NARIC guide on Higher Education Systems in the European Union

The university degree system has been undergoing a reform since the early 1990s. The revision of the degree programmes was
based on evaluations carried out by universities and the Council for Higher Education (predecessor of the Higher Education
Evaluation Council). The objective was to set up broad, flexible and internationally compatible programmes. Amendments to
degree legislation provide both universities and students with more freedom and flexibility with regard to the content of
studies. The reform has been carried out in most fields of study; the new regulations have applied to all fields since autumn
1997.
With the reform, most fields adopt a subject-based syllabus. The new degree structure usually consists of studies in one main
subject, or major (pääaine/huvudämne), and in one or more subsidiary subjects, or minors (sivuaine/biämne). In the old
system (in some fields, also in the new system) a degree was taken in a given koulutusohjelma/utbildningsprogram (degree
programme) which was defined as a multidisciplinary entity of studies concentrating upon a specific, socially relevant field
where scientific expertise is needed. The new system introduces a lower kandidaatti/kandidat (Bachelor’s) degree to nearly all
fields, whereas degree programmes in the old system used to lead directly to a higher Master’s level degree, which was called
kandidaatti/kandidat, too. The new higher degree is generally called maisteri/magister.
Studies in a subject (or a degree programme) are composed of study units (opintojakso/studieavsnitt). They may contain
several types of work: lectures and other instruction, exercises, essays or other independent work, set-book examinations,
seminars and so on. The units can be compulsory or optional, some units can be chosen quite freely. In all programmes, it is
possible to take extra courses in addition to those required for the degree. Increasingly, students do part of their studies at
other
universities in Finland or abroad.
The study units form larger entities of three levels: basic or introductory studies (perusopinnot/grundstudier), intermediate
(subject) studies (aineopinnot/ämnesstudier), and advanced studies (syventävät opinnot/fördjupade studier). In basic and
intermediate subject studies, students learn the fundamentals of the subject and scientific research. In the advanced studies
they go deeper into their subject and acquire the
ability to find and apply scientific knowledge.
The lower kandidaatti degree usually consists of basic and intermediate studies in the major subject, including a Bachelor’s
thesis, studies in one or more minor subjects and language studies. For the higher maisteri degree students must complete
advanced studies and prepare a Master’s thesis, on top of the kandidaatti curriculum (or the basic and subject studies of a
koulutusohjelma). There is also a written ‘maturity test’ essay (kypsyyskoe/mogenhetsprov) in both degrees, but if a student
has passed it for the Bachelor’s degree, it need not be repeated for the Master’s degree. Some degrees include compulsory
practical training, while in some others it is optional. All students must take courses in the native language (Finnish or
Swedish), in the second official language (Swedish or Finnish) and in one or two foreign languages.
The length of the degree programmes is given in credits (opintoviikko/studievecka, literally ‘study week’). One credit is
awarded for approximately 40 hours of work: lectures and other forms of instruction, exercises, seminars, and independent
work at home or in the library.
Learning is assessed continuously: lectures, courses, study modules and even larger entities usually end in a written (and oral)
examination. Universities use various scales of grades, usually the following:
satisfactory, (tyydyttävät tiedot/nöjaktiga insikter), good (hyvät tiedot/goda insikter), excellent (erinomaiset
tiedot/utmärkta insikter);
a scale from 1 (pass) to 3;
a scale from 1 (pass) to 5;
pass or fail.
The scale used for theses is usually one of the following two: approbatur (lowest accepted), lubenter approbatur, cum laude
approbatur, magna cum laude approbatur, eximia cum laude approbatur, laudatur; or: just satisfactory (tyydyttävä/nöjaktig),
satisfactory (erittäin tyydyttävä/
synnerligen nöjaktig), good (hyvä/god), very good (erittäin hyvä/synnerligen god), excellent (erinomainen/berömlig). Two
examples of university degree programmes are given in Appendices II and III.