Academic System

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

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.

Diploma Supplement

University of Oulu issues a Diploma Supplement automatically and free of charge to every student upon graduation. It is given in English and it is intended for international use.

A Diploma Supplement is a description of the nature, level, content and status of the awarded degree in the national system and it also gives information on the professional status of the qualification. The purpose is to improve international comparability of degrees and facilitate mobility either for postgraduate study or employment.

The Diploma Supplement includes an attachment of the student’s transcript of records and a description of the Finnish educational system.

Example of Bachelor's DS
Example of Master's DS

More information:
European Commision Website