Study Information

Finnish education system

Click to enlarge

The Finnish higher education system consists of two parallel sectors: universities and universities of applied sciences. The Ministry of Education and the National Board of Education are responsible for administering the education system at the central governmental level.

Universities, which are academic or artistic institutions, are characterised by scientific research and the higher education based on it. The degrees available are Bachelor's, Master's, licentiate and doctoral degrees. There is a two-tier degree structure in universities: in most fields of study, students first complete a lower (Bachelor's) university degree and then continue with the higher (Master's) university degree. The Master's degree entitles you to continue to licentiate or doctoral studies. The extent of studies required for a lower university degree is 180 credits and can be completed in three years. The higher university degree has a scope of 120 credits in most fields of study and can be completed in two years.

Universities of Applied Sciences are working life oriented and train professionals with a special emphasis on expertise in working life and its development. The Universities of applied sciences also carry out research and development activities relevant to their teaching as well as industry and commerce. A Bachelor's degree at a university of applied sciences requires 3.5–4.5 years of full-time study. In all fields, the curriculum comprises basic and professional studies, free-choice studies, practical training and a Bachelor's Thesis. A Master's degree at a university of applied sciences takes 1–2 years to complete. The minimum eligibility criteria for the Master's studies are a suitable Bachelor's Degree and a minimum of 3 years work experience within the field of the degree gained.

For more information, please see the website of the Ministry of Education

Further Information