Praxis – Master’s Programme in Curating and Writing in Contemporary Art, admissions guide to the 2-year education (master)

Published 22.11.2024 | Updated 11.11.2026

Degree programme information

• Degree programme: Praxis – Master’s Programme in Curating and Writing in Contemporary Art
• Target degree: Master of Arts (Art and Design)
• Duration of studies: 2 years
• Language of the degree: English
• Number of study places available: at most 8 new students
• Academy unit: Academy of Fine Arts
• Who is required to pay annual tuition fees?
  • No tuition fees are charged to citizens of EU and EEA Member States or Switzerland
  • Tuition fee non-EU and non-EEA students who study in English: €28,000 per academic year
• Uniarts Helsinki does not offer any scholarships

Applications to the Praxis – Master’s Programme in Curating and Writing in Contemporary Art will be submitted through Studyinfo.fi portal.

Admissions schedule 2027

• Application period begins on 7 January and ends on 21 January 2027 at 3:00 p.m. EET (all times local Finnish time)
• Deadline for submitting application attachments: 28 January 2027 at 3:00 p.m. EET
• Each applicant is notified of their eligibility on 26 February 2027
• First phase results are sent to eligible applicants on 19 March 2027
• Second phase online interviews on 5 April and 7 April 2027
• Announcement of the admission result: 15 April 2027
• Deadline for accepting study place: 13 July 2027 at 3 p.m. EEST
• Start of studies: August 2027

Admissions criteria

An applicant can be accepted to undertake studies in the degree programme leading to a master’s degree in arts (Art and Design) if they:

• have interest in contemporary art,
• have ability in theoretical thinking and writing,
• have a vision of their possible future roles in the field of contemporary art after completing the studies,
• have experience in the field of arts, e.g. curatorial work, art mediation, research, writing, production, or previous studies,
• demonstrate suitability to undertake and complete theoretically oriented studies leading to a master’s degree,
• have the necessary educational background required for the studies,
• and have demonstrated their language proficiency in the manner specified by the Academy.

When the applicant’s suitability is evaluated, the following factors are considered: educability, motivation, ability to learn and collaborate, ability to listen, ability to reflect on one’s own work, and a readiness to develop.

When educability is assessed, attention is paid to the fact that the new degree must provide the applicant with sufficient new competence. The master’s degree programme is primarily intended for applicants who do not already have a master’s degree.

In the first phase applicants are evaluated based on their application and the required appendices (motivation letter, CV and portfolio). In the second phase, the evaluation is based on an interview as well as the application and its appendices.

Admissions process

The applicant will be deemed eligible to apply if they have the required educational background, they have provided acceptable proof of sufficient language proficiency, and they have submitted the required application appendices in accordance with the schedule set by the Academy.

The applicant can be deemed conditionally eligible if the degree required for eligibility will be completed by the deadline for accepting the study place. The Academy of Fine Arts’ decision on the admittance of these candidates is conditional until they have submitted proof of a completed qualification.

The first phase of the admissions process involves determining the applicant’s eligibility and assessing their application and the required accompanying application materials.

Based on the applications, some applicants will be invited to take part in an interview, which comprises the second phase of the admissions procedure.

After the second phase the programme’s admission jury prepares its proposal for new students to be admitted. The dean of the Academy of Fine Arts makes the final decision on which students will be admitted and who will be placed on the waiting list.

Applying for transfer from another university

Applicants who are refugees or in a refugee-like situation

Educational background

General eligibility

According to the Universities Act (558/2009, 37§), a person is eligible to apply for the studies leading to a master’s degree in higher education if they have completed a relevant bachelor’s degree awarded by a university or a university of applied sciences or a relevant degree programme outside of Finland, which in that country grants eligibility to undertake studies at the corresponding level in higher education.

Suitable educational background required for eligibility in the Praxis – Master’s Programme in Curating and Writing in Contemporary Art

You can apply to studies leading to a Master of Arts (Art and Design) degree if you have completed:

• an eligible bachelor’s degree awarded by a university; or
• an eligible bachelor’s degree awarded by a university of applied sciences; or
• an eligible foreign degree that provides eligibility for corresponding higher education studies in the awarding country.

For the Praxis – Master’s Programme in Curating and Writing in Contemporary Art a qualification in any field is applicable.

Language proficiency requirement

The language of instruction in the Praxis – Master’s Programme in Curating and Writing in Contemporary Art is English. If the student so chooses, they may complete part of the studies in Finnish or Swedish. The student can apply to the Dean for the right to write their thesis in Finnish.

Applicants are required to provide a proof of their language proficiency in English in the first phase of the application process in accordance with the requirements of the academy. Applicant who does not demonstrate their language proficiency cannot be deemed eligible.

An applicant may be considered conditionally eligible regarding their language proficiency only if their prior studies constitute a proof of sufficient language proficiency, but the education has not been completed by the end of the application period (e.g. applicants who have not yet completed their bachelor’s degree). The education must be completed by the deadline for accepting the study place in order to be accepted as proof of language proficiency. If the applicant has been deemed conditionally eligible regarding language proficiency, they must provide the Academy with the necessary certificate by the deadline for accepting the study place, or they cannot be accepted as a student.

If an applicant wishes to use prior studies as proof of their sufficient language skills, the language of the qualification must be stated in the degree certificate or its appendix, in the transcript of study records or some other official document issued by the institution in question.

You must demonstrate your language skills in accordance with Language skills requirement B. Uniarts Helsinki’s language requirements and accepted methods of demonstrating your language skills can be found here:

How to apply

Apply to the Praxis master’s programme in the Finnish national joint application procedure for higher education in January. You can apply for a study place in a maximum of six degree programmes. These programmes do not need to be listed in any order. You can accept only one study place.

Application fee for applicants from outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland

Applicants from outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland are required to pay an application fee in order to apply to higher education studies.

If you are from outside the aforementioned area and you are applying to bachelor’s or master’s level studies in Finland, you will need to pay the application fee.

The application fee is 100 euros. The application fee is collected by the Finnish National Agency for Education.

Paying the application fee guarantees that we will process your application in a manner described in this admission guide. The application fee does not guarantee that you will be offered admission to studies.

Read more about the application fee.

First phase: electronic application and appendices

The application period begins on 7 January 2027 and ends on 21 January 2027 at 3:00 p.m. EET.

Fill in and submit an electronic application form in Studyinfo.fi portal during the application period and submit the required appendices. It is possible to submit the required appendices until 28 January 2027 3:00 p.m. EET.

Instructions: How to fill in the application form

On the application form, please select “Praxis – Master’s Programme in Curating and Writing in Contemporary Art” as the programme you are applying to. The application should be completed in English.

Please include the following attachments with your application:

• Documents demonstrating the required educational background (see Admission criteria, Educational background)
  • A degree certificate
  • A Transcript of Records
• A document demonstrating the required language proficiency (see Admission criteria, Language proficiency requirement)
• Required application materials (see instructions below)

Please check the acceptable ways of proving the required educational background and language proficiency from the admission criteria. If the copies of your diplomas or transcripts of study records are not in Finnish, Swedish or English, you must have them translated by an authorised translator.

Please submit your materials via Studyinfo.fi portal system as early as possible. We recommend that you upload your materials to the system well before the final deadline so that you have time to access user support in case of technical problems. If you run into any problems, be sure to contact the academy’s admissions office before the closing of the application period or the deadline for submitting appendices. Late submissions will not be considered.

We will assess each applicant’s eligibility to apply after the amendment period for the appendices has concluded. You will be deemed eligible to apply if you have

• the required educational background,
• provided proof of your language proficiency according to the requirements, and,
• submitted all the required appendices with your application.

We will inform each applicant of their eligibility at the latest on 26 February 2027. The admissions jury will evaluate applications of those applicants who have been deemed eligible to apply and will invite some of the applicants to take part in the second phase, i.e. an interview.

Required application materials

Please see below for instructions and the accepted file size and format. If you fail to submit the required application materials on time, or in an accepted format, your application will be rejected. No further instructions or a model for the application materials shall be provided.

The admission jury will not open any additional links, including links to the applicant’s personal website, that are included in the application.

Motivation letter

In your motivation letter, please address the following: 

• Your interests: Describe your interest in contemporary art, writing and/or the visual arts, with particular emphasis on the role of art in society. 
• Your goals: Share your goals for working in the field of art. 
• Why Praxis: Explain specifically why you want to study in the Praxis Master’s Programme at the Academy of Fine Arts. 
• Your focus: Tell us what matters to you and interests you about these studies, and which topics you want to concentrate on and examine more closely.

The motivation letter should be no longer than 4,000 characters (with spaces) and it must be written in English.

File format: PDF.

The name of the attachment shall follow the format: lastname_firstname_praxis_motivationletter.

CV

Include in your CV your contact information and information about your education, work experience; exhibitions, publications, awards, grants, and study trips, if applicable.

The CV must be written in English.

File format: PDF.

The name of the attachment shall follow the format: lastname_firstname_praxis_cv.

Portfolio

Present in your portfolio samples of your curatorial work and experience in the field of visual arts. For example, description and/or documentation of curatorial work, curatorial proposals, art mediation, research, writing, production, or previous studies. The maximum length of the portfolio is 8 pages.

The portfolio acts as guide for the jury to get a sense of your interests and motivation rather than extensive projects.

File format: PDF. Maximum file size: 100 MB. The material that exceeds the limitations will not be evaluated.

The name of the attachment shall follow the format: lastname_firstname_praxis_portfolio.

Second phase: interview

We will send invitations to the second phase interview by email at the latest on 19 March 2027. 19 March 2027. We will also notify the eliminated applicants of the decision by email at that time.

The second phase will be carried out on 5 and 6 April 2027.

Individual arrangements

If the applicant requires individual arrangements in the entrance examination (interview) because of a sensory or physical disability, illness or other corresponding reason, they must apply for individual arrangements by filling in a separate application (see the link below). The application for individual arrangements must be submitted to the admissions office by the deadline for submitting application attachments.

Individual arrangements in the entrance examination

Announcing the results

We will publish the results of the student admissions on the website of Uniarts Helsinki on 15 April 2027. The published list will include the names of all the accepted students who authorised the publication of their name.

We will send an e-mail to the applicants accepted as new students and those placed on the waiting list after the announcement of the results. Some e-mail clients may treat our messages as spam, so please check your spam folder as well.

Rectification request

Applicants can apply for rectification of the admission decision from Uniarts Helsinki under the Universities Act (558/2009), section 82. The purpose of a written request for rectification is to give the applicant the possibility to appeal and request for rectification if there is a reason to believe that there has been an error in the decision-making process. The rectification procedure is not intended as a means for receiving feedback or asking for further information about the admissions process.

A written request for rectification should be submitted within 14 days of the publication of the admission result.

How to request for rectification

Accepting the study place

You must accept the offered study place must be accepted no later than 13 July 2027 3:00 p.m. EEST (Finnish time).

If you are found to be conditionally eligible for admission in the first phase of the admissions process, you must submit a degree certificate demonstrating your educational background or language proficiency by the deadline for accepting the study place

If the confirmation arrives late, it will not be considered. The confirmation of acceptance is binding and irrevocable, and it cannot be cancelled. If you want to give up your study place after first accepting it, you are still considered to have accepted the study place for the semester in question.

One study right rule

The One Study Right Rule refers to the legislative amendments that entered into force on 1 August 2026. Under these amendments, a student’s study rights at the same or lower level will be terminated if they accept a new study right leading to a degree. The rule applies only to study rights at Finnish higher education institutions.

This means that if you accept a new study place, you will lose your existing study rights at the same or lower level. When accepting the study place, you are shown which study rights will end as a result. The decision to accept the new study place – and thereby to terminate previous study rights – is binding. The decision cannot be reversed afterwards.

Read more about the one study right rule

In addition, a student may, at any given time, have only one right to pursue a degree at Uniarts Helsinki. When accepting a new right to pursue a degree at Uniarts Helsinki, the student forfeits any prior study right at Uniarts Helsinki.

Registering for the first year of studies

Register for the first academic year by the deadline for accepting the study place. We will send the registration instructions to new students together with the letter of acceptance.

Registering as absent for the first year of studies

Tuition fees

Uniarts Helsinki will charge an annual tuition fee of €28,000 from non-EU and non-EEA students studying in a bachelor’s or a master’s degree programme in English. The amount of the annual tuition fee will stay the same for the statutory duration of a particular student’s studies.

Please note that Uniarts Helsinki does not offer any scholarships.

Read more about the tuition fees

Contact

You can contact us via Uniarts Help form.

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 Academy of Fine Arts or in Helsinki, you can contact our student ambassadors at kuva.student.ambassadors@uniarts.fi.