Educational background and two years of work experience
In order to be eligible to apply for a UAS Master’s level degree programme you must have completed an appropriate university of applied sciences (UAS) Bachelor’s degree or another appropriate higher education degree and have at least two years (24 months) of subsequent work experience in a relevant field.
Applicants are selected from three different groups. The Master of Engineering (60 ECTS) program has 40 available places, the Master of Design (60 ECTS) program has 15 available places, and the Master of Business Administration (90 ECTS) program has 15 available places. The applicant can apply in one selection group.
Group 1, applicants with the following educational background can be selected: a Bachelor of Engineering (UAS), or a Bachelor of Science in Technology degree. The applicant must also have at least two years (24 months) of subsequent work experience in a relevant field.
Group 2, applicants with the following educational background can be selected: a Bachelor of Design (UAS) or another appropriate higher education degree (at least a Bachelor's level). The applicant must also have at least two years (24 months) of subsequent work experience in a relevant field.
Group 3, applicants with the following educational background can be selected: a Bachelor of Business Administration (UAS), Bachelor of Hospitality Management (UAS), or another appropriate higher education degree (at least a Bachelor's level). The applicant must also have at least two years (24 months) of subsequent work experience in a relevant field.
LAB UAS also uses discretionary admission, meaning that applicants with a Finnish post-secondary level degree or a Finnish higher vocational level degree (opistoasteen tai ammatillisen korkea-asteen tutkinto), equivalent to the aforementioned university of applied sciences degrees, may also be admitted if the UAS considers their skills, knowledge, and language proficiency to be sufficient.
Work experience is only counted after the bachelor's degree has been awarded and must be proven by a work certificate. CVs are not accepted as proof of work experience on their own. Work experience gained before or during your bachelor studies cannot be counted towards the work experience minimum requirement. An exception is only made for applicants who have completed a Finnish post-secondary level degree or a Finnish higher vocational level degree (opistoasteen tai ammatillisen korkea-asteen tutkinto), as they may also take into account work experience gained after a Finnish post-secondary level degree or a Finnish higher vocational level degree. Work experience can be counted up to 31st July 2026.
Part-time work is converted to full-time work so that 150 hours or 20 full-time working days (a minimum of seven hours per day) equals a month. The work experience does not have to be continuous or from the same employer. Practical training or on-the-job learning is not counted as work experience if it forms a part of the degree used for applying.
English language proficiency requirement
To demonstrate proficiency in English, one of the following language test results, meeting the minimum score requirement, is required from the applicant.
- IELTS Academic or IELTS Online
- Minimum overall score 6.5, all band scores at least 5.5 (taken no more than 2 years before submitting the application)
- TOEFL iBT or TOEFL IBt Home Edition
- Minimum overall score 90, writing score min. 22 (taken no more than 2 years before submitting the application)
- PTE Academic or PTE Academic Online
- Minimum overall score 62, all band scores at least 54 (taken no more than 2 years before submitting the application)
- Cambridge B2 First
- Minimum score 170 (taken in 2005 or later)
- Cambridge International IGCSE
- First language in English Syllabus 0500 and 0990 (taken in 2005 or later)
- C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency by Cambridge Assessment English
- GCSE English as Second Language
- Oxford ELLT
- SAT test Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
A language test result in English is not required if you have completed an upper secondary degree or a higher education degree (at least a Bachelor's level degree) in English at an institution located in the following countries: an EU or EEA country, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, or the United States. You must have studied in the country in question for the complete duration of the studies.
A language test result in English is not required if you have completed a higher education degree (at least a Bachelor's level degree) in Finnish or Swedish at a Finnish University or a University of Applied Sciences.
Eligibility is checked for accepted students.
Entrance exam course: Circular Economy for Sustainability Transformation, 5 ects
The student selection is based on the points of the entrance exam course. Learning takes place on LAB University of Applied Sciences' MOOC online learning platform, which is open from 29 January to 15 March, 2026. Assignments must be submitted on the learning platform by the given deadlines. All instructions and materials related to the completion of the course can be found on the online learning platform.
Entrance exam course consists of two parts, max points 50:
- Part 1: An online exam that is based on literature and article materials. Max 20 p., min 10 p.
- Part 2: An essay based on source literature and personal experience, 5-6 pages long. Max 30 p., min 10 p.
Student selection
The maximum number of points is 50. To be eligible to the program the applicant has to achieve at least 20 points, 10 from each part.
- Part 1: Online exam, max 20 points
- Part 2: Essay, max 30 points
The parts of the entrance exam course are assessed according to the evaluation criteria for each part. A minimum of 10 points must be obtained from both parts of the selection course in order to be admitted to the program. If the applicant fails part 1, part 2 will not be evaluated.
Detailed instructions, the schedule, and a link to the online learning platform will be sent to applicants at the email address provided on the application form approximately one week before the start of the entrance exam course.
Student selection is based on the points of the entrance exam course. In case several applicants score the same points, all such applicants will be admitted.
The entrance exam course completed by the applicant is valid as a basis for student selection only for the duration of the current application round.
Applicants who are accepted into the program and have confirmed their study place will be able to include the course in the core competencies of their degree. Other applicants who complete the course successfully will receive a completion record.
