Master s degree programme in Learning, Learning Environments and Educational Systems (LLEES) (120 ECTS credits)

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1 Master s degree programme in Learning, Learning Environments and Educational Systems (LLEES) (120 ECTS credits) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS 2015 The Master s degree programme in Learning, Learning Environments and Educational Systems is a two year (120 ECTS credits) Master s degree programme which trains experts and researchers for various national and international tasks in the field of Education. The programme concentrates on the focus points of research conducted at the Faculty of Education: learning research, learning environments and research of educational systems. The language of tuition is English. Key research areas preferred for a Master's thesis in the programme are: 1) motivation, regulation, and socio-emotional interaction and wellbeing in-and-out of-school; 2) diagnosing and training cognitive skills in different domains; 3) evolving instruction and expertise in science and technology in school and higher education; 4) research on national and transnational educational policies and systems. In the first three areas, in addition to large-scale surveys, multi-method approaches within experimental and quasiexperimental designs utilizing modern information technology (e.g., eye-movement registrations, observation and network analysis software, virtual laboratories and neuroimaging) are used. In the fourth area, social scientific and comparative research designs involving advanced methods of data collection and analysis (e.g., large-scale surveys, mixed-methods approach and qualitative software techniques) are employed. From the autumn 2012 onwards the students of the programme have had the possibility to study either for a Master of Arts degree in Education from the Faculty of Education, University of Turku (single degree option), or to choose an option that leads to two Master s degrees (double degree option). The double degree option is called the Finnish-German Master Programme in Education and it leads to the following degrees: Master of Arts in Education from the University of Turku, and Master of Arts Erziehungswissenschaft (Educational Science) from the University of Regensburg, Germany. The studies take two years to complete (120 ECTS credits). A student who has been admitted to the double degree option studies the 2 nd semester at the University of Regensburg, Institute of Education ( The specific research areas at the University of Regensburg are vocational education and continuing education, professional learning and development. The language of tuition is English. An applicant may apply with the same application form and enclosures for both the single degree option and the double degree option by answering yes to a relevant question in the application template (please see Applying ). By choosing the double degree option, the applicant prioritizes the double degree option and commits to study the 2 nd semester at the University of Regensburg in case s/he will be admitted to the double degree option. It is not possible to change one s mind afterwards if the applicant has prioritized the double degree option. An applicant may also apply only for the single degree option. The details of how students are selected are explained in the Admission requirements.

2 Who can apply? Persons who have completed a Bachelor s degree in education, adult education, special education, or in other domains relevant to the master s programme are eligible to apply to the programme. Also persons who have a Bachelor s degree from other fields of study and an official teacher s qualification are eligible to apply to the programme. The degree must include at least three years of studies. Persons who have completed a Finnish first-cycle polytechnic degree called ammattikorkeakoulututkinto and who have completed basic and intermediate studies (altogether min. 60 op/35 ov) in education, special education or adult education may also apply to the programme. The degree and studies required have to be completed by 31 July 2015 at (Finnish time). If the degree and studies required are not completed by the application deadline, applicants should enclose a statement from their home university stating the expected date of graduation. The applicants must be proficient in English. Applying The application period for studies starting in September 2015 begins 1 December 2014 and ends 13 February 2015 at (GMT +2). At an applicant creates a user account and fills in an application template. Information the applicant has given will be compiled into a pdfdocument, which will become an Application Form when the applicant prints it and signs it, and submits it to the University Admissions Finland. Only Application Forms sent via mail are considered as official applications. The signed Application Form and the required application enclosures are returned to the following address: University Admissions Finland, Yliopistonkatu 2, FI Helsinki, Finland. Enclosures required for the application are: - a copy of an upper secondary school graduation certificate in the original language - a translation of an upper secondary school graduation certificate (if the original document is not written in English, Finnish or Swedish, a translation to one of the languages is also required) - a copy of Bachelor s (or higher) degree certificate in the original language or a copy of temporary degree certificate in the original language or a statement from the applicant s home institution in English, Finnish or Swedish stating the expected date of graduation, - a translation of a Bachelor s (or higher) degree certificate or of temporary degree certificate (if the original document is not written in English, Finnish or Swedish, a translation to one of the languages is required), - a copy of transcript of records of Bachelor s (or higher) degree certificate in the original language, - a translation of transcript of records of Bachelor s (or higher) degree certificate (if the original document is not written in English, Finnish or Swedish, a translation to one of the languages is required),

3 - certification of the language skills (please see Language Requirements below) - a Curriculum Vitae in English (to find out how to create your own Curriculum Vitae, you can visit for instance the Europass website at An abstract (max. 200 words) and a title for a Bachelor s thesis (if applicable), and a Letter of Motivation (max 4000 characters) form part of the application template available at If an applicant has certificates other than the Bachelor s degree certificate on official teacher s qualification, they are to enclose the aforementioned enclosures with attested copies of the certificates, both in the original language and an English translation of them. All copies of original documents must be officially certified (attested) by the awarding institution or a notary public. Copies of copies will not be accepted. All copies must have the original stamp and signature on them. Translations of educational documents must be 1) issued by the awarding institution or 2) an officially certified copy of a translation issued by the awarding institution or 3) translated by an official translator or 4) an officially certified copy of a translation made by an official translator. NB! Please check the country-specific requirements at Language Requirements The language of instruction of the programme is English, thus, the students should have good skills in English language. The applicants should prove their knowledge of English in one of the following ways: a) by passing the test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 575 on the paper-based test (PBT) or minimum overall score of 92 and no individual score below 20 on the internet-based test (IBT). b) by passing the International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) test (Academic) with an overall band score of 6.5 and no individual score below 6,0. c) by passing the PTE Academic test with a minimum overall score of 62 and no individual score below 54. d) by passing the Cambridge ESOL s Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) with pass grade A, B or C. e) by passing the Cambridge ESOL s Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) with pass grade A, B, or C. f) by passing the test for the National Certificate of Language Proficiency in English set by the Finnish National Board of Education with a minimum score of 5 for each subtest. g) with a Bachelor s (or higher) degree conducted in English language in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom or United States. h) with studies (min. 20 ECTS) taken in a study program conducted in English at the University of Turku.

4 No other language tests or statements of the applicant s language skills will be accepted. Language tests taken more than two years prior to the application deadline will not be accepted. Submitting the language test scores instructions for applicants All language test results must be sent to the University Admissions Finland by the application deadline (University Admissions Finland, Yliopistonkatu 2, FI Helsinki, Finland). It is the applicant s responsibility to make testing arrangements for her/himself in time. Please be prepared that it may take several weeks before the test results are published. When filling out the TOEFL Registration Form, please fill in the University Admissions Finland s Institution Code 3138 in the Score Report Recipient field. The TOEFL test score must arrive directly from the test organiser. Score slips or their copies provided by applicants are not accepted. For the other tests, please address the test results to the University Admissions Finland. An applicant s copy of the test score is also acceptable, as long as it is verifiable from the test organiser. Test scores sent as attachments to an are not acceptable. Please see the following websites for information about the language tests: (TOEFL) (IELTS) (PTE Academic) (CPE and CAE) (National Certificate of English Language Proficiency by the Finnish National Board of Education) Admission Criteria The number of students to be admitted to the programme is 20 at the most: a maximum of 15 students to the single degree option and a maximum of 5 students to the double degree option. The admission is based on the scoring criteria which are explained below. The purpose is to acquire an understanding of the applicant s qualifications and motivation regarding the requirements of the programme. The applicants are evaluated and ranked using the criteria mentioned below. The 20 highest ranking applicants will be admitted to the single-degree programme. The 5 doubledegree applicants who are most suitable for the double degree option out of the 20 highest ranking applicants will be admitted to the double degree programme. The eligible applicants applications will be scored as follows: previous studies 0-25 points Letter of Motivation 0-15 points altogether maximum 40 points

5 Previous studies 0-25 points Bachelor s or higher degree 0-7 points o Bachelor s or higher degree with major in Educational Sciences 7 points o Bachelor s or higher degree in a related field 5 points A Cumulative Grade Point Average for a major subject (GPA) 0-10 points o Cumulative GPA 5: 10 points o Cumulative GPA 4: 8 points o Cumulative GPA 3: 6 points If the applicant's Transcript of Records does not indicate the applicant s major subject, the Cumulative Grade Point Average will be calculated from all the courses in the transcript of records. If the applicant s previous studies are not graded on a scale of 1-5, the grading scale will be converted to a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best). Grade of a Bachelor s or Master s thesis 0-4 points o Grade 5: 4 points o Grade 4: 3 points o Grade 3: 2 points If the applicant s Bachelor s or Master s thesis is not graded on a scale of 1-5, the grading scale will be converted to a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best). There must be an indication of an accepted Bachelor s or Master s thesis either on the applicant s degree certificate or on the Transcript of Records. Applicants who have not written a thesis as part of their previous degree will earn no points in this section. Abstract and the title of a Bachelor s or Master s thesis 0-5 points Abstract and the title of a Bachelor s or Master s thesis form part of the application template. The rating of the abstract and the title for the Bachelor s thesis will be based on the focus, quality and relevance. There must be an indication of an accepted Bachelor s or Master s thesis either on the applicant s degree certificate or on the Transcript of Records. Applicants who have not written a thesis as part of their previous degree will earn no points in this section. Individual courses 0-3 points o research methodology courses o specialization courses relevant for research o 1 point/course up to 3 points The applicant should indicate these individual courses on the application template. The courses should be part of the applicant s transcript of records.

6 Letter of Motivation 0-15 points The Letter of Motivation is included in the application template which is available at NOTE: an applicant is expected to write on all five questions indicated. In addition, applicants for the double degree option are expected to state the reasons why they would like to study also at the University of Regensburg. Double degree application evaluation The 5 double degree students out of the 20 highest ranking applicants overall will be selected based on their motivation letter and research orientation. The double degree applications will be scored as follows: Motivation letter (specifically motivation to study in the double degree programme) Research orientation (Please check the key research areas at the University of Regensburg as well) Total points 0-15 Publication of Results The results of the admission will be published 6 May 2015 at the notice board of the Faculty of Education (Assistentinkatu 5, ground floor) and at > Studying > Master s Degree Programme LLEES. Applicants will also receive a notice in writing. The admitted students have to notify the Faculty of Education by 31 July 2015 by Finnish time if s/he will 1) accept the study place, or 2) not accept the study place. If the Faculty of Education hasn t received the student s notification by 31 July 2015 at Finnish time s/he will forfeit the right to enrol in the degree program. If the applicant is dissatisfied with the result of the student selection, s/he should submit a written complaint to the Faculty of Education within 14 days of the official publishing of results.