Master's Degree

The Master's Degree in Military Sciences is a university degree comprising 120 ECTS. The Master’s Degree in Military Sciences includes the Army, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard and Officer Pilot programmes and the Executive Assistance Programme.

Senior Lieutenant's badge: two rosettes with a line between them.

The goal of the Master of Military Sciences degree is to provide the Finnish Defence Forces and the Border Guard with the highly trained officers needed for emergency and normal conditions, who are capable of extensively combining and applying theory and practice and continuing to further develop their skills.

The objective of the military sciences studies and military vocational studies done as part of an officer’s programme (Army, Navy, Air Force and Border Guard programmes) is to provide the students with the tools to act in various positions, including 

  • peacetime company commander (equiv.)
  • international company-level duties (equiv.)
  • wartime battalion, battle group and formation-level duties (equiv.)
  • wartime battalion commander and formation staff’s branch-specific and expert duties, based on the Service requirements. 

These master students will have the ability to apply scientific knowledge and skills in their jobs, the readiness to act as an expert and developer or their own branch and branch of science, and they are qualified to pursue a doctorate.

For the Border Guard, the goal of the degree is to provide it with officers qualified to act as the following:

  • first officers or commanding officers of patrol vessels,
  • chiefs of Border Guard Stations,
  • commanders of Border Jaeger Companies, 
  • chiefs of branch, and
  • pilots-in-command.

A civilian student from outside the Finnish Defence Forces can also be admitted as a student in the Executive Assistance Programme . Anyone with a suitable bachelor's degree from a university of applied sciences or university may apply for the Executive Assistance Programme. The goal of the Executive Assistance Programme is to provide highly educated experts for comprehensive national defence and cross-governmental cooperation in both for peacetime and wartime.  

Degree Structure

The military science studies of the Master of Military Sciences degree consists of tri-service studies, programme-specific studies and advanced studies.

Tri-service studies comprise of common studies, language and communication studies and electives. With the elective studies the students can select courses that will help increase their expertise, based on their own needs and interests. The objective of the language and communication studies is to improve the skills of the student in those areas. As part of their foreign language studies all of the students have the option to participate in the STANAG 6001 language proficiency exam. The resulting Standard Language Profile (SLP) does not have an effect on the final grading of the Master’s degree nor is passing a STANAG 6001 exam a requirement for graduation.

Soldiers studying in class

Programme-specific studies depend on the student’s Service and with them the student attains the key military scientific skills of their Service, branch or functional area. 

The military science studies of the Master of Military Sciences degree consist of tri-service studies, programme-specific studies and research studies. The advanced studies are military sciences studies that provides the student with the key skills of their programme. A Master’s thesis and research method studies are a part of the advanced studies.  The research studies are organized by the departments and the type of research studies depend on the field of research. The topic of the Master’s thesis determines which NDU department guides the student’s thesis writing.  The Officer Pilot Programme and the Executive Assistance Programme advanced studies include work placement or an internship for enhancing expertise.

Completing the Master’s degree

Commissioned officers can complete their master's studies generally after completing their Bachelor’s of Military Sciences Degree and after they have they have served in the Defence Forces or Border Guard for five years.  The master's studies take two years. Officers in the officer pilot's programme begin their Master's studies immediately after they have completed their Bachelor's degrees. They complete their studies over the course of seven years while continuing their flight service. The time allowed for completing a Master's degree is determined by the Defence Command and the Border Guard Headquarters.

The Executive Assistance Programme is completed in two years. Those civilians selected into these studies can be required to complete additional studies to fulfil the necessary prerequisites for a Master of Military Sciences Degree. The additional studies must be completed before the actual  Master degree studies begin.  The degree does not lead to a post in the Finnish Defence Forces.