Programme description
Read more about the programme at Master's programme in International Marketing Management.
Admission criteria
- Bachelor of Science in Economics and Business Administration
Completed in a University
Kauppatieteiden kandidaatti
Having completed a Master of Science Degree in Economics and/or Business Administration or equivalent at the time of applying or, completing it before starting the LUT Master's studies makes you ineligible to apply.
- Bachelor of Business Administration
Completed in a University of Applied Sciences
Tradenomi (AMK)
Having completed a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (Tradenomi YAMK) still makes you eligible to apply but only when applying with the Bachelor's Degree.
- Bachelor's Degree in a field other than Business Administration or Economics
Completed in a University
Having completed a Master's Degree in a field other than Economics and Business Administration still makes you eligible to apply but only when applying with the Bachelor's Degree.
A minimum of 24 ECTS credits of studies completed in Business Administration required.
- Bachelor's Degree in a field other than Business Administration
Completed in a University of Applied Sciences
Having completed a Master's Degree in a field other than Economics and Business Administration still makes you eligible to apply but only when applying with the Bachelor's Degree.
A minimum of 24 ECTS credits of studies completed in Business Administration required.
Applicants who have completed a Master's Degree in a University of Applied Sciences with no prior Bachelor's Degree while the prior degree having been completed on a higher secondary or secondary level are not eligible to apply.
An accepted GMAT Exam or GRE General Test result required.
The required GMAT Exam or GRE General result can be compensated by one of the following:
- you have been awarded a Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Business Administration by a Finnish University of Applied Sciences
- you have been awarded a Bachelor's Degree in any field of study by a Finnish University
- you have been awarded a Master's Degree in a field other than Economics or Business Administration by a Finnish University
- The related degree must have been awarded by the end of the application period.
The Admissions Committee for the programme always reserves a right to decide whether the degree and the completed studies provide the applicant with eligibility to apply to the programme.
- Bachelor of Science in Economics and/or Business Administration
Completed in a university - all countries
Having completed a Master's Degree in Economics and/or Business Administration or equivalent at the time of applying or, completing it before starting the LUT studies makes you ineligible to apply.
A minimum of 80 ECTS credits of studies within at least three different fields listed for Business Administration must be included in the degree.
Equivalent degrees with different titles also accepted as long as the required studies are included.
- Bachelor of Business Administration
Completed in a University of Applied Sciences - EU/EEA countries or Switzerland
Having completed a Master's Degree in Business Administration still makes you eligible to apply but only when applying with a Bachelor's Degree.
A minimum of 80 ECTS credits of studies within at least three different fields listed for Business Administration must be included in the degree.
Applicants who have completed a Master's Degree in a University of Applied Sciences with no prior Bachelor's Degree while the prior degree having been completed on a higher secondary or secondary level are not eligible to apply.
- Bachelor's Degree in a field other than Business Administration or Economics
Completed in a University - All countries
Having completed a Master's Degree in a field other than Business Administration or Economics still makes you eligible to apply but only when applying with the Bachelor's Degree.
A minimum of 24 ECTS credits of studies completed in Business Administration required.
An accepted GMAT Exam or GRE General Test result required.
The required GMAT Exam or GRE General result can be compensated by one of the following:
- you have been awarded a Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Business Administration by a Finnish University of Applied Sciences
- you have been awarded a Bachelor's Degree in any field of study by a Finnish University
- you have been awarded a Master's Degree in a field other than Economics or Business Administration by a Finnish University
- The related degree must have been awarded by the end of the application period.
Overall requirements for the Bachelor's Degree
- An equivalent degree to a corresponding Finnish Bachelor's Degree by the number of academic years and ECTS credits.
- Degree providing you with eligibility to apply to university level Master's studies in the country where the degree was awarded in.
Requirements for the degree-awarding university
The university having awarded you the degree you are applying with must be
- An official and recognized part of the national education system
- Listed on the World Higher Education Database WHED by International Association of Universities
The Admissions Committee for the programme always reserves a right to decide whether the degree and the completed studies provide the applicant with eligibility to apply to the programme.
To be eligible to apply to the programme, you must have completed
- a minimum of 24 ECTS credits of studies in Marketing, International Marketing or International Business
by the application deadline.
If you have not listed the required studies as requested on your application form, your application will remain an incomplete one and will not be forwarded to academic evaluation.
These studies must be completed in one or two of the following groups of universities:
- a University, all countries
- a University of Applied Sciences, EU/EEA countries and Switzerland
You must list your courses in English in ECTS credits on your application form - also when they have been completed in Finnish - plus, upload an official Transcript of Records in English for your studies.
The names of the courses you list in English on the application form must be identical with the names of the courses on the Transcript of Records in English.
The Admissions Committee for the programme reserves a right to decide whether the completed studies provide the applicant with eligibility to apply to the programme.
The arithmetic GPA will be first checked and verified by LUT University. In case the original grading scale not being on a scale of 1.00 - 5.00, the arithmetic GPA will be converted by LUT University on this scale during the evaluation process. Finally, the arithmetic GPA with two decimals will be evaluated.
The grading scale must include at least two different grades for passing that together form a clear range of passing grades so that an arithmetic GPA can be calculated.
If the completed courses having been evaluated by using verbal or letter-based grades, these grades will be converted on a numerical scale of 1.00-5.00 by using linear conversion.
The arithmetic GPA evaluated in the LUT selection process is
- an arithmetic average of grades for all the individual courses and for the grade for the Final Thesis included in the degree you have to apply with
- that have been completed at the time of applying
- that are listed on an official Transcript of Records
What is excluded from the arithmetic GPA?
- Courses evaluated with 'pass' or 'fail'
- Courses evaluated with a grade corresponding to a failed grade
- Courses without a related study unit such as ECTS credit, credit, credit hour etc.
- Combined modules including only a single grade for all the courses included in the module unless the individual courses having been evaluated separately
- Courses not included in the degree you have to apply with
- Courses not included in the degree you have to apply with that have been credited or compensated unless the degree-awarding university having evaluated them on a numerical, verbal or on a letter-based grading scale
You must prove your proficiency in English with one of the following:
- one of the accepted language tests
- a degree in higher education completed in English in an EU/EEA country or in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom or the United States of America
- a degree in higher education completed in Finnish or in Swedish in Finland
More information: How to prove your proficiency in English
In Regular Admission, one of these tests is required for programmes in Business Administration when applying with the following degrees:
- Degrees completed in Finland
- Bachelor's or Master's Degree in a field other than Business Administration
Completed in a University of Applied Sciences
- Bachelor's or Master's Degree in a field other than Business Administration
- Degrees completed outside of Finland - all countries
- Bachelor's or Master's Degree in a field other than Business Administration
Completed in a University
- Bachelor's or Master's Degree in a field other than Business Administration
The required GMAT Exam or GRE General result can be compensated by one of the following:
- you have been awarded a Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Business Administration by a Finnish University of Applied Sciences
- you have been awarded a Bachelor's Degree in any field of study by a Finnish University
- you have been awarded a Master's Degree in a field other than Economics or Business Administration by a Finnish University
The related degree must have been awarded by the end of the application period.
MINIMUM REQUIRED SCORES
- GMAT (Focus Edition)
- Total score 515
- GMAT Exam (10th Edition)
- Total score 550
- GRE General Test
- Verbal Reasoning 152 + Quantitative Reasoning 152 + Analytical Writing 3.0
We also accept GMAT Online Exam and GRE General Test at Home.
HOW TO SEND YOUR SCORE REPORTS?
GMAT Exam
- LUT only accepts electronic GMAT Score Reports made available in their Score Report Database to
- Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT
- Before taking your GMAT test, you may select up to 5 GMAT-accepting programmes/institutes to receive your Official Score Report
- You may also send extra score reports for extra cost
Further information: GMAT Test: Sending Your Scores.
GRE General Test
- LUT University only accepts electronic GRE Test Score Reports that are made available in their Score Report Database to
- Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT - institutional code 2382
- Before taking your GRE test, you may select up to 4 GRE-accepting insititutes to receive your scores.
- You may also send extra score reports for extra cost.
Further information: GRE Test: Sending Your Scores.
VALIDITY FOR THE TESTS
- The result for these tests must be valid on the date of submitting the application.
- The result for all these tests is valid for 5 years from the date of taking the test.
Application process
Before starting your application process, have a look at the basics on applying at
- Applying to Master's Programmes through Regular Admission
>> Application process
where all the important information regarding to applying in general is given.
When filling in your application form
While filling in your application form, you must indicate the cumulative number of original study units completed for the Bachelor's Degree you are applying with.
If applying with an unfinished Bachelor's Degree, you must indicate the cumulative number of original study units expected to be completed for being able to graduate.
If having completed a combination of degrees that together correspond to a Bachelor's Degree, you must indicate the cumulative number of original study units for all the related degrees.
Requirements for the Transcript of Records
The Transcript of Records for the Bachelor's Degree you are applying with must include the cumulative number of original study units (credits, credit hours etc.).
If the cumulative original study units not included on the Transcript of Records, an official statement on them issued in English by the related university must be uploaded. You may also upload an official brochure for the programme issued by the university instead of the official statement if the cumulative original study units indicated in the brochure.
You must list the programme-related studies for this programme on your application form in ECTS credits by each course under the related field of study and indicate the total ECTS credits for all the courses listed.
Studies not originally in ECTS credits >> Conversion needed
In case of the completed courses not originally listed in ECTS credits on your Transcript of Records, you are responsible for converting the original study units (credits, credit hours etc.) to ECTS credits according to the following conversions.
What elements are required for ECTS conversions?
To be able to make the necessary conversions for ECTS credits, the following elements must be included on your Transcript/s of Records:
- Original study units for each course (credits, credit hours etc.)
- Original cumulative study units for the degree (credits, credit hours etc.)
What to do if the required elements are missing?
If either one or both of these required elements are missing on your Transcript of Records, you must upload an additional, official statement in English provided by the related university, indicating the missing elements.
You may also upload an official brochure for the programme issued by the university instead of the official statement if the missing elements are indicated in the brochure.
Conversion factors for ECTS credits
Studies on Bachelor's level
- Divide 180 (=cumulative ECTS credits for a LUT Bachelor’s Degree) by the cumulative number of original study units (credits, credit hours etc.) you have completed for the Bachelor’s Degree you are applying with
- As a result you will get the conversion factor for Bachelor's studies
- Multiply the original number of study units for the listed courses by this factor
- As a result you will get the result in ECTS credits
Studies on Master's level
- Multiply the original number of study units for the listed courses by 1.5
- 1.5 = a fixed factor for Master's studies
- As a result you will get the result in ECTS credits
Do not round up the result for the converted ECTS credits: If the result is 2.25367 ECTS credits, you must list the course with exactly 2.25367 ECTS credits.
Examples: How to correctly convert and list the required studies in ECTS credits
Case examples
Bachelor's studies
Example:
The total study units completed for your Bachelor’s Degree are 160 credit hours and you need to convert a course with 2 credit hours to ECTS credits.
- Divide 180 by 160 >> the conversion factor is 1.125
- Multiply 2 credit hours by 1.125 = 2.25 ECTS credits
Master's studies
Example:
You have completed 60 credits of Master's level studies and you need to convert a course with 3 credits to ECTS credits.
- Multiply 3 credits by 1.5 = 4.5 ECTS credits
Example:
You have completed 95 credits of Master's level studies and you need to convert a course with 2 credits to ECTS credits.
- Multiply 2 credits by 1.5 = 3 ECTS credits
Bachelor's Degree is a combination of several degrees
Example: 2-year Bachelor's Degree + 2-year Master's Degree = Bachelor's Degree (16 years of education)
You have completed
- a 2-year Bachelor's Degree (90 credits) and
- a 2-year Master's Degree (80 credits)
that together are equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree (170 credits in total) and you need to convert a course with 3 credits to ECTS credits.
Since the combination of both the degrees is equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree, the conversion factor follows the factor for Bachelor's studies.
- Divide 180 by 170 >> the conversion factor is 1.05882353
- Multiply 3 credit hours by 1.05882353 = 3.17647059 ECTS credits
Example: National Degree + Higher National Degree + top up = Bachelor's Degree
You have completed
- a 2-year National Degree (85 credit hours) and
- a 1-year top up for a Higher Nationial Degree (50 credit hours) and
- a 1-year top up for a Bachelor's Degree (30 credit hours)
that together are equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree (165 credit hours in total) and you need to convert a course with 2 credits to ECTS credits.
Since the combination of all these degrees is equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree, the conversion factor follows the factor for Bachelor's studies.
- Divide 180 by 165 >> the conversion factor is 1.09090909
- Multiply 2 credit hours by 1.09090909 = 2.18181818 ECTS credits
- Degree Certificate for the Bachelor's Degree
+ an official translation when required
Upload a scan for the original/s. - Transcript of Records for the Bachelor's Degree
+ an official translation when required
Upload a scan for the original.
If your Bachelor's Degree is a combination of two or more different degrees, upload one combined scan/document in which you have included all the original Transcripts of Records.
The following elements must be included in the Transcript/s of Records:
* Original study units for each course
* Original cumulative study units for the degree
* Grades for each course
If one or many of these required elements are missing, you must upload an additional, official statement provided by the university in English, indicating the missing elements.
The original study units for each course as well as the cumulative ones for the degree can also be provided by uploading an official brochure for the programme if these elements are indicated in the brochure.
The additional document/s must be combined together and uploaded to the same section with the Transcript of Records. - Language Test result when required
Upload a scan for the test result or a screenshot from your test account.
The result is always electronically verified from the test database. - Letter of International Experience and Motivation (max. 2 pages)
- Additional educational documents when required
+ official translations when required
Upload a scan for the original/s.
When proving your proficiency in English with another degree apart from the one you are applying with.
When having completed programme-specifically required university-level studies not included in the degree you are applying with. - GMAT Exam or GRE General Test when required
When applying to this programme with a degree in a field other than Business Administration:
Completed in a Finnish University of Applied Sciences
Completed in a University outside of Finland
Upload a scan for the test result or a screenshot from your test account.
The result is always electronically verified from the test database.
Minimum required scores:
GMAT Exam (Focus Edition): 515
GMAT Examm (10th Edition): 550
GRE General Test: Verbal Reasoning 152 + Quantitative Reasoning 152 + Analytical Writing 3.0
We also accept GMAT Online Exam and GRE General Test at Home. - Passport or ID card with nationality
Upload a scan for the document or card. - Finnish Residence Permit Card
Upload a scan for the card if having one.
What is an unfinished Bachelor's Degree?
- You have not yet graduated = you have not been awarded your Degree Certificate or the Provisional Degree Certificate
Having completed all your studies does not mean that you have graduated unless not having been awarded the Degree Certificate or the Provisional Degree Certificate.
If not being able to upload your Degree Certificate or the Provisional Degree Certificate by the supplementary deadline, you must identify your status on the application form as "not yet graduated".
When applying
- Indicate the estimated date of graduation on your Application Form
- No official statement for the date required from the home university
- Upload your latest Transcript of Records to your Online Application Form
- plus the official translation (when required)
- The Transcript of Records must include the name of the degree to be awarded.
- If not included, an additional statement issued by the awarding university about the name of the degree must be uploaded to your Online Application Form.
If admitted
If admitted, you must be able to
- Graduate by 31 August 2025
- Provide us with the following documents by 31 August 2025 at 15:00 (UTC+3)
- Scan for your original Degree Certificate
- Scan for your original Transcript of Records
- Provide us with the following documents by 5 September 2025 at 15:00 (UTC+3)
- Scans for the official translations in English for both the documents (when applicable)
- Official translations required, if the original documents are not issued in English, Finnish or Swedish.
The documents must be provided according to the given instructions despite of the country the degree was awarded in.
If not being able to meet with both the requirements by the given deadlines, your right to study in the programme will automatically be cancelled and you will lose your place without a possibility to claim it back.
Evaluation
Before the academic evaluation begins, the admission committee checks the programme-specific requirements and the applicants meeting the requirements will move forward to academic evaluation, which is done in two subsequent stages.
Stage 1: Educational background
The applicant's educational background will be evaluated based on the required information given on the application form and the required application documents.
Stage 2: Interview
A limited number of applicants are invited to an interview in the order of the highest points for stage 1.
Final selection
The final selection will be completed among the interviewed applicants based on
- Total points for the stages 1 and 2
Only a limited number of applicants will be admitted.
Admission Group 1
- Bachelor of Science in Economics and Business Administration
Completed in a university in Finland (kauppatieteiden kandidaatti) - Bachelor of Science Economics/Business Administration
Completed in a university worldwide - 45% of the admitted students come from this group
Admission Group 2
- Bachelor of Business Administration
Completed in a university of applied sciences in Finland (tradenomi) - Bachelor of Business Administration
Completed in a university of applied sciences in an EU/EEA country or Switzerland - 45% of the admitted students come from this group
Admission Group 3
- Bachelor's Degree in a field other than Business Administration
Completed in a university in Finland - Bachelor's Degree in a field other than Business Administration
Completed in a university of applied sciences in Finland - Bachelor's Degree in a field other than Business Administration
Completed in a university worldwide - 10% of the admitted students come from this group
If seats still available in any of the three Admission Groups after all eligible applicants having been considered for admission, the available seats can be completed with eligible applicants from the other Admission Groups.
Academic Success, max. 6 points
Arithmetic GPA for the degree you must apply with:
- 1.00 - 2.99 = 0 points
- 3.00 - 3.49 = 4 points
- 3.50 - 3.99 = 5 points
- 4.00 - 5.00 = 6 points
For further information, please see Arithmetic GPA evaluated in the process under Admission Criteria.
International Experience and Motivation, max. 5 points
International experience and motivation will be evaluated based on a combined
- Letter of International Experience and Motivation
max. 2 pages
uploaded to the application form together with the related documents for proving the international experience.
Do not make individual letters or pages for each issue, but instead, combine your international experience and motivation into one letter of 2 pages maximum.
**This letter is a compulsory part of the application and in case of it missing, your application will not be forwarded to academic evaluation.**
International Experience, max. 4 points
You must explain your international experience in
- Studying or working abroad or in a non-native language and/or,
- Familiarity and knowledge of foreign cultures and languages
and upload the related documents to prove your experience.
Your international experience is given points as follows:
- No international experience = 0 points
- Poor international experience = 1 point
- Fair international experience = 2 points
- Good international experience = 3 points
- Excellent international experience = 4 points
In case of not having any international experience, please mention it in your letter.
Motivation, max. 1 point
Explain why you wish to study in the programme. Explain through examples how your academic or other strengths are related to the programme and how graduating from the programme would support your career plans in the future. You can also list other issues on your motivation towards studying in the programme.
The applicant must follow the practices of scientific writing: documents related to the application process must be written by the applicant. It must not present other people's ideas, information, words or other material without a sufficient reference. Artificial intelligence is not a source of scientific text. The applicant must ensure that the source entries are correct.
Academic Success, max. 6 points
Arithmetic GPA for the degree you must apply with:
- 1.00 - 2.99 = 0 points
- 3.00 - 3.49 = 4 points
- 3.50 - 3.99 = 5 points
- 4.00 - 5.00 = 6 points
For further information, please see Arithmetic GPA evaluated in the process under Admission Criteria.
International Experience and Motivation, max. 5 points
International experience and motivation will be evaluated based on a combined
- Letter of International Experience and Motivation
max. 2 pages
uploaded to the application form together with the related documents for proving the international experience.
Do not make individual letters or pages for each issue, but instead, combine your international experience and motivation into one letter of 2 pages maximum.
**This letter is a compulsory part of the application and in case of it missing, your application will not be forwarded to academic evaluation.**
International Experience, max. 4 points
You must explain your international experience in
- Studying or working abroad or in a non-native language and/or,
- Familiarity and knowledge of foreign cultures and languages
and upload the related documents to prove your experience.
Your international experience is given points as follows:
- No international experience = 0 points
- Poor international experience = 1 point
- Fair international experience = 2 points
- Good international experience = 3 points
- Excellent international experience = 4 points
In case of not having any international experience, just mention it in your letter.
Motivation, max. 1 point
You must carefully explain your motivation and reasons for applying to this programme. Explain also by giving examples, how you would be able to optimize your strong points by choosing this specific programme and how the studies in this particular programme would support your career plans in the future.
The applicant must follow the practices of scientific writing: documents related to the application process must be written by the applicant. It must not present other people's ideas, information, words or other material without a sufficient reference. Artificial intelligence is not a source of scientific text. The applicant must ensure that the source entries are correct.
Studies in Methodology, max. 1 point
- 1 point = a minimum of 6 ECTS credits of university level studies completed in Methodology
These studies must be completed in a university, while studies completed in a University of Applied Sciences are not accepted.
Studies in Methodology in a field other than Business Administration are accepted as well.
The studies must include both qualitative and quantitative studies.
The minimum grade for these studies must be at least 3 on a scale from 1 to 5.
A limited number of applicants from all three Admission Groups are invited to an interview in the order of the highest total points for stage 1.
The following elements are evaluated in the interview:
- Motivation
- Applicability for the programme
- Communication skills