STEP Frequently Asked Questions (STEP FAQ)

Top 3 FAQs:

1. Equivalency certificate (vastaavuustodistus)

2. About the required documents

3. What if my teaching subject is not one of the STEP subjects?

1. When can I apply to STEP?

STEP application period starts in December 2012 for the academic year 2013–14. No applications will be accepted before the E-application forms open. The Admission Requirements will published on the STEP website as soon as they have been approved by the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences.

2. Who should I contact if I have questions that I can’t find answers to on the STEP Web?

Questions about applying to STEP should be sent to:

step-admissions (at) helsinki.fi

Questions about studying in STEP should be sent to:

step-info (at) helsinki.fi

3. How long does it take to complete the STEP studies?

The programme is designed in such a way that it can be completed in one academic year. You are strongly encouraged to do so as place in teaching groups are prioritized so that admitted students in a particular year have priority, and thus place in groups for other students cannot be guaranteed.

NB! STEP is a full-time study programme: the studies require full-time studying and they include a great deal of contact teaching where attendance is mandatory. Especially the teaching practices require a lot of time and schedules for them are done on the terms of the schools, so one cannot plan day-time work or other studies at the same time as teaching practice periods.

4. What documents do I have to send as attachments?

The required documents are different based on the selection group you are applying in.

i) If you are a degree student completing your Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the University of Helsinki:

1. Original Background Information Form (photo is mandatory) and two photocopies of it
2. Possible proof of language skills

ii) If you are a degree student completing your Master’s degree at the University of Helsinki and have completed your Bachelor’s degree elsewhere:

1. Original Background Information Form (photo is mandatory) and two photocopies of it
2. Possible proof of language skills
3. Proof or clarification from your own faculty that the studies in your Bachelor’s  degree (with which you gained admission into the Master’s programme) and the current Master’s degree programme together include at least 60 credits in credits in the teaching subject and are such that are required of a subject teacher in basic or general upper secondary education in Finland.

iii) If you are an applicant in the Separate Selection Quota with a previous Master’s degree:

1. Original Background Information Form (photo is mandatory) and two photocopies of it
2. Possible proof of language skills
3. Proof of a Master’ degree if not completed at the University of Helsinki, or, in case of non-Finnish degrees,  a decision on comparability of a higher university degree, given by the Finnish National Board of Education. (NB! The degree diploma must be for a Master's degree, not for a doctor or licenciate's degree)
4. Equivalency certificate (vastaavuustodistus in Finnish) for the basic and intermediate studies of at least 60 credits (or 35 study weeks) in the teaching subject and are such that are required of a subject teacher in basic or general upper secondary education in Finland.
5. Possible certificates of teaching experience, including position, hours and duration.

4. What is the equivalency certificate (vastaavuustodistus in Finnish) for the studies in the teaching subject?

The equivalency certificate is proof that the studies completed at the university for a certain subject correspond with the studies of that subject taught in basic/upper secondary education and are such that are required of a subject teacher in Finland (at least 60 credits of basic and intermediate studies).

5. Where can I get the equivalency certificate?

From the Faculty or Department of your teaching subject studies. You need the equivalency certificate if you have already completed your Master’s degree and are applying in Selection Group 2. (You will need to provide the equivalency certificate later when applying for a teaching position at a school, so it is not only for this application.)

Contact information of different subjects:

Faculty of Arts (English, French, German, History, Philosophy)
Päivi Väätänen, Planner of Study Affairs
paivi.vaatanen (at) helsinki.fi

Faculty of Behavioural Sciences (Psychology)
Hilkka Pakarinen, Academic Coordinator
psyko-opintoasiat (at) helsinki.fi

Faculty of Science
Chemistry
Seppo Lindroos, University Lecturer
seppo.lindroos (at) helsinki.fi

Mathematics
Hannu Honkasalo, Head of Office
hannu.honkasalo (at) helsinki.fi

Physics
Hanna-Mari Peurala, Planner of Study Affairs
hanna-mari.peurala (at) helsinki.fi

Faculty of Social Sciences (Social and Moral Philosophy)
Ilpo Halonen, Department Coordinator
ilpo.halonen (at) helsinki.fi

6. Why do I need an equivalency certificate?

The teaching profession in Finland is regulated. The qualifications required for different types of teaching posts have been determined in the Teaching Qualifications Decree (986/1998). The faculties/departments of different subjects decide on the requirements of the studies in a certain subject, of what is required of a subject teacher in basic or general upper secondary education.

Because of the nature of STEP, and the small group of admitted students, it is important that all students will be able to complete the programme, including teaching practices, in one academic year. Certain subject studies are required before a student teacher can partake in teaching practice. (See also Question 3.) STEP must request for the recognition of degrees and studies at the time of application so that we don't unfairly admit and educate students who might only later find out that their previous degrees and studies are not enough.

Please note that the requested documents (equivalency certificate, decision on comparability of a higher university degree) are not only for the application to this programme but also for the time when the applicant would apply for a teaching position at a school.

7. Where can I get the decision on comparability of a higher university degree?

From the Finnish National Board of Education (FNBE). You need to provide the decision on comparability of a higher university degree as an attachment to your application if your Master’s degree is from a non-Finnish university. Please allow sufficient time for applying for this document as the FNBE may have tight schedules.

8. I study in a Master’s programme at the UH but I’ve done my BA in a foreign country / in Finland at a university other than UH. What kind of proof or clarification do I need from my Faculty regarding my studies in the teaching subject?

A paper copy of an email confirmation or a similar kind of clarification from the Faculty (or Department) will be sufficient. The clarification should clearly state that the studies you have completed in your  BA and the current Master’s degree programme together include at least 60 credits in the teaching subject and are such that are required of a subject teacher in basic or general upper secondary education. The requirements of what is expected in the subject studies of a subject teacher are the responsibility of each particular Subject Department and/or Faculty (not the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences or Department of Teacher Education).

9. Can I apply to STEP if my teaching subject is not one of the STEP subjects?

Regretfully, you cannot. The available teaching subjects in the Subject Teacher Education Programme are restricted because a practice place in a field school where teaching is conducted in English cannot be guaranteed for all subjects, or because in some subjects it is not possible for foreign students to complement their foreign studies in English-medium courses at the University of Helsinki to match what is required of teachers’ subject studies in Finland. (The available subjects have partly changed from the previous year.)

Also, students are divided into Arts and Science groups, there cannot be too much variance between the subject didactics in each group.

If your teaching subject is not one of the our subjects, STEP recommends to take a look at the possibility to complete the vocational teacher education:

Haaga-Helia – School of Vocational Teacher Education

JAMK – Vocational Teacher Education

10. When do I have to have the 120 credits of previous studies completed?

You must have them done and registered as stipulated in the admission requirements. The requirements for STEP applicants are stricter than for applicants e.g. in the Finnish programme because our goal is that students will complete the programme in one academic year. The group of admitted students is small and having huge variance in participation from year to year would cause problems for arranging teaching groups and teaching.

11. Where do I complete the teaching practices?

STEP will organize practice places at field schools in the Greater Helsinki Area. The practice places will be at schools where teaching is conducted in English.

12. I have a study right in the Finnish Pedagogical Studies for Teachers programme. Can I switch my study right to STEP?

No, you have to apply to STEP separately. The programmes have different requirements.

13. I have a minor that is a STEP subject but my major is not one of the STEP subjects. Can I apply to STEP with my minor as the teaching subject?

No, you cannot. The study right in subject teacher education is tied to the major subject.

14. How can I prove my language skills?

Applicants applying to the Subject Teacher Education Programme in English (STEP) must have a high level of English skills in order to study efficiently and be involved in group discussions and exercises.

Applicants can prove their level of English skills by, for example, one of the following ways:
• completed English as a compulsory foreign language in a
Finnish higher education degree (English Academic and
Professional Skills, EAPS)
• study rights of English Philology or Translation of English
at the Department of Modern Languages at the University
of Helsinki (If you are a degree student at the University of Helsinki, STEP Admission secretary checks your study right at the end of the application period, so you do not have to send a document regarding your study right)

• secondary school education in English in one of the Nordic
Countries, Great Britain, Ireland, the U.S.A., Canada, Australia,
or New Zealand.
• equivalency certificate for the studies in English as a teaching
subject given by the Finnish National Board of Education
or a Faculty of Arts at a Finnish university
• for the full list of acceptable ways of indicating English skill
level, see
University of Helsinki: Language skills table.pdf

STEP requires the minimum scores or passing levels of the Academic level of the language skills table.

Admission into this programme does not guarantee necessary language skills to teach in an international or Finnish school as the matter is governed by the same decrees as for the general qualifications (Decree No. 986/1998, Decree No. 865/2005).

15. Will STEP also be offered in 2013?

Yes. The Subject Teacher Education Programme is part of the regular operations at the Department of Teacher Education so it will be offered annually.

Remember that STEP is for both Finnish and foreign students and it will not achieve all its goals without foreign or Finnish participants.