Apply to the master’s programme in Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship

Published 30.10.2019 | Updated 16.11.2024

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 2026. The admissions guide will be updated on this page in October-November 2025. The admissions requirements underneath are for the year 2024 and are no longer valid.

Who can apply?

A person with the background education required for the degree programme in question and sufficient language skills may apply for studies.

Sibelius Academy will check every applicant’s eligibility before the entrance examination.

Applicants who receive their degree certificate in the spring after the application deadline are deemed conditionally eligible to apply. The decision on the admittance of these candidates is conditional until the applicant submits a certificate of their completed degree or other studies required for eligibility. The certificate must be submitted to the Sibelius Academy Admissions Office no later than 11 July 2024 at 3 pm EEST (Finnish time). If the applicant fails to submit the certificate by said deadline, the study place will be cancelled.

The Sibelius Academy may, at its discretion, also accept a temporary certificate issued by the educational institution if it indicates that the applicant has completed all studies required for the degree and will receive the degree certificate later.

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 in place.

Master of Arts degree (2 years)

A person who has completed at least one of the following is eligible to apply:

• a relevant bachelor’s degree awarded by a university;
• a relevant bachelor’s degree awarded by a university of applied sciences; or
• a relevant foreign degree that gives eligibility for the corresponding level of higher education in the country where the education has been completed.

For the Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship programme a degree in any field can be considered relevant. Besides relevant background education, 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 that a person admitted to study towards a master’s degree complete complementary studies of a scope equivalent to a maximum of one year of studies in addition to the minimum number of ECTS credits required by the degree programme in order for them to attain the skills required in the training. 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. The applicant is informed of the complementary studies required of them in connection with the admission decision.

The applicant’s educability is also taken into consideration in student admissions. Programmes that begin at the master’s level are aimed at applicants that do not have a prior master’s degree in the field in question. If the applicant already has a degree of the equivalent level, they are guided to pursue study opportunities primarily in continuous learning, continuing education, or doctoral education.

Exceptions to eligibility

If the applicant has completed a higher education degree at the Sibelius Academy, they cannot apply for the same degree programme, major subject or main instrument again.

The student admission for bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes applies to applicants who do not have a valid right to study at Uniarts Helsinki at the beginning of the applied right to study. A degree student registered at Uniarts Helsinki may apply for a change of right to study within the Sibelius Academy or between academies. There are separate instructions for applying for a change of the right to study. More information on the rule of one study right can be found here.

Language requirements

The language of tuition 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 two separate selection groups for applicants:

1. General selection group for all applicants
2. Open University selection group (for those who have completed the required path studies at Uniarts Helsinki’s Open University).

Both 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 for all applicants

First stage: Advance assignments

The first stage of the examination consists of the following three advance assignments.

Write your name on all advance assignments. If you fail to submit all advance assignments or if you have not provided the assignments in the required format, you will not be considered for the second stage of the examination.

Submit the following assignments to the Sibelius Academy via the Studyinfo portal by 24 January 2024 3pm EET (Finnish time): 

1. Motivation essay 

The motivation essay must be written in English and consist of max. 1,000 words. The essay should feature the following content: 

• Your work or other practical experience in arts management or related fields. Also write about your most essential learning experiences through work experience in the field. 
• In your opinion, what are the most interesting aspects and themes in arts management. 
• Reasons why you are interested in the master’s degree programme in Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship and its curriculum, as well as why you are interested in the Sibelius Academy, Uniarts Helsinki.
• Your vision of the future of the arts management field and the role you are planning to play in it. 
• Your experience, interests, and ideas in the academic research of arts management (if any). 
• Your experience and skills in writing academic English

2. CV in English with specific details of arts management related work experience and studies (max. two pages)
   
   
3. Academic written text not older than 10 years

Choose a sample from an academic text you have written (no longer than 2.000 words / three pages). If the sample is longer than 2.000 words, please choose only a part of it, that is not longer than the set limit. Note! You can choose only one sample.

The sample text can be:

• from a journal article, book, conference proceedings, collection, or other public forum. Submit a copy of it in PDF format. The sample should include the information of the publication (title of the article, publication information, web link, if available).
• an Internet article, blog text, or other form of academic open access forum. Submit a link to your article and a copy of it in PDF format.
• a completed course essay (or part of it). Submit a copy of the text (in PDF format), including the title, the name of the course, the name of the responsible teacher, the year of completion and the name of the institution.
• a part of a completed bachelor’s or master’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 in PDF format.

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.

Based on the scores given for the first stage, the Entrance Examination Board will invite a part of the applicants to the second stage of the entrance examination. Invitations to the second stage will be sent by email.

Second stage

The second stage of the examination consists of an illustration of an arts organization ecosystem and an interview.

Illustration of an arts organization ecosystem

Please choose an existing arts organization and draw a map of an ecosystem the organization is part of. It can be a Civil Society Organization (NGO), collective, informal organization, public institution, private company, start-up, or other cultural community, regardless of its size. Please illustrate the ecosystem of the chosen arts organization on local, national/regional, and international levels; including the main stakeholders and networks linked to the chosen arts organization – the partners, collaborators, public bodies, local and supranational bodies, etc. You can draw your map on paper or use computer or internet tools. However, you must submit your illustration in the PDF format (no more than 3 pages).

Submit the illustration to the Sibelius Academy via the Studyinfo portal no later than 8 March 2024 3pm EET (Finnish time).

Interview 

The interview will be arranged via a remote connection (in Zoom), and it will last up to 40 minutes. The interviews are organized between 18 and 22 March 2024.

The illustration of an arts organization ecosystem submitted for the second stage and the first stage assignments will be discussed during the interview.

The interview will be conducted in English.

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.

First stage: Advance assignments

The first stage of the examination consists of the following four advance assignments. Submit them to the Sibelius Academy via Studyinfo portal no later than 24 January 2024 at 3pm EET (Finnish time): 

1. CV in English with specific details of arts management related work experience and studies (max. two pages)

2. Motivation essay 

The motivation essay must be written in English and consist of max. 1,000 words. The essay should feature the following content:

• Reflect on your Open University studies and what you learned from them. Also describe why you wish to complete a whole degree in arts management.
• Reasons why you are interested in the master’s degree programme in Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship and its curriculum, as well as why you are interested in the Sibelius Academy, Uniarts Helsinki.
• Your vision of the future of the arts management field and the role you are planning to play in it.
• Your experience, interests, and ideas in the academic research of arts management (if any).
• Your experience and skills in writing academic English.

3. Academic written text not older than 10 years

Choose a sample from an academic text you have written (no longer than 2.000 words / three pages). If the sample is longer than 2.000 words, choose only a part of it that is not longer than the set limit. Note! You can choose only one sample.

The sample text can be:

• from a journal article, book, conference proceedings, collection, or other public forum. Submit a copy of it in PDF format. The sample should include the information of the publication (title of the article, publication information, web link, if available).
• an Internet article, blog text, or other form of academic open access forum. Submit a link to your article and copy of it in PDF format.
• 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.
• a part of a completed bachelor’s or master’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.

4. Certificate of your completed Open University studies

Submit a certificate of completed Open University path studies. Partially completed path studies are not accepted.

All eligible applicants in the Open University selection group are invited to take part in the second stage of the entrance examination. However, if you fail to deliver the abovementioned documents by the given deadline, you will not receive an invitation to the second stage of the examination.

Second stage

The second stage of the examination consists of an interview. 

Interview 

The interview will be arranged via a remote connection (in Zoom), and it will last up to 30 minutes. The interviews are organized between 18 and 22 March 2024.

The interview will be conducted in English.

Entrance examination assessment

General selection group

The Sibelius Academy’s general assessment criteria is not applied in the Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship entrance examinations.

In the first stage, the quality of the content of your CV and motivation essay will be assessed. In the academic written text, the Entrance Examination Board will assess the academic writing skills of the applicant.

In the Reflective academic essay, the Entrance Examination Board will assess the quality of the content and the structure of your essay (introduction and conclusion), developing arguments, relevance, critical/analytical thinking and writing style.

In the second stage, the Entrance Examination Board will evaluate the quality of the content of the illustration (understanding of arts management field). In the interview, the Entrance Examination Board will assess the depth, clarity and quality of the applicant’s answers, their communication skills, suitability, and motivation for studies, as well as their understanding of arts management by discussing the illustration of an art organization.

For educability, the Entrance Examination Board will assess the applicant’s ability to complete the degree studies in the normative duration for the completion of a degree in accordance with the Universities Act (2 years in the case of Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship).

Scoring of the entrance examination (general selection group)

Your entrance examination and its subparts will be graded on a scale of 1-5.

The components of the entrance examination are weighted as follows:

• Advance assignments (Motivation essay, CV, and Academic written text) 40 %
• Illustration of an arts organization ecosystem 10 %
• Interview 50 %

Open University selection group

The Sibelius Academy’s general assessment criteria is not applied in the Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship entrance examinations.

In the CV, motivation essay 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 interview, the Entrance Examination Board will assess the depth, the clarity and quality of the applicant’s answers, their communication skills, suitability, and motivation for the studies, as well as their understanding of the arts management field.

For educability, the Entrance Examination Board will assess the applicant’s ability to complete their degree studies in the normative duration for the completion of a degree in accordance with the Universities Act (2 years in the case of Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship).

Scoring of the entrance examination (Open University selection group)

The entrance examination and its components will be graded on a scale of 1-5.

The components of the entrance examination are weighted as follows:

• CV, Motivation essay and Academic written text 60 %
• Interview 40 %

Questions or comments?

You can contact us via e-mail at siba.admissions@uniarts.fi.

If you have any questions, please check first if your question has been already answered on our Frequently Asked Questions page. This page will be updated constantly. Please check it regularly to see if new questions have been answered. 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 19 November 2024. The recording of the event is available on Sibelius Academy’s Instagram account. Please click here to open the recording.