Finite generation as a quotient of a finite free module

An R-module is finitely generated exactly when it is the image of a surjection from a finite free module $R^n$. Given generators $m_i$, send $(r_i)$ to ${\sum }_i{r}_i{m}_i$; conversely, the images of the standard free generators generate every such image. This criterion does not assert that the module is free: a quotient can have nontrivial relations.