3 STUDYING AT LAUREA

The academic year starts on 25 August 2003 and ends on 21 May 2004. It is divided into four terms, at the end of which there is usually a week of general evaluation, guidance, planning and exams.

The terms and enrolment dates for the academic year 2003 –2004

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 term. The third term is a so-called intensified exchange term 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 courses 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. The students must take responsibility for their own work, but they do also get guidance and counselling from their Tutor Lecturers and Student Tutors. For the exchange students and non-Finnish degree students, there are trained International Student Tutors 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 Tutor Lecturers will provide academic assistance for this, with the 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 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 studies), alternative professional studies (incl. practical studies), optional studies and the Bachelor’s 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 aim of our Educational Services is to support the integration of Laurea Polytechnic’s three main areas of operation. The integrated services cover the following areas: pedagogy, regional development, research and development, administration, reception, advice, guidance and event management.

Integrated educational services include the financial aid committee, information service, e-services and continuous improvement of the services. Service Manager Teija Laamanen, tel. +358 205 787 532, teija.laamanen@laurea.fi is in charge of the development of educational services.

Each institute has an educational service point that offers its services to students, staff and Laurea’s partners. The Office will provide you with information on application times, result registers, study practices and social issues. Students will find information also at www.laurea.fi and on the Laurea Intranet Forum as well as on the notice boards and info-TV of each institute.

Educational Services at each institute:

Espoo Institute, Central Espoo
Lehtimäentie 1 C, 02770 Espoo
t. +358 205 787 500, f. +358 205 787 501
lehtimaki.info@laurea.fi

Espoo Institute, Leppävaara
Vanha maantie 9, 02650 Espoo
t. +358 205 787 400, f. +358 205 787 401
leppavaara.info@laurea.fi

Hyvinkää Institute
Uudenmaankatu 22, 05800 Hyvinkää
t. +358 205 787 700, f. +358 205 787 740
hyvinkaa.info@laurea.fi

Kerava Institute
Keskikatu 3 A, 04200 Kerava
t. +358 205 787 754, f. +358 205 787 775
kerava.info@laurea.fi

Lohja Institute
Nummentie 6, 08100 Lohja
t. +358 205 787 800, f. +358 205 787 801
lohja.info@laurea.fi

Porvoo Institute
Mannerheiminkatu 20, 06100 Porvoo
t. +358 205 787 600, f. +358 205 787 601
porvoo.info@laurea.fi

Tuusulanjärvi Institute
Sibeliuksenkatu 55, 04400 Järvenpää
t. +358 205 787 900, f. +358 205 787 901
tuusulanjarvi.info@laurea.fi

Vantaa Institute
Karsikkokuja 15, 01360 Vantaa
t. +358 205 787 302, f. +358 205 787 301
vantaa.info@laurea.fi

Degree Programmes taught in English are not included in the nation-wide joint application system (yhteishaku). Applications to the next programmes, starting in August 2004, should be directed to the Polytechnic:

APPLICATIONS OFFICE
Laurea Polytechnic Applications Office
Vanha maantie 9 (entrance through door C)
02650 Espoo, Finland
Tel. +358 205 787 490
Fax +358 205 787 495
hakutoimisto@laurea.fi
http://www.laurea.fi/

The Applications Office is open during the joint application period, (beginning of March – beginning of April 2004, see www.laurea.fi for up-to-date information). Please contact the Office on anything related to your application.

Admission Requirements for Full Degree Programmes

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 Healthcare or Social Services must be passed as medically fit before they can be employed.

Selection criteria are set out in “Hakijan opas 2004” (Laurea Polytechnic Application Guide) that can be ordered at Applications Office or in “Ammattikorkeakoulujen valintaopas” (Polytechnics Application Guide) that will be published in January 2004.

There will be a separate intake period for Laurea’s English language Degree Programmes in Business Management in the beginning of 2004 (see www.laurea.fi for up-to-date information). Applications are invited directly to the Applications Office. Entrance test and English language test (one day) will be in May 2004. More information: leppavaara.info@laurea.fi or hyvinkaa.info@laurea.fi

There will be a separate intake period for Laurea’s English language Degree Programmes in Nursing, in Physiotherapy and in Social Services in the beginning of 2004 (see www.laurea.fi for up-to-date information). Applications are invited directly to the Applications Office. Entrance test and English language test will be in June 2004. More information: lehtimaki.info@laurea.fi

Applicants will be notified of the results of the selection process by mid July 2004. Students must let the Institute know whether they accept or not their places by a certain date. According to the provision, a student may accept only one study place in a Degree Programme leading to a higher education degree during one academic year. The purpose is to ensure admission to higher education institutions for as many students as possible (www.oph.fi One-place-per-student provision)

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 and to return prior to their exchange period. The form should be returned to the International coordinator of the institute in question (see also www.laurea.fi). Students selected to participate in exchange programmes at Laurea should have a good command of English.

Application deadlines yearly are:
• May 15 for terms 1 and 2
• October 30 for terms 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. The Laurea International coordinators, faculty and International Student Tutors will assist the students in academic questions. Orientation for the international students is arranged usually during the first week after their 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 Student Tutors.

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

If you plan to begin or continue your studies during the academic year, and you have some study entitlement left, you must register for the whole academic year. You may change your registered status at the beginning of the third term. Registration must be done between 1 and 31 August 2003 through Internet / WinhaWille. It is also possible to register for the academic year by filling in registration forms available at the Offices.

If you plan to postpone your studies, you must register your absence for one academic year at a time between 1 and 31 August 2003. You may change your registered status in January if you wish to continue your studies again from then on. Registration is done through WinhaWille or via a registration form at the Offices.

Only students who have registered their presence on the course for the academic year will be given entitlement to study and the right to receive grants. Students who do not register will lose their entitlement to study. (583/2001,15§).

Enrolment for Study Units / Courses

Students must enrol for the study units they wish to study. The student also has the opportunity to study courses other than those included in the Degree Programme throughout the academic year. Information on available courses is provided six weeks before the following term (see chapter 3.1.). In addition, the third study term is known as the ’intensive exchange’ term, during which the offerings from other Degree Programmes are aimed at students.

Only students registered as present can sign up for the study units. New students do not need to enrol for first term study units. Use of WinhaWille requires a user ID and password, available from the Office. Info-sessions on enrolment are held for new students at each institute, before the start of the second term. Written instructions are also distributed for enrolment at www.laurea.fi. If there are any problems with enrolment, the Office will provide assistance.

Study Pass

As a Laurea student, you can apply for a Study Pass and complete Degree Programme courses at other polytechnics. The Study Pass is used to profile your degree, adding new dimensions to your studies! There are 10 polytechnics from which to choose in the Uusimaa region. Visit the joint polytechnic Study Pass website at: www.diak.fi/opintopassi

The maximum amount of study permitted under the Study Pass is 10 study credits. According to the primary rule, compulsory studies belonging to your own Degree Programme cannot be replaced by studies completed under the Study Pass. The basis is that Study Pass studies are accredited in your degree as optional studies.

For more information on the Study Pass and studies between other polytechnics, consult your Office and visit the Laurea website at www.laurea.fi

Virtual Polytechnic

The Virtual Polytechnic is a national consortium of Finnish polytechnics. In the Virtual Polytechnic portal polytechnics offer various, primarily online-based courses. Virtual Polytechnic studies are free of charge to all degree students.

All degree students registered as present can browse the online course offering at www.virtuaaliamk.fi. They can also register and fill out an electronic application form. The application form is used to select the desired courses from any of the polytechnic's course offerings. Instructions for filling out the application form can be found on the portal page ’Studies/Available Courses and How to Apply’.

Included with the information for each course is a contact person (’For further information, contact’), who can be contacted for study-related matters. Matters concerning joint Virtual Polytechnic studies can also be addressed to the eStudent Affairs Office at each polytechnic. The address for Laurea’s eStudent Affairs Office is eOpintotoimisto@laurea.fi. The electronic contact form can be found on the Virtual Polytechnic website under ’Studies/Counselling and Information Services’.

After the Laurea virtual studies contact person has endorsed the application, it is sent to the respective polytechnic decision-maker as soon as the course registration period is over. Notification of endorsement and acceptance into the course(s) is automatically sent to the applicant’s email address. It is important to consult the tutor lecturer regarding the compatibility and accreditation of courses with the student’s own degree. The course taken will be accredited when the polytechnic in question has returned the student progress report, which is then attached to the Application for Accreditation and returned to the Office.