Department of Finnish, Finno-Ugrian and Scandinavian Studies

Department of Finnish, Finno-Ugrian and Scandinavian Studies

The Department of Finnish language and literature at the University of Helsinki is the largest teaching and research unit of its kind in the world. The Department offers a wide selection of undergraduate courses, it trains researchers and produces new research findings to answer the needs of Finnish society and international linguistics.

The Department has three degree programmes: Finnish Language, Finnish Literature and Finnish Language and Culture, the latter being designed for students studying Finnish as a second language. In addition, the Department is responsible for providing basic instruction in Finnish for all international students at the University and in academic writing to all Finnish students in the Faculty of Arts. It also participates in instruction at the Open University and the further education of teachers of Finnish as a second and foreign language.

The Department was chosen by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council as a national centre of excellence in university teaching for the periods 2001–2003 and 2004–2006.


All incoming students (both exchange and degree students) are kindly asked to read these following instructions on how to choose the appropriate Finnish language course.