Academic Calendar

Recognition of Studies

Personal Study Plan

Academic System

The Bologna Process aiming at creating a European Higher Education Area has led to a university degree reform in Finland. The new, two-cycle degree system came into force on August 1, 2005. The first cycle is the lower academic degree, the Bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS credits/3 years), and the second cycle the higher academic degree, the Master’s degree (120 ECTS credits/2 years). The third cycle encompasses postgraduate studies (leading to a postgraduate degree: Licentiate or Doctoral Degree).

Studies in a degree programme are usually classified as basic, subject/intermediate and advanced. A Bachelor’s degree 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 Master’s degree, students must complete an advanced study module and prepare a Master’s thesis. Some degrees require compulsory practical training; for others it is optional. Studies can be of different nature: compulsory (must be completed), alternative (student chooses from a set selection of courses a certain amount of studies), optional (student chooses freely studies for a certain amount of credits) or additional/extra (courses that are not required for the degree).

The optional pre-doctoral postgraduate degree of licentiate can be completed in two years of full-time study after the Master’s degree. The Licentiate Degree consists of either 20 ECTS credits in major and 40 ECTS credits in minor subjects, or 60 ECTS credits in major subject, plus a Licentiate’s Thesis. The doctoral degree consists of 20 ECTS credits in major and 40 ECTS credits in minor subjects or 60 ECTS credits in major subject (not required if the Licentiate’s degree is completed), plus a doctoral Thesis. The doctoral degree may be obtained without first having to take the licentiate. Furthermore, the Faculty of Medicine offers a possibility to specialise in various fields of medicine and dentistry. Full-time studies for a doctorate take approximately four years following the Master’s degree.

The degree system in medicine and dentistry continue to have only one cycle. In medicine, students study directly for the postgraduate degree of licentiate, which is 360 ECTS credits in total, with a normative study time of six years. The degree in dentistry is also the licentiate degree, which is 300 ECTS credits and takes five years.

Academic Calendar

At Finnish universities, the academic year begins on 1 August and ends on 31 July. The academic year consists of two semesters. The first starts in mid August or early September and ends in mid-December. The second semester begins in early January and ends in May. There is a break of two to three weeks at Christmas. In the spring semester, classes finish by early May but some exams can be taken up until the end of May. There is no summer semester, but during the summer, students can take exams, work on personal projects, or do research. Lectures and seminars are usually not offered from June to August, with the exception of field courses in botany, zoology and geography. Most of the libraries are open during the summer.

The actual starting and ending date of studies depends on the field of study and the courses taken.

Autumn Semester
September – December

Faculty of Medicine: August – December

Spring Semester
January – May

Recognition of Studies

All education in the University of Oulu is based on a joint European credit transfer system (ECTS) which facilitates international transparency and recognition of degrees at an international level. The education in the University is monitored through various quality assurance systems in order to enhance quality and improve international comparability. More information about the quality assurance system in the University of Oulu.

All degrees awarded from the University of Oulu are recognised by the Finnish Ministry of Education.

Personal Study Plan

The purpose of the Personal Study Plan (PSP) in the University of Oulu is to serve you and guide you through your studies and help you attain your career objectives. Each student makes his/her personal study plan at the beginning of studies. You will receive help on writing your PSP from the student advisor, the programme coordinator and your student tutor. Personal study plan usually consists of personal data (name, contact information), your study goals and objectives, study constraints, courses you are intending to complete and schedule, and other essential study factors, (such as data collection for Master’s thesis, study abroad, internships, etc.). The personal study plan can be revised when necessary!

Why PSP?

- You set your own goals for studying, you choose your specialization line, and thus you are able to write a concrete study plan to attain your Master’s Degree,
- You schedule your studies realistically,
- You are able to monitor your study progress,
- You discuss your choices with your professor/teacher,
- For your legal protection: a PSP certificate signed by your professor ensures that by completing the courses listed you will get your degree.