Branches of Study

Master’s study is the second level (cycle) study of higher education, in the course of which a student deepens his or her specialised knowledge and skills and acquires knowledge and skills necessary for employment, independent work and Doctoral study. The standard period of Master's study is one to two years and the study volume is 60–120 ECTS credits. While the period of Master’s curricula may vary, as a rule, it takes two years to acquire a Master’s degree. One-year Master’s programmes are provided under certain preconditions (such as having work experience, a prior bachelor’s degree of at least four years, or holding a previous qualification of the same level in another field) and considering that some of the learning outcomes have already been achieved by the student. The integrated curricula of Bachelor’s study and Master’s study can also be seen as an exception. The learning outcomes of the Master’s study level correspond to the learning outcomes defined on the seventh level of the Estonian and European qualification framework.

Admission Requirements

The access requirement to Master's study is a Bachelor's degree or a corresponding qualification.

No tuition fee is charged from a full-time student who pursues an Estonian study programme and completes the study programme in full. A higher education institution has the right (but not an obligation) to demand partial reimbursement of study costs from students who study part-time, do not comply with the requirement of full-time study or following a curriculum, the language of instruction of which is other than Estonian. Some restrictions to the tuition-free higher education apply:

• Tuition-free higher education in Estonian is guaranteed only for first-time students at a given level of study. Graduates of a higher education level may re-enter a tuition-free programme at the same level after ten years have passed since their previous graduation.
• Students who interrupt their studies may return to tuition-free studies at the same level only once, provided that their earlier studies lasted less than one year (365 calendar days).
• Tuition-free study is allowed in only one higher education programme at a time, and simultaneous free study in both vocational and higher education will be restricted.  

Curriculum

The objective of each curriculum is to offer a student the knowledge and skills necessary for starting work or continuing studies. The Higher Education Act establishes uniform requirements for higher education curricula. The requirements concern the quality of studies, nominal period of the curriculum, the requirements for teaching staff, the conditions for access to studies and the conditions for completion of studies. 

All educational institutions have the right to develop curricula that fall within the framework of established general requirements and correspond to the profile of the institution; these curricula are approved by the board of the educational institution and registered in the Estonian Education Information System.

The Standard of Higher Education sets out the study results at higher education levels, which form the basis for the development of curricula. Learning outcomes mean knowledge, skills and attitudes acquired at the level which is necessary for completion of the study programme. Learning outcomes inform both the learner and employer of the skills and knowledge achieved by completing a specific curriculum.

One of the characteristics of a learning outcomes-based curriculum is its modular structure. By selecting modules, a student specialises in his or her main field of study and, if necessary, also in one or more secondary fields of study. For the purpose of specialising in a certain field of study, the educational institution offers the student necessary modules. The final selection of modules will be made by the student when compiling his or her own personal curriculum, i.e. selecting his or her elective and optional subjects. It is therefore possible that a student’s main field of study develops during completion of the curriculum.

It is important that the objectives and learning outcomes of the curricula are in correlation with the learning outcomes of the higher education level and through that also with the qualification framework: objectives and learning outcomes must be phrased in a way that they would enable the assessment of the knowledge and skills of a graduate of the curriculum; the name and structure of the curriculum and manner of carrying out study (teaching time, practice, individual work) must support the achievement of the objectives of the curriculum.

There are some differences between the qualification requirements for the teaching staff of universities and that for institutions of professional higher education (regarding the positions of a professor and a teacher). The qualification requirement of teaching staff is generally the existence of either a Doctoral or Master’s degree or a degree equal thereto, in addition, pedagogical skills and experience in supervising of students are required.

For graduation from any curriculum, it is necessary to pass a final examination or to defend a final thesis, with the exception of Doctoral study that ends with the defence of the Doctoral thesis.

Language of instruction is the language used in conducting studies, knowledge of which allows achieving study results at higher education levels. The language of instruction of the study programmes of the first and second level of higher education is Estonian or, by a decision of the higher education institution, a foreign language, provided that it is necessary for ensuring the quality of the studies or the availability of specialists with higher education and the resources required for the studies in the foreign language are available. The language of instruction and other languages required for achieving the learning outcomes are determined in the curriculum. The languages of instruction in a private higher education institution are decided by the owner of the private institution. A student with no command of Estonian shall be provided with an opportunity to learn Estonian profoundly during one academic year and, therefore, the standard period of his or her studies are prolonged by one year. Intensive national language study is financed through the operating grant allocated to the educational institution.

Educational institutions may recognise a person’s previous study results and professional experiences (RPL) to the extent and according to the principles established by the higher education institution and bearing in mind the principles established in the higher education standard. It is not possible, according to Estonian legislation, to take account of a person’s previous study results and professional experiences to compensate for a missing formal qualification in order to begin studies.

Higher education institutions may launch joint curricula. In case of a joint curriculum, study is carried out in two or more education institutions offering higher education that have cooperatively developed and approved the joint curriculum. If a part of the joint curriculum is carried out in an educational institution located abroad, the parts of the curriculum implemented in different countries must correspond to the requirements of these countries.

Teaching Methods

In higher education, the choice of teaching methods is made by individual teachers based on the course content and intended learning outcomes. A wide variety of interactive and learner-centred approaches is used to enhance student engagement, critical thinking, and the acquisition of both subject-specific and transversal skills. Common methods include seminars, flipped classrooms, case studies, project-based learning, and group work.

Digital learning environments such as Moodle are extensively used to support both classroom-based and distance learning. These platforms facilitate access to study materials, communication, assessment, and independent study. Higher education institutions continue to expand digital learning opportunities by developing web-based environments and supporting materials as part of standard course design.

Progression of Students

Higher education studies may be undertaken in the form of full-time study, part-time study or external study. People in full-time study and part-time study are considered students; those in external study are not considered students. The provisions of the Adult Education Act concerning formal education apply to external students; such provisions mainly deal with the right to get study leave. Students in external study cannot apply for education allowance or study loan.

In full-time study, a student shall cumulatively complete at least 75% of the study load required by the curriculum to be completed by the end of each academic year, and in part-time study – 50−75%. Upon enrolling in a higher education institution, the student decides whether they will study full-time or part-time in the first academic year, unless the study programme allows for studying only full-time. In the following academic years, the higher education institution shall base its decision of whether the student is studying full-time or part-time on the student’s completion of the study load required by the curriculum to be completed. The higher education institution transfers a student who does not meet the requirements of full-time study to part-time study.

The higher education institutions establish the general rules of study activities, as well conditions and procedures for dismissal of students from the university.

Employability

Most higher education institutions involve representatives of employers’ unions and vocational unions in the curriculum development process and final thesis defence committees. The role of higher education institutions in mediation of practical study places is increasingly acknowledged. Students are encouraged to choose issues related to actual problems of enterprises as themes of their course papers and final theses. Surveys on graduates provide institutions of higher education with valuable information in order to monitor the success of engagement of their graduates on the labour market but also to get feedback on the organisation and quality of study. In recent years, entrepreneurial study in non-economic specialisations has become increasingly important in order to ensure that students have wider competences for coping in professional life. An entrepreneurship programme has been called upon with an objective to implement a concept of learning that promotes entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial studies systematically at all levels and types of education, and to create a required methodology and learning materials to provide all learners with an opportunity to complete entrepreneurial studies.The programme for fostering entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial studies promotes entrepreneurship studies both in general, vocational and higher education.

More information on employability is provided on the page on Bachelor's study.

Student Assessment

Information on assessment is provided on the page on Bachelor's study.

Certification

Master’s study ends with the taking of a final examination or the defence of a thesis. A person who has completed Master’s study is issued free of charge a Diploma Supplement in English by the educational institution. The issued document certifying education includes the contents of the curriculum and the results of its completion (including form of study, conditions for completing the curriculum, names of subjects and their volumes in credit points, as well as grading systems (grade/assessment)), results of the quality assessment of the curriculum and level of the qualifications framework etc. A diploma supplement issued in Estonia follows the instructions of the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO/CEPES.

A person who has completed Master’s study may, under the conditions established by the Minister of Education and Research, be awarded a diploma cum laude. A diploma cum laude may be awarded to a graduate who has completed a study programme in full, defended their diploma paper or taken the final examination achieving a grade “A” and whose weighted average grade is 4.6 or higher, whereas all grades included in the diploma supplement shall be taken into consideration.