Studying at Hanken

Studies at Hanken

Two campuses
Hanken has campuses in Helsinki and in Vaasa, a city on the west coast in mid-Finland. Exchange students apply for studies at either or of the campuses, the distance between them being approx 450 km, no commuting is possible.

Degrees at Hanken
According to the degree regulations 2005 (following the Bologna structure), the Bachelor of Science in Economics, (the Ekonomie kandidatexamen) is a three-year degree comprising 180 credit points in total, which is comparable to 180 ECTS credits. At the bachelor level, the major language of tuition is Swedish, but many courses are also taught in English. Students with an integrated study right to study at Hanken can continue with a Master of Science in Economics, (the Ekonomie magisterexamen), after completing the bachelor degree at Hanken. Another option is to apply for entry into one of Hanken's master's degree programmes in either Swedish or English. A master's degree taken under the 2005 degree regulations comprises an additional 120 credit points, which is comparable to 120 ECTS credits, after completing the bachelor's degree. A completed master's degree qualifies a student to apply to pursue doctoral studies.

Research education at Hanken in the first instance leads to a Doctor of Philosphy in Economics. It is also possible for students to complete a Licentiate in Economics and a Doctor of Philosophy. The doctoral degree requires four years of full-time study and the licentiate degree requires two and a half years of full-time study.

Exchange Studies at Hanken
Exchange student at Hanken choose their courses among the regular BSc and MSc level courses offered in English at both campuses. Courses are open to exchange students with few exceptions at both campuses.

Exchange students from the Nordic countries, who are able to follow instruction in the Swedish language may also choose courses offered in Swedish in both Helsinki and Vaasa.

The ECTS Credit System - What is ECTS?

The ECTS (European Community Course Credit Transfer) system applies to all exchange students coming to Hanken, for the benefit of the students, regardless of whether they come from EU/EEA countries or not. The ECTS system was developed by the commission of the European Community in order to provide common procedures to guarantee academic recognition of studies abroad. It provides a way of measuring and comparing learning achievements and transferring them from one institution to another.
The ECTS system is based on the principle of mutual trust and confidence between the participating institutions. The few rules of ECTS, concerning Information (on courses available), Agreement (between the home and host institutions) and the Use of Credits (to indicate student workload) are set out to reinforce this mutual trust and confidence describing its courses in terms of content and in terms of number of credits each course is worth.

ECTS credits
ECTS credits are values allocated to course units to describe the student workload required to complete them. They reflect the quantity of work each course requires in relation to the total quantity of work necessary to complete a full year of academic study at the institution. Student workload refers to the time spent at lectures, practical training, seminars, independent study and examinations or other assessment activities. ECTS credits express a relative value.

In ECTS, 60 credits normally represent the workload of an academic year of study, 30 credits that of a semester and 20 credits that of a trimester (in a three term system).

At Hanken "credit points" correspond to ECTS credits. A full year study of 60 credit points corresponds to 60 ECTS and a semester of 30 credit points corresponds to 30 ECTS.NB! Credits are awarded only when a course unit is successfully completed and the assessment requirement for each part of the course is satisfied.

Credit transfer under ECTS
The academic credits will be transferred with the help of a signed Learning Agreement containing the courses to be taken by the student as accepted by both institutions. Hanken issues the Transcript of Records upon completion of courses and provides the necessary information for credit transfer to be done at the home institution.

Academic system at Hanken

Teaching and course work
The course design often combines lectures and written and oral assignments presented by students in group or individually. A course may include term papers of various length. Usually there is a final, written examination at the end of the period and/or mid term-exams. Students are expected to participate actively in the courses and must have the ability and willingness to communicate in English. For information on the outline of a course, please see the course home page for the standard information. A detailed course plan (syllabus) of a course and session information etc. are found under the tag "Course material". The detailed syllabus of the previous academic year gives indicative information on the course until the corresponding detailed information for the coming semester will be available close to semester start or start of the teaching period. To choose academic year, click the drop list on the course home page.

Work load
Full-time studies during an academic year amount to 1600 hours and 60 local credit points, which corresponds to 60 ECTS. Courses amount to 6 or 8 credits, as a rule, and full-time work load for a semester is approximately 30 ECTS, that is 4-5 courses.

Assessment
Assessment is based on work in class, ion ndividual and group work, on mid-term exams and usually on a final exam. Sometimes a course includes an introductory exam immediately at course start. There will be a notice in the standard (Handbook) course description of the course in case there is an introductory exam. The date(s) of the exam is usually also mentioned here. Exchange students, who always are arriving close to semester start, are asked to observe any mentioning in the short handbook description of an introductory exam. If there is an introductory exam, contact the International office in good time prior to arrival regarding the signing up for the exam.

The student's course work is continuously assessed based on the total of work in class, individual and group work, and the examination(s). If there is no final examination for a course, the assessment is based solely on the total work throughout the curse.

Grading system
The grading scale is a numerical scale from 50-100 % where 49 is a Fail. It corresponds to a verbal scale of Excellent (E), Very Good (VG), Good (G), Satisfactory (S), and Sufficient (SU). "Fail" is not a grade, and only passed exams appear on the transcript of records. The grading system does not include the use of the ECTS relative grade distribution and the student's position in a course.

Examinations

There are pre-scheduled final exam dates at the end of the period/term for the majority of the course. All the the official pre-scheduled exam dates are found on the home page of each course. The system at Hanken offers the students alternative dates, i.e. a student may choose any of the pre-scheduled exam dates given on a course home page. The second and third dates (in case there are more than two dates given) are referred to as re-take exam dates. Not taking the exam on the first date given, means that one looses re-take possibilities. Exchange students may not, out of practical reasons, have other options than the first exam date, because they leave before Christmas, for example. On the other hand these alternative days may help in creating a manageable study plan.

A student may not need to take a final exam at a prescheduled date, as the course may be completed through continuous work and mid term exams. Some courses do not come with a final written exam at all.

If needed, students staying/coming for the spring semester are expected to stay for the re-take exams for periods 1-4 in the beginning of the summer. In other words, exchange students have optional dates for passing all courses before they leave. In exceptional cases Hanken allows a student to sit an exam at the home university after return home, provided the home university allows their student to sit an exam at home. Such arrangements must be checked well in advance with the coordinators at both the home university and at Hanken.

For details on examinations and rules, read the Exam Regulations carefully.

Plagiarism, cheating and academic dishonesty

Plagiarism, cheating and academic dishonesty are serious issues and addressed firmly at Hanken. Students are informed in detail during Orientation Course about these issues. Read carefully about Hanken's Action Plan Against Academic Dishonesty .

Exchange Studies - Courses Offered in English

The courses offered in English that are open to exchange students are compiled on the web under the title "Exchange studies- Course offered in English", separately for Helsinki and Vaasa at http://www.hanken.fi/student/en/StudyHandbook.

BSc and MSc courses offered in English are open to exchange students and to regular Hanken degree students alike at both campuses. Exchange students can choose courses at basic/intermediate and advanced levels according to their own and their home university's preferences and needs. Students shall consult their home university concerning their choices for pre-acceptance and for changes of a "Learning Agreement" or plan. Please observe that the Hanken course description may contain prerequisites for taking a particular course, such as required previous studies and limited number of places available. Changes of preliminary plans or already signed Learning Agreements are always possible, and the student is responsible for getting approval from his/her home university.

Business Courses taught in Swedish
Students from the Nordic countries who are able to follow instruction in the Swedish language may also choose courses taught in Swedish in both Helsinki and Vaasa.

Language courses at Hanken

Exchange students are offered beginners courses in Swedish and Finnish (Finnish not every semester). Under some conditions it may be possible for an exchnage student to keep up a foreign language and take part in a course in French, German, Spanish or Russian. These foreign language courses are not listed on the compiled course list exchange students shall choose courses from. For information on possibilities, please contact the International coordinator.

Swedish as a Foreign Language - web based language course
The course "Swedish as a Foreign Language" is tailor-made for exchange students. The course runs on the Internet and also includes contact teaching. The course may be taken in addition to the 30 ECTS credits (4-5 courses) of business subjects. It does not give you much work, but a lot of fun. The course was awarded a quality label by the EU Commission in 2001.

In Helsinki students can start the Swedish as a Foreign Language course I either in the autumn or the spring semester, or full year students can proceed over the academic year with modules I + II.

In Vaasa the Swedish as a Foreign Language course is continuing with modul II in the spring, no new entry (module I) is available in the spring.

Elementary Finnish
In Helsinki the beginners course in the Finnish language to exchange students is not offered at Hanken every semester/year). Students at the campus in Vaasa are advised to consult our Vaasa campus to check for Finnish language courses open at other institutions in Vaasa.

Foreign language courses at Hanken
In Helsinki foreign language courses are offered in English, French, German, Russian, and Spanish. The courses open to exchange students in the English language are found on the "Exchange Studies-Courses offered in English". Taking another foreign language course than English is, usually, requiring previous knowledge of the foreign language in question, because the teaching language is Swedish and knowledge of Swedish, consequently, a must. In the elementary level courses in French, German and Russian the language of instruction is Swedish, meaning that foreign exchange students cannot take such courses. The more advanced level the more the foreign language is used. The students of Russian are required to have basic knowledge of the cyrillic alphabet.

Students wishing to enroll in French, German, Russian or Spanish courses should discuss the enrolment with the respective language instructor in advance or at the start of the semester to assess their level.

In Vaasa several English language courses are open on the "Exchange Studies-Courses offered in English" list. To some extent German courses are offered, whereas French and Spanish are not offered at the Vaasa campus.

Courses at other Universities - The JOO-system

NB! The paragraphs below should be taken as information on a system that is increasingly less accessible for exchange students - at both campuses. Why write about the option, then? Well, it might be there. But please do not count on it in planning your courses.

The national system of flexible study rights, the JOO-system, allows students to take courses at other institutions. Courses at other universities in the Helsinki and Vaasa area may be taken also by our exchange students needing some course taught in English that is not found at Hanken. An exchange student applies with Hanken as "home university" using the Hanken login User name and Password. Admittance is depending on prerequisites and space allowing. The web address of the JOO-system and application form is www.joopas.fi. Course information is to be found on the respective university home page.

Note that some (few) courses are offered jointly by two universities and that such a course may have a Hanken code but all the same requires an application under the JOO-system.

An approval by the student's "home university" (in your case Hanken) is required before an application is considered at the target university. Find information on JOO-studies and the local JOO-contact person on the respective university web page. Hanken's information is found under JOO-studies on the "Students" portal www.hanken.fi/student/en/joo. In any case you are recommended to contact Hanken's International Programme Co-ordinator at incoming.mobility@hanken.fi in advance to notify us about your wish to apply for a JOO-course.

The application has to be attested by Hanken (the JOO-coordinator) before it is sent to the respective university office. The application is done on-line. You must be enrolled at Hanken to apply, you cannot apply until you have received your Hanken student ID, the matriculation number. It is possible you cannot apply until after arrival in Helsinki depending on your enrollment process.

JOO-studies in Helsinki

If you for some reason will not manage to have a full-time study programme of Hanken courses, there is a possibility to apply for some course(s) at the Aalto-University School of Economics (former Helsinki School of Economics), the Finnish-language Business School, which is located across the street. Under the JOO-agreement the School of Economics admits Hanken students who meet set pererquisites for the course and provided there are places available on the course. Hanken exchange students may enquire about possible admittance by contacting the JOO-coordinator at the Study Office of the School of Economics. The home page is www.hse.fi. Applications by exchange students can only be made for courses in the second period of the semester (period 2 or 4) because of the long processing time needed for handling the application involving two universities. At the time an exchange student can apply, the courses in the 1st period (autumn) respectively the 3rd period (spring) already will be full.

The University of Helsinki www.helsinki.fi/yliopisto/ and the Aalto University School of Science and Technology Former Helsinki University of of Technology) www.tkk.fi may also accept Hanken exchange students for some course(s) under the JOO agreement. For information on the courses, please visit their home page or get in contact directly with the respective university department's student advisor.

Helsinki Summer School

Hanken is offering a course within the Helsinki Summer School run by the universities in the Helsinki Metrolpolitan Area. In the summer 2013 the course is Service Marketing and Design, 6 ECTS, as part of the Hanken curriculum. The course is taught in the period 6-22 August. Exchange students who have been accepted to Hanken for the autumn semester 2013 can apply for the course and are exempted from the course fee. Read more about the option at Helsinki Summer School.

In case you are interested in this Hanken course, please contact Helsinki Summer School dierctly at www.helsinkisummerschool.fi

JOO-studies in Vaasa
The system if flexible study rights in Vaasa covers the universities and and universities of applied sciences in Vaasa. Students from Hanken's partner universities coming to our Vaasa campus may apply for courses at either the Åbo Akademi University Faculties in Vaasa or at the University of Vaasa. Please notice that you have to have pre-acceptance from your own home university to show that the course you plan to apply for will be accepted for credit transfer at home. This is done by listing the course in question in on the Learning Agreement that you prepare for Hanken, with signatures from your home university. Enquires about the course options may be directed to the Office of Study Affairs at Hanken's campus in Vaasa. The application has to be attested by Hanken (the JOO-coordinator in Vaasa) before it is sent to the respective university.

Orientation Course

A mandatory Orientation course is arranged at semester start in both the the autumn and the spring semester in Helsinki and Vaasa. The programme is published in advance on the Exchange pages.

Facilities and services in Helsinki and Vaasa

In addition to reading the Information for Incoming Exchange Students on the web, you are advised to familiarize yourself with other pages on the "Student" portal. Under "Information for students" /Master Students you will get an overview of the facilities and services provided. To clarify: Hanken's degree structure means integrated Bachelor and Master studies and every admitted student has the rigt to continue up to the master's degree. That is why the web link only mentions "Master Students".

Pages on the "Home" portal may also be useful.

Just to mention some facilities and services:

Computer labs
Hanken provides students with a number of rooms where you have access to a computer at first come first served basis. The doors to computer labs are open in the day time (8 am-8 pm), and it is possible to get a key to some rooms against a deposit and fee totaling EUR 20 is charged. Consequently students are trusted to keep these labs in due order and to follow regulations set up.

Library
Information on Hanken's facilities and services is provided during the Orientation Course. Hanken's library in Helsinki is located in the main building. Hanken's library in Vaasa is located in Palosaari (Brändö) - a bit outside the city centre -in the library of science, Tritonia, which is the library common for all the universities of Vaasa.

Other university libraries (Helsinki)
You may also use the services of other university libraries in Helsinki, you need just to show your Student Union ID-card (the Lyyra-card www.lyyra.fi).

IB Bookstore
Hanken's photocopying centre, Intressebyrån (IB). IB is the stationer's where you can buy study supplies, papers and pens etc. in addition to teachers' handouts and compendia Photocopying machines are available and you can pre-pay copies at a "student price" .

Please notice that you have to pay yourself for the photocopying of all course-related written papers and assignments you have to hand in during the semester.

Meals
In Helsinki you will have your daily lunch at a student discount price in the Café Publicum in Helsinki on the ground floor. There is a choice of warm meals at a price of approx. EUR 2.50 and a buffet salad included. A cold salad plate is on the menu every day. Milk /juice and bread cost additional EUR 0.15/0.60/0.15. Sandwiches, snacks and other soft beverages are also available. Your student identification (the Finnish Student union ID card, i.e. the Lyyra card) is requested by the staff.

Opening hours 08.15 - 16.15
Warm meals are served 11.00 - 15.00

Student Restaurants in Vaasa offer very inexpensive lunches (about EUR 2.50) including bread and salad served between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The restaurants are located on the second floor of the Post Office Building, at Vaasa University and at the Faculty of Education (called 'Peffan'). At Hanken you find the small Café Hermes also serving a hot meal per day. Your student identification (the Finnish Student union ID card, i.e. the Lyyra card) is requested by the staff.

Only possession of the Student Union ID-card (the Lyyra-card) entitles you to student price meals. By showing the Lyyra-card you can eat at any student cafeteria in Helsinki and Vaasa. The Student cafeterias are open on Mondays - Fridays.