Public Health

The Master 's Degree Programme in Public Health (MPH) is offered by the Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, in collaboration with the Department of Nursing Science. We educate experts for public health related fields and sectors in regional and global contexts. Our graduates have worked as epidemiologists, researchers, administrators, managers, field workers, health educators, and entrepreneurs around the world.

The MPH is a 2-year programme of 120 ECTS credits. It is primarily contact teaching with elements of online learning. We incorporate modern teaching methodologies according to the UEF `s aims, which we are very proud of.

The MPH provides a strong foundation for understanding public health and related research, and, depending on the choice of track, issues of global health, public health nutrition, epidemiology, or health promotion in nursing science. The four tracks, from which students choose one after the first semester are:

Globe, Culture and Public Health
Epidemiology
Public Health Nutrition
Health Promotion in Nursing Science (available to students starting from 2017)

The Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition offers training in Public Health in English. Our internationally recognised Master 's Degree Programme in Public Health (MPH), which has been running for almost 20 years, is at the forefront of integrating the global dimensions of public health. We also offer public health training for medical students. This training provides the necessary theoretical background and tools for health promotion in a cross-cultural learning environment. Our educational atmosphere is characterised by interaction between Finnish and international students from different educational and cultural backgrounds.

Students on the MPH programme first take the core public health studies, after which they can choose to specialise in any of the four options: Epidemiology; Public Health Nutrition; Globe, Culture and Public Health; or Health Promotion in Nursing. 

To contribute to the wider community, we examine health-related issues from social, cultural and global aspects. Students are trained in areas such as: public health, health promotion, epidemiology, nutrition, community medicine, geriatrics, occupational health and environmental health.

Application requirements

Degree certificate

All applicants should have at least Bachelor's or equivalent degree in an applicable health related field corresponding to at least 3 years' of full-time academic studies (equivalent of 180 ECTS credit units in the Finnish university system) obtained at an internationally recognized and accredited university or higher education institution. Bachelor`s degree from either the University of Applied Science or Polytechnic are not eligible. Applicable fields include for example public health, medicine, dentistry, nutrition, nursing science and midwifery. Also pharmacy, psychology, veterinary medicine and environmental sciences are eligible fields. The country-specific regulations are described in University Admissions Finland webpage.

Conditional admission

The admission is conditional if the degree is not completed by 13h January 2017, at 15:00 (GMT+2). The applicant informs the estimated graduation date in the application form. The final deadline to submit the officially certified copy of the Bachelor´s degree certificate (in original language and as translations, if applicable) to the University of Eastern Finland is 15th August 2017. The proof of the completed degree can be submitted together with the confirmation on accepting the offered study placement. If the copy of the official degree certificate does not reach the University of Eastern Finland by the deadline, admission to the Master’s programme will be cancelled. The country-specific regulations are described in University Admissions Finland web-page.

Temporary (provisional) degree certificate

A temporary (provisional) degree certificate is a document issued by an institution to a student who has successfully completed all studies included in the degree and the student has graduated. The temporary degree certificate should include the name of the institution awarding the degree, the date of issue, and the name of the person to whom the degree certificate has been issued and which title/degree the person has been awarded. A temporary (provisional) degree certificate is accepted if it was awarded no more than five years earlier. The country-specific regulations are described in University Admissions Finland web-page.

Official translations

All application documents should be submitted in Finnish, Swedish or English. Also the copies of the documents in original language have to be submitted. Translations of educational documents must be 1) issued by the awarding institution or 2) officially certified copy of a translation issued by the awarding institution or 3) translated by an official translator or 4) officially certified copy of a translation made by an official translator. Each page of an official translation must bear the translator’s stamp and/or signature. Official translations must be exact translations of the original documents. Translations done by the applicant him- or herself are not accepted. The country specific regulations are described in University Admissions Finland web-page. 

Students who are not citizens of an EU/EEA Member State* are liable to pay a tuition fee of €12000 per academic year. For details on exemption please visit Studyinfo

The University of Eastern Finland offers scholarships for non-EU/EEA students. Fifty percent of non-EU/EEA students on the Master 's Degree Programme in Public Health are granted a scholarship in the form of a tuition fee waiver. Scholarships cover either the full tuition fee (€12000) or 80 percent of it (€9600). Decisions on scholarships are made on the basis of each applicant `s academic merits.

Scholarships are awarded for two academic years on the condition of completing 55 ECTS credits per academic year. The academic rector may award discretionary scholarships for the second academic year to students who applied for a scholarship in connection with applying to the university, but did not receive a scholarship for the first year. The prerequisite relating to the progress of studies in the first academic year is also applied to discretionary scholarships.

There is no separate application for scholarship. All applicants need to complete the Student Application Form. Those applicants who are applying for scholarship need to additionally complete the “Application for Scholarship-” form which can be found at the end of the Student Application Form. Decisions concerning scholarships are made in connection with student admission, and the student is notified of the matter in their letter of acceptance.

The scholarship does not cover living costs. Students are expected to cover all living expenses (approximately €800 per month) and other study-related costs from their own financial resources.