to the programme:
- Appropriate fields for MA degree: e.g. modern languages, communication studies, literature, and culture
- Appropriate fields for M.Sc. Admin. degree: e.g. public administration/management, public policy, political science, economics, sociology, social anthropology
If the applicant has not yet completed the Bachelor's degree by the deadline for submitting the application to the university, he or she may apply for admission to the programme if the Bachelor's degree will be completed and the degree certificate awarded by 31 July 2012 at the very latest (the deadline for accepting the offered study place).
Applicants who have not completed their Bachelor's degree by the application deadline should submit a transcript containing information about the courses completed as part of the Bachelor's degree together with the other application documents. The applicants are also required to submit an explanation of the missing study attainments together with the other documents.
If a student, who has not yet completed a Bachelor's degree, is accepted as a student to the programme, he or she will be offered a conditional admission to the programme. This means that the study right will be granted and the study place confirmed only if the student submits a copy of the degree certificate / diploma for the Bachelor's degree before the deadline for accepting the offered opening. The deadline for accepting the offered study place is 31 July 2012.
Language proficiency in English is to be verified by one of the documents listed below:
- Official 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)
- Official 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
Evaluation of Applications
Admission in the programme is based on the quality and scope of the applicant’s previous studies, other previously acquired skills which are relevant to the programme, other merits, and language proficiency. Previous studies, CV and motivation are evaluated and scored in the following way (max. 50 points):
- Previous studies (max. 30 points):
- Suitable major subject 0–20 points
- Suitable minor subject(s) 0–10 points
- CV and the Letter of Motivation (max. 20 points)
Application Procedure
Application Period: 1 January – 28 February 2012
All students, both Finnish and international, 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, the applicants must print out the application form generated by the system, sign the form, and enclose the following documents to the printed application form:
- Passport photo
- Photocopy of the degree certificate
- Photocopy of the transcript of 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.
- Proof of language proficiency
- CV. Please use the Europass CV form
- Photocopy of passport’s information page / official ID
- Letter of Motivation.
The letter of Motivation is used to assess the applicant's enthusiasm and commitment to studying Intercultural Studies 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 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 Intercultural Studies do I find relevant and interesting that would make an interesting topic for research?
The applicant may enclose also other certificates and documents supporting the application (e.g. work certificates, recommendation letter/s, and certificate/s of other studies) to 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 submitted in the system by 28 February 2012 at 24.00 (local, Finnish time) at the latest. The printed and signed application form generated by the electronic system and the required documents must be submitted to the university by 13 March 2012 at 16.15 (local, Finnish time) 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 about how to submit your application to the university.
Detailed programme structure and course descriptions of the Master's Degree Programme in Intercultural Studies in Communication and Administration (please navigate with the menu on the left-hand side of the page)
