In HelsinkiUNI International Talent Programme (UNItalent) a company starts hosting a group of international students and doctoral researchers from the University of Helsinki. Through the programme the company provides the students information about their organisation and industry. In the 3 month long process the company has the opportunity to look at their own level of internationality.
"By taking part in the programme, we gained really valuable information about the students’ mind-set, skills and motivation. It also helped us to look at our own level of internationalisation and understand how we could develop our organisation."
Outi, Senior Advisor for International Relations, City of Helsinki
For the upcoming 2024 season, the HelsinkiUNI International Talent programme is open to all international students and doctoral researchers at the University of Helsinki. Below you will find descriptions of the programmes that participated in the 2022 - 2023 period. The University of Helsinki has a total of 36 international Master's programmes and 33 doctoral programmes.
The Master's Programme in Russian Studies gives tools to understand diverse social, political, and cultural phenomena and processes, and to identify their importance for Russia and the world at large. In the curriculum can be found themes such as
In addition to academic courses there are project courses focusing on strengthening students' professional skills such as critical thinking, knowledge production, and project work. An understanding of Russia is needed in many areas of society. Read more about the Master's Programme in Russian Studies.
The Master’s Programme in Intercultural Encounters is a genuinely interdisciplinary programme where students can grow their expertise in cultural understanding. The programme provides insight into the diversified world from different perspectives such as
Students will be able to act and grow in multidisciplinary and multicultural groups and deal with issues of intercultural interaction, diversity, internationalisation, media and power. Read more about the Master’s Programme in Intercultural Encounters.
Understanding Europe today requires much more than understanding the process of European integration. The tensions, challenges and possibilities that are manifesting themselves today have their roots in a longer political, social and cultural history.
In the Master's Programme in European and Nordic Studies (ENS), students are taken back to these roots and gain a profound understanding of Europe in all of its historical, political and cultural diversity. It is also a unique programme in the Nordic countries where you can specialise in Nordic Studies in English.
There are two study tracks. Students are either
Read more about Master's Programme in European and Nordic Studies.
The Master's Programme in Global Politics and Communication is an interdisciplinary and innovative Master’s degree programme that addresses the key challenges of globalisation from the perspective of media and communication studies, organisation research and global political economy. Students specialize in one of the following tracks
The programme emphasises developing your critical thinking, a necessary skill in many careers. Read more about the Master's Programme in Global Politics and Communication.
The Master’s Programme in Urban Studies and Planning (USP) prepares students to excel as professionals capable of understanding and addressing complex urban development challenges. USP is a joint programme between the University of Helsinki and Aalto University.
There are three study tracks in the Master’s programme:
Urban challenge themes are explored theoretically through perspectives from the different areas and are addressed practically through experiential learning within specific cases, sites or initiatives. Read more about the Master’s Programme in Urban Studies and Planning.
As societies become increasingly diverse, change rapidly, and are confronted with inequalities, there is a growing need for professionals trained in the analysis of these dynamics. Master's Programme in Contemporary Societies focuses on the key themes in the dynamics of contemporary societies both in a European and a global context.
The following thematic pathways are available for students:
The teaching in the programme is organised so that you can acquire expertise and skills relevant for working life as well as qualifications for doctoral studies. Read more about the Master’s programme in Contemporary Societies.
Master’s Programme in Changing Education gives an understanding of education as a dynamic and transformable construct from the individual neural level to global policies. Studies are theory-driven, science-based and hands-on and you gain the knowledge and skills to analyse, develop and influence the practices and structures of education systems, institutions, teaching and pedagogical issue. The programme is structured around three topic areas:
Students will be able to work on education-related issues as a well-qualified professional within administration, development, research and training. Read more about the Master’s Programme in Changing Education.
Master’s Programme in Computer Science gives tools to create new network solutions, build the future digital society, develop secure digital services, or be involved in a ground-breaking international software project. The study tracks in the Master’s Programme for Computer Science are:
Students gain lasting professional skills for specialist, design, or managerial posts in the corporate world, or for research and doctoral education, since the Master’s programme in computer science gives you the aptitude for both independent working and multidisciplinary teamwork. Read more about the Master’s Programme in Computer Science.
Data science combines computer science and statistics to solve exciting data-intensive problems in industry and many fields of science. In the interdisciplinary Master's Programme in Data Science, students are trained to work in data-intensive areas of industry and science, with the skills and knowledge needed to construct solutions to complex data analysis problems. For example students will be able to:
Especially in applied data science, also problem-based learning methods are used, so that students can address real-world issues. Read more about the Master's Programme in Data Science.
Translational medicine aims to facilitate new therapies and medical procedures by implementing research findings in patient care, and by applying clinical data in research. This requires understanding of both science and medicine. The Master's Programme in Translational medicine has five study tracks, of which students may choose their preference during the first study year:
The students have ample opportunities for direct interactions with both researchers and clinicians to adopt and practice interdisciplinary communication skills. Read more about the Master's Programme in Translational Medicine.
The Master's Programme in Geology and Geophysics trains experts in geosciences to address pressing questions concerning our planet's evolution, its role as the source of raw materials needed by modern civilisation, and environmental issues. The programme includes four study tracks, each of which provide an opportunity to specialise as an expert in the vast field of geosciences:
Petrology and Economic Geology
Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology
Palaeontology and Global Change
Solid Earth Geophysics.
The Master's Degree in Geology and Geophysics offers a wide range of career opportunities – there is a high demand of expertise in geosciences in many fields. A significant number of the graduates continue their academic career with basic and applied research.
Read more about the Master's Programme in Geology and Geophysics.
The Master’s Programme focuses on human nutrition, food-related behaviour and food consumption from the perspectives of public health nutrition, nutrition physiology and the social sciences. The programme includes two study lines – human nutrition and food-related behaviour.
The goal of the Master’s programme is that the student
understands the significance of nutrition to human physiology and health
learns to analyse the physiological, psychological, social and cultural aspects that are linked to food choices of individuals and communities
recognise the diversity of food and nutritional issues and ways to influence them.
Read more about the Master’s Programme in Human Nutrition and Food Related Behavior.
What is special about the human mind that makes language possible? Why are there so many different languages in the world? Does your mobile device really understand what you are saying? Can we save languages that are spoken by a very small number of people? Why doesn't computer-synthesised speech sound human? Are some languages more complex than others?
Linguistic Diversity and Digital Humanities (LingDig) is an integrated international programme that offers their students an in-depth training supplemented with broad multi-disciplinary perspectives.
Students in the programme can choose among five study tracks:
General Linguistics broadens and deepens knowledge in a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches to language structure and language in use. Phonetics introduces tools for working with the articulatory, acoustic and perceptual aspects of human speech from a multidisciplinary perspective. Language Technology focuses on the development of models and tools that can process and generate human languages. Cognitive Science is the multidisciplinary study of the mind. Digital humanities is a scholarly field situated in-between divergent research cultures and approaches, where typically data science methodology is applied in social sciences and humanities research.
Read more about The Master's Programme in Linguistic Diversity and Digital Humanities.
The multidisciplinary Master’s Programme in Life Science Informatics (LSI) integrates research excellence and research infrastructures in the Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE). It is designed for students with a background in mathematics, computer science and statistics, as well as for students with these disciplines as a minor in their bachelor’s degree, with their major being, for example, ecology, evolutionary biology or genetics. The specialization tracks of the programme are: Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine, Biomathematics, Biostatistics, and Eco-evolutionary informatics. Our graduates, for example, will:
Read more about The Master's Programme in Life Science Informatics.
In this degree programme the students focus on multidisciplinary questions such as: how do genes regulate the development and functioning of cells, tissues and organisms? How do molecules, cells and tissues function and communicate with each other, and how are their functions studied? Studying these questions is crucial for understanding molecular and cellular mechanisms, whose disruption can contribute to the onset and progression of various diseases.
The students acquire knowledge and skills in modern genetics and molecular biosciences. They can specialise in Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Cell and Developmental Biology, Genetics and Genomics or Molecular Analytical Health Biosciences.
Read more about The Master's Programme in Genetics and Molecular Biosciences.
How to solve fundamental environmental problems? How is knowledge of microbiology applied in medicine and industry, or in food production? What research techniques are used to study viruses, bacteria and other microbes?
In this Master's Programme the students focus on finding answers to these and many other important questions. They learn about the global significance of microbes as processors of life and the environment. The students will gain the potential and the tools for the development of new innovations in microbial biotechnological applications.
Read more about The Master's Programme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology.
The Master’s Programme offers the opportunity to obtain a comprehensive overview of the life cycle of drugs and their use. The study program combines compulsory and optional courses with study tracks that focus on three possible subdisciplines: 1) drug discovery and pharmacology, 2) drug development and 3) medication safety and effectiveness.
The programme combines research-oriented studies and high-quality pedagogical methods and integrates the perspective of Green and Sustainable Pharmacy into the curriculum, essential for managing the global sustainability challenge.
Read more about The Master's Programme Pharmaceutical Research, Development and Safety.
Since 2020 the HelsinkiUNI International Talent Programme has been participated by over 250 students and 20 organisations. Around 40–50% of organisations register for another season of the programme.The previous host organisations include for example The City of Helsinki, Optimapharm, Metsä Group, Finnish Institute of International Affairs and Business Finland. Read more about the experiences from the programme from the link attached!
"Not only did we get new perspectives, but we also had the chance to receive feedback on how to reach young people as a target group for our future projects."
- Heidi, Head of Communication, Nordic Culture Point.
For the season 2024, 11 organisations are participating in the programme: City of Helsinki, Fiskars, Helsinki Think Company, Finnish Institute of International Affairs, National Institute for Health and Wellbeing, AphaSense, Family Federation of Finland, Otava Learning, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Alfa Mobility and Finnish National Agency for Education.
Other organisations that have previously participated in the programme include Afry, Moniheli, Metsä Group, Forum Virium Helsinki, Helsinki Games Capital, Neogames, Family Federation of Finland, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and Finnish National Agency for Education.
The call for new partners for the season 2024 will open in May 2023.
The deadline for companies and organisations to register for the 2024 UNITalent programme has closed.
If your organisation is interested in participating in the UNITalent programme in 2025, please contact the University of Helsinki Career Services: careerservices@helsinki.fi.