Eligibility
Selection methods
Eligibility requirements
You can apply to the Master’s Programme in Forest Sciences if you meet the following criteria:
You have completed a first-cycle (bachelor’s) degree at a higher education institution in Finland or abroad, or will do so by the deadline.
You have sufficient skills in Finnish, Swedish or English.
You have completed a sufficient amount of studies applicable to the master’s programme.
Admission
If you do not meet these criteria, you cannot apply through this application procedure.
1. You have completed a higher education degree providing eligibility for master’s studies
To apply in master's admissions, you must have completed, or will complete by the deadline, a higher education degree that provides eligibility for master's studies.
If the degree providing eligibility has been completed in Finland, the deadline is 31 July 2027.
If the degree providing eligibility has been completed outside Finland, the deadline is 31 August 2027.
You can apply even if your degree will not be completed during the application period. However, you must have completed a sufficient amount of studies applicable to the master’s programme by the application deadline. Studies completed after the application deadline will not be taken into account in the assessment of your application.
2. Sufficient skills in Finnish, Swedish or English
You must demonstrate sufficient skills in Finnish, Swedish or English at the application stage. For the methods of demonstrating your language skills, please see the University website.
3. Applicable studies
You can be admitted to the Master's Programme in Forest Sciences if you have completed or will complete by the application deadline:
A sufficient amount of studies applicable to the field of the Master’s Programme in Forest Sciences and of the prospective study track; the content and level of the studies must be applicable and appropriate to the master’s programme and its study track, providing sufficient knowledge and skills for master’s studies.
If you currently hold a second-cycle degree in the same field, i.e., the field of this master’s programme, or in a neighbouring field of study, your application will be considered only on compelling grounds and if the content of the prospective degree differs sufficiently from your previous degree.
If you are currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in the University of Helsinki, your application will not be considered in this application procedure if you apply to a master’s programme to which you already have been granted a study right (direct master’s programme option) or to a master's programme to which you can get a study right via the separate registration process. Read more about the programme options already available to you from the Instructions for Students. For more information about your programme options in the faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, contact the Viikki Student Services.
The applicability and sufficient scope of studies will be assessed after you submit your application. The University of Helsinki does not make preliminary assessments of the applicability of studies.
Selection of study track and language
Selecting the study track
You must indicate your prospective study track on the application form. You cannot change this selection after submitting your application.
The Master’s Programme in Forest Sciences offers two study tracks:
Forest Ecology and Management (14 new students)
Forest Economics, Business and Society (11 new students)
If the maximum number of students admitted to one of the study tracks is not reached, the other track can admit more students than the maximum number announced in advance, thus reaching the maximum number for the master’s programme.
Selecting the language of the degree
In the Master’s Programme in Forest Sciences, you can select Finnish, Swedish or English as the language of your degree. You will select the language on the application form. This selection is binding, and you must demonstrate your skills in the selected language.
In multilingual master’s programmes, teaching is provided mostly in English, but you can answer examination questions, complete any written coursework and write your master’s thesis in the language of your degree.
Do you want to affect the future of forests, a key natural resource and the wellspring of biodiversity in Finland and globally? Have you ever wondered why forests are called the lungs of the Earth and how climate change relates to forests? Or how trees are grown and processed into products in a sustainable and efficient manner? And how society and forests are interrelated? You can find answers to these questions when you study Forest Sciences. You will come to view forests not only as a setting for jogging trails or as a source of wood, but rather as a source of versatile renewable resources and as complex ecological systems that are closely connected to their environment. The relationship between humans and nature and between society and natural resources is a strong feature of these studies.