As an expert in materials research, your skills will be needed not only in research institutes and universities but also in high-tech industries as well as in hospitals. You can also continue your studies in doctoral programmes in Finland and abroad.
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”.
Experts in materials research are needed not only in research institutes and universities but also in high-tech industries as well as in hospitals. Employers of our graduates include industries like:
Many of our MSc graduates have also continued their studies in doctoral programmes in Finland and abroad.
Julia Viljanmaa initially became interested in working as a medical physicist during her first year as a meteorology student.
“I attended a session where various specialists told us how physics is applied in several fields. I became interested in medical physics and decided to change study tracks. Medical physics is one of the study tracks in the Master’s Programme in Materials Research, which is a genuinely multidisciplinary programme. I’m now using the knowledge and skills I gained during my studies in medical physics and materials physics in my job at an X-ray laboratory.”
Viljanmaa must still complete further training to qualify as a medical physicist. She has embarked on her doctoral studies at the Helsinki X-ray Laboratory.
“Although it sometimes feels as if nothing has changed since the Master’s programme because I’m continuing to work in a familiar environment at the University of Helsinki, I’ve actually learned a lot. I’m well-equipped to continue towards the qualification of a medical physicist.”
Within the programme, it is possible to obtain qualification as a radiation protection expert (RPE) and radiation protection officer (RPO). RPE and RPO are the official EU-wide names for personnel responsible for radiation protection in working environments. The education and examination are regulated by radiation authorities such as STUK in Finland. Note that teaching for RPE and RPO is given only in Finnish. The requirements for RPE and RPO are part of the medical physicist education programme when dealing with the use of ionization radiation in medical applications. For other applications, RPE and RPO status can be achieved by conducting theoretical courses and needed practical experience in the field in question.
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.
After completing the MSc degree you can apply to continue your studies in the Doctoral Programme in Materials Research and Nanosciences (MATRENA), the Doctoral Programme in Chemistry and Molecular Sciences (CHEMS) or the Doctoral Programme in Atmospheric Sciences (ATM-DP) at the University of Helsinki or in many similar programmes at other universities.
More information about doctoral education at the University of Helsinki.
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.