Apply to the master’s programme in Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship
First joint application to higher education, spring 2026. Admissions schedule, required certificates and advance assignments as well as information about participating in the entrance examinations.
The Master’s degree programme in Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship leading to the Master of Arts degree (MA) is 2 years in duration, 120 credits in total.
Admissions schedule
NOTE! The next application period for this programme is scheduled for 2028. The admissions guide will be updated on this page in October-November 2027. The admissions requirements underneath are for the year 2026 and are no longer valid.
Who can apply?
You are eligible to apply if you meet the degree programme’s educational requirements and have sufficient language skills.
The Sibelius Academy will verify each applicant’s eligibility before the entrance examination.
Students are admitted to the Sibelius Academy based on their performance in the entrance examination. Certificate-based admissions or quotas for first-time applicants are not used.
Required educational background
You are eligible to apply for education leading to the Master of Arts degree (2 years) if you have completed at least one of the following:
- An applicable lower university degree (Bachelor)
- An applicable university of applied sciences degree
- An applicable foreign degree or qualification that makes you eligible for corresponding higher education studies in the awarding country.
For the Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship programme a qualification in any field (not necessarily music or art) is applicable. Applicants are required to have some working experience, preferably in the field of arts management or related fields. The work experience can include internships and voluntary work.
The Sibelius Academy may require a student admitted to a master’s degree programme to complete complementary studies — up to the equivalent of one year of study — in addition to the minimum number of ECTS credits required by the programme, in order for them to attain the skills required in the programme. In principle, complementary studies must be completed in the first year of study and included in the student’s personal study plan. If you are required to complete complementary studies, you will be notified in connection with the admission decision.
Your educability is also taken into consideration in the admissions process. The new degree must provide you with sufficient new competence. Master’s programmes are intended for applicants who do not already hold a master’s degree in the field in question. If you already have a degree of the equivalent level, we primarily encourage you to pursue study opportunities in continuous learning, continuing education, or doctoral education.
Language requirements
The language of instruction in the Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship programme is English. You must demonstrate your language proficiency in English by the given deadline.
Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship entrance examinations
In the Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship programme, there are three separate selection groups for applicants:
- General selection group – open to all applicants
- Open University selection group – for applicants who have completed the required path studies at Uniarts Helsinki’s Open University
- Cultural Study of Music programme selection group – for applicants who have completed studies in the Cultural Study of Music bachelor’s programme in Seinäjoki (Uniarts Helsinki, Arts Management department)
All selection groups have unique admissions criteria and therefore, they are not comparable. On the application form, you must select which selection group you apply in. You can select only one group.
General selection group
Advance assignments
Write your name on all advance assignments. If you fail to submit all advance assignments or if you have not provided them in the required format, you will not be considered for the entrance examination.
Submit the following advance assignments to the Sibelius Academy via the Studyinfo system no later than on 28 January 2026 at 15:00 EET (Finnish time):
- CV in English with specific details of arts management related work experience and studies (max. two A4 pages). Name your document in the following way: lastname_firstname_cv.
- Illustration of an ecosystem of an arts organization and accompanied brief written explanation of it (in English)
Select an existing arts organization that you are connected to (or wish to be connected to) and create a visual map of the ecosystem in which the organization operates. The organization can be a civil society organization (NGO), collective, informal initiative, public institution, private company, start-up, or other type of cultural community, regardless of its size.
Your illustration should highlight the ecosystem of the chosen arts organization on local, national/regional, and/or international levels, showing the main stakeholders and networks that are connected to it. These may include partners, collaborators, public authorities, funding bodies, cultural networks, and other relevant actors. Focus on the key stakeholders and connections, instead of loading the illustration with overwhelming amount of information.
The map can be hand-drawn or created with digital tools. However, the final version must be submitted as a PDF file (max. three A4 pages).
In addition to the illustration, submit a written text (500–750 words). In this text, explain your own desired position or relation within the illustrated ecosystem. Reflect on how you are currently situated in relation to the chosen arts organization and its networks and describe how you envision your role in this ecosystem in the future.
Name your documents in the following way: lastname_firstname_ecosystem and lastname_firstname_text.
Based on the scores given for the advance assignments, the Entrance Examination Board will invite selected applicants to the entrance examination (interview). Information on the results of the advance assignments will be sent via email.
Entrance examination
The entrance examination consists of an interview.
- Interview
The interview will be arranged via a remote connection (in Zoom), and it will last up to 20 minutes. The interviews are organized between 16 and 23 March 2026.
The interview will be conducted in English. The interview includes a discussion on the advance assignment (ecosystem).
Open University selection group
Applicants who have completed 20 credits of arts management studies in Uniarts Helsinki’s Open University are able to apply in the Open University selection group. Please click here to read more about the Open University application path.
Advance assignments
Write your name on all advance assignments. If you fail to submit all advance assignments or if you have not provided them in the required format, you will not be considered for the entrance examination.
Submit the following advance assignments to the Sibelius Academy via the Studyinfo system no later than on 28 January 2026 at 15:00 EET (Finnish time):
- CV in English with specific details of arts management related work experience and studies (max. two A4 pages). Name your document in the following way: lastname_firstname_cv.
- Academic written text (an essay or a written assignment from the courses you have completed in the Open University studies)
Choose a sample from an academic text you have written (no longer than 2.000 words / three pages). Note! You can choose only one sample. Name your document in the following way: lastname_firstname_academictext.
The sample text can be:
– A completed course essay (or part of it). The essay could be written on one of your completed courses at Uniarts Helsinki’s Open University. Submit a copy of the text (in PDF format), the including title, the name of the course, the name of the responsible teacher, the year of completion and the name of the institution.
– If you do not have a completed written assignment, a part of a completed bachelor’s thesis. Provide the title of the thesis, year of completion, name of the supervisor, and name of the institution. Submit only a part of the thesis.
The preferred language of your academic written text is English. If the text is not in English, you must submit a translation of it into English along with the text in original language. The translation does not need to be made by an authorized translator. - Certificate of your completed Open University studies
Submit a certificate of completed Open University path studies. Partially completed path studies are not accepted. Name your document in the following way: lastname_firstname_certificate.
All eligible applicants in the Open University selection group are invited to take part in the entrance examination (interview). However, if you fail to deliver the above-mentioned documents by the given deadline, you will not receive an invitation to the entrance examination.
Entrance examination
The entrance examination consists of an interview.
- Interview
The interview will be arranged via a remote connection (in Zoom), and it will last up to 20 minutes. The interviews are organized between 16 and 23 March 2026.
The interview will be conducted in English.
Cultural Study of Music programme selection group
Applicants who have completed their bachelor’s degree in Uniarts Helsinki’s Cultural Study of Music programme (Kulttuurinen musiikintutkimus) are able to apply in this selection group. Please click here to read more about the Cultural Study of Music programme.
Advance assignments
Write your name on all advance assignments. If you fail to submit all advance assignments or if you have not provided them in the required format, you will not be considered for the entrance examination.
Submit the following advance assignments to the Sibelius Academy via the Studyinfo system no later than on 28 January 2026 at 15:00 EET (Finnish time):
- CV in English (max. two A4 pages) with specific details of arts management related work experience and studies. Name your document in the following way: lastname_firstname_cv.
- Records of your previous studies in Cultural Study of Music programme (including your grades). Name your document in the following way: lastname_firstname_records.
Based on the scores given for the advance assignments, the Entrance Examination Board will invite selected applicants to the entrance examination (interview). Information on the results of the advance assignments will be sent via email.
Entrance examination
The entrance examination consists of an interview.
- Interview
The interview will be arranged via a remote connection (in Zoom), and it will last up to 20 minutes. The interviews are organized between 16 and 23 March 2026.
The interview will be conducted in English.
Entrance examination assessment
The Sibelius Academy’s general assessment criteria are not applied in the Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship entrance examinations.
For educability, the Entrance Examination Board will assess your ability to complete the degree studies in the normative duration for the completion of a degree in accordance with the Universities Act (two years in the case of Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship).
When assessing your educability, it is also considered that the new degree must provide you with a sufficient amount of additional competence. Degree programmes at Sibelius Academy are primarily intended for applicants who have not previously completed a Finnish higher education degree of the same level.
If you have not previously completed a Finnish higher education degree at the same level as the degree programme you are applying for, you will be awarded an additional 5% of the maximum points for the programme, which will be added to final points on your entrance examination. Your right to be awarded additional points will be verified in the final admissions phase, and the points will be added to the final total score before the admissions decision. When awarding additional points, any degrees completed by or prior to the end of the application period will be taken into account.
However, a previously completed higher education degree of the same level does not prevent applicants from applying to the degree programme.
General selection group
In the advance assignments, the Entrance Examination Board will assess the overall quality of your application materials. This includes the content of your CV, the ecosystem illustration, and the accompanied written text also in terms of your academic writing skills. The Board will evaluate the quality and clarity of your illustration, with particular attention paid to how it reflects your understanding of the field of arts management.
In the entrance examination (interview), the Entrance Examination Board will assess the depth, clarity, and quality of your answers, your communication skills, suitability, and motivation for studies, as well as your understanding of arts management by discussing the illustration of an art organization.
The entrance examination and its components will be scored on a scale of 1–5. The components are weighted as follows:
- Advance assignments 40 %
- Interview 60 %
Open University selection group
In the advance assignments (CV and academic written text), the Entrance Examination Board will assess the content and structure of your writing (relevance, critical/analytical thinking). Your writing skills will also be assessed.
In the entrance examination (interview), the Entrance Examination Board will assess the depth, the clarity, and the quality of your answers, your communication skills, suitability, and motivation for the studies, as well as your understanding of the arts management field.
The entrance examination and its components will be scored on a scale of 1–5. The components are weighted as follows:
- Advance assignments 60 %
- Interview 40 %
Cultural Study of Music programme selection group
In the advance assignments, the quality of the content of your CV will be assessed. In addition, the Entrance Examination Board will assess your records of your previous education.
In the entrance examination (interview), the Entrance Examination Board will assess the depth, clarity and quality of your answers, your communication skills, suitability, and motivation for studies, as well as your understanding of arts management field.
The entrance examination and its components will be scored on a scale of 1–5. The components are weighted as follows:
- Advance assignments 40 %
- Interview 60 %
Questions or comments?
You can contact us via e-mail at siba.admissions@uniarts.fi.
Please note that in principle we do not explain the entrance examination assignments. The instructions are in the admissions guide.
If you have any questions regarding student life at the Sibelius Academy or in Helsinki, you can contact our Student Ambassadors at siba.student.ambassadors@uniarts.fi.
The Sibelius Academy Admissions Chat
What is it like to study at the Sibelius Academy and live in Helsinki? How do you apply to the Sibelius Academy? We answered these questions among others in our Admissions Chat broadcast in November 2025. The recording of the event is available on Sibelius Academy’s Instagram account: Admissions Chat (@sibeliusacademy)