Faculty of Biosciences

The significance of biological and environmental knowledge has substantially increased over the past few decades. Research applications of biology and environmental science are central to health care and medical sciences, sustainable use of natural resources, understanding factors leading to environmental problems and seeking solutions to them, foodstuffs industry and many other industries. Biology also has a profound impact on our worldview and conception of the human being.

The Faculty of Biosciences is responsible for research in biosciences and partly also environmental sciences carried out at the University of Helsinki, and it trains experts for universities, research institutes, public administration, schools and business and industry. Together with the other units at the Viikki Biocentre, the Faculty of Biosciences forms Finland's most prominent and, by volume, largest cluster producing research and education in bioscience.

Undergraduate degrees require completed secondary education equivalent to that of the Finish system.
Postgraduate degrees require a completed relevant Bachelor's Degree.

The basic degrees offered by the Faculty of Biosciences are the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science. The postgraduate degrees are Licentiate of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy.

The majors offered by the Faculty of Biosciences are:

• Aquatic Sciences
  
• Biochemistry
  
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  
• Environmental Sciences
  
• Genetics
  
• General Microbiology
  
• Physiology
  
• Plant Biology

Ecological and Environmental Sciences (offered in the city of Lahti )
More information about the studies is available from the web pages of the two departments of the Faculty:

• Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences
  
• Department of Ecological and Environmental Sciences
  
• Furthermore, the Faculty of Biosciences offers together with the
• Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, Helsinki University of Technology and Helsinki School of
• Economics a Master's Degree Programme in Biotechnology.
• More information on the programme contents and the application is available from web pages of the programme.

• Bachelor of Science
  
• Master of Science

The postgraduate degrees

• Licentiate of Philosophy
  
• Doctor of Philosophy.

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.

Bioscience biotechnology biology genetics environmental sciences international bilingual pharmacy medicine law social science masters programmes theology arts agriculture