2 INFORMATION ON THE POLYTECHNIC

The establishment of Polytechnic institutions since 1992 has created a new education sector in Finland. As one of the most important educational reforms of the 1990s, the Polytechnics expand access to higher education by offering a more practically oriented option than the traditional universities.
The Polytechnic Degree Programmes are specifically designed to give a response to the demands and development needs of the work place.

There are presently 29 Polytechnics in Finland which offer university-level Degrees equivalent to Bachelor of Arts (Hon) or Bachelor of Science (Hon) Degrees in the UK and the US, the French Licence, the German Diplom Fachhoch-schule and the Dutch HBO Diploma.

Each Degree Programme consists of 140 credits (210 ECTS) and takes 3-4 years to complete.
For some fields of study the number of credits is 160(240 ECTS), such as Studies in Natural Resources and Culture and Media. Each credit is equivalent of 40 hours of work. The Polytechnic Degrees combine theory, practice and individual experience and qualify the graduates for planning, expert and managerial posts as well as for other professional tasks requiring a high standard of expertise.

Laurea is a multidisciplinary, province-wide polytechnic with eight institutes in Uusimaa province, in the centre of Finnish industry, services and information technology. With its 6000 students, Laurea is one of the largest polytechnics in Finland. It has institutes in Hyvinkää, Kerava, Lohja, Porvoo, Järvenpää, Vantaa, as well as in the centre of the city of Espoo and in the Leppävaara area of Espoo. The main fields of study are business and administration, culture and media, natural resources, tourism, catering and institutional management, social services and health care.

Laurea is training the professional experts and specialists of the 21st century and offers students a modern, stimulating and open learning environment. It is able to exploit the latest information technology and communications know-how and uses the Net for internal as well as external purposes. There is continuous interaction between Laurea, the wider community and the professional world. It is a characteristic of the educational approach at Laurea that the students take responsibility for their own studies and personal growth. From the broad range of fields of study available, students draw up a study programme that is tailored to their own individual needs and objectives. Students at Laurea are sure to face many exciting challenges as they develop their professional skills and learn to apply newly acquired knowledge, as well as contributing to progress within their vocational fields, and discovering an international perspective.

Laurea Students:
1. Grow professionally.
2. Learn to promote best practice in their field.
3. Play a positive part in the life of the local community.
4. Have the opportunity to pool their knowledge and work with experts in various disciplines.
5. Work in an environment that is increasingly international.

Laurea offers degree programmes in Business and Administration, Culture and Media, Natural Resources, Tourism, Catering and Institutional Management, Social Services and Health Care. All Degree Programmes include some tuition in English.

The activities of Laurea Polytechnic take place in three regional units: Espoo-Lohja, Central and Northern Uusimaa, and Vantaa-Porvoo. The Polytechnic’s central administration is run by the Board of Directors of the Polytechnic Limited Company together with an Administrative Unit (in Vantaa) that is supervised by the President/Rector. The Regional Units are run by Regional Principals.

Laurea Polytechnic is located in the heart of Finnish industry, services and information technology, in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. It would be hard to find a better place for a centre of higher education that prepares people for the modern professional world.