Apply to Healthcare Leadership

There is an additional application to Arcada's master's degree programme in Healthcare Leadership, part- and full-time, for studies beginning in August 2026. Application in this additional intake is to be submitted to Arcada directly through the national application portal studyinfo.fi. The application takes place from 23 July at 9 AM (UTC+3) to 5 August 2026 at 3 PM (UTC+3). Applicant is to upload required attachments to application by 10 August 2026 at 12.00 (noon). A link to the application form will be published here when application is open.

The additional application is aimed at you who have

• a suitable educational background
• two years of work experience gained after bachelor's degree
• sufficient English language skills.

More information regarding the study programme can be found here. Note that students coming from outside the EU/EEA have to pay tuition fees and an application fee. Read more about fees and Arcada's early-bird offer on our Tuition fees page.

Please note that if you have already accepted a study place at a higher education institution for studies starting in August 2026, you can not apply in the additional intake.  

Eligibility

Before starting your master's application process to Arcada, please make sure that you are an eligible applicant, i.e. that you have a suitable bachelor's degree, two years of work experience and English language proficiency.

Educational background

To be eligible to apply to Healthcare Leadership, you must have a suitable bachelor's degree. Recommended degrees are in nursing, midwifery, public health nursing, occupational therapy, emergency care, physiotherapy, sports and physical education or social care.

Applicants with a bachelor's degree in a field not mentioned above can apply, but assessment of eligibility will be made by programme representatives on a case-by-case basis.

Two years of work experience

All applicants must, in addition to the requirements listed above, have a minimum of two years (24 months) of relevant work experience gained after the completion of the bachelor's degree in order to meet the eligibility criteria.

Work experience is only counted after the bachelor's degree has been awarded, and needs to be proven by a work certificate. Work experience gained before or during your bachelor's studies cannot be counted towards the work experience minimum requirement. An exception is only made for applicants who have completed a Finnish vocational college diploma or higher vocational diploma (opisto- tai ammatillisen korkea-asteen tutkinto) before the completion of their higher education degree, as they may also take into account work experience gained before the higher education degree. Work experience can be counted up to 31 July 2026.

Part-time work is converted to full-time work so that 150 hours or 20 full-time working days (a minimum of seven hours per day) are equal to a month. The work experience does not have to be continuous or from the same employer. Practical training or on-the-job learning is not counted as work experience if it forms a part of the degree used for applying.

English language proficiency

English language proficiency can be proven with a completed upper secondary degree or a higher education degree i.e. at least a bachelor's level degree in English at an institution located in the following countries: an EU or EEA country, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, South Africa or the United States, excluding online degrees and offshore campuses. 

English language proficiency can also be proven with a completed higher education degree, i.e. at least a bachelor's degree completed at a university or university of applied sciences in the EU/EEA.

In all other cases you must demonstrate your proficiency in English through one of the language tests (including the minimum score requirements) mentioned below. The language test results are valid for two years from the test date if not otherwise specified, and your test result must be valid on the first day of the application period.

The general deadline for the language certificate is 10 August 2026 at 12:00 (noon) (UTC+3).

Cambridge ESOL’s tests 

• B2 First; minimum score 170
• International IGCSE: First language English, Syllabus 0500 and 0990
• C1 Advanced; minimum score level C
• C2 Proficiency; minimum score level C

Pearson Test of English Academic or Academic online:

• minimum score 58

IELTS  Academic or IELTS online :

• one skill retake test is accepted
• minimum overall band score 6.0 (writing score minimum 5.5)

TOEFL iBT/iBT Home Edition/iBT Paper Edition/iBT Enhancements

• minimum score 80 (writing score minimum 20)
  If you are taking the test on or after 21 January 2026 the minimum total score is 4 (writing score minimum 4)

Oxford ELLT Global :

• from 1 July 2023 onwards: minimum score 6.0 (Test sections: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking). The code SUMMER20 will give a 20% deduction on the test fee.

SAT 

• Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: Minimum score 600
• Send your SAT to Arcada using the code 7151

GRE 

• Analytical writing 4,0
• Send your GRE test to Arcada using the code 2523.

Arcada strives to accept electronic copies of language certificates submitted directly from the testing organisation. Please request your score report to be submitted to Arcada when you register for the Cambridge, Pearson or TOEFL tests. Also, IELTS test takers can request the result to be sent to Arcada directly but as results can be verified online, a copy of the test result attached to the application form is accepted. 

Language certificates must be Arcada at hand and verifiable in the respective test database by 10 August 2026 at 12:00 (noon)

Student selection process: Educational background and video task

The selection of students is based on points awarded for educational background and points for a video task that the applicant is to upload to their application. Only applicants who meet the requirements of having a bachelor’s degree, two years of relevant work experience, English language proficiency, and who have submitted the mandatory video task can be assessed for points for previous education.

Assessment of educational background

An assessment and grading of the suitability of the applicant's bachelor's degree will be made for all applicants. Thus, 10 points can be awarded for an applicant with a bachelor's degree in nursing, midwifery, public health nursing, occupational therapy, emergency care, physiotherapy, sports and physical education or social care, and these applicants are considered eligible in terms of the educational background.  

Applicants applying with a bachelor's degree in another field will not be awarded points, but will be assessed for eligibility in terms of having an understanding of the healthcare field.

Video task

In addition to points for educational assessment, the selection of students is made through a video task. 

The video is to be uploaded to your application in Studyinfo by 10 August 2026 12:00 (noon) If you want to share your video from a video sharing platform, eg YouTube or similar, include a document with the link to your video in your application. Make sure that your video is set to private and that it can be viewed only with the link you share in your application. The video must be available for viewing for the whole application process.

Please make sure that:

• You have a quiet and private space (no background noise), and that you have enough light.
• Your face is fully shown on the screen. Look straight into the camera
• You do not use any virtual background.
• Your voice is clear and you speak naturally. Don’t read directly from the screen or paper. Use your own words and sentences, focus on good and clear delivery.
• You show your passport at the beginning of the video
• You address all the topics given in the assignment.
• The maximum length of the video is 5 minutes.

At the beginning of the video, please show your passport or official ID card next to your face. Make sure the passport/ ID card shows clearly on the video, and the details on it can be easily read. The passport / ID card must be the same as the one you submitted with your application
form.
Topics to answer in the video: 

1) Present

• What motivates you to pursue this master’s programme?
• What personal, academic, or professional experiences have shaped this decision?
• How will studies fit into your current life situation, or what accommodations do you need to make in your life for these studies? Please ensure that you only disclose information that you are comfortable sharing. 

2) Past/Path

• How does your background (academic or professional) prepare you for this programme?
• What skills or perspectives do you bring that will enrich the learning community?

3) Potential/future

• What impact do you hope to make in your field after completing the programme?
• Share a challenge or opportunity in your field that you’re passionate or curious about addressing.
• How would you go about researching this?  

Students are ranked and admitted based on the total points for previous education and video task. 

Accepting study place offer, tuition fees and early bird discount

When you have been offered a study place at Arcada and have decided to accept it, you have to confirm your acceptance of the study place as instructed in the e-mail. It is also mandatory to register for the academic year.

A student may accept only one study place leading to a higher education degree in Finland during one academic semester. This rule applies to all higher education (Bachelor's, Master's, Licentiate and Doctoral degrees). Please read more about the one study place per term provision here

The deadline for accepting a study place in the additional application will be 7 days from admission.

You also need to register for the academic year according to the instructions sent to you. Registrations as either present or absent is to be done in the same place as the acceptance of the study place offer. You can register as absent only for the first academic year with a valid reason.

Information on the tuition fees at Arcada is available on our Tuition fees and scholarships page. If you are a fee-paying student, please note that you cannot register for the academic year or receive a study certificate until you have paid the tuition fee.

Please note that the early-bird offer on the tuition fee for fee-paying students is valid for 7 days in the additional application. Thus, if the study place is accepted within 7 days, the student can make use of the early-bird offer. Tuition fee payment by the deadline must be proven with a receipt sent to the admissions services.