Explore our International Master's Programmes

How to develop sustainable food and energy production? How to use automation and robotics in agriculture in the future?

In the Master’s Programme in Agricultural Sciences, you can pursue studies in agrotechnology, animal science, environmental soil science or plant production sciences. The University of Helsinki is the only university in Finland to offer academic education in this field.

How to solve issues related to agriculture, biodiversity, food and forests? How are oceans re­stored as oceans?

In the Master’s Programme in Agricultural, Environmental and Resource Economics (AGERE), economics and natural sciences are combined. You will become a professional in applied economics in agricultural, environmental and resource-focused fields and well versed in topics such as climate policy, sustainable agriculture and food security.

How to prevent hurricane disasters? How is climate changing? How do ecosystems interact with the atmosphere/hydrosphere/lithosphere?

In the Master's Programme in Atmospheric Sciences, you can study aer­o­sol phys­ics, geo­phys­ics of the hy­dro­sphere, met­eor­o­logy, biosphere-atmosphere cycles, re­mote sens­ing, and at­mo­spheric chemistry and analysis. You learn to work with environmental issues and deal with matters like air pollution, climate change, deforestation, extreme weather and water resources.

How to lead the future of learning?

In the Master’s Programme in Changing Education, you get an understanding of education as a dynamic and transformable construct from the individual neural level to global policies. You also gain the knowledge and skills to analyse, develop and influence the practices and structures of education systems, institutions, teaching and pedagogical issues.

The courses are structured around three topic areas: 1) Education, society and culture, 2) Educational psychology and neuroscience, and 3) Pedagogy, educational institutions and research-based teacher education.

How to de­tect ill­nesses from breath? Can spent nuclear fuel be safely contained in bedrock? How does chemistry benefit bioeconomy?

In the Master's Programme in Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, you learn experimental research methods in many fields of chemistry, like analytical and synthetic chemistry, radiochemistry, molecular research, and spectroscopy.

How will algorithms affect our societies? What are all the things that could be automated? How can we make future digital services more secure?

In the Master's Programme in Computer Science, you get skills that can lead you to create new network solutions, build the future digital society, develop secure digital services, or be involved in a ground-breaking software project.

How to deal with complex, increasingly diverse and rapidly changing issues of contemporary societies? How to use data for social good?

In the Master's Programme in Contemporary Societies, you choose from six major subjects: Global Development Studies,  Social and Cultural Anthropology, Social and Public Policy, Social Data Science, Social Psychology, or Sociology. You also study themes like Data and Society, Ethnic Relations and Migration, Mind and Society, Socio-Cultural Shifts and Sources of Inequalities.

How to pre­vent ship­wrecks with the help of big data? How to construct solutions to complex data analysis problems?

Data science combines computer science and statistics to solve data-intensive problems in industry and many fields of science. In the Master's Programme in Data Science, you can specialise either in the core areas of data science - machine learning and algorithms, infrastructure and statistics - or in its applications. You will gain a solid knowledge of the central concepts, theories, and research methods of data science as well as applied skills. 

Which spe­cies are able to ad­apt to en­vir­on­mental change? Why are some species able to invade new habitats?

In the Master's Programme in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, you get a perspective on biology from the level of genes to communities of species by studying ecology, evolutionary biology and conservation biology. The field courses range from the northern subarctic region to tropical rainforests.

How do you analyse economic phenomena from the societal point of view? How to decide how many mobile phone operators to have? 

In the Master's Programme in Economics, you focus on the key elements of economic analysis and methods. You take courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics. In addition, you can choose courses in subfields of economics, for example, economic theory, industrial organisation, international economics, labour economics, public economics, development economics, and behavioural and experimental economics. 

Teaching in the programme is arranged in cooperation with the departments of economics at Aalto University and Hanken School of Economics. Together with the discipline of economics at the University of Helsinki, they form the Helsinki Graduate School of Economics (Helsinki GSE). The unit offers the most extensive selection of economics courses in Finland.

How did Eng­lish be­come a world language? How is sociocultural change and language change related?

In the Master’s Programme in English Studies at the University of Helsinki, you develop your expertise in areas that are often separated in other programmes: English language and linguistics, literature in English and the teaching of English. You can also combine modules from other programmes to your degree, for example, Digital Humanities and Literary Studies.

How to solve problems of socio-ecological sustainability? How to make sustainable choices on a global scale? 

In the Master’s Programme in Environmental Change and Global Sustainability (ECGS), you learn to tackle global environmental and sustainability challenges by integrating perspectives from natural sciences and social sciences. You gain expertise in environmental sciences, sustainability sciences and environmental policy. You can also study topics like food and sustainability, climate studies, indigenous stud­ies, urban studies, global land use or Baltic Sea stud­ies.

Why does Europe matter? How to understand populism in Europe? What is the significance of regional cooperation in the Nordic context?

In the Master's Programme in European and Nordic Studies, you get an understanding of European society, politics and culture today and in history. You benefit from the strengths of Nordic research on Europe with its strong focus on regional cooperation, diversity, identities, institutions, culture and politics of history and memory. You learn to know the Nordic countries through a European perspective and Europe from a Nordic perspective.

What will people eat in the fu­ture? What is behind the good taste of food?

In the Master's Programme in Food Sciences, your studies cover the whole food production chain from primary production via food processing to consumers. You explore innovations in food and how to improve the healthiness, safety, ecology and ethics of food and food processing. You also learn laboratory working skills and increase your knowledge of food composition, processing, structure and legislation.

How can forests help in fighting cli­mate change? How to grow trees sustainably and efficiently?

In the Master's Programme in Forest Sciences, you get a broad and versatile perspective on forests and their use. Your studies focus on and apply knowledge in biology, business economics, environmental sciences, logistics, geoinformatics and information technology. You can choose to specialise in forest ecology and management or forest economics, business and society, and become a professional in forest ecology, the management and use of forest resources and forest bioeconomy business and policy.

How are the building blocks of life arranged? How do genes regulate the development and functioning of cells, tissues and organisms? How do molecules, cells and tissues function and communicate with each other? 

In the Master's programme in Genetics and Molecular Biosciences, you get an understanding and skills in modern biosciences at the level of genes and molecules to cells and organisms. You can specialise in Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Genetics and Genomics or Molecular Analytical Health Biosciences.

How to un­der­stand geo­graph­ical de­vel­op­ment and dif­fer­en­ti­ation of our planet? How to use GIS and big data for social good? 

In the Master's Programme in Geography, you get an overview of the discipline, its traditions and pluralism, as well as the topical research. You can study physical geography, human geography, geoinformatics or geography education (subject teacher) and delve deeper into themes like automating and visualizing GIS, conservation geography, development geography, high-latitude landscapes and ecosystems, political geographies of regional development, remote sensing of environment, spatial planning, urban geography and land use and more.

How to sustain a growing population on our dynamic planet? How do we make natural resource exploration and extraction more sustainable and environmentally friendly?

In the Master's Programme in Geology and Geophysics, you are trained to address pressing questions concerning our home planet's evolution, its role as the source of raw materials needed by modern civilisation, and environmental issues. You can study themes and topics like hydrogeology, environmental geology, palaeontology, palaeoclimatology and -ecology, mineralogy and petrology, geochemistry, economic geology, and solid earth geophysics.

How to deal with the chal­lenges of glob­al­ising law? How are norms that go beyond the "law" produced by states and international organisations?

In the Master's Programme in Global Governance Law (GGL), you develop the skills to understand and deal with the challenges of globalising law. You study law and globalisation, public international law, European Union law, global administrative law, advanced human rights law and examine for example international institutions, decision-making and governance in the EU.

How can knowledge help us prevent confrontation? What is the role of the media in the transformation of contemporary democracies?

In the Master's Programme in Global Politics and Communication, you combine political science, communication studies and global political economy. You apply ideas, concepts and methodologies to key societal and political issues and develop your critical reasoning and argumentation skills.

What happens to food in our bodies? How does nutrition maintain our health? How does culture influence our food choices? How can we change food-related behaviour?

In the Master’s Programme in Human Nutrition and Food-Related Behaviour (HNFB), you focus on human nutrition, food-related behaviour and food consumption from the perspective of public health nutrition, nutritional physiology and the social sciences. Themes based on the United Nations´ Sustainable Development Goals - such as good health and wellbeing, zero hunger, equality, ecological and cultural sustainability – are embedded throughout the programme.

How can plants help us cope with global challenges? How do plants maintain ecosystems and thus life?

In the Master’s Programme in Integrative Plant Sciences, you study the diversity of wild and cultivated plants from the Arctic to the Tropics, as well as plant functions from the molecular level, such as ontogeny and regulation of growth and differentiation, to the ecosystem level. You can focus on Plant Molecular Biology, Plant and Fungal Diversity, Changing Vegetation or Plants, Genomes and Future Environments.

How to build bridges between diverse communities? How to promote cultural diversity in a globalised world?

In the Master's Programme in Intercultural Encounters, you focus on questions of cultural diversity and mutual understanding and get insight into the diversified world from different perspectives such as religion, conflicts, human interaction, living traditions and transnationalism. You learn to deal with issues of intercultural interaction, diversity, internationalisation, cultural management, the media and power.

How can mathematics and in­form­at­ics help you un­der­stand nature?

In the Master's Programme in Life Science Informatics, you can choose from an attractive and versatile offer of study opportunities in the life sciences, medicine, mathematics, statistics, and informatics. You gain an understanding of the general principles of mathematical modelling, computational, probabilistic and statistical analysis of biological data, and become an expert in one specialisation area: Biomathematics, Biostatistics, Ecological Informatics or Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine.

 Do you want to uncover the mysteries of language and mind?  How do humans perceive the world and process information? How to create artificial systems that resemble language, speech and human cognition? Why do computers struggle with translating? 

In the Master's Programme in Linguistic Diversity and Digital Humanities, you deepen your understanding of the nature and diversity of human language and cognition and the theoretical and digital tools for working with language and speech. You may also focus on digital methods in other fields within humanities or on human cognition and artificial intelligence. You can specialise in Cognitive Science, Digital Humanities, General Linguistics, Language Technology or Phonetics.

Can materials research solve the en­ergy prob­lem? How to develop technology with new materials?

The Master's Programme in Materials Research (MATRES) brings together physics, chemistry, biology and medical sciences, mathematics and computer science. You can study for example biomaterials, nanomaterials, smart materials, polymers, composites, electronics, energy generation and storage as well as green and sustainable materials. You can specialise in Ex­per­i­mental materials phys­ics, Com­pu­ta­tional materials phys­ics, Med­ical phys­ics and bio­phys­ics, Poly­mer materials chemistry, n­or­ganic materials chemistry and Elec­tron­ics and in­dus­trial ap­plic­a­tions.

How to cal­cu­late your­self into the cen­ter of the Earth?

In the Master’s Programme in Mathematics and Statistics, you get a solid basis for mathematics and statistics applications. You can specialise in Analysis, Mathematical logic, Geometry, algebra and topology, Mathematical physics and probability, Inverse problems and imaging, Mathematical biology, Insurance and financial mathematics, and Statistics.

Why are microbes the most important group of organisms on our planet? How is knowledge of microbiology applied in medicine and industry, or food production? 

In the Master's Programme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, you get an understanding of the global significance of microbes as processors of life and the environment. You learn about microbes and the biotechnological applications as well as what research techniques are used to study viruses, bacteria and other microbes. You can flexibly combine courses in Environmental microbiology, Food microbiology, Medical microbiology, Microbial bioinformatics, Microbial biotechnology, Mycology and Virology.

How are our brains making us conscious, sense, feel and act? What are the neurobiological bases of behaviour?

In the Master's Programme in Neuroscience, you will learn to master the essentials of neuroscience and physiology. You study Neuroscience and gain an understanding of the diverse functions of the brain and the nervous system, or Cell and Systems Physiology to gain an understanding of the complexity of life from molecules to functional organisms.

How did we get here from the big bang? How to understand space?

In the Master’s Programme in Particle Physics and Astrophysical Sciences, you get an extensive understanding of particle physics and cosmology and/or astrophysical sciences. You gain expertise in basic research and acquire proficiency in the use of mathematical methods, IT tools, experimental equipment, as well as strong problem-solving and logical deduction skills.

How to cre­ate ef­fect­ive, safe and sustainable drug treat­ments of the fu­ture?

In the Master’s Programme in Pharmaceutical Research, Development and Safety, you obtain a comprehensive overview of the life cycle of drugs and their use. You can specialise in 1) drug discovery and pharmacology, 2) drug development and 3) medication safety and effectiveness. The perspective of Green and Sustainable Pharmacy, essential for managing the global sustainability challenge, is integrated into the curriculum.

How does knowing Russia, Eurasia and Eastern Europe help you to understand global developments?

In the Master’s Programme in Russian, Eurasian, and Eastern European Studies (MAREEES), you explore how societal, political, security, environmental or identity-related changes impact the region. You benefit from the latest research by leading academic experts in the field and develop an understanding and the ability to interpret complex area-specific questions and their global inter-relatedness.

How can we infer general principles from limited observations? How to create mathematical models of natural phenomena?

In the Master’s Programme in Theoretical and Computational Methods, you get a strong basis in theoretical methods, modelling, and mathematical and numerical analysis within physics, mathematics, chemistry and/or computer science.

How can translational medicine revolutionize human health?

In the Master's Programme in Translational Medicine (TRANSMED), you learn to use the terminology and discuss the key concepts of translational research in medical sciences and will be able to work at the interface of research, clinics and industry. You get a deeper understanding of at least two of the following fields: cancer, regenerative medicine, metabolic disorders, translational psychiatry, nervous system disorders or infection biology. You specialise in Translational Research or Health Industry and Innovations, and get a solid basis for a career in medical research or commercial enterprises in the field of human health.

How do we deal with and develop complex urban environments? What can be done to prevent residential segregation and inequality?

In the Master’s Programme in Urban Studies and Planning, you become a professional capable of understanding and addressing complex urban development challenges. You can specialise in Urban Planning and Design (USP Plans), Urban Life, Economy and Cultures (USP Peoples) or Urban Ecologies and Systems (USP Systems).