Students from other faculties of the University of Helsinki may pursue a restricted amount of optional studies at the Faculty of Medicine. Read more on Instructions for students - Optional studies at the Faculty of Medicine.
Persons who are not, or have not been, enrolled as degree students at the University of Helsinki may be granted the right to complete non-degree studies. Non-degree students do not have the right to complete a degree at the University and do not enjoy the same benefits as enrolled students. The right to pursue non-degree studies applies only to those studies for which the right has been granted and is valid for a maximum of two years (non-degree courses for a maximum of one year) at a time. As a rule, the right to complete non-degree studies will not be granted if equivalent studies can be completed at the University of Helsinki Open University.
The right to complete non-degree studies can be granted to applicants who wish to improve their professional qualifications or to incorporate the studies in question in a degree to be completed at another educational institution. Non-degree studies are available in public health. In addition, at the proposal of the discipline professors (or programme director in dentistry), the right to pursue non-degree studies can be granted for completing individual courses if equivalent courses are not available at the applicant’s home institution or faculty. When making the decision, the Faculty will consider the applicant’s grounds for wishing to pursue the studies as well as the teaching resources of the unit responsible for teaching in the relevant discipline. The right to pursue non-degree studies must be applied for using the appropriate form available from Student Services.
The application deadlines are 15 April and 15 October. The dean will grant the right to pursue non-degree studies based on the statement submitted by the discipline professor (or programme director in dentistry) from the relevant unit.
The fee collected for non-degree studies is 15 euros per credit. The fee must be paid using the bank transfer slip attached to the decision on granting the right to pursue non-degree studies. Students must present a receipt of the paid fee to the unit responsible for teaching in the relevant discipline before they can begin their studies. The fees cannot be refunded.
All Finnish universities participate in the Flexible Study Right Scheme (JOO). The agreement allows degree students to include studies from other Finnish universities in their degree. Flexible studies are free of charge. The student must be registered for attendance in his or her home university to be able to apply for the flexible study right and to complete studies in another university.
The national JOO Flexible Study Rights Scheme enables students of the Faculty of Medicine to apply for the right to complete studies at another Finnish university if they are not offered at the University of Helsinki and the student intends to include the studies in a degree completed at the Faculty. The decision on granting the right is made by the target university, based on a supportive statement from the Faculty of Medicine. Because the Faculty will pay for the studies of its students in the Flexible Study Rights Scheme, it will give a supporting statement for no more than a module of optional studies (a maximum of 10 credits to be incorporated in an undergraduate degree). The application for studies to be pursued under the Flexible Study Rights Scheme must be submitted in the electronic application system. The decision to support an application will be made by Student Services.
The degree programmes at the Faculty of Medicine offer JOO-studies in a limited manner, please see Information on course selection. When applying for a study right based on the Flexible Study Right Scheme, the student’s home university must support the application for the right to be granted. When deciding on the right to study, the Faculty will consider teaching resources and any restrictions to participation in instruction. The Dean will grant the right to pursue flexible studies based on the endorsement of the director of the degree programme.