Report of Postgraduate Education Standards
and Practices in Finland
An Internet-based Synopsis Report Compiled
by Mr. Heikki K. Auvinen,
Team Leader
IBF/AETS Consortium
(Draft in English)
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Preface
1.1 Postgraduate Education in Finland
1.2 Higher Education Institutions
1.3 The Degree System
1.4 Internationalization Process
1.5 Studying in English in Finland
1.6 Science and Technology Policy
1.7 Postgraduate Education Statistics
2 – Policy Issues and Regulatory Basis of Postgraduate Education
2.1 Policy Formulation in Postgraduate Education in Finland
2.2 Education Policy in Finland
2.3 Science Policy in Finland
2.4 University Legislation and Steering of the Universities
2.5 Core University Legislative Framework
2.6 Selected Finnish Higher/Postgraduate Education Laws/Degrees
3 – Internationalization of Finnish Postgraduate Education
3.1 Two generations of internationalization strategies
3.2 Establishment of CIMO in 1991
3.3 New Internationalization Strategy in 2001
3.4 Cooperation with European Union Bodies
3.5 Cooperation with other International Organisations
4 – Master’s Degree Studies Structure
4.1 General Information on Degrees
4.2 University Degree Structure – Master’s Degree
4.3 The Second-cycle University Degree
4.4 Certification in University Education
5 – Doctoral Degree Studies Structure
5.1 Graduate Schools
5.2 University Degree Structure - Doctoral Degree
5.3 Optional Licentiate or Doctorate Approaches
5.4 Degrees and the Objective of Doctoral Education
5.5 Prerequisites and Admission Procedure for Doctoral Studies
5.6 Structure of Doctoral Degrees
5.7 List of Doctoral Degrees Granted by Finnish Universities
6 – Postgraduate Studies with Professional Degrees
6.1 Professional and Adult Education at Universities
6.2 Master of Business Administration MBA
7 – Higher Education Institutions Providing Postgraduate Education
7.1 Universities offering Full Range of Higher Education in Finland
7.2 Finnish Virtual University
8 – ICT Support Systems and Information Literacy Standards
8.1 CSC – IT Centre for Science
8.2 Higher education databases in Finland
8.3 Eurybase Database
8.4 Information Literacy in Higher Education in Finland
8.5 IT-based Means for Learning and Planning Studies
9 – Quality Dimension and Quality Assurance Mechanisms
9.1 Premises of Quality Thinking in Higher Education
9.2 Instruments of Higher Education Quality Management
9.3 Evaluation of Higher Education in Finland
9.4 Policies for Quality Assurance in Finland
9.5 Accreditation of Higher Education
9.6 Accreditation of Professional Courses in Higher Education Institutions
9.7 Audit in Higher Education
9.8 Evaluation of Research in Finland
9.9 International Cooperation in Quality Assurance
10 – Funding and Counseling in Postgraduate Education
10.1 Funding of Universities in Finland
10.2. Finding of R & D Programs in Finland
10.3 Financial Aid System for Students
10.4 Financial Support to Foreign Students
10.5 Counseling and Guidance for Adult Students
10.6 Student Associations and Federations
11 – International Mobility in Finland
11.1 International Mobility is a Part of the Bologna Process
11.2 CIMO in Brief
11.3 Information on Student and Researcher Exchange
12 – Ethics, IPR Protection, Statistics and Current Issues
12.1. Research Ethics
12.2 Intellectual property rights and utilizing research results
12.3 Statistics and Statistical Cooperation in Higher Education
12.4 Current Issues in Finnish Postgraduate Education
Annexes
FLT1 – Universities Act No 645/1997 (PDF file)
FLT2 – Government Decree on University Degrees No 794/2004 (PDF file)
FLT3 – Government Decree on the S & T Policy Council of Finland No 847/2005 (PDF file)
FLT4 – Act of provision of information society services No 458/2002 (PDF file)
FLT5 – Act on Electronic Services & Communication in the Public Sector No 13/2003 (PDF file)
FLT6 – Act on the Protection Privacy in Electronic Communications No 516/2004 (PDF file)
FLT7 – Act on the Protection of Privacy in Working Life No759/2004) (PDF file)
LFT8 – Personal Data Act No 523/1999 (PDF file)
FLT9 – Domain Name Act No 228/2003 (PDF file)
LFT10 - Government Resolution on the Structural Development of the Public Research System (PDF file)
Preface
This report on Finland’s postgraduate education system standards and practices has been compiled as a part of the EC FWC project on Postgraduate Education Standards Development. The EC FWC project has the following overall objective:
The overall objective of the project has been to create science and technology and post-graduate sector standards and train Turkmenistan people to adopt them in a participatory and sustainable way.
The overall objective will be materialized through achieving the following five expected results:
Result 1 (Analysis of current situation in Turkmenistan and abroad): Analysis ofcurrent situation in Turkmenistan and in selected countries abroad are analysed and SCSTis able to determine development needs, including ICT skills and implement them into practice with the vision resulting in the analysis phase.
Result 2 (Information system design and its materialisation): The new vision and information assets and skills improvement program resulting from Result 1’s activities are available in digital form and are accessible through Turkmenistan’s existing S & T Portal and other internet facilities.
Result 3 (Regulatory framework of S & T and post-graduate education): A regulatory framework is in place for implementing and supervising use of international science, technology and post-graduate educational standards in the sector by the SCST in Turkmenistan.
Result 4 (Outlining of a sector modernisation programme for future interventions): Future development options for the sector have been identified and formulated in a way so that SCST can approach Turkmen authorities and international donors for further discussions in project design and setting up other aid delivery tools.
Result 5 (Design of genera/ICT training and materialisation of its pilot course): Training needs have been identified and pilot training courses designed and delivered for Turkmen authorities.
The content is also published in Internet at the Supreme Council for Science and Technology website, where similar data are gathered on Azerbaijan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Russia, as well as current situation in Turkmenistan with the similar approach as used in this report.
This hardcopy version of the Finland’s situation is a concrete sub-results under the Result 1 framework above. The report provides information on overall setup of postgraduate education in a country which has similar size in terms of population. Also, Finland is a good sample of country going through higher education reforms as part of EU-membership and general internationalisation process. That process Turkmenistan is now heading in rebuilding its postgraduate and science and technology capacities.
31.10.2008 PES Project
1 - General Description of Finnish Postgraduate Education
Abstract: This section describes briefly Finland’s Higher Education Institutions, the present Degree System, on-going Internationalization Process in the sector, what are the possibilities of Studying in English in Finland, Science and Technology Policy and furnishes readers with short information on Postgraduate Education Statistics
1.1 Postgraduate Education in Finland
With an established, well-respected and quality-controlled education system, Finland is becoming the choice of some of the world’s leading postgraduate students. Education is highly valued in Finland and the high standard of education forms one of the cornerstones of the Finnish national strategy.
The Finnish higher education system consists of two complementary sectors: polytechnics and universities. The mission of universities is to conduct scientific research and provide undergraduate and postgraduate education based on it.
1.2 Higher Education Institutions
20 universities and 29 polytechnics provide higher education in Finlandin 11 different cities and towns, which offer education in altogether 23 localities in Finland. All these institutions are internationally oriented and the country’s good reputation in higher education, combined with the wide range of courses offered in English, attracts interest among an increasing number of international students.
At present, Finnish institutions of higher education offer more than 350 study programmes in English. Some of these programmes are short courses that usually can only be taken as part of an exchange programme - other, broader-based programmes take several years to complete and lead to an official Finnish higher education degree.
1.3 The Degree System
In most fields of study, both Bachelor's and Master's degrees are conferred. It should be noted, however, that the three-four year Bachelor's degree is mostly regarded as an intermediate one, as the five-year Master's degree is the 'basic university degree' in the Finnish system of education.
The main post-graduate degree is the doctorate, which is earned mainly through independent, supervised research work. It should be possible to obtain the doctorate after three-four years of full-time study, although the typical studying times are often longer than this. Doctoral theses are, as a rule, published and defended in a public debate. In addition to the thesis, the postgraduate student is expected to participate in research seminars, and in some cases, to undertake subsidiary studies or produce scientific publications.
The quality of scientific research in Finland is high. Systematic, professional research training is available in about one hundred graduate schools that are attached to Finnish universities and cover all the main areas of research. Students attend top-level intensive courses and receive research tutoring in Finland’s leading research teams that work in close collaboration with other national and international research centres.
1.4 Internationalization Process
Throughout the 1990s, all universities have made efforts to internationalize their teaching and research functions - for example, by trying to attract increasing numbers of foreign students and scholars. Currently, some 2.2% of the 147,000 degree students enrolled in Finnish universities are foreign nationals. However, in scientific post-graduate studies the proportion of international students is as high as 5.5%, particularly as the number of students from Asian countries has grown noticeably over recent years.
The Centre for International Mobility (CIMO) and a number of other organisations grant scholarships for postgraduate studies and research in Finland. There are also certain scholarship programmes in which the grant is always applied by a hosting Finnish university department or university research institute.
CIMO awards scholarships for postgraduate students and young researchers who have completed a master or doctoral level degree, as well as for teachers and administrative staff from universities abroad. In general, there are two types of scholarships: individual scholarships which young researchers apply for themselves; and host fellowships which are applied for by the Finnish higher education departments wishing to host researchers and postgraduates.
1.5 Studying in English in Finland
There are currently dozens of degree-oriented programmes taught in English, and hundreds of shorter programmes which can usually be completed within an academic year. There is an especially wide range of 'area studies' programmes targeted at exchange students, as well as courses in Finnish language and culture for foreigners. The international programmes are listed annually in a publication called 'Study in Finland', published by the Centre for International Mobility, CIMO.
Exceptionally strong programmes exist in environmental studies, forestry, Arctic studies, industrial design, and Russian and East European studies - fields often presented as 'national areas of expertise'. However, Finnish universities are proud to offer post-graduate training at an internationally competitive level in several other areas as well. The development of both basic scientific research and applied research and development has been a priority of the Finnish government over the 1990s.
Many students are also surprised at the strong emphasis on self-study and the analysis of texts as a source of information compared with lectures. Additional, the close relationship enjoyed between postgraduate students and their teachers is often a surprise to international students - this is an important feature of the postgraduate experience and helps students to develop their own unique approach to studying.
1.6 Science and Technology Policy
The Science and Technology Policy Council of Finland, chaired by the Prime Minister, advises the Council of State and its Ministries in important matters concerning research, technology and their utilization and evaluation. The Council is responsible for the strategic development and coordination of Finnish science and technology policy as well as of the national innovation system as a whole. The Science and Technology Policy Council of Finland was established in March 1987. New Decree on the Science and Technology Policy Council of Finland came into force on 1 January 2006.
1.7 Postgraduate Education Statistics
The annual number of doctoral degrees more than doubled in Finland during the 1990s, and the growth has continued in the early years of the 21st century. In 2007 there were 1,523 new doctorate degrees. Women represented 50,6% of the doctorates in 2007, whereas in the early 1990s the corresponding figure was 33%.
In 2004 there were nearly 13,000 employees with doctoral degrees, which makes about 0.5% of the workforce. The employment of PhDs is good; the rate of unemployment among PhDs in Finland is among the lowest (2,2% in 2004) in international terms. The overall unemployment rate in Finland was 6% in December 2007. Most PhDs work in the public sector.
Sources:Ministry of Education of Finland, Centre for International Mobility (CIMO)
2 – Policy Issues and Regulatory Basis of Postgraduate Education
Abstract: This section discloses how Policy Formulation in Postgraduate Education is taking place,
what are the key policies in Higher Education and what is University Legislation and Steering of the Universities at normative level, as well as makes a listing of the key Higher education legislation. The underlined law texts are also available in Russian and Turkmen languages.
2.1 Policy Formulation in Postgraduate Education in Finland
The Ministry of Education steers the implementation of education policy in the entire education system, with the exception of some fields subordinate to other ministries. The main steering instruments employed by the Ministry of Education are legislation, funding, information-based guidance and licensing policy. Normative steering comprises Acts, Decrees, the national core curricula and qualification requirements and other rules and regulations.
The Ministry prepares legislation and strategic policy lines for the Government and Parliament and contributes to the preparation of statutes and resolutions concerning its sector in the European Union. The Ministry steers and develops activities in its sector, allocates funds to state agencies and institutions and grants statutory and discretionary state aid to local authorities and private organisations. The Ministry of Education budget is 6.6 billion Euros.
The strategic key areas are equal opportunity in education and equal access to culture; educational, cultural and economic competitiveness; the population's intellectual and physical well-being; and social inclusion and participation. The values underlying this vast sector are civilization, welfare, democracy and creativity.
The Ministry of Education Strategy 2015 addresses future challenges in the sector and its operational environment, Finnish society and the international environment. It takes a long-term view of the objectives and the means whereby the vision, the operational idea and values will be realized. The strategy outlines future development in the Ministry of Education sector.
2.2 Education Policy in Finland
Finnish education and science policy stresses quality, efficiency, equity and internationalism. It is geared to promote the competitiveness of Finnish welfare society. Sustainable economic development will continue to provide the best basis for assuring the nation's cultural, social and economic welfare. The overall lines of Finnish education and science policy are in line with the EU Lisbon strategy.
In Finland, the basic right to education and culture is recorded in the Constitution. Public authorities must secure equal opportunities for every resident in Finland to get education also after compulsory schooling and to develop themselves, irrespective of their financial standing. Legislation provides for compulsory schooling and the right to free pre-primary and basic education. Most other qualifying education is also free for the students, including postgraduate education in universities.
Parliament passes legislation concerning education and research and determines the basic lines of education and science policy. The Government and the Ministry of Education, as part of it, are responsible for preparing and implementing education and science policy. The Ministry of Education is responsible for education financed from the state budget. The Government adopts a development plan for education and research every four years.
2.3 Science Policy in Finland
The government outlines the principles underpinning science, technology and innovation policy and drafts relevant legislation. The ministries are responsible for planning and implementing science and technology policy. The Ministry of Education handles matters relating to education and science policy and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy matters relating to industrial and technology policy.
The Science and Technology Policy Council plays a pivotal role in promoting science and technology and relevant education. The Academy of Finland is an important source of research funding in the Ministry of Education sector.
The aim of science policy is to promote science and scholarship, to assure the quality, impact and positive international development of research and researcher training and to promote the development of an efficient and blanked research system in cross-sectoral cooperation.
The development of scientific research is based on the Development Plan for Education and Research, the Government Programme and policy outlined by the Science and Technology Policy Council.
The Government Programme stresses the role of research as the foundation of knowledge and know-how. Sustainable economic growth and immaterial and material welfare are based on knowledge, which is safeguarded by research and development funds. Measures are being taken to increase research funding, notably the appropriations for the Academy of Finland and the core funding of universities, as provided in the Government Programme and a plan devised by the Science and Technology Policy Council.
2.4 University Legislation and Steering of the Universities
The Finnish Constitutionsecures the freedom of the sciences,the arts and the highest level of education. To implementthese principles, the new Universities Act (1998)ensures the autonomy of the universities and prescribestheir functions, operation and objectives in general terms
only. Within these limits, each university decides on thedetailed organization of its administration and the decision-making power of its administrative bodies.
The new framework legislation upholds the principlethat the various different groups of people within theuniversity must have representation in its multimemberadministrative bodies. To enhance cooperation betweenuniversities, businesses and the rest of society, universitiesare entitled to accept representatives of parties outside theinstitution as full members of these bodies.