STUDYING AT

Studying at a university is quite different from your past studies: no strict curriculum exists, unless you’ve created one for yourself. Now you have the freedom to choose which courses to attend and how to build your individual timetable! This freedom comes with great responsibility – you have to make sure that you complete all the courses needed for your degree.

The time it takes to finish your degree doesn’t depend only on your studying methods and planning but also your individual life situation. The usual target time for finishing both your Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees is five years, but changes in your life situation may swing it either way. Working, taking off on an international exchange or starting a family, for example, may slow your studies down. On the other hand, clear scheduling and a goal-oriented attitude could speed up your graduation.

Studying at the School of Business

You study at Aalto BIZ (Aalto University School of Business), which is a part of Aalto University. Aalto University was formed in 2010 when three self-governing universities – Helsinki School of Economics, Helsinki University of Technology and the University of Art and Design Helsinki – merged into one. Today, the university consists of six relatively autonomous schools.

You’re free to attend courses or even complete your minor studies in any of the schools of the university. To make it easier, there are several multidisciplinary programmes available. In addition, Aalto University is continuously striving to improve collaboration between the schools. It is also possible to include an internship in both the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. This is a great way to get to know working life!

Studying methods used and required during your studies vary between courses and teachers. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the teachers won’t give you readymade answers but rather a broad toolkit to use to solve the problems presented to you.

University studies aim to teach you problem solving skills and give you new points of view to perhaps already familiar topics.

In addition to lectures, most courses include assignments, teaching in small groups or exercise sessions. Teamwork and case presentations are both very common ways to learn and work and they will accustom you to working methods you’ll likely be using in your future career. Most courses end in an exam, but in many courses the exam isn’t the only point of evaluation – cases and assignments may have a huge weight on your final grade as well.

Bachelor’s degree

Your university-level business studies will begin with the Bachelor’s degree. At Aalto BIZ, this lower university degree consists of common core and methodological studies, specialisation and minor studies, language studies and elective studies. The Bachelor’s degree consists of 180 ECTS, which is equivalent to three years of studying, by recommendation. At the end of your first year of studies, you will be asked to pick a specialisation area chosen from seven options: Accounting, Information & Service