3 STUDYING AT LAUREA

The academic year starts on 26 August 2002 and ends on 23 May 2003. It is divided into four semesters or periods, at the end of which there is usually a period of general evaluation, guidance, planning and exams.

The semesters and enrolment dates for the academic year 2002 –2003

Besides their chosen Degree Programme, Laurea students and exchange students can select studies from any of the Degree Programmes throughout the academic year. The study provision will be made official six weeks before the beginning of the next semester/period. The third semester is a so-called intensified exchange period with study provision particularly aimed at students coming from other Laurea Degree Programmes and Partner Universities.

The following chart will show the scheduled provision of study modules and student enrolment dates.

The aim of the guidance and tutoring system is to help students develop their powers of self-motivation and their ability to make use of the many possibilities open to them at the Polytechnic. Different Degree Programmes have different arrangements for guidance and tutoring. The students must take responsibility for their own work, but if they wish they can always ask for guidance and counselling from their Teacher Tutors and Student Tutors. For the exchange students and non-Finnish degree students, there are trained International Tutor Students who are ready to help in questions concerning both academic and social life.

At the beginning of his or her studies each student draws up a personal study plan known as HOPS (= henkilökohtainen oppimissuunnitelma). The Teacher Tutors will provide academic assistance for this; with the Student Information Office giving students practical advice and help in sorting out any problems the students may encounter in carrying out their studies.

The unit by which the students' study progress is measured is the study week. This refers to an average input of approximately 40 hours of work by the student. The study week equals 1.5 ECTS credits. One Academic year of full time study is usually worth 40 study weeks or 60 ECTS credits.

Student work input for a credit may include lectures, exercises, practical (clinical) studies, project work, essay writing, independent study or other assignments.

As pointed out earlier, the Polytechnic Degree requires usually 140 study weeks or 210 ECTS credits. A standard Programme consists of Basic Studies, Compulsory Professional Studies (incl. practical training), Alternative Professional Studies (incl. practical training), Optional Studies and the Thesis.

Courses and examinations are graded on the scale from five to one as follows:

5 = EXCELLENT
4 = VERY GOOD
3 = GOOD
2 = SATISFACTORY
1 = PASS
0 = FAIL
P = PASS (EVALUATED PASS OR FAIL)
Certain study units and examinations are given the grade Pass or Fail.

The grading system at the Laurea Polytechnic is different from the grading system used in ECTS but, as an informal measure, one should think of the Polytechnic grade 5 as approximately the ECTS grade A, of 4 as B, 3 as C, 2 as D and 1 as E.

The Laurea Student Information Office provides information and counselling services. There is a Student Information Office at each Laurea Institute to serve the students, staff and collaborating partners. They provide information on application requirements, application deadlines, enrolment, and everything connected with studies and study-related social security issues. They administer the joint application system and deal with matters related to student selection, coordinate Laurea Polytechnic’s joint studies and organise the Student Tutor Programme.

Students will find information also at http://www.Laurea.fi/opiskelijapalvelut/tiedotus_en.asp and on the Laurea Intranet Forum as well as on the notice boards and info-TV of each Institute.
At the regional level the Laurea Student Information Office is coordinated by Heads of Student
Information Offices.

People who have the following qualifications are eligible for admission to the polytechnics in Finland:
1. The upper secondary school syllabus or a matriculation examination;
2. An International Baccalaureate Degree or a Reifeprufung Degree or a European
Baccalaureate Degree;
3. A vocational qualification or equivalent;
4. A post-secondary or higher vocational diploma;
5. A vocational qualification, a further vocational qualification or equivalent.
6. A basic diploma from a 3-year vocational training;
7. Equivalent foreign qualifications.

Anyone intending to work in Social Services or Health Care must be passed as medically fit before they can be employed.

In polytechnics it is possible to apply the so-called special selection procedure. However, each polytechnic is entitled to decide for itself how to use the special selection procedure and what the criteria are. Laurea Polytechnic uses the special selection criteria that is generally accepted and has been agreed by all polytechnics. Special selection is based on a free-form application presented directly to an institute. Copies of school diplomas and references as well as a Joint Application Form must be enclosed. Applicants should send an original Joint Application Form to the Joint Application Office of the Provincial Administrative Board of their region.

Selection criteria are set out in the Laurea Polytechnic Application Guide that can be ordered at laurea.info@laurea.fi or by phone on +358 20 5787 000 or in the Polytechnics Application Guide (Ammattikorkeakoulujen hakuopas) that will be published in January 2002.

Joint Application – Programmes in Finnish
Joint applications will be accepted in March - early April, 2003. Joint Application Forms will be available at Laurea Student Information Offices, employment offices, libraries and the Joint Application Offices of the County Administration Board. Entrance exams for the Degree Programmes that recruit through the Joint Application procedure will be held in June 2003. Additional information about the Joint Application procedure is available in the publication ‘Ammattikorkeakoulut - Yrkeshögskolorna 2002 (2003)’, the Polytechnic Institutes, employment offices and the Joint Application Offices of the County Administration Board.
Applicants will be notified of the results of the selection process by mid July 2003. Students must let the Institute know whether or not they accept their places by a certain date.

Intake for the English Language Degree Programmes

There will be a separate intake period for Laurea’s English language Degree Programmes in Nursing and in Social Services in March - early April, 2003. Application Forms will be available at the Student Information Office of Espoo Institute at the Espoo Centre. You can also download the form from lehtimaki.info@laurea.fi or order your copy by phone by calling +358 20 5787 500.

A separate intake period for Laurea’s English Language Degree Programme in Business Management will take place in March – early April 2003. The degree programme is taught at the Espoo and Hyvinkää Institutes. Application Forms will be available from the Student Information Offices of the Espoo (Leppävaara) and Hyvinkää Institutes. You can also download the form from leppavaara.info@Laurea.fi or hyvinkaa.info@Laurea.fi, or order your copy by phone by calling +358 20 5787 400 or +358 20 5787 700.

Students who wish to study at Laurea Polytechnic on Exchange Programmes - such as Erasmus or Nordplus or Bilateral Agreement - should turn to the International Office at their Home Institution in order to be selected into a Programme. They will then receive an application form and a learning agreement form to fill in (see also www.laurea.fi) and to return prior to their exchange period. Students selected to participate in exchange programmes at Laurea should have a good command of English.
Application deadlines are:
May 15 for periods 1and 2
October 30 for periods 3 and 4.

Tuition is provided free of charge for students on Exchange Programmes. The students may, however, have to buy books and other educational material themselves.
Teacher Tutors and International Student Tutors will assist the students in academic questions.
Orientation for the international students is arranged usually in the first week after the arrival. The exchange students will have International Student Tutors to give assistance with practical arrangements. Social activities are arranged by the Student Union and the International Students Tutor.
Early notification of arrival and travel arrangements is advisable. The exchange students will be met on arrival by a Laurea representative. We recommend arriving the previous week prior to the commencement of studies in order to settle in and to register.

Registration for Academic Year / Intermission of Studies

A person who has been accepted as a degree student at Laurea and who has officially accepted the study place must follow the rules set by the Polytechnic in registering him/herself as a student. The student must annually register either as present or absent in a way that will be further stipulated by the Polytechnic. If the student neglects the registration procedure, he/she will lose the right of study. For the academic year 2002-03, the students must register between 1.8. – 6.9.2002. The registration will take place through WinhaWille, the student access to the Student Affairs Administration Programme; either through the Internet or at one of Laurea’s Student Information Offices.
NB: The Student Information Office must be notified of any changes to home address or name.

Registration as absent is a matter of notification. A student can register as absent no more than for four terms i.e. two academic years all in all. Registration as absent must take place for one term at a minimum. While registered as absent, the student has no right of completing any part of his/her studies. A student registered as absent has no right for students’ financial aid. For detailed instructions, see Students’ Information Brochure available at the Student Information Offices.

Enrolment for Study Units (Use of WinhaWille)

A student must enrol for the study units they wish to study via the Internet / WinhaWille. The study units available for each term are listed in the Laurea website at Study Units a week before registration week.

For the access to the WinhaWille student pages the students will be given a log-in name and a password at the Student Information Office at their Institute. The students can use the log-in name and the password throughout their studies at the Polytechnic. At the beginning of each academic year an orientation to the use of WinhaWille program will be arranged. We recommend that students go to the orientation.

Study Pass

Laurea is active in the so-called Study Pass Project with other Polytechnics in the Region. This will make studies in any of the participating Institutions possible for the students and exchange students of Laurea. There will be detailed information on how to choose studies from other Degree Programmes and how to get the Study Pass in the Student Guide 2002-2003 available at the Student Offices and on Laurea Website.

Virtual Polytechnic

Laurea is active in developing the so-called Virtual Polytechnic (www.virtuaaliamk.fi). The students are able to choose via their web server courses from a wide national course offer with a special pass. Virtual polytechnic is common for all Finnish polytechnics, different polytechnics produce contents to courses from different areas of expertice in cooperation with each other. Courses are offered mainly in Finnish but in the future in English also.

Students from the EU and EEA countries do not need a visa to enter the country. However, students who intend to stay in Finland for more than three months have to apply for a Residence Permit from the local police station. The application for the Residence Permit requires two photographs, a certificate of registration from Laurea Polytechnic and a certificate that the student is capable of supporting him/herself during the stay in Finland. Citizens of the EU and EEA countries do not need a Work Permit. Citizens of the Nordic countries do not need a Residence Permit.

To study in Finland as a degree student, students from outside the EU have to apply for a residence permit already in their own country. Also, they have to be able to show that they have either FIM 30.000 on a Finnish bank account or a scholarship/stipend that will cover their living expenses for the academic year; a new deposit is required every year.