Eligibility
Selection methods
Eligibility requirements
You can apply to the Master’s Programme in Environmental Change and Global Sustainability 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
Applicants to the Master’s Programme in Environmental Change and Global Sustainability (ECGS) must have completed a first-cycle degree in a field applicable to the Master’s programme that provides sufficient qualifications for the completion of Master’s studies in the ECGS Master’s Programme.
Selection of study track and the language of the degree
Selecting the study track
The Environmental Change and Global Sustainability (ECGS) programme offers two study tracks:
Environmental Change (approximately 8 students)
Global Sustainability (approximately 7 students).
In the application form you must choose the study track to which you apply. You can only apply to one study track and the choice of study track is binding. The study track indicated by the applicant will be taken into consideration when assessing the applicability of their prior studies and the motivation letter.
Selecting the language of the degree
In the Master’s Programme in Environmental Change and Global Sustainability, 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.
The Master’s Programme in Environmental Change and Global Sustainability (ECGS) at the University of Helsinki prepares you to tackle urgent socio-ecological challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss. You build interdisciplinary expertise spanning the natural and social sciences, and learn to design evidence-based solutions together with researchers, policymakers, and communities. You choose between two tracks: Environmental Change and Global Sustainability.