Admission criteria for Applied Physics

Read more about the programme at Master's programme in Applied Physics.

 

✅Bachelor of Science in Technology 
Completed at a university
Tekniikan kandidaatti

✅Bachelor of Science in a field other than Technology  
 Completed at a university

✅Bachelor of Engineering
Completed at a university of applied sciences (UAS)
Insinööri (AMK)

You must apply with your bachelor's degree

• You must apply based on your bachelor’s degree, even if you have already completed a master’s degree.
• A master’s degree can be accepted as the basis for application only if it was completed before the introduction of the two-tier degree system, when separate bachelor’s degrees were not awarded.
• A missing bachelor’s degree cannot be compensated with a combination of a master’s-level UAS degree and a prior secondary or lower-level qualification.

Master's degrees that make you ineligible

• Master of Science in Applied Physics or Engineering Physics
  Completed or expected to be completed at a Finnish University before starting your studies at LUT University.
  Diplomi-insinööri, fysiikka/teknillinen fysiikka

Master's degrees that do not affect your eligibility

• Master of Science in Applied Physics or Engineering Physics
  Completed at a university outside Finland
   
• Master's degree in a field other than Applied Physics/Engineering Physics
  Completed at a university worldwide
   
• Master’s degree in any field 
  Completed at a university of applied sciences (UAS)

Final decision on eligibility

The programme’s admissions committee reserves the right to assess whether an applicant’s prior degree and completed studies meet the eligibility requirements.

✅ Bachelor of Science in Technology 
Completed at a university worldwide

✅ Bachelor of Engineering 
Completed at a university of applied sciences (UAS) in EU/EEA countries or Switzerland

You must apply with your bachelor's degree

• You must apply based on your bachelor’s degree, even if you have already completed a master’s degree.
• A master’s degree can be accepted as the basis for application only if it was completed before the introduction of the two-tier degree system, when separate bachelor’s degrees were not awarded.
• A missing bachelor’s degree cannot be compensated with a combination of a master’s-level UAS degree and a prior secondary or lower-level qualification.
   

Master's degrees that make you ineligible

• Master of Science in Applied Physics or Engineering Physics
  Completed or expected to be completed at a Finnish University before starting your studies at LUT University.
  Diplomi-insinööri, fysiikka/teknillinen fysiikka

Master's degrees that do not affect your eligibility

• Master of Science in Applied Physics or Engineering Physics
  Completed at a university outside Finland
   
• Master's degree in a field other than Applied Physics/Engineering Physics
  Completed at a university worldwide
   
• Master’s degree in any field 
  Completed at a university of applied sciences (UAS)

General requirements for a bachelor’s degree

• The degree must be comparable to a corresponding Finnish bachelor’s degree in terms of duration (academic years) and ECTS credits.
• The degree must qualify the applicant to apply for master’s-level studies in the country where the degree was awarded. 

Requirements for the degree-awarding institution

• The institution must be recognised by the national education system of the country where it operates.
• The institution must be listed in the World Higher Education Database (WHED) of the International Association of Universities.
   

Final decision on eligibility

The programme’s admissions committee reserves the right to assess whether an applicant’s prior degree and completed studies meet the eligibility requirements.

To be eligible to apply to the programme, you must have completed

• a sufficient number of studies in classical physics, modern physics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics and/or mathematics

📌  The required studies must be completed before submitting the application.

✅ The admissions committee determines what constitutes a sufficient number of studies and evaluates them during the academic assessment.

How to present the studies

• List the studies in their original study units on the application form.

Requirements for programme-related studies
What to do if study units are missing from your transcript of records

There is no minimum arithmetic GPA in this programme, but the evaluation points are only given for GPAs of 3.00 or higher on a scale of 1-5.

Linear conversion (if applicable)

The arithmetic GPA will be verified by LUT University.

What is included in the arithmetic GPA?

The arithmetic GPA is calculated based on:

• grades for all individual courses
• the final thesis grade

These must:

• be part of the degree you are applying with
• be completed by the time of application
• be listed on an official transcript of records

What is excluded from the arithmetic GPA?

The following are not included:

• courses graded as pass/fail
• courses with a failing grade
• courses without credits (e.g. ECTS credits or equivalent)
• combined modules with a single overall grade, unless individual course grades are available
• courses not included in the degree used for application
• transferred or compensated courses not originally graded, unless the awarding institution has assigned them a numerical, verbal, or letter grade

One of the eligibility requirements is to demonstrate your English language proficiency through one of the accepted methods.

How to prove your English proficiency

When applying

If admitted

Terms and conditions

In addition to the national One Study Right Rule, LUT University also restricts the re-granting of the right to study in the same master’s programme.

An applicant cannot be granted the right to study in the same programme again if:

• they have already graduated from the programme
• they have already used their allotted study time for the programme

However, an applicant may be readmitted to the same programme if they have voluntarily relinquished their previous right to study.

📌Upload a scanned copy of the original for each document on your application form. 

Bachelor's Degree Certificate  

• + official translation, if the original is not in Finnish, Swedish or English

📌 If you have not yet graduated, there is no need to upload a certificate of ongoing studies. 

Bachelor's Transcript of Records 

• + official translation, if the original is not in Finnish, Swedish or English
   

Proof of English proficiency

You must prove your English language skills with one of the following:

• Language test result
  • Results are verified electronically from the test provider’s database. 
  • You do not need to mail the original test result to LUT University..
    How to prove your English proficiency
     
• Educational documents proving your English proficiency
  • In certain cases, language proficiency can be demonstrated through educational documents.
  • Upload the required document(s) as specified.
    How to prove your English proficiency
     
     

Other documents relevant to the evaluation

• Letter of motivation
• Certificates of employment when applicable

Passport or ID card 

• International passport or ID card showing your nationality
   

Residence permit granted in Finland (when applicable)

• Finnish residence permit card 
   

If your Bachelor's degree is a combination of two different degrees

• Upload one combined scan or document including both original Transcripts of Records. 
• Upload one combined scan or document including both original Degree Certificate
• + official translations, if the originals are not in Finnish, Swedish or English

The following elements must be included on the Transcript of Records for the Bachelor’s degree used for application, as they are essential for the academic evaluation:

What to do if study units are missing from your transcript of records

If one or both of these required elements are missing, you must upload an additional official statement from the university in English explaining the missing information. 📌

You may also provide the original study units for each course by uploading an official programme brochure, if this information is included in the brochure.

If you have completed a combination of degrees that together correspond to a Bachelor’s degree, all Transcripts of Records must include these required elements.

All additional documents must be combined and uploaded to the same section as the Transcript of Records.

Missing required information will result in your application being considered incomplete. ⚠️

In the letter of motivation (maximum 500 words), the applicant justifies his/her application for the master's programme, demonstrates his/her knowledge of the subject, compares the subject with his/her strengths and explains how the degree supports his/her career plans. The applicant may also present other reasons for applying.

In addition, you must include the following in the letter of motivation:

• Why do you want to study physics and what makes your background relevant to studying physics.
• How your GPA compares to the national GPA in the country where the degree was/will be awarded.

Scientific Integrity and Authorship Guidelines for Application Documents

Applicants must follow scientific writing practices: documents related to the application process, such as the letter of motivation, must be written by the applicant. It must not include ideas, data, words or other material from others without adequate citation. The text is not a source of scientific text. The applicant must ensure that the references are correct.

In your application form, you must

• indicate the duration of each work experience 
• whether the work experience is full-time or part-time and indicate separately the percentage of part-time work (as a proportion of full-time work 100%)
• the total duration of all work experience
• upload the certificates of employment
  • if the original certificate is not in English, Finnish or Swedish, an official translation in English is required
  • an employment contract or payslip/salaryslip is not considered as proof of employment

Work experience not related to the programme will also be taken into account.

To be considered in the selection process, the work experience must have been completed when submitting the application. 

Employment valid until further notice will be considered valid up to the date of application submission. 

How to calculate part-time work experience

The percentage is compared to full-time work (100%). For example, 80% part-time work is calculated as 0.8 × the duration of employment.

Certificate of employment

Certificate of employment is an official document issued by your employer specifying:

• the starting date of your employment
• the end date of your employment, or an indication if employment is ongoing
• whether your work experience is/was full-time or part-time
• the nature of your work, e.g. job description, duties, and responsibilities

It must also include:

• the name of the company
• the contact details of the company
• the name of the signatory
• signature or electronic authentication by the employer

If you are demonstrating your work experience as an entrepreneur in Finland, you can upload one of the following official documents:

• kaupparekisteriote (extract from the Trade Register)
• eläkevakuutustodistus (certificate of pension insurance)
• patentti- ja rekisterihallituksen ote (extract from the Finnish Patent and Registration Office)
• osakassopimus (shareholder agreement)

The document must clearly show your name and role as an entrepreneur.

Once the application has been verified as complete, with all required documents accepted and the English proficiency confirmed, it will be forwarded for academic evaluation.

Applications are evaluated in two admission groups based on the country where the applicant’s Bachelor’s degree was completed:

1. Bachelor’s degree completed in Finland
2. Bachelor’s degree completed outside Finland

Applications will be processed as long as places remain available in the programme.

Once all places have been filled, no further applications will be accepted, even if the rolling admission period is still open.

The admissions committee begins the evaluation by assessing whether the applicant meets the minimum academic requirements.

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• eligible degree and field of study
• required background studies

Applicants who meet the minimum academic requirements will proceed to the second stage of the evaluation process.

There is no interview in this programme.

Academic success (arithmetic GPA)
Maximum 5 points

• below 3.00 = 0 points
• 3.00-3.50 = 1 point
• 3.51-4.00 = 3 points
• 4.01-5.00 = 5 points

Required background studies
Maximum 5 points

• less than 50 ECTS credits = 0 points
• 50-60 ECTS credits = 1 point
• 61-70 ECTS credits = 3 points
• 71 ECTS credits or more = 5 points

Letter of motivation
Maximum 5 points

Work experience
Maximum 5 points

• less than 6 months = 0 points
• 6-12 months = 3 points
• 12 months or more = 5 points

Applicants who score 

• at least 9 out of 20 points in the academic evaluation will be admitted, provided that places remain available in the programme.

Once all places have been filled, no further applications will be accepted, even if the rolling admission period is still open.