All degrees include a personal study plan (PSP), which is drawn up using the study planning tool Sisu. In your study plan, you will outline the studies you intend to complete at different stages of your degree. You do not have to complete the plan all at once, but rather can continually update it as your studies progress. As of 31 May 2021, you will also use your study plan in Sisu to register for courses, as WebOodi has been replaced by Sisu.
At the beginning of studies, a teacher or a group of teachers responsible for PSP supervision will be assigned to each student. They will also assist students in finding answers to problems arising during studies. PSP supervision is an opportunity to interact with teachers and other students. Tutoring can be implemented in groups, peer groups or individually.
Once you have been added to a tutoring group in Sisu, you can receive direct feedback on your plan and answers to any relevant questions from your supervisor via Sisu. Check the study plan instructions for how to find your tutoring group in Sisu. However, you need not have your study plan approved by your supervisor every time you make changes to it.
In degree programmes where Sisu tutoring groups are not yet in use, feedback and supervision for study plans are provided through other channels according to the practices of each degree programme.
Tutors and Sisu tutors help you plan your studies.
All Finnish universities participate in the flexible study right scheme JOO, which provides undergraduate and postgraduate students with the opportunity to include studies completed at other Finnish universities in their degree.
Studies under the flexible study right scheme are free of charge to students. Students must be registered as attending at their home university to be able to apply for a flexible study right and complete studies at another Finnish university. Applications for the right to complete studies under the flexible study right scheme are supported only in the case of studies that can be included in the applicant’s degree and that cannot be completed at the University of Helsinki.
Information on the studies offered by Finnish universities under the flexible study right scheme, instructions for applying and a link to the application system are available on the JOOPAS Wiki.
Read more about JOO studies on the Instructions for Students website.
In addition to studies included in regular degrees, students of the Faculty can participate in a range of cross-disciplinary project-based courses, most of which can also be included in their degree. Many operators, for example, in the food industry, organise student-oriented innovation or brainstorming courses, with resulting inventions possibly even having commercial potential. The courses, which are typically implemented as groupwork, train students in career skills, such as collaboration and project management. They are also a concrete way of using the skills acquired during studies. Emails on project-based courses are occasionally sent by the parties involved in organising them, in addition to which course coordinators may give tips on suitable courses, since often the University of Helsinki is one of the organising parties. Read below descriptions of project-based courses by two Faculty students:
The aim is to complete studies worth 60 credits per year. If you think your studies are not progressing, please contact your PSP supervisor. They will guide you in the planning of a variety of study modules as well as instruct you in drawing up a suitable study plan. The Faculty supports you in any challenges relating to study progress.
You can also include a student exchange period and/or a traineeship in your studies.
You should consider the timetable and destination of your student exchange as early as possible. You can embark on a student exchange as a degree student of the University of Helsinki, and everyone has the opportunity to find a destination that’s suitable for them. The destination and timing of your planned exchange depends on several factors.
All bachelor’s degrees pursued at the University of Helsinki include a career module worth at least five credits, which is, in practice, a traineeship or project. All master’s degrees include career orientation and career planning.
Read more about instructions pertaining to student exchange and traineeships on the Instructions for Students website.
Students can give feedback on their studies each academic year in the form of both general feedback on the academic year and course-specific feedback. The feedback is used to develop studies and courses.
Have you given consideration to how you can influence the degree programme? Read more in these halloped stories by students.