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Åbo Akademi University 2014/2015
ÅBO AKADEMI UNIVERSITY
Åbo - Finland's oldest university town
Åbo (Turku in Finnish), Finland's oldest university town, has traditions of education and research go-
ing back 700 years. The founding of the Academy of Åbo (Academia Aboensis) in the year 1640 was a
decisive step which led to an active exchange of scholars between Åbo and foreign universities. Åbo
has always been the main gateway from Finland to the west and a significant route along which in-
novations have reached the country, also acting as a link with both western (Stockholm) and eastern
(St. Petersburg) cultural influences. The city of Åbo celebrates its 785th anniversary in 2014.
Today there are two universities and several polytechnics in town. Åbo is a relatively small city
(180,000 inhabitants) with a large student population and a lively student life. The town itself offers a
wide selection of cultural activities and different services. Particularly in summer, Åbo is host to many
festivals and events. In the year 2011 Åbo was one of the European capitals of culture. For more infor-
mation about the city, please see
Vasa - Multilingual energy at the waterfront
Åbo Akademi University has a smaller campus in the city of Vasa, 350 km:s north of Åbo. The Vasa cam-
pus is situated in the building "Academill" which is an old mill renovated for the university's purpose
in 2004. The campus building hosts all subjects, which creates a nice environment for students from
the different subjects to get to know each other.
Vasa (Vaasa in Finnish) is a city on the western coast of Finland with 57 000 inhabitants. The major-
ity (75 %) speaks Finnish, and a large minority (25 %) speaks Swedish. Vasa is a living bilingual city
where most inhabitants speak both languages well, and use two languages in their everyday life. The
archipelago outside Vasa is unique and has the UNESCO status of World Nature Heritage, the only
one in Finland.
Vasa is a university city, withmany institutions of higher education.
VaasanYliopisto
(Vaasa University)
operates in Finnish, as well as Vaasa University of Applied Sciences (VAMK). Together with the Swed-
ish School of Economics (Hanken) and Novia University of Applied Sciences they bring over 10 000
students to Vasa, creating the energetic atmosphere of a university city.
Finland
Finland is known for its production and export of electro-technical products, and is also one of the
most developed information societies in the world.
The total area of Finland is 338,000 square kilometres, of which 10 % is water and 69% forests. The
distance from north to south is 1,160 km and from west to east 540 km. There are 5.2 million inhabit-
ants and 67 % of them live in towns or urban areas.
Finland is officially a bilingual country. The Finnish constitution states that an individual has the right
to use his or her own national language, Finnish or Swedish, before the authorities. In addition to Finn-
ish and Swedish, a third language, Sámi, has legal status. Swedish is spoken as the mother tongue by
6% of the Finnish population. 4.2 % of the population speak a language other than Finnish, Swedish
or Sámi as their mother tongue. Most Finns are fluent in a foreign language, the most popular foreign
language being English, which is widely spoken.
For nature lovers Finland offers many possibilities to wander in unspoilt nature. Furthermore its dis-
tinctive four seasons give its nature and Finnish life-style an ever-changing aspect. Finnishwinters can
be cold in some areas with temperatures as low as -20 Celsius, on the other hand the summers can be
fairlywarm (+25 Celsius). Just outside Åbo is the uniquely beautiful archipelagowith over 20,000 islands.
The system of higher education in Finland
The lower university degree (usually called
kandidat
) is a Bachelor-level degree. The extent of the lower
(Bachelor's) degree is 180 credits and these can usually be completed in three years of full-time study.
The 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.
The higher university degree (usually called
magister
, or in technology
diplomingenjör)
corresponds
to a Master's degree. The extent of the degree is 120 credits. It takes two years of full-time study to
complete themaster's degree. The degree consists of advanced studies in themajor subject, including
a master's thesis, and studies in one or several minor subjects and language studies.
After completion of the master's degree students can apply for doctoral studies. Full-time studies
for the Doctor's (
doktor
) degree usually take approximately four years.
