Types of instruction and examinations

Courses

There are two basic kinds of courses at the University of Helsinki: lecture courses and reading courses. Students taking a lecture course must pass a final examination after attending the course, while those taking a reading course must pass a faculty examination. A Finnish specialty, faculty examinations (set book examinations), are arranged usually once a month. Oral examinations are unusual. Although there is no summer term, some departments also arrange examinations in the summer.

Seminars and small groups

Other typical ways of completing a course are seminar groups and other study groups, in which students get accustomed to independent research. The use of modern information and communication technologies are in many ways changing everyday life in teaching and learning.

Examinations

At graduate level, language does not tend to be a problem in examinations, as many departments accept all written assignments in English. Students can also make arrangements to write a research paper or essay in place of a written examination. However, these practices vary according to the degree programme/major. International students often choose faculty examinations in order to bypass a lecture series arranged in Finnish and/or to read the material at their own pace.