Structure of Studies

The principles governing the structure and content of Tampere University’s bachelor’s and master’s degrees have been described in Academic Board’s decision of  28 May 2018 (Intranet). The Academic Board has also issued further provisions regarding the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in technology (engineering and architecture).

The principles governing the structure and content of doctoral degrees from 1 August 2020 have been described in the Academic Board’s decisions approved on 11 June 2019).

The principles governing the structure and content of English-language bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes are described in the Academic Board’s decision made on 14 April 2020 (Intranet).

Scope of the degree

At the University, the scope of the degree is expressed in credits. One credit equals some 27 hours of work. Credits are allocated to course units depending on the amount of work required. To complete a degree within the target time, the student should complete on average 60 credits during an academic year, making the annual working time 1,600 hours, which corresponds to about nine months of full-time work.

The scope of a bachelor’s degree is at least 80 credits while the scope of master’s degrees is at least 120 credits. The scope of the doctoral degree is not specified in legislation, but it is calculated to take four years to complete.

Studies included in the degree

The bachelor’s degree is completed in a bachelor’s degree programme and the master’s degree in a master’s degree programme or a master of science degree programme in engineering or architecture. The studies included in the degree are described in the curricula.

Studies included in the bachelor’s degree

Bachelor’s programmes usually include wide-ranging knowledge of different fields, disciplines or specialisms. There are often different optional study paths the student can follow to advance to different master’s or master’s of science programmes and their specialisms.

Bachelor’s level studies include:

• joint studies in the degree programme, including introductory courses, language and communication studies, IT studies and other programme-specific joint studies,
• basic studies in the degree programme whose scope is at least 25 credits,
• intermediate studies in the degree programme, which — together with the basic studies — comprise at least 60 credits including the maturity test and thesis, and
• free choice studies, which include at least one study module the student chooses from another degree programme or specialisation, or some other separate module and other studies so that the minimum scope of the studies is completed.

Intermediate studies may include course units that are required for advancing to a specific master’s degree programme or specialisation.

The curriculum may also contain more detailed instructions on free choice study modules. The choice of free choice studies is also guided by specific professional qualification requirements. The studies in all degree programmes include free choice studies. Read more about free choice studies.

Bachelor’s programmes include a certain number of studies that all students in the programme complete. The degree programmes in technology (engineering and architecture) include joint studies in mathematics and science that comprise at least 50 credits. The degree programmes in other fields contain at least 25 credits that concentrate on research skills, which are included in the basic and/or intermediate studies or joint studies.

Studies included in master’s programmes

Master’s degree programmes in all fields can be based on the competence acquired in one or more bachelor's programmes or bachelor programme specialisations. A master’s degree programme may include specialisations.

Studies included in the master’s degree include

• any joint studies in the programme,
• advanced studies in the degree programme or specialisation, including the thesis and studies that support writing it as well as the maturity test, and
• free choice studies which may include study modules or single course units.

The curricula may lay down more detailed provisions on free choice studies.

The studies may include compulsory or optional internships.

Studies included in the doctoral degree

The studies included in the doctoral degree include the doctoral dissertation and other studies, which may include, for example, studies to support research work and the development of expertise as well as subject studies in the student’s field of research.

Specialisations

A degree programme may include specialisations. A specialisation is a specialism the student chooses within the degree programme, which concentrates on a specific subject area or develops thematic or other expertise. The specialisation may be chosen during the bachelor’s programme, or it may already be defined at the time of application. Studies in other specialisations can be completed in the manner described in the curricula.

Advancing from bachelor’s studies to the master’s level

The curriculum describes to which master’s degree programme(s) and specialisations students can advance with the studies they have completed in a bachelor’s programme. If there is a choice between several master’s degree programmes or fields of study after the bachelor’s degree, the student will indicate which of these options he or she prefers during the bachelor's programme. If admission to a particular master’s programme or master’s level specialisation is restricted, the faculty defines the criteria for selecting students for a particular programme or field of study. Read more about specifying the master’s level specialisation.

Language and communication studies

In the field of technology (engineering and architecture), the scope of language and communication studies is 5 credits in the bachelor’s programmes and 5—10 credits in master’s programmes in engineering and architecture (of which 5 credits in a foreign language can be included in the bachelor’s programme studies). In the bachelor’s programmes of other fields, the scope of language and communication studies is 15 credits, in addition to which language and communication studies can also be included in master’s programme studies. Read more about language and communication studies.

Internationalisation

In all bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes, students can complete an internationalisation module which can be included in either the bachelor’s or master’s degree, or both.

Internships

Degree programme studies may include compulsory or optional internships and work placements. Read more about internships as part of the studies.

For more information, please contact koulutuksen.kehittaminen.tau [at] tuni.fi