Welcome to study Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology

The staff and students of the programme warmly congratulate you and welcome you to our community! We all look forward to meeting you during the orientation week at the beginning of the autumn semester. 

During the orientation week you will start your studies together with your fellow students and you will meet the teachers and directors of the programme.  

Admission Services will provide you with more practical information about the University of Helsinki in the coming months. 

On behalf of the programme,
Sari Timonen
Director

What is it like to study in the Mas­ter’s Pro­gramme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology? What kind of career opportunities does the programme offer? How is life in Helsinki?

Find out what our students think by checking out the following stories:

• Former students Anna, Alma and Viktor say that .
• Interview with Sally Chesnut: . In this video, Sally talks about her studies in the programme.
• and talks about how he found the passion for this subject through his studies in microbiology.
• in the programme together with Sarah Butcher, professor of microbiology.

For questions about studying at the University of Helsinki and student life, you can . You can also  to get an overview of student life in Helsinki.

The teaching officially starts on 31 Aug 2026, but we highly recommend you take part in the orientation activities for the new students that take place the week before, starting as of 24 Aug 2026.

You will be assigned to a tutor group led by a senior student who will be your student tutor. Tutors will help with questions related to studying on our programme, give support with administrative matters and introduce you to the university campuses and facilities. This will make it easier for you to start your studies and life in Helsinki. Each student can choose a teacher tutor with whom you can discuss your personal study plan and goals.

The detailed information and schedule concerning your orientation and tutoring will be published in the Instructions for students in the summer.

As a student in the Master's Programme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, the  at the  will be your home base. Verdant Viikki Campus is surrounded by numerous research fields and has operated in front lines of the life sciences since 1946. The campus employs nearly 1,900 people and has more than 6,000 students. 

brings together students, researchers and people interested in entrepreneurship. One of their workspaces is at the Viikki campus offering free co-working spaces, boot camps, idea accelerator programmes, hackathons, mentoring and a community of like-minded individuals.

The international students in the Master's Programme in MMB can apply to the UNITalent Programme. It is designed to support international students in building professional networks in Finland and to gain insight into field specific working life. Students take part by attending monthly group meetings with hosting organisation for a period of three months. During the programme, the University Career Services also provides training in career management skills. The continuation of the programme will be decided in spring 2026.