Study-option-specific Admission Procedure and Evaluation Criteria
Applicants meeting Aalto’s general eligibility criteria for master's studies will be evaluated and ranked according to the evaluation criteria that has been decided in advance for each study option. The applications to Master’s Programme in Art and Media - New Media will be evaluated based on the following criteria.
Phase I
Artistic and/or design practice
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What is evaluated
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Demonstrations of artistic and/or design work or assignments
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What we look for in an applicant/Admission requirements
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Required documents:
What are we looking for?
- Demonstration of your professional and personal artistic, design, academic and/or technical practice.
- Demonstration of critical thinking, skills, and competence in one or more fields related to new media.
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Portfolio
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Relevance of previous studies
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What is evaluated
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Content and quantity in relation to the applied study-option-specific requirements
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What we look for in an applicant/Admission requirements
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What are we looking for?
- The applicant is expected to have completed their previous studies in the field of arts, design, media or technology.
- Applicants with a background in some other field should demonstrate their competence and suitability to the study-option through the other requested documents.
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Transcript(s) of records, degree certificate(s)
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Suitability
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What is evaluated
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Applicant’s further suitability to the study option, motivation, and commitment for studies/communication skills
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What we look for in an applicant/Admission requirements
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Required documents:
What are we looking for?
- Motivated applicants who demonstrate existing skills, development potential, and genuine interest to the field of new media.
- Commitment to studying full-time in an international and transdisciplinary group of students.
- Good communication skills demonstrated in the motivation letter.
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Motivation letter
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Other areas of competence
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What is evaluated
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Work experience and other acquired knowledge/achievements e.g. publications, non-formal education, competitions
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What we look for in an applicant/Admission requirements
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Required documents:
What are we looking for?
- Work experience in the field of new media, art, design, or technology.
- Artistic experience: exhibitions, grants, and residencies.
- Achievements, competitions, publications
- Non-formal education in the field of new media
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Curriculum vitae
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Phase II
Artistic and/or design practice
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What is evaluated
|
Demonstrations of artistic and/or design work or assignments
|
What we look for in an applicant/Admission requirements
|
Required documents:
- Portfolio (already provided in phase I)
- Creative Assignment
- Written Assignment
What are we looking for?
- Demonstration of your professional and personal artistic, design, academic and/or technical practice.
- Demonstration of critical thinking, skills, and competence in one or more fields related to new media.
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Portfolio and study-option-specific assignments
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Suitability
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What is evaluated
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Applicant’s further suitability to the study option, motivation, and commitment for studies/communication skills/ assessment of second phase assignments
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What we look for in an applicant/Admission requirements
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Suitability is evaluated based on the interview and the holistic evaluation of the application.
What are we looking for?
- Motivated applicants who demonstrate existing skills, development potential, and genuine interest to the field of new media.
- Commitment to studying full-time in an international and transdisciplinary group of students.
- Good communication skills demonstrated in the interview.
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Interview
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Evaluation process
The applicants will be first evaluated based on Aalto’s general eligibility requirements. Applicants meeting the general eligibility criteria for master's studies will be evaluated and ranked according to the evaluation criteria that has been decided in advance for each study option.
The selection process for applicants who meet the general eligibility criteria comprises of two phases:
Phase I
In phase I, the applicants are evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Artistic and/or design practice
- Relevance of previous studies
- Suitability/Motivation letter
- Other areas of competence
Phase II
In phase II, the evaluation is based on the following criteria:
- Artistic and/or design practice
Study-option-specific documents requested
The documents requested from all applicants are listed on the Aalto University website (https://www.aalto.fi/en/study-at-aalto/applying-to-masters-programmes). In addition, applicants to this study-option are requested to provide the following study-option-specific documents:
Phase I
- Motivation letter
- Portfolio or work examples
- Curriculum vitae
Motivation letter
Applicants must write a motivation letter of a maximum of 4000 characters in length, explaining why they wish to apply to the study-option in question, what their particular interests are in the field, and what their hopes and expectations are regarding studies at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture. The letter should explain the applicant’s personal strengths, areas of interest, artistic and design visions and artistic objectives.
The lack of this application document will adversely affect the evaluation of your application.
Portfolio or work examples
Applicants should submit a portfolio that demonstrates the applicant’s artistic, design, research, and/or technical practice.
We understand that many of our applicants come from a research or technical background and may not have an artistic or design portfolio as such. Portfolios that highlight technical or research work are just as welcome as artistic or design portfolios. Additionally, we are not just interested in your professional work, but also in your passion projects, ideas, experimentations, and hobbies. Please provide some context for the evaluators how to interpret each work – is it professional work, class project, work-in-progress, personal hobbyist project etc. Clearly mention your own role for each work sample.
The portfolio can be submitted as a .pdf file that contains the actual work samples or as a .pdf file that contains a URL to a portfolio website. If you submit a .pdf portfolio, it should be limited to a maximum of 15 pages. Please do not include all the details of the work in the portfolio. You should be able to explain the most important aspects of each project in a condensed way. You may include links for videos, interactive content, or further information for each example. Please make sure that all links are clickable or that they can be easily copied from the file.
Maximum size of the Portfolio is 1.0 GB. Name the file Portfolio-lastname-firstname.pdf.
Lack of this application document will adversely affect the evaluation of your application.
Curriculum vitae
Applications must include the applicant’s CV (.pdf file) indicating personal information, educational background, work experience, exhibitions, publications and articles, awards and grants, study trips and positions of trust.
The lack of this application document will adversely affect the evaluation of your application.
Only the applications that fulfill the requirements and are ranked highest in the preliminary evaluation will be invited to phase II in the selection process.
Phase II
- Portfolio or work examples (provided in phase I, re-evaluated during the interview)
- Assignment 1 (creative task)
- Assignment 2 (written task)
Phase 2 consists of an interview, evaluation of the applicant’s portfolio, and two assignments. The details of the assignments will be provided after phase 1.
Portfolio
The portfolio should already be submitted in the first phase, but it will be re-evaluated during the second phase. The applicant will present some examples of their portfolio in detail during the interview.
Assignments
- Creative task that evaluates the applicant’s artistic and design practice.
- Written task that evaluates the applicant’s quality of reflection and argumentation as well as the use of the provided source materials.
The assignments are evaluated separately before the interview, but they are not discussed during the interview itself.
Phase II Interview
Applicants that proceed to phase II are invited to a 20-minute interview where 10 minutes is reserved for general interview questions and 10 minutes for discussing the applicant’s portfolio.
A batch of students representing a variety of skills, backgrounds and talents are selected every spring. Grounds for the selection of students is based on a holistic review of the application, including proven artistic/designer talent, motivation and personal development potential as well as the applicant's academic history, cultural activities and previous activities in the field of new media. Deciding factors are demonstrated talent and suitability within the desired field of study. The suitability evaluation will be based on the interview and the submitted documents.
Final Selection
The final selection decisions will be made based on the evaluation conducted in phase II.
Language of application documents
The application documents must be written in English, Finnish or Swedish.