The international bachelor’s programmes are joined by a programme aiming for a first-cycle higher education degree when the University of Helsinki launches its first-ever English-language bachelor’s programme in its history in autumn 2019 at the Faculty of Science. The new Bachelor’s Programme in Science will cover all the exact natural sciences.
“The Programme is very broad in scope, which means that it will enable students to continue on to at least nine different master’s programmes at the Faculty,” says Professor Kai Nordlund, who was the chair of the group preparing the Programme.
The new Bachelor’s Programme in Science will cover all the exact natural sciences.
Most of the master’s programmes and all doctoral programmes at the Faculty of Science are already international. This means that in the future, it will be possible to complete all higher education degrees at the Faculty, from lowest to highest, in English.
An increasingly international metropolitan area
The need for an English-language bachelor’s programme arose from the increasingly international population of Helsinki. Already approximately 15% of the people of Helsinki are originally from countries other than Finland.
“Children of immigrant families have been able to complete most of their schooling in English, but all university-level science education has been available exclusively in Finnish and Swedish. The new Programme addresses the needs of such families,” says Paula Eerola, dean of the Faculty of Science.
The English-language Programme will not replace the Finnish- and Swedish-language programmes, but instead will work alongside them. Students can complete components from various programmes in different languages.
For Finnish-speaking students, the new Bachelor’s Programme provides the opportunity to gain international experience at home, as they can complete their entire degree path in English.
English, Finnish and Swedish
During the first academic year, the Programme will admit 50 students to begin their studies in autumn 2019. It will be possible to apply for the Programme either through the international application process in late 2018 and early 2019, or in the Finnish application process in spring 2019.
The degree includes six credits of compulsory language studies in Finnish, Swedish or both languages.
Like the English-language master’s programmes, the new Bachelor’s Programme carries tuition fees for students coming from outside the EU/EEA. However, the fees do not apply to holders of a permanent residence permit in Finland.
In addition to English, the degree includes six credits of compulsory language studies in Finnish, Swedish or both languages.
“Such language studies could help integration into Finland and employment after graduation,” says Kai Nordlund.
Read more about the Bachelor's programme in Science on the website of the programme.