Eligibility
Selection methods
Eligibility requirements
You can apply to the Master’s Programme in Linguistic diversity and digital humanities 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 in Linguistic Diversity and Digital Humanities if you have completed or will complete the following by the application deadline:
University-level basic and intermediate studies (min. 60 cr) applicable to a study track in the master’s programme, or studies of an equivalent level and scope. These studies must be completed by the application deadline. The applicability of studies will be assessed when deciding on admissions.
For the Study Track in Digital Humanities, applicable fields of previous studies are history, area and cultural studies, cultural heritage, art history, philosophy, linguistics and social sciences, as well as computer science, data science, and, for example, theology, depending on whether you wish to approach the humanities from the perspective of data or examine the digital world as a phenomenon of its own.
For the Study Track in Phonetics, applicable fields of previous studies are primarily phonetics, linguistics and logopedics. If you have completed at least some studies in phonetics and linguistics, you can base your application on previous studies completed in one or several of the following fields: audiology, psychology, cognitive neuroscience, mathematics, computer science and data science, musicology, as well as acoustics, signal processing or biology with an emphasis on animal communication.
For the Study Track in Language Technology, applicable fields of previous studies are general linguistics with an emphasis on empirical methods and corpus linguistics, or computer science with an emphasis on the processing of natural languages or machine learning in general. Previous experience in programming will be a great advantage, but motivated students can supplement their skills during their studies in this respect. Neighbouring fields (data science, translation studies, languages, mathematics, statistics) can also be considered applicable fields, provided that the studies completed include the basics of linguistics, data processing as well as the basics of programming.
For the Study Track in Cognitive Science, applicable fields of previous studies are cognitive science, psychology, social psychology, linguistics or neurosciences. Furthermore, philosophy, mathematics, computer science and data science (especially if the completed studies include courses in cognitive science and its neighbouring fields) can be considered applicable fields.
For the Study Track in General Linguistics, applicable fields of previous studies are general linguistics and studies in a language subject with a heavy emphasis on linguistics.
Selecting the language and the study track
Selecting the language of the degree
You will have to select the language of your degree (English, Finnish or Swedish) on the application form. This means that even though most of the teaching will be offered in English, you can answer examination questions and write course assignments and your Master's thesis in the language that you select as the language of the degree. The language selection is binding. You must demonstrate proficiency in the selected language.
Selecting the study track
You will have to select a study track on the application form. Your application will be assessed in relation to the study track you have applied for, and if you are admitted, you will be granted the right to study in the master’s programme study track you indicated on the application form. You must select the study track from the following five options:
general linguistics
phonetics
language technology
cognitive science
digital humanities
The Master's Programme in Linguistic Diversity and Digital Humanities (LingDig) at the University of Helsinki combines five fields: cognitive science, digital humanities, general linguistics, language technology, and phonetics. In two years, you build deep expertise in language, mind, and digital methods — a combination found nowhere else.