Faculty of Behavioural Sciences

The mission of the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences is to engage in research and offer the highest education in order to direct and increase understanding about human growth, development, behaviour, learning and activities. The scientific knowledge produced by the Faculty adds to cultural and social capital, prevents social exclusion and helps manage and direct change. The Faculty interacts with society on a national and international level. It actively promotes research and the impact of its expertise on social decision-making.

The provision of education includes basic, post-graduate and continuing education leading to a profession (teacher education, psychology) and qualifications for academic expert tasks.

Facilities
The facilities of the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences are mainly located on Siltavuorenpenger, traditional university campus area in the Kruununhaka district in the heart of Helsinki.

Several old and historical university buildings have either been renovated or are under renovation to serve as Faculty premises. Besides these, new additional facilities has been built for the departments including a separate, ultramodern library and a learning centre Minerva.

Some units are still located in different parts of Helsinki.

The contact information of the Faculty, departments and units can be found at "Contact information".

The Faculty of Behavioural Sciences offers the following degree programmes and main subject options (majors in brackets):

Education as major:

• Adult education and developmental work research (adult
• education, second cycle degree only)
  
• Class teacher education (education/educational psychology)
  
• Early childhood education (education, second cycle degree only)
  
• General and Adult education (offered also in Swedish)
  
• Home economics teacher education (home economics or education)
  
• Kindergarten teacher education (education, first cycle degree only)
  
• Sociology and Politics of Education (second cycle degree only)
  
• Special education (special needs education)
  
• Textiles teacher education (craft science or education)

Others:

• Cognitive science (cognitive science)
  
• Craft science (craft science)
  
• Home economics (home economics)
  
• Logopedics (logopedics)
  
• Phonetics (phonetics)
  
• Psychology (psychology)

Besides degree-oriented studies, the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences arranges pedagogical studies for teachers, studies for teachers of special education and minor subject studies for students from various faculties.

The language of tuition is mainly Finnish. The degree programme of education (general and adult education) is also offered in Swedish. Besides teaching in Finnish and Swedish, the Faculty also organises courses in English for exchange students studying in the Faculty. It is also possible to carry out postgradute studies in English. All students are also required to read quite much literature in a foreign language (mainly in English) as a part of the required courses or as separate literature surveys.

The University of Helsinki - the leading university in Finland

The University of Helsinki is Finland’s oldest, biggest and most diverse institution of higher education conducting research and providing education based on it. The University of Helsinki consists of 11 faculties, representing all academic disciplines with the exception of technology and business, and it operates on four campuses.

The University community comprises 38,000 degree students, two-thirds of whom are women. The annual intake of new students is close to 4000; only one-fifth of the applicants pass the demanding entrance exams. The University currently has 1,200 international degree students and annually more than 700 exchange students come to study here.

Eleven faculties include - theology, law, medicine, humanities, natural sciences, behavioural sciences, social sciences, agriculture and forestry, veterinary medicine, bioscience and pharmacology - are all top of their league even in international comparison.

The strengths of the University of Helsinki are internationally acclaimed scientific research and the teaching based on it. One of the special characteristics of the University of Helsinki is that it is a bilingual institution: Swedish-language teaching provides improved opportunities for Finnish-speaking students, too, and enhances Nordic co-operation.

Using many indicators, the University of Helsinki is the most internationally oriented of Finland's universities, and it is a member of the League of European Research Universities, LERU. University of Helsinki encourages multidisciplinary studies across faculty and university boundaries. In autumn 2005, the University adopted a new two-cycle degree system, with the exception of medicine. Former credits (opintoviikko) are now ECTS credits (opintopiste).

Studying at the university is an enjoyable and exciting journey during which young people can develop themselves in many ways, both in terms of knowledge and of life skills. University of Helsinki degrees have a strong reputation. The employment prospects of our alumni are good, and the critical scientific thinking they have adopted will provide them with a solid foundation for lifelong learning that is crucial in today’s world.

human growth development behaviour learning activities international bilingual pharmacy medicine law social science masters programmes theology arts agriculture