What exactly is intelligence, and how does it evolve? What is learning and why has 'learning to learn' become a crucial skill in today’s world? Wanting to find answers to questions as plain and straightforward as these can be enough of a reason for someone to study machine learning, data science and artificial intelligence. Yet these fields also deal with some of the most challenging problems of the 21st century, making the Machine Learning, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (or “Macadamia”) major at Aalto University an ideal study environment for someone who is motivated to get out of their comfort zone. Be it to find new solutions to tackle climate change or better understand the causes of an epidemic, artificial intelligence, data science and machine learning have an integral part to play.
A Macadamia graduate:
Aalto University’s tuition fee for master’s programmes taught in English is 15 000 euros per academic year. Tuition fees apply to citizens of countries other than those of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
Aalto University has a scholarship programme to support non-EU/EEA citizens who study in a fee-charging degree programme. The scholarship may cover 100% or 50% of the tuition fee.
More information on tuition fees and scholarships at Aalto University is available at the Scholarships and Tuition Fees webpage.
Master’s Programme in Computer, Communication and Information Sciences – Machine Learning, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence comprises a total of 120 ECTS credits.
The two-year programme consists of:
Aalto University’s Department of Computer Science is quickly rising in rankings and is now among the top departments in Europe. Students in the Machine Learning, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence major are provided with access to cutting edge research and guidance from leaders in the field.
The studies emphasise active, hands-on learning. Projects and different practical assignments are meant to engage students in active learning and encourage them to try out things for themselves instead of remaining passive recipients of information. The faculty consists of enthusiastic and internationally acclaimed professors and researchers in the field, all contributing to an enjoyable and encouraging learning environment. To give concrete examples of the courses available, the following is a selection from the programme’s extensive curriculum:
Major compulsory courses at the beginning of the studies provide a strong foundation before further study in specific sub-areas. Students have the opportunity to dive deeper into areas such as Bioinformatics and Speech and Language. There is also a range of general optional courses for students to choose from and they can also include optional courses from other majors in their study plan per agreement with a professor in charge of the major.
More information on the programme content and curriculum can be found in the Student guide. There may be some changes to the courses for the academic years 2024–2026 — the new curricula will be published in April 2024, when they will also be visible in the Student guide.
The study environment in the programme is strongly international and studies are conducted in multicultural groups. The School of Science offers diverse possibilities for student exchange and internships all over the world. Students may find themselves doing an internship in Silicon Valley or taking a summer course at one of Aalto's partner institutions.
Macadamia students have also the opportunity to take their second-year studies at EURECOM, France, or Grenoble INP, France and complete a double degree graduating from both Aalto University and EURECOM or Grenoble INP. In addition, the Macadamia major co-operates closely with ELLIS, the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems, which has some of the best academic institutions and scientists under its umbrella. Should the students want to become top researchers in the field, they have an excellent opportunity for that.
Aalto University is international by nature, welcoming thousands of degree and exchange students from abroad every year. These students join the diverse Aalto community not only through their studies, but also through multiple free time events, celebrations and extracurricular activities around the campus. Active tutoring programs and support services work hard to help international students integrate to the Nordic culture and feel at home in Finland.
The programme qualifies for doctoral studies (Doctor of Science in an applicable field).
Machine learning and artificial intelligence are disrupting virtually every business in every industry. Staying on top of this revolutionary technology is imperative for organisations seeking to maintain a competitive edge.
Since the demand for AI professionals outpaces the current skilled AI engineers, the graduates of this major have limitless opportunities open for them, ranging from process industry to data science. Recent spearhead application areas include bioinformatics, computational astrophysics, biology, and medicine, interactive technologies, information retrieval, information visualisation, neuroinformatics, and social-network analysis.
Typical entry-level job titles of recent graduates include
Graduates can expect to advance rapidly in their chosen career.
Examples of companies our recently graduated alumni work for: Accenture, Aureus Analytics, Discover Financial Services, Futurice, Elsevier, Jongla, Omniata Inc, Reaktor, Sanoma, Silo AI and Verto Analytics.
Our recently graduated alumni are PhD students in the following universities: Aalto University, Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation (Inria), Purdue University, Télécom Paris Tech, University of Bristol, University of California - Santa Cruz, University of Iowa, University of Surrey.
Aalto University has well-established career services to support students’ employment in Finland and abroad. Thanks to the flexible curriculum, many Aalto students work already during their studies and guarantee themselves entry positions before graduation. There is also a very active entrepreneurship community at Aalto, working as a springboard for founding a company.
School of Science Master's graduates are highly successful in finding jobs corresponding to their education. On this page you can find information on job titles, job sectors and career development of our graduates.
The studies in the programme are closely related to the world-class research conducted at the Department of Computer Science. The best Macadamia students are warmly welcome as doctoral students in Aalto University’s research groups.
There is close collaboration in teaching and research between Aalto University and the University of Helsinki in the form of joint activities within the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence (FCAI). The latter brings together top talents in academia, industry and public sector to solve real-life problems using both existing and novel AI. One of the current research areas centres around the opportunities that AI creates for medicine. Excellent Macadamia students can continue their studies in the Helsinki Doctoral Education Network in Information and Communication Technology (HICT).
Students can also include multidisciplinary studies to their degree by studying a minor or optional courses from other fields. They also have the option to take courses from other Finnish universities via The Flexible Study Right Agreement (JOO).
Aalto University is well-known for bridging disciplines of business, arts, technology and science. The lively campus and freedom of choosing elective courses across the University bring students from different fields under one roof. This spontaneous multidisciplinary environment sparks new ideas, gathers enthusiasts around them and gives birth to friendships, networks, and every so often, startups.
Applicants to Machine Learning, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (Macadamia) meeting the general eligibility criteria for master's studies are evaluated according to the below Evaluation criteria based on their admission group. The evaluation process is described under Applicant evaluation process. In addition to the obligatory application documents, this study option asks the applicants to submit also the documents listed under Requested documents.
The degree that gives the applicant the eligibility to apply (i.e. bachelor's degree) determines which admission group the applicant belongs to even in cases where the applicant has more than one higher education degree.
Bachelor’s degree from a university or university of applied sciences in Finland
Macadamia applications in Admission group 1 are evaluated based on the following criteria:
| What is evaluated? | Grades of the previous degree(s) and pace of studies |
| What we look for in an applicant? |
The programme is looking for applicants with excellent academic performance in their previous studies. In study options where the number and quality of applications is high, this means that the applicant has achieved consistently excellent grades throughout the degree studies (very high weighted average grade or GPA). The applicant’s study success will be evaluated based on the grade point average (GPA) and grades in key courses. The time spent on the previous studies will also be taken into account. All the applicant’s previous university studies, including incomplete degrees and non‐degree studies, will be taken into consideration when evaluating academic performance. Applicants from Finnish universities of applied sciences (AMK) |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Transcript(s) of records, degree certificate(s) |
| What is evaluated? | Contents and scope of previous studies |
| What we look for in an applicant? |
Applicants are expected to have a high-quality Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, communications engineering, or electrical engineering. Excellent candidates with degrees in other fields including but not limited to information systems, engineering, natural sciences, mathematics or physics will be considered if they have sufficient studies in the required areas. The required university-level studies for Macadamia applicants are:
Studies in at least some of the following subjects are considered an advantage:
The contents of the applicant’s previous degree(s) are evaluated based on the courses on the official transcript of records. Relevant work experience, professional certificates and online courses can also be taken into account in the evaluation, but they do not in general compensate for the absence of university-level studies covering the theoretical foundations of the knowledge areas. |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Transcript(s) of records, course descriptions |
| What is evaluated? | Recognition and quality of the applicant's previous institution |
| What we look for in an applicant? | We expect applicants to have completed their previous degree in a high-quality university and programme. The recognition of the applicant’s home university affects also the interpretation of the grades when evaluating the academic performance. |
| Method of demonstrating competence | International and national rankings of higher education institutions |
| What is evaluated? | Applicant’s suitability to the study option, motivation, commitment to the studies, and written communication skills |
| What we look for in an applicant? |
The applicant should be motivated to study the chosen subject and committed to full‐time studies with a plan to complete the Master’s degree in two years. We are looking for applicants who are able to express clearly the reasons for applying to the study option and describe why they would be excellent candidates for the study option. Studies in the Master’s programme should provide genuinely new knowledge for the applicant. If the applicant already has a Master’s or a higher degree, the motivation letter should clearly indicate why another one is necessary. In most cases, non-degree studies are recommended instead. |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Application as a whole including motivation letter |
| What is evaluated? | Work experience, other qualifications and achievements |
| What we look for in an applicant? | Beyond their academic record, applicants may have other experience, knowledge and qualifications that prepare them for the Master’s studies and distinguish them among their peers. We particularly value demanding work experience in the area of the planned studies, participation in scientific research leading to publications, entrepreneurship, and special achievements such as success in competitions (e.g. Junction Hackathon). |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Curriculum vitae (CV), recommendation letters, proofs of employment, publications, other certificates |
During the evaluation of eligible applications, Macadamia applications in Admission group 1 are first evaluated based on the following criteria:
Only the applications who fulfil the requirements for these criteria will be evaluated against the full set of evaluation criteria. It is not possible to compensate for these criteria with other criteria. This means, for example, that motivation for Master level studies in this subject does not compensate for low grades or that relevant work experience does not compensate for higher education studies in the required subjects.
After the evaluation of the remaining criteria below, the best applicants will be selected based on the joint evaluation of all criteria.
The admission process is very competitive and only the best applicants are selected yearly. Not all applicants fulfilling the requirements can be admitted.
In addition to obligatory application documents, the Macadamia applicants in Admission group 1 are requested to provide the following programme-specific documents:
*) The lack of this document will cause rejection.
In addition, these additional documents add value to your application:
Bachelor’s degree from a higher education institution abroad
Macadamia applications in Admission group 2 are evaluated based on the following criteria:
| What is evaluated? | Applicant’s analytical and quantitative skills |
| What we look for in an applicant? | Applicants are evaluated on the basis of their GRE test score. We have not set minimum GRE scores, but we look for applicants who have attained excellent test scores in all sections (verbal reasoning, quantitate reasoning, and analytical writing). |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Graduate Records Examination (GRE) test result |
| What is evaluated? | Grades of the previous degree(s) and pace of studies |
| What we look for in an applicant? |
The programme is looking for applicants with excellent academic performance in their previous studies. In study options where the number and quality of applications is high, this means that the applicant has achieved consistently excellent grades throughout the degree studies (very high weighted average grade or GPA). The applicant’s study success will be evaluated based on the grade point average (GPA) and grades in key courses. The time spent on the previous studies will also be taken into account. All the applicant’s previous university studies, including incomplete degrees and non‐degree studies, will be taken into consideration when evaluating academic performance. International applicants |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Transcript(s) of records, degree certificate(s) |
| What is evaluated? | Contents and scope of previous studies |
| What we look for in an applicant? |
Applicants are expected to have a high-quality Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, communications engineering, or electrical engineering. Excellent candidates with degrees in other fields including but not limited to information systems, engineering, natural sciences, mathematics or physics will be considered if they have sufficient studies in the required areas. The required university-level studies for Macadamia applicants are:
Studies in at least some of the following subjects are considered an advantage:
The contents of the applicant’s previous degree(s) are evaluated based on the courses on the official transcript of records. Relevant work experience, professional certificates and online courses can also be taken into account in the evaluation, but they do not in general compensate for the absence of university-level studies covering the theoretical foundations of the knowledge areas. |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Transcript(s) of records, course descriptions |
| What is evaluated? | Recognition and quality of the applicant's previous institution |
| What we look for in an applicant? | We expect applicants to have completed their previous degree in a high-quality university and programme. The recognition of the applicant’s home university affects also the interpretation of the grades when evaluating the academic performance. |
| Method of demonstrating competence | International and national rankings of higher education institutions |
| What is evaluated? | Applicant’s suitability to the study option, motivation, commitment to the studies, and written communication skills |
| What we look for in an applicant? |
The applicant should be motivated to study the chosen subject and committed to full‐time studies with a plan to complete the Master’s degree in two years. We are looking for applicants who are able to express clearly the reasons for applying to the study option and describe why they would be excellent candidates for the study option. Studies in the Master’s programme should provide genuinely new knowledge for the applicant. If the applicant already has a Master’s or a higher degree, the motivation letter should clearly indicate why another one is necessary. In most cases, non-degree studies are recommended instead. |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Application as a whole including motivation letter |
| What is evaluated? | Work experience, other qualifications and achievements |
| What we look for in an applicant? | Beyond their academic record, applicants may have other experience, knowledge and qualifications that prepare them for the Master’s studies and distinguish them among their peers. We particularly value demanding work experience in the area of the planned studies, participation in scientific research leading to publications, entrepreneurship, and special achievements such as success in competitions (e.g. Junction Hackathon). |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Curriculum vitae (CV), recommendation letters, proofs of employment, publications, other certificates |
During the evaluation of eligible applications, Macadamia applications in Admission group 2 are first evaluated based on the following criteria:
Only the applications who fulfil the requirements for these criteria will be evaluated against the full set of evaluation criteria. It is not possible to compensate for these criteria with other criteria. This means, for example, that motivation for Master level studies in this subject does not compensate for low grades or that relevant work experience does not compensate for higher education studies in the required subjects.
After the evaluation of the remaining criteria below, the best applicants will be selected based on the joint evaluation of all criteria.
The admission process is very competitive and only the best applicants are selected yearly. Not all applicants fulfilling the requirements can be admitted.
In addition to obligatory application documents, the Macadamia applicants in Admission group 2 are requested to provide the following programme-specific documents:
*) The lack of this document will cause rejection.
In addition, these additional documents add value to your application:
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Do you want to study in the Nordics in Finland? At Aalto University science and art meet technology and business. We believe in the power of curiosity and encourage our students to explore the unknown as well as to learn and do things in a whole new way.
Finland’s excellent reputation in education, combined with a wide range of courses offered in English, makes Finland and Aalto University an attractive study destination for international students.
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Learning Services at Aalto University School of Science
For enquiries regarding the programme-specific application documents or studies in the programme, please contact Learning Services of Aalto University School of Science
Admission Services
For enquiries regarding the application process, obligatory application documents or English language proficiency, please contact Admission Services