Education review 2025: Appeal and quality of education ever stronger

In 2025, two new Master’s degree programmes were launched: Experience Economy and Competence for Energy Transition Management, which is implemented together with Kajaani and Vaasa Universities of Applied Sciences. What’s more, we started a new English-language Master’s Degree Programme in Data Expertise and Artificial Intelligence. International degree programmes will continue to be offered across all fields of study.  

Our project for dropout prevention continued until the end of 2025. Work conducted in the project subgroups produced several development measures. Regardless, dropouts have increased. The development continues with particular focus on preventing dropouts and improving graduating in target time. In August 2025, a new continuous graduation process was implemented. It is designed to support graduating in target time and streamlining the graduation process. Study counselling and teacher tutoring were improved, and a study progress monitoring tool Fokus was implemented following a pilot phase. Credit transfer practices for studies and competence were also improved.  

Activities related to continuous learning were upgraded markedly. A head of continuous learning was appointed for each faculty, and a post for student counsellor of continuous learning was also established. The activities are guided by a strategic steering group. The digital pedagogy team’s operations were reorganised, and in autumn 2025, a development team consisting of representatives from various faculties was established. This team works as a development, preparation and expert group for education. The education development team is responsible for monitoring, assessing and making suggestions for improving the quality of teaching and counselling. It also manages TAMK-wide education development projects that are under its responsibility. In pedagogical development, we implemented an improvement process for guided online learning, resulting in the creation of a digital pedagogy support model for teachers along with a uniform, high-quality online implementation templates in TUNI Moodle in line with TAMK’s brand. In addition, a three-year AI competence development project was launched. It aims to improve both the personnel’s AI skills as well as the pedagogical utilisation of AI in teaching. Competence was boosted with new recruits that respond to the advanced needs of AI and teaching technology.  

In education and learning services, team-like working was emphasised, and we made some fine-tunings at the organisational level to further clarify areas of responsibility. In order to develop work for a centralised study schedule, we launched a two-year project which aims to create streamlined practices and high-quality study schedules for both students and teachers. In student admission, new application channels and selection methods were piloted for both Finnish- and English-language degree programmes.   

New counselling models were implemented, and we continued our close stakeholder cooperation with the FSHS, City of Tampere and third sector operators. We added another wellbeing advisor for our wellbeing services and another special needs teacher for our faculties. For individual study arrangements, we created TAMK-wide practices, and our personnel received training on them as well as on accessibility. The financial situation of international students sparked national discussion, and we put specific effort in support services offered to them in close cooperation with the university and the City of Tampere.  

The weakened job market situation was reflected in the employment rate of our graduates. The figures continued their downward trend from the year before. According to our graduate feedback survey, approximately 64% of our Bachelor's degree graduates were employed, with about 70% of them in the Pirkanmaa region. Of our Master's degree graduates, slightly above 85% reported being employed, with approximately 52% of them in the Pirkanmaa region. We received a top result in our career monitoring survey: 55.1% of all alumni in the target group responded, and we were second in the number of responses nationally.  

According to our graduate feedback survey, approximately 47% of our foreign Bachelor's degree graduates were employed, the majority of them (approx. 84%) in Finland. Of our foreign students that completed a Master's degree, slightly over 62% have since been employed, with approximately 63% of them in Finland. Several measures have been taken to help our international students better gain employment, in close cooperation with the City of Tampere and Tampere University. For instance, the cooperation has resulted in the hiring of a shared internship coordinator for 2024–2026 to help students find internships. We have implemented a tandem internship model for Finnish and international students, and it includes a scholarship opportunity. The scholarships are distributed by the Tampere University of Applied Sciences Foundation. Funded by the ESF, the KOHTA project was launched to help international students find internships.   

See also the key figures of 2025