Apply to Master’s Degree Programme in Dance Pedagogy

First joint application to higher education spring 2024. Admission timetable, required certificates and advance assignments as well as information about participating in the entrance examinations.

Important dates

● The application period starts on 3 January 2024

● The application period ends at 3pm (Finnish time) on 17 January 2024
– Complete and submit the application form via Studyinfo

● No later than 24 January 2024, 3pm (Finnish time)
– Send the advance assignments via the Studyinfo application form
– Send the required certificates (education and language proficiency) through the Studyinfo application form

● The entrance examinations will take place: 13 April – 15 April 2024

● The results of the student selections will be published on 8 May 2024, 9am (Finnish time)

● No later than 11 July 2024, 3pm (Finnish time)
– Accept the study place and enrol at the university
– Pay the tuition fee (if required)
– Send a certificate of completed degree (if you are being conditionally selected)

Length of study and the language of the degree

  • Length of study: 2 years
  • Language of degree: Finnish or English

Eligibility for education

You are eligible to apply for Master’s Programme in Dance Pedagogy if you have:

  1. completed a higher education degree (bachelor level) in Finland and your degree includes at least 30 ECTS credits worth of studies in dance art *) or a supporting field **)

  2. completed a higher education degree (bachelor level) abroad, which in the country concerned grants eligibility to undertake equivalent higher education studies at master’s level, and your degree comprises at least 30 ECTS credits worth of studies in dance art *) or a supporting field **)

    OR

  3. if you have acquired sufficient knowledge and competence, as determined by the Theatre Academy, on the basis of your studies and work experience in the field. In this case, you must have completed at least 60 ECTS credits worth of higher education studies in dance art *) or a supporting field **) by the end of the application period. In addition, we require at least two years of full-time work in the field of dance or the performing arts. The field of dance or the performing arts refers to, for example, the work of a dancer, choreographer or community artist, or the guidance of creative bodily/somatic methods.
    This option is intended for applicants with an incomplete undergraduate degree, or who have completed other studies in the field of art, such as studies at the Open University.

*) Dance studies refer to practice-based studies. The studies can be in any area of dance art. 

**) Studies that support dance art may include studies in circus art, live art, theatre arts, dance pedagogy or other forms of the performing arts, as well as studies in subjects other than those directly related to performance practices, such as dance history, dance research, performance research, general art history, philosophy of art, aesthetics. 

Attachments required to verify eligibility

Section 1 

Attach a degree certificate and a transcript of records to your application. Clearly mark the minimum number of ECTS credits (30) required in the transcript of records or a separate appendix for dance art studies or the higher education studies supporting them.  
Name your files: lastname_firstname_diploma, lastname_firstname_transcript, lastname_firstname_appendix

Section 2 

Attach a degree certificate and a transcript of records as well as Diploma Supplement to your application. If a Diploma Supplement is not available, provide a separate report on the status of the foreign degree in the education system of the country of study, and a description of the duration of the programme. Clearly mark the minimum number of ECTS credits (30) required in the transcript of records or a separate appendix for dance art studies or the higher education studies supporting them. 
Name your files: lastname_firstname_diploma, lastname_firstname_transcript, lastname_firstname_appendix, lastname_firstname_ds, lastname_firstname_report

Section 3 

Attach a transcript of records of the minimum number of ECTS credits (60) required for higher education dance art studies or the higher education studies that support them. In addition, provide a clear itemisation of two years of full-time work in the field of dance or the performing arts. 

APPENDIX 1
Attach to the application form a document listing the study and work experiences that, in your opinion, make you eligible for master’s degree studies.

Include the following information about your studies:
– university or higher education institution in which you have completed your studies
– title of the study unit
– scope of the study unit
– description of the study content

Include the following information about your work experience that demonstrates your eligibility:
– employer/working group (please also indicate whether the employer/working group is a professional theatre, independent group of professionals, etc.)
– description of the position
– exact duration (dates) and number of performances and hours of practice

APPENDIX 2
Attach a transcript of records to the application form for all the studies you have listed in Appendix 1.
You can attach several transcripts of records to the form. Name the attachment according to the organising party: lastname_firstname_educational_organisation

The applicant must have the appendices translated by a professional translator, if they are in a language other than Finnish, Swedish or English.

Assessment of eligibility

Your eligibility to apply will be assessed on the basis of your application, certificates and other reports. If your application and the supporting documents meet the minimum requirements, your application will proceed to an academic evaluation. You will be notified of the results of your eligibility check by email no later than week 9.

Conditional selection

Some applicants are selected conditionally. If your higher education degree has still been incomplete during the application phase, you must submit the degree certificate and a transcript of records detailing the studies you have completed to the Admissions Services by 11 July 2024, 3pm (Finnish time). You can only register for the academic year after this.

If you do not submit a degree certificate by the deadline, you will lose the study place offered to you.

Supplementary studies

If you are accepted without a lower university degree, you may be required to complete supplementary studies in addition to the minimum amount of credits required in the degree programme in order to acquire the competence needed during the studies. The scope of supplementary studies may not exceed 60 credits.

In principle, complementary studies must be completed in the first year of study, and they must be included in the student’s personal study plan. You will be informed of any additional studies required in connection with the admission decision.

The supplementary studies required are usually language studies.

What qualification does the programme provide?

The programme provides eligibility to work as a dance teacher in the diverse fields of performing arts and the related teaching positions, such as basic education in the arts, non-formal adult education, comprehensive schools, vocational education and training, and various artistic and communal contexts and projects. Persons who have a bachelor’s degree in the field of dance or who have earned at least 60 credits in dance studies at a higher education before embarking on the master’s programme will gain qualification to work as a teacher in a wide range of positions.

Applying for transfer from another university

Applicants who are refugees or in a refugee-like situation

Language requirements

The degree languages of the Master’s Programme in Dance Pedagogy are Finnish or English. The languages of instruction are Finnish and/or English.

The programme admits students who study in either Finnish or English. If the programme admits new students to study in English, the group teaching will be offered in English to the entire class. 

In order to become accepted as a degree student, you must, in the application phase, demonstrate the language proficiency required by the studies in accordance with the language of instruction. You can demonstrate your language proficiency by previous education, an acceptable language test, or other previous studies.

You must demonstrate sufficient language proficiency by 24 January 2024, 3pm (Finnish time). Attach a degree certificate or a language test certificate to the application form submitted via Studyinfo.
Name your file: lastname_firstname_document, such as: lastname_firstname_toefl

If you demonstrate your language proficiency with a language test and you do not receive your language test certificate by 24 January 2024 at 3 pm (Finnish time), we will also accept written preliminary test scores notification of the approved test result, if one is available. The preliminary test result must also be uploaded to the application form on 24 January 2024 by 3 p.m (Finnish time).

Study languages and the language of the degree in Theatre Academy

Tuition fee

Tuition fees at Uniarts Helsinki are applicable to Bachelor’s and Master’s students who study in English and who are not citizens of EU, EEA, or Switzerland. In the academic year 2024-2025 the amount of the fee is 5,000 euros.

In the 2024 student admissions of the Theatre Academy of Uniarts Helsinki, tuition fees will apply to applicants applying to one of our English-speaking degree programmes;

  • Master’s Degree Programme in Dance Pedagogy
  • Master’s Degree Programme in Theatre Pedagogy
  • Master’s Studies in Directing

The fee cannot be charged to a citizen of a Member State of the European Economic Area, or to a person who is entitled to the same treatment as EU citizens under a treaty signed by the European Union and its Member States with a third party or to a family member of the above-mentioned individuals. Nor can it be charged to a person with an EU Blue Card, a continuous or permanent residence permit or a long-term resident’s EC residence permit issued to third-country nationals as referred to in the Aliens Act, or to a family member of the above-mentioned individuals. The definition of persons regarded as family members is based on the Finnish Aliens Act.

UK citizens will be charged tuition fees, as is the case with other non-EU/EEA citizens. However, the tuition fee will not be collected from British citizens who have a residence permit card issued by the Finnish Immigration Service that is in accordance with the Brexit withdrawal agreement or a pending application for a right of residence.

The tuition fee is to be paid no later than 11 July 2024 at 3pm. (Finnish time). Students are required to pay the annual tuition fee in order to register for attendance and complete studies and to obtain a residence permit.

Assessment criteria

The assessment criteria for the advance assignments:

  • Pedagogical aims and planning skills
  • Ability to express their own artistic and pedagogical views
  • Communication skills
  • Critical thinking skills
  • Academic skills

The assessment criteria for the entrance examinations: 

  • Artistic competence
  • Social interaction skills
  • Motivation and commitment to teaching as profession
  • Preparedness to work across different fields of art
  • Desire to learn
  • Aptitude for the field and for master’s level higher education studies

The above-mentioned areas are assessed through a teaching task, written task, interview and artistic presentation.

Advance assignments

The assignments are not specified or explained further. Based on advance assignments select applicants will be invited to the entrance examination. The assignments may be completed in Finnish, Swedish or English. Spacing 1.5, font size 12. Please mark your name on each advance assignment.

1. Resume (CV)

Include a resume that demonstrates your artistic, pedagogical or other merits and experiences relevant to applying for the Master’s Degree Programme in Dance Pedagogy. Name the file: lastname_firstname_resume

2. Video presentation

Prepare a 2-3 minute video greeting in which you introduce yourself and describe your goals and plans for the future. Also explain how this education programme would help you reach your goals and realise your plans, and what is of particular interest to you in the Master’s Degree Programme in Dance Pedagogy. Record the video in everyday space, in a place of your choosing, and complete it in one take. Include at least one performative element in your video presentation, but do not use any digital effects, light effects or background music. Name the file: lastname_firstname_video

3. Essay

Consider an experience that has been meaningful to you as an artist or perceiver of art. How has the experience changed your attitude towards art and art pedagogy. Based on your experience, write a reflective essay (about 1,000 words). Include at least one reference to a written source in your text. Give your essay a title. Name the file: lastname_firstname_essay

4. Project plan

Consider what kind of artistic-pedagogical project or event you would like to implement during your studies. Prepare a written project plan (approximately 500 to 1000 words).  
The plan must include the target group, context, project objectives, contents, working methods and project duration. In your plan, also explain why you feel it is important to implement the project or event that you have come up with. Name the file: lastname_firstname_project_plan

How to apply

You can find Master’s Programme in Dance Pedagogy on the Studyinfo portal under the name of; Master’s Admission, Dance Pedagogy, Master of Arts in Dance (2 yr)

1. Complete and submit an online application form: The first joint application to higher education, Spring 2024

Complete and submit an online application form at the Studyinfo portal by 17 January 2024 at 3pm (Finnish time). The application period is from 3 January to 17 January 2024.

After you have submitted the application, you will receive a confirmation email to the address you have given on the application form. The email contains a link to the application, you can add attachments to your application within the deadline.

2. Submit advance assignments and appendices

Submit advance assignments and appendices via Studyinfo portal by 24 January 2024 at 3pm (Finnish time).

  • Advance assignments
  • Documents demonstrating your educational background required for eligibility verification
  • Demonstration of language proficiency
  • Document that proves exemption from tuition fees
    If you are applying to study in English, and you come from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you are to submit documentation (e.g. a copy of your passport) that shows you are exempt from tuition fees.

Submitting material in the Studyinfo portal

After completing the electronic application form in the Studyinfo.fi system, submit the advance assignments and other required material by the specified deadline to Uniarts Helsinki through the Studyinfo application form. You can complete your application with attachments either in the My Studyinfo service (if you have Finnish online bank user identifiers) or through the edit link in the confirmation email you have received.

Before downloading the material to the application, check that the material opens and functions as intended. Also, before submitting the application, check that you have downloaded all necessary attachments to your application.

Name the files according to the assignment instructions. Do not use Scandinavian characters (å, ä, ö) or special characters when naming the files.

The Studyinfo system accepts the following audio / video / document / image formats:

  • Audio – mp3, m4a, aiff, wma, wav, aac
  • Video – mpeg, mpg, mp4, mov, avi, wmv, m4v, vob, qt (we recommend format mp4)
  • Document – the preferred format for all text documents is pdf
  • Image – jpeg, png, gif, jpg

The maximum file size allowed is 1 GB.

Make sure your computer and Internet browser are up to date. Use a stable Internet connection to upload the materials. Make sure your computer does not go into power saving mode when the uploading is in progress.

The sender is responsible for submitting the application (application form, advance assignments, attachments).

Advance assignments that are only partially loaded or incomplete will be rejected. Advance assignments sent by email or as an email attachment will not be processed.

Upload the materials to the system as early as possible

Large files may take several hours to upload when the system is busy. To speed up the uploading of videos, for example, you can compress the video file. Begin uploading the materials well in advance of the deadline.

Submitting material via systems outside of Studyinfo

We recommend that you upload your material directly to the Studyinfo portal. If the assignment includes sensitive data, it is especially important to use Studyinfo for submitting the assignment.

If you want to share a link that leads to a system outside of the Studyinfo portal (e.g. Youtube, Vimeo, Soundcloud) due to the risk of high upload traffic on the Studyinfo server, for example, the link must be uploaded to Studyinfo as a pdf file (e.g. as part of a work portfolio, or as a separate file that only includes the link/links).

The assignment must be uploaded by the set date, after which it is no longer possible to edit it.

If the link leads to a system outside of the Studyinfo portal, the url must be original, and not a shortened link made with a url shortener service. The link must lead directly to the assignment and not, for example, to a compilation page with more links. Make sure that the link works throughout the entire admissions round and that the assignments are marked as private in the system settings (privacy settings: “Password“ or “Unlisted“ for Vimeo, “Unlisted” for YouTube, and “Private” for Soundcloud). You can choose to add password protection to the file, in which case the password must be sent to Uniarts Helsinki in addition to the link (in this case contact Theatre Academy’s Admissions Office).

The assignment must remain stored in the system in question at least 6 months after the end of the application period.

Uniarts Helsinki is not responsible for the data security risks, potential copyright infringements, muting of copy-protected audio tracks, or terms of use of systems offered by third parties. Note that third parties usually save information on user profiles and use this information for advertising, market research and/or other commercial purposes.

Any problems?

If you encounter problems, please contact teak.admissions@uniarts.fi.

Student selections

You will be notified of the results of your eligibility check by email no later than week 9. Applicants found eligible/ ineligible will be informed of that decision via e-mail.

Invitations to phase 2 will be sent by e-mail during week 11 at the latest. Applicants cannot change the entrance examination times assigned to them. Applicants not considered eligible based on the advance assignments will also be notified via e-mail.

The application process consists of two stages.

Phase 1

Application to Studyinfo portal and submitting the advance assignments

Phase 2

Sat 13 April – Mon 15 April, the entrance examination

The student selections are organised at the Theatre Academy’s premises in Haapaniemenkatu 6, Helsinki between 9am-6pm.

The assignments of the entrance examination are intended to demonstrate your competence in the chosen field of art and also include assignments relating to academic skills. There are individual assignments, group assignments and an interview.

Applicants may be eliminated after each stage and assignment of the entrance examination. Additional assignments requiring preparation may also be given during the selection process.

The applicant will be notified if they advanced in admission on each day of the entrance examination before approximately 8 pm. 

The individual assignments can be carried out in Finnish, Swedish or English. The group assignments take place in Finnish or in English, depending on the applicants. If persons applying to study in English have been invited to the entrance examination, the group assignments will take place in Finnish and English. The written parts of the examination may be answered in Finnish, Swedish, or English.

Please note that you might need a visa to enter Finland to participate in entrance examination. With certain countries, an invitation to entrance examination/admissions course alone might not entitle the applicant to a visa. Please check what the Finnish authorities require from your country in good time.

More information about entrance examinations and assessment

Individual arrangements in the entrance examination

Announcement of results

The Theatre Academy will publish the entrance examination results on 8 and 31 May 2024. Results are published in the Studyinfo portal and on the Uniarts Helsinki website. When you fill in your application form you can choose to not allow your name to be published online.

Results will be published on 8 May, 9am (Finnish time):

  • Master’s Studies in Acting (in Swedish)
  • Master’s Studies in Directing
  • Master’s Studies in Sound Design
  • Master’s Degree Programme in Dance Pedagogy
  • Master’s Degree Programme in Theatre Pedagogy

Results will be published on 31 May, 9am (Finnish time):

  • Degree Programme in Acting (in Swedish)
  • Degree Programme in Dance
  • Degree Programme in Directing
  • Degree Programme in Dramaturgy and Playwriting
  • Degree Programme in Lighting Design
  • Degree Programme in Scenography
  • Degree Programme in Sound Design
  • Degree Programme in Writing
  • Master’s Studies in Lighting Design

Applicants admitted as students and those placed on the waiting list receive an email of the admissions results on the day when the admission decision is published. Other applicants are not notified about the results by email.

You can also enquire the results by sending an e-mail to Admissions Services.

Number of new students and a waiting list

How to request for rectification

Accepting an offer of admission

Please indicate whether you will accept the study place no later than 11 July 2024, 3pm (Finnish time).

If you have a Finnish personal identity code, accept the study place in the MyStudyinfo service.

If you do not have a Finnish personal identity code, the Studyinfo.fi system will send you an email message. This message contains a link that you can use to accept the study place. You will receive this email within 24 hours of the announcement of admissions results.

Your notification regarding the acceptance of a study place is binding. However, if you wish to give up a study place after first accepting it, you will be considered to have accepted a place of study for the term in question (see the provision for one study place per term).

If you do not accept a study place by the deadline, you will lose the study place offered to you.

Applicants who are liable for annual tuition fee payment

Applicants who are liable for annual tuition fee payment are to pay the fee in connection with the acceptance of a study place no later than 11 July 2024 at 3pm (Finnish time). Students are required to pay the annual tuition fee in order to begin the residence permit process, register for attendance at the university and complete studies.

Enrollment

New students will receive instructions for enrollment together with the letter of admission results.

Registering as absent for the first year of studies

Starting your studies

Students admitted in the Joint Application of spring 2024 will begin their studies in August 2024.

Help and advice

Do you have a question about applying?

You can contact us via email or phone.

Email: teak.admissions@uniarts.fi
Phone: +358 50 349 6672

Frequently asked questions

A list of frequently asked questions

View study programme's details