Alternatively, you can find employment in media or publishing, business, or international organisations. English is used globally as the language of science, culture, business and tourism, and experts in English are required in all of these fields.
Studies are part of your career. At the University of Helsinki, all degrees include career planning. The Career Services at the University of Helsinki, in cooperation with degree programmes, supports the growth of your expert identity as part of your studies and with separate services.
From the start of your studies until one year after the completion of your degree, the Career Services supports your career path.
Career Services
Check out the Career Services on the Instructions for students “Work and Career” and “Traineeships”.
A degree in English Studies prepares you for example for careers in business, publishing, public administration and education.
With careful selection of supporting studies, you can find employment in government, the media, libraries and other cultural institutions, national and international organisations, or tourism.
If you complete pedagogical studies for subject teachers, you will be qualified to teach English at comprehensive and upper secondary schools in Finland.
After successfully completing your Master’s degree, you can also apply to continue your studies as a postgraduate student and later build a career as a university researcher or teacher.
The University of Helsinki has the most comprehensive selection of disciplines in Finland, making it easier for you to plan your specialization and supporting studies to benefit your future career.
Combined with mandatory pedagogical studies, a Master’s degree in English Studies gives you the qualifications required to become a language teacher.
In order to qualify as an English teacher in Finland, you must complete:
Please note that if you are admitted into the programme in 2019, you will not be able to apply for a study right in pedagogical studies during your Master's degree. However, you can apply for a study right after you have completed the Master's degree (so-called "non-degree studies").
Although it is easy for international students to get by with English in the Helsinki region, learning Finnish will significantly improve your career options after graduation.
The University of Helsinki offers free Finnish language courses for enrolled international degree students. The beginners and intermediate level courses are not only a way to learn the language, but you also learn more about Finnish culture and get to network with other international students across the fields.
Information about the Finnish courses for international students in the Instructions for students.
Would you like to build a career in Finland? Do you want to build professional networks during your studies and get valuable insight into Finnish working life? Then you should apply for the HelsinkiUNI International Talent Programme (UNITalent).
UNITalent is a programme where Finnish companies and international students are brought together to share ideas and to learn from each other.
What will you gain from UNITalent?
Read more here
After completing your Master of Arts degree, you can continue with postgraduate studies and apply to complete the Doctor of Philosophy degree.
The Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki is Finland’s leading centre of research in the humanities. The Faculty has a strong research orientation, and its research represents the top level in many fields, both in Europe and globally.
Doctoral programmes at the Faculty of Arts are:
More information about doctoral education at the University of Helsinki.
In honour of the University of Helsinki's 375th anniversary, the Faculty of Arts presented 375 humanists during 2015. Quite a few of them are alumni of linguistics related subjects.
After graduation, the world is wide open and full of possibilities. How can you venture forward to make the career path you want? What kind of work would you like to do? What kind of life should you lead? The Helsinki alumni community is there to support you as you transition from the University to the world of work.
All previous University of Helsinki degree and exchange students, as well as staff, are our alumni. As a member of the University of Helsinki alumni network, Finland’s largest network of experts, you get valuable support, knowledge and contacts for your working life.
More information about the Helsinki alumni community and its activities.