Careers

Upon graduating from the Master's Programme in Agricultural, Environmental and Resource Economics (AGERE), you will be a professional in applied economics in agricultural, environmental and resource-focused fields. Our graduates find employment in national and international markets. You will also have excellent qualifications to pursue PhD studies.
Career prospects

Our graduates have had success in finding meaningful employment and have secured careers in a variety of fields, for example:

  • at universities
  • in research institutes
  • through the public sector
  • in private businesses
  • as self-employed entrepreneurs

To further develop your expertise, you can pursue postgraduate studies in the doctoral programmes offered by the University of Helsinki or other universities in Finland or abroad.

Agricultural Economics

According to the labour market surveys conducted by the Finnish Association of Academic Agronomists, graduates from the study track in Agricultural Economics have been successful in finding employment – often before graduation. The programme alumni have found positions in various organisations in the public and private sectors in Finland. Many have also pursued international careers in Europe or further afield. This study programme provides you with wide-ranging skills for starting a business and for serving in various expert or managerial positions, even if the focus of studies is on applied agriculture. Consequently, possible job titles are numerous: specialist, teacher, entrepreneur, researcher, senior officer, product manager, head of finance, etc.

Environmental and Resource Economics

The study track Environmental and Resource Economics offers career paths in government, research, consultancy, industry, NGOs, and international organisations. Based on the recent career monitoring data covering the years 2003-2016, the main work assignments of graduates from the study track are related to:

  • Research (33 %)
  • Planning, development and government (31 %)
  • Consulting and education (10 %)
Alumni stories

Get a better view of the career possibilities and check out some stories about our alumni. 

What was their experience with studies and working life after graduation? What did their career path look like? How did they obtain their current work, and how do their studies apply to professional life? 

Apart from academic studies, I got a lot out of being active in our student organisation.
Career services

Studies are part of your career. 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, Career Services supports your career path and

  • gives career counselling and job seeking support, 
  • arranges info sessions, workshops and events, 
  • provides suitable job and traineeship offers for students,
  • shares university’s subsidy for traineeships and  
  • facilitates group mentoring programmes.
Group mentoring programme: UNITalent

Do you want to build a career in Finland? Get valuable insight into Finnish working life and build your professional networks by applying to our group mentoring programme. 

In the HelsinkiUNI International Talent Programme (UNITalent), a group of international talents is hosted by a local company or organisation. 

Successful applicants will get to:

  • learn about expert work first-hand from a local organisation.
  • hear about different kinds of career paths in a specific sector in Finland.
  • start building their professional network in Finland.
  • support the host in gaining an international perspective by sharing their perspective. 
  • learn career management skills. 

International master’s degree students at the University of Helsinki can apply as well as Finnish students who have completed their degree abroad.

Improve your career options with Finnish

Although international students can 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.

Doctoral education

Upon completing Master’s level studies, you get general eligibility for postgraduate studies. You will have excellent qualifications to enter PhD programmes in Environmental and Resource Economics as well as in Agriculture Economics in Finland and abroad. One possibility at the University of Helsinki is:

Where students work after graduation?

The University of Helsinki conducts career monitoring surveys to collect information on graduate employment and the skills needs of employers. Career monitoring aims to determine how well a university education can meet the requirements of professional life. The data collected are used, among other things, for developing the career skills of current students.

According to the surveys, general skills gained from the studies include :

  • the ability to describe their skills (this had been the most important factor for their employment)
  • the ability to learn and adopt new things as well as self-direction/initiative
  • cooperation skills
  • problem-solving skills and stress tolerance.
International experience, organisational work or hobbies, and social media activity have been important or highly important for the employment of some respondents, even though these factors don’t stand out at the University level"
Alumni of 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 about the programme