Scope and structure of the degree

Studies are measured in credits. Courses yield credits according to the workload required. One credit corresponds to approximately 27 hours of work. The average input of 1,600 hours needed to complete one year of studies corresponds to 60 credits.

The scope of first-cycle (bachelor’s) degrees is 180 credits, and that of second-cycle (master’s) degrees is 120 credits. The University of Helsinki has limited the number of credits that can be incorporated into degrees. You can incorporate up to 200 credits into a 180-credit bachelor’s degree and up to 135 credits into a 120-credit master’s degree.

Exceptions:

• Master of Arts (Psychology) degree: 150 cr
  • Completed after a bachelor’s degree
  • Your degree can incorporate up to 170 cr, but
  • If your degree includes pedagogical studies for teachers required for a subject teacher qualification, you can exceed the maximum scope of the degree.
• Licentiate of Veterinary Medicine degree: 180 cr
  • Completed after a bachelor’s degree
  • You can incorporate up to 200 cr into your degree.
• Licentiate of Medicine degree: 360 cr
  • Completed as a single-cycle degree
  • You can incorporate up to 400 cr into your degree.
• Licentiate of Dentistry degree: 330 cr
  • Completed as a single-cycle degree
  • You can incorporate up to 365 cr into your degree.

The above credit limits apply to students whose right to study commenced on or after 1 July 2017. If your right to study commenced before 1 July 2017, the number of credits to be incorporated into degrees may have been limited on a faculty-specific basis. Your right to study is considered to have commenced before 1 July 2017 if you were admitted through a transfer application procedure and your original right to study commenced before 1 August 2017.

From the degree structure of your degree programme, you can see what studies you need to complete for your degree. You can view the degree structure at the end of this page by selecting your degree programme from the menu above. You will also see the structure of your degree and information on the modules and courses after you have completed the study plan in Sisu. You can view the entire curriculum of your degree programme on the Curriculum and equivalence between curriculums page.

All Bachelor’s degrees completed at the University of Helsinki include:

• a minimum of 60 credits of studies in the field of the degree programme: the minimum scope of basic studies is 25 credits and the minimum scope of basic and intermediate studies in total is 60 credits. Intermediate studies include a thesis (6 cr) and a maturity test.
• language and communication studies, a minimum of 10 credits
• IT and data management studies, minimum 3 credits
• a career skills component, components preparing the student for expert positions, a minimum of 10 credits
• personal study plan in Sisu
• The Finnish Bachelor’s Graduate Survey (kandipalaute.fi)
• University of Helsinki student feedback
• optional studies in the student’s own degree programme or other degree programmes.

All Master’s degrees completed at the University of Helsinki include:

• advanced studies in the field of the degree programme (min. 60 credits) including a thesis (30 credits) and maturity test. Exception: for medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine, the scope of the thesis is 20 credits
• other studies, which can be studies in the field of the degree from the student’s own degree programme or other degree programmes to meet the minimum scope of the degree
• personal study plan in Sisu
• University of Helsinki student feedback

Degrees also include career orientation and expert identity studies and career planning.

Degree structure 2023-26 (pdf) valid starting from 1.8.2023

List of replacing courses OPS 2023-26 (excel) OPS-info slides (pdf) 

Degree structure 2022-23 (pdf)

Note! FOR-109 Ecosystem services: a comprehensive introduction to theory and applications – course is not organized anymore. You can replace the course with ECGS programme’s courses or AGERE-003 Economic valuation methods -course (in 2. period) or with AGERE-011 Socio-cultural valuation methods for integrated landscape management -course (in period 1). If the course in in your elective advanced studies, agree with you PSP-teacher with which course you replace it.

Degree structure 2020-21 and 2021-22 (pdf) 

Descriptions of the study units as one report (pdf)

Study tracks

You choose your study track in the beginning of your studies. There are two study tracks in the master's degree programme:

• Forest economics, business and society
• Forest ecology and management

In Forest ecology and management study track there are also 7 specialization lines of which one is chosen.

Elective studies

There are 32 cr or 37 cr of elective studies in your degree depending on your study track. You can choose studies from forest sciences or from other degree programmes to your electives.

In student's instructions you can find all faculties elective courses offered in theme Optional studies.

You can also choose Unipid study module Sustainable development 25 cr in you electives.

Qualifications

You can get the title of a professional forester, if you complete basics studies in forest sciences in addition to the master's degree programme.