Programme-specific Admission Procedure and Evaluation Criteria
Study-option-specific 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 Photography will be evaluated based on the following criteria.
Phase I
Artistic and/or design practice
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Assessed area
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Demonstrations of artistic work: e.g. projects, publications, exhibition documentations, series or single photographs or other works of art.
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Admission requirements
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We expect our applicants to have artistic vision and development potential as well as to be goal-orientated and able to adopt new perspectives and working methods.
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Portfolio
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Suitability
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Assessed area
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Applicant’s further suitability to the study option, motivation, and commitment for studies / communication skills
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Admission requirements
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Applicants are expected to have strong motivation, good co-operative skills and capacity to commit to full-time studying. We also expect a profound understanding of the photographic medium and culture, and personal artistic insight.
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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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Assessed area
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Work experience and other acquired knowledge/achievements e.g. publications and exhibitions, non-formal education, competitions.
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Admission requirements
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We expect a CV (curriculum vitae) from applicants for background information.
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Curriculum vitae
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Phase II
Suitability
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Assessed area
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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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Admission requirements
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We require good skills in written expression and ability to conceptually reflect on questions related to photography.
We also expect our applicants to have a good understanding of the photographic medium and culture as well as personal artistic insight.
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Second-phase assignment
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Suitability
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Assessed area
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Applicant’s further applicability to the study option, motivation, and commitment for studies / communication skills
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Admission requirements
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We require good verbal communication skills and co-operative skills. We also expect our applicants to have a good understanding of the photographic medium and culture as well as personal artistic insight.
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Method of demonstrating competence
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Second-phase 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 applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Suitability/Motivation letter
- Artistic and/or design practice
- Other areas of competence
Only the applicants who fulfill the requirements and are ranked highest in the preliminary evaluation will be invited to the phase II in the selection process.
Phase II
In Phase II, the evaluation is based on the following criteria:
Part of the applicants are invited to Phase II. The invitation to Phase II will be send to the applicants at latest 7 days in advance.
In Phase II of the admissions procedure, applicants complete an assignment within the given time. The assignment can be written or visual and is based on the provided material. Applicants who are invited to Phase II will be informed about any required equipment individually.
Phase II also includes a 20-minute interview. The interview and assignment can also be carried out remotely.
Final selection
After the evaluation conducted in Phase II, the best applicants will be selected based on the joint evaluation from Phases I and II.
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:
Motivation letter
Applicants provide a written motivation letter (max 4,000 characters, single PDF file) explaining why they wish to apply to the degree programme in question, what their particular areas of interest in this field are, and what their objectives and hopes are regarding the studies at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture. Applicants should specify their personal strengths and areas of interest, artistic visions and objectives.
Lack of this application document will adversely affect the evaluation of the application.
Portfolio
The applicant’s name, address, phone number and the major applied for must be clearly visible on the first page of the portfolio. The recommended size of the portfolio is 20–30 pages, and it must be uploaded to the system as one (single) PDF file. A link to a portfolio on the applicant’s website is not sufficient.
The portfolio may consist of photos of individual artworks, sets of artworks, and documentation of exhibitions. The portfolio must showcase the applicant’s previous academic, professional and/or scientific activity in a diverse and comprehensive manner. The applicant may also submit one link to a video file (e.g. Vimeo, YouTube) with or without password protection as parts of the portfolio. The maximum duration of the work is 5 minutes (an edited file presenting one or several works). The possible password must be provided in the portfolio.
The title and/or theme of the work, the method of production, the material used, the size, the purpose and the year of completion and, if applicable, the place where the work was exhibited, displayed or published must be mentioned for each work.
Maximum size of the Portfolio is 1.0 GB. Name the file Portfolio-lastname-firstname.pdf. If your portfolio contains password protected video links, include the password(s) in your portfolio. If a portfolio is not uploaded to the online application form by the deadline, the application will be rejected.
Lack of this application document will affect adversely the evaluation of the application.
CV
The applicant’s curriculum vitae (single PDF file) with personal data, educational background, work experience, exhibitions, published literature and articles, awards and grants, study trips and positions of trust must be attached to the application.
Lack of this application document will adversely affect the evaluation of the application.
Language of application documents
The application documents must be submitted in Finnish (Swedish) or English.