Career

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  

• 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.

Check out the Career Services on the Instructions for students “Work and Career” and “Traineeships”. 

As a Master of Science graduating from the Master’s Programme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, you will be well prepared to:

• continue your studies toward a doctoral degree
• specialise as a hospital microbiologist
• proceed directly to a career in working life

Statistically, the situation for microbiologists proceeding to employment has been very favourable. As a microbiology graduate, you can work in the following sectors:

• Research and development (universities, research institutes, companies)
• Surveillance/monitoring in healthcare, food and environment (food industry, drug and diagnostics industry, regulatory authority)
• Administration, professional roles and consultancy (companies, ministries, supervision offices, EU)
• Business and management (companies, ministries, supervisory offices, EU)
• Teaching and education (universities, universities of applied sciences, vocational schools, high schools, comprehensive schools, organisations). Please note that if you are admitted into the programme in 2019, you will not be able to apply for a study right in pedagogical studies during your Master's degree. However, you can apply for a study right after you have completed the Master's degree.

Would you like to build a career in Finland? Do you want to build professional networks during your studies and get valuable insight into Finnish working life? Then you should apply for the HelsinkiUNI International Talent Programme (HITP).    

HITP is a group mentoring programme where Finnish companies and organizations are brought together with international students to share ideas and to learn from each other.   

What will you gain from HITP?   

• Successful applicants are placed in a group and assigned a mentor from a Finnish company or organization. When applying you can choose which of the participating companies interest you the most.   
• You will receive support in growing your network among both professionals and fellow students. During the programme your group will meet 3–5 times online and/or on company premises. Themes for the meet-ups include a company introduction and an overview on current competency requirements and trends in that specific field.   
• When HITP has been completed, the students will have increased their network and knowledge about a certain sector in the Finnish labour market. 
   

You can find details about HITP and instructions for applying here HelsinkiUNI International Talent Programme. 

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.

As a graduate of the Master’s degree programme, you will be able to proceed to scientific postgraduate studies (i.e. doctoral degrees) in several fields of the biosciences. In addition to the disciplines of microbiological sciences and biotechnology, you could undertake a postgraduate degree in related sciences such as biomedicine and forest science.

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.

Find alumni of the University of Helsinki on LinkedIn.