Career

Graduates of the Master’s Programme in Mathematics and Statistics can find employment outside the university or continue with one of the doctoral programmes.
Career prospects and competence

The programme gives you excellent capabilities for work in the public or private sector as an expert in mathematics and statistics, skills that are very sought after in the job market both in Finland and abroad. The banking, investment, and insurance fields, for instance, value mathematicians and statisticians very highly internationally. Many of our graduates work in research and development or as teachers in various educational institutions. Graduates from this programme have excellent chances to find employment corresponding to their education.

In actuarial mathematics, you can take additional courses elsewhere to gain an SHV degree (an actuary degree approved by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health). By combining the Master’s programme with courses in pedagogy, you can gain competence to work as a teacher.

Postgraduate studies

After graduating from the Master’s Programme in Mathematics and Statistics, you can apply for a doctoral programme either at the University of Helsinki or other universities in Finland or abroad.

A suitable doctoral programme at the University of Helsinki is, for example:

Other suitable doctoral programmes where mathematics and statistics are used:

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.

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