Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related speciality.

In order to qualify for the studies in Tallinn University of Technology an applicant has to have at least 60% of the highest possible CGPA.

In order to apply, a candidate is required to upload a Test-taker Score Report of the GRE General Test to the DreamApply application system with the necessary threshold scores:

• Verbal Reasoning at least 145
• Quantitative Reasoning at least 150
• Analytical Writing score at least 3.0

This is a prerequisite for qualifying and has to be fulfilled latest by the application deadline.

Candidates who have obtained a full Bachelor's degree in EU, EFTA or OECD member state are waived from the GRE requirement.

Please see more information about our GRE General Test requirement here, including the exact eligibility criteria for being exempted from this prerequisite and how to order the test result electronically to TalTech.

The motivation letter provides an overview of how the future student is motivated to study at the programme chosen. It should give an overview of the candidate's background and define clearly, why he/she wishes to study at Marine Engineering master’s programme. 

Please include/discuss the following:

• an overview of the applicant's education and work history (please present how your previous studies, activities and experience are relevant for studying Marine Engineering);
• willingness to acquire professional competences;
• the student's expectations for master's studies;
• vision of the professional career.

NB! It is important to properly cite and reference any sources used in your motivation letter (quotations, publications, ideas etc. that are not your own). Additionally, AI-generated text is not acceptable as the purpose of the motivation letter is to show the applicant’s genuine motivation. Neglecting the aforementioned principles will result in the disqualification of your application. 

Evaluation criteria for motivation letter

A candidate: 

• justifies his/her desire to study and his/her interest in the speciality (15%);
• evaluates his/her learning motivation to complete the study programme (35%);
• analyses/justifies the necessity of master’s studies in the context of his professional development and career (35%);
• presents a vision of his/her expected academic/professional status after completing the curriculum (15%).

The letter of motivation is evaluated on a scale of 0-5 points.

During the interview, the same topics covered in the motivation letter will be discussed. The interview lasts approximately 20-30 minutes.

The following topics will be discussed:

• desire to start master’s studies and interest in the study programme;
• the candidate's learning motivation to complete the programme;
• the necessity of the master’s studies to facilitate the candidate's professional development and career;
• the candidate's vision of his/her academic/professional status after acquiring the master’s degree.​​​​​​

Evaluation criteria for the interview

The result of the interview is evaluated on a scale of 0-5 points. A combined score of 5-10 points for the motivation letter and interview is considered positive. In case of not appearing for the interview, the aggregate result is 0 points.

Admission level (5-10 points) is achieved if:

• the candidate can clearly justify the motivation to study at the master's programme in Marine Engineering and his/her interest in the current topical problems in the field;
• the candidate has a good general understanding of the content of the curriculum and its focus;
• the candidate understands the aspects and issues of the maritime field and its connections with other areas, such as transport, economy and environmental protection;
• the candidate is motivated to complete the whole curriculum and can assess the obstacles he/she may encounter, and can consider how to combine work and studies;
• the candidate can refer to the developments and career opportunities on the labour market and/or towards continuing studies at PhD level;
• the candidate can fluently discuss and expand on the topics of the motivation letter prepared by him/herself;
• the candidate demonstrates good oral expression skills in communication on professional topics.

Admission level is not achieved (0-4.99 points) if: 

• the candidate is interested in studying at the curriculum, but lacks a clear understanding of the content and outcome of the curriculum. The required basic knowledge and readiness for self-development are lacking;
• the candidate has no understanding of the content of the curriculum and its focus;
• the candidate does not understand the specific nature of maritime field and its connection with other areas, such as transport, economy or environmental protection;
• the candidate is unable to justify the desire to study at the Marine Engineering curriculum and its need for professional or academic activities. Combining studies with work or other extracurricular activities appears too complicated, and the risk of dropping out of studies is high;
• the candidate does not have an idea of ​​his/her professional specialization in the long term and does not know how to relate the master's studies in Marine Engineering to his professional development;
• the candidate does not know how to discuss the topics of the motivation letter prepared by him/her;
• the candidate has a significant language barrier to participate in studies or communicate on professional topics.