Study planning and PSP guidance

By selecting a degree programme you are able to see the general content as well as the possible degree programme-specific content. You do not have to select a degree programme to see the Open University's instructions.

Your degree requirements include writing a personal study plan (PSP), a process that continues throughout the degree programme to support your progress and the development of your expertise. You receive support and guidance from the teacher assigned to this role and from Student Services.

You must create your study plan in the Sisu system, accessible from the main menu on this page. In your study plan, you indicate the studies you intend to complete at different stages of your degree. It is not necessary to draft the plan all at once; instead you can update it as your studies progress. You will also use your study plan in Sisu to register for courses and submit electronic applications. 

How to plan your studies

  1. Check the studies included in your degree either in Sisu or on the Degree structure pages in the Studies Service. 
  2. Explore the courses on offer: Where can I find courses? 
  3. Add courses to your study plan in Sisu if they do not yet appear in your plan. 
  4. Schedule your studies. To do this, you can use the template created by your degree programme. 
  5. Select the completion methods of studies (e.g., a lecture-based course or an examination). 
  6. When the registration period begins, go to the ‘Registration’ tab in Sisu. Further information is available at How do I register for my courses and exams? 

Basic principles for the study plan

  • It is not necessary to create the entire study plan for the whole duration of your degree. It is enough that you add to the plan the studies you wish to register for. You can edit your study plan whenever you wish. You must apply for the approval of any changes you make only if you do not follow the predetermined structure of your degree (see ‘Selections and applications during studies’). 
  • You can have several plans in Sisu, but only one of them can be your primary plan. You can register for courses only through the primary plan. The primary plan is also used, for example, to register decisions on the recognition or extension of studies. These decisions will not be transferred if you designate another study plan as your primary study plan, so select it carefully! 
  • If you hold several rights to study, create a separate primary plan for each of them. 
  • Sisu does not notify you if your studies have expired. Take the provisions on the expiry of studies into account when planning to incorporate previous studies into your degree. 

Selections and applications during studies

Sisu monitors and guides the selections you make against the structure of your degree programme. In the situations below, you may also need some of the electronic services and applications available through Sisu to ensure that your plan meets your needs.

  • Selecting a study track: If students in your degree programme are to select their study track during their studies, your selection will be confirmed by Student Services in Sisu. Before this is done, you can create separate study plans for alternative study tracks to see what you would study in the different tracks.   
  • Completing optional studies: The study plan has a separate section for optional studies, which may include detailed instructions for selecting studies. You can browse the optional studies offered by faculties on the Instructions website. Your study plan can incorporate not just modules, but also individual optional courses included in the section 'Other studies'. Detailed instructions with screenshots can be found in the instructions for study plans.
  • Completing studies at another higher education institution: Outline the stage of your degree where you would place a student exchange or studies completed under the Flexible Study Right Scheme (JOO). Further information on planning exchange studies can be found at Application process for exchange studies
  • Deviating from the degree structure: Under the free edit mode in Sisu, you can propose the establishment of personal study paths for your degree, for example, that a study module required for your degree be substituted with another study module you have previously completed at the University of Helsinki. Adjustments made under the free edit mode must always be submitted for approval to Student Services. Read the instructions for using the free edit mode.
  • You need not usually have your study plan separately approved. However, your plan may include sections or modules indicated as requiring separate approval. This means that their content will be reviewed by Student Services before your graduation. Instructions for applying for module content approval
  • Recognising prior learning: If you have previously completed studies elsewhere, outline the stage of your degree where you wish to place them. First carefully read the general principles of recognition and then ask for advice on selecting the correct application type, if necessary. You can apply for the inclusion and substitution of prior learning through your study plan. 
  • Changing degree requirements: As the curriculum period of your degree programme may change during your studies, the content of studies may also change. If that happens, it is recommended that you change a certain section of your study plan to the newer curriculum period or version to avoid needing to create a completely new plan. Instructions for changing the course or module version 
  • Selecting a master’s programme: Read about the master’s programme options offered by your degree programme, their criteria and their registration periods at Continuing to a master’s programme after completing a bachelor’s degree. When graduating with a bachelor’s degree, you select in your study plan the master’s programme in which you wish to continue. Your selection will be confirmed by Student Services. Instructions for selecting and confirming a master’s programme in Sisu.
  • If the duration of your right to study is about to expire before you graduate, you can apply in Sisu for an extension to your right to study. Instructions for applying for an extension 

Education coordinators and student advisors at Student Services process applications in Sisu. If you have questions about applications and electronic services in Sisu, you can contact your faculty’s Student Services. 

Sisu is a tool available to both you and the teacher assigned to provide you with guidance. Once you have been added to this teacher’s group, the teacher will have access to your study plan, and you can send each other questions and comments about the plan. Communication practices for the group are agreed separately in each degree programme. Please note that Student Services staff do not monitor comments, so you must contact them separately via email or other channels. Detailed information on guidance in Sisu can be found in the instructions for study plans. 

PSP guidance and other support for study planning

The goal of PSP guidance is to support the progress of your studies and the development of your expertise and help you find the right methods of learning for you. PSP guidance is also a way for you to interact with teachers and other students and become acquainted with your discipline.

A teacher providing guidance or a group of teachers is designated at the beginning of your studies to coordinate your PSP guidance. This teacher may also go by another title (e.g., PSP supervisor, teacher tutor or mentor) in your degree programme. Degree programmes may offer guidance in different ways, including separately agreed meetings or as part of specific courses. For further information on practices in your degree programme, please see the section specific to your degree programme on this page. 

PSP guidance allows you to reflect on the following issues with a teacher’s support: 

  • What your study-related goals and needs are
  • How you intend to progress in your studies
  • What your skills and professional goals are, how you will develop your expertise 
  • How different choices affect your goals

A carefully written study plan supports you in studying according to your goals, whether they relate to your target graduation date, the enhancement of expertise in a specific area or the balance between studies and other commitments. 

Both you and the teacher assigned to provide you with guidance are responsible for the guidance process. You are responsible for completing studies, attending guidance meetings and responding to the teacher’s attempts to contact you. Apart from the teacher, you will also receive support for planning and completing studies from the University advice and guidance services:

  • General student advice staff help with issues including the technical use of Sisu, registration for the academic year, the right to study and student benefits. Faculty-specific student advice staff help with issues such as writing study plans and having previous learning recognised through credit transfer.
  • International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation advises with issues including student exchange and the Flexible Study Right Scheme (JOO). 
  • Career Services supports you with traineeships, career counselling and similar matters. 
  • Study psychologists offer counselling to groups and individuals, supporting meaningful studying.

If you are unsure whom to contact for support, the Guidance Compass can help you find the right person or unit. 

Further information

For guidelines on student supervision, guidance and progress monitoring, please see this rector's decision (2017): Guidelines for academic supervision and guidance as well as the monitoring of student progress at the University of Helsinki (PDF).

How to plan your studies in Master's Programme in Theoretical and Computational Methods

  • Master's Programme in Theoretical and Computational Methods (TCM)

Draw up your study plan in Sisu when starting your Master's studies. See examples of possible degree structures and timing of studies in Master's Programme in Theoretical and Computational Methods. You can ask help from persons responsible for study guidance (listed below) or from education coordinator by e-mail.

After you have made the first version of your study plan you will be added to the steering group of the PSP supervisor of your own specialization. Information about the academic mentor will be sent to you via email. You will be automatically added to the group of the academic mentor in Sisu and together with your mentor you will finalize the study plan in the beginning of your studies. You can request follow-up meetings with your academic mentor, and we recommend to have at least one follow-up meeting every year.

The study guidance in Master's Programme in Theoretical and Computational Methods is divided according to the course codes in your study plan.

Courses with a code beginning with "TCM or PAP":
Study guidance: University lecturer Esko Keski-Vakkuri

Courses with a code beginning with "ATM":
Study guidance: Professor Veli-Matti Kerminen

Courses with a code beginning with "CSM or DATA":
Study guidance: Professor Kai Puolamäki

Courses with a code beginning with "KEM":
Study guidance: Academy Research Fellow Vivek Sharma

Courses with a code beginning with "MAST":
Study guidance: University researcher Paolo Muratore-Ginanneschi

Courses with a code beginning with "MATR":
Study guidance: University lecturer Antti Kuronen

 

Who should I contact?

What?

Who guides and advises?

When, how?

General orientation to studies

Education coordinator

Peer tutors

Beginning of studies

 

Drawing up study plan

Academic mentor

 

Beginning of studies

(Instructions: Study plan)

Discussing optional studies

Academic mentor

Beginning of studies, whenever needed

Choices deviating from the degree structure

Academic mentor

Education coordinator

Applications in Sisu

Individual guidance

(Instructions: Content approval and Free edit mode applications)

Recognition of prior learning

Academic mentor

Responsible teacher

Education coordinator

Applications in Sisu

Individual guidance

(Instructions: Recognition of prior learning)

Thesis

Thesis supervisor

Master’s studies seminar

Individual guidance

Advanced studies or specialisation studies in the student’s own discipline

Academic mentor

Thesis supervisor

 

Graduation

Education coordinator

(Contact: kumpula-student (at) helsinki.fi)

Graduation request in Sisu

Individual guidance

(Instructions: Graduation)

Generic academic skills, incl. study skills

Academic mentor

Guidance counsellor

(Contact: Guidance counsellor's services)

 

Professional skills and career planning

Academic mentor

Career advisors

(Contact: Career services)

Work experience

Optional courses

Traineeship

Career advisors

Work experience

Individual guidance

Planning student exchange

International exchange services

(Contact: International exchange services)

Individual guidance

(Instructions: Application process for exchange studies)

General guidance

Student advisor

Education coordinator

Individual guidance

 

More information about the study guidance in TCM Programme.

 

Instructions for those transferred from WebOodi to Sisu

These instructions apply only to students whose data were transferred from WebOodi to Sisu in May 2021.

Missing or deficient studies in the study plan

You may encounter a situation in which your previous studies are not displayed in the section of the study plan where you think they should be. This is often due to the studies having been recorded with a different code than the one appearing in your study plan (e.g., studies based on old degree requirements or completed at the Open University).

If the course you have planned and the course you have completed are indicated as equivalent in Sisu, you can add the missing course to your study plan. Otherwise, you can use the free edit mode. For details, please see the study plan instructions under Adding missing course credits to the study plan

If completed credits transferred from Oodi appear different under ‘My profile’ in Sisu (e.g., the course code appears longer than usual), read the instructions available at Potential issues with information transferred from Oodi.

If you created a study plan in Sisu before autumn 2020 and have not studied at the University since then, you must either update the plan or create a new primary plan according to these instructions: Sisu instructions: Updating your study plan created prior to 1 August 2020.