The idea of a Master’s degree obtained from a university of applied sciences is a rather new one in Finland. Like in Sweden and Germany, in Finland higher education institutions are divided into the more vocationally inclined “universities of applied sciences” (Ammattikor-
keakoulu or AMK) and science universities.

Since the turn of the millennium, the two have been moving closer to each other in accordance with the EU’s so-called Bologna process, which aims to make all member states’ education systems compatible with each other. Both systems have adopted a three-cycle model for degree.

A MASTER’S degree in business administration (MBA) is valued by many in the highly competitive field of business, although the dizzying variety of degree programmes, curriculums and accreditations available can be extremely confusing. To add to the jumbled mix of commercial tuition-based MBA programmes, the Finnish education system now produces its very own brand of MBAs.

As a result of long negotionations on nomenclature, Master of Business Administration is the chosen official English language name for the second-cycle degree in business obtained from a Finnish university of applied sciences (AMK). On the other hand, many schools...

The Open School model has been tested in Kasavuori School in Kauniainen. According to Principal Riitta Rekiranta, the model is easy to use. And it has produced savings.

“The pupils needed perhaps 15 seconds to learn the system, the teachers closer to 15 minutes.”

Rekiranta describes the earlier situation as “chaotic.” The school had computers, but their functionality was touch and go.

Maintaining IT systems and purchasing hardware can leave a serious dent in a school’s budget. One reason for the exorbitant cost of IT is the closed source code of most commercial computer software, forcing users to pay steep licensing costs.

Updating software programmed with closed source code is often cumbersome. Moreover, much of the latest software requires up-to-date, high-speed hardware just to function properly.

“The need for IT technology in schools is growing all the time, but the resources aren’t,” notes Elias Aarnio from the Finnish Centre for Open Source Solutions (COSS).

Several changes need to be considered if Finland is to decrease the average age of students entering higher education.

A new report evaluating Finland’s innovation system has highlighted the delayed entry of Finland’s highly educated people into the workforce. The average age of new university students in Finland is 21.6 years, and the median age of graduates is 28, among the highest in the OECD.

The innovation report is not the first to consider the problem of ‘late graduation’. Finnish students are late starters, but factors also slow down transition to working life.

Finland is attracting more foreign students than ever before, but university services are struggling to keep up with demand.

News that hundreds of international students are facing a housing shortage in Helsinki highlights one of the challenges foreigners face when they come to study in Finland.

Seija Anttonen, head of International Exchange Services at the University of Helsinki, hopes that enough rooms can be found with private property owners as part of a new student-housing...

Foreign degree students often face a hard time integrating into Finnish society after graduation. Many projects have sprung up around Finland to help the transition to working life.

NON-FINNISH degree students in Finnish colleges rarely remain here after their studies. With fresh college degrees in hand, foreign graduates often see the doors to the Finnish job market slam shut in their face, most commonly for language reasons. Breaking into the native social circles is no less difficult, especially in smaller communities. It’s no wonder a great many foreign students never even finish their degree, but skip the country halfway through.

According to a popular saying, being born in Finland is like winning the lottery. From my experience, studying at an institute of higher education here is also pretty much like hitting the jackpot. Attending the University of Helsinki has been a real eye-opener and has prompted a lot of thought about how societies could ideally be organised. Rather than facing a multitude of obstacles, students in Finland are encouraged and supported in pursuing their studies.