ARRIVAL AND INTEGRATION

ARRIVAL AND ORIENTATION

The international students are requested to ensure that they make their travel arrangements so that they arrive in time for the orientation days. EU/EEA nationals are recommended to arrive in time to handle the EU registration at the Finnish Immigration Services before the Orientation Days start (see page 7). The Orientation Days take place in the end of August and the detailed programme is published on the Orientation Days pages.

The primary aim of the orientation is to introduce the new environment, the university and study related matters that the student needs to know in order to study successfully at Hanken.

At the beginning of the Orientation Days, Students who delivered officially certified hard copies of their educational documents upon admission, must bring their educational documents in ORIGINAL for verification. The students this applies to, will be informed during the summer.

STUDENT UNION & THE STUDENT UNION MEMBERSHIP FEE

According to the Finnish Universities Act all universities must have a Student Union and all Bachelor’s and Master’s degree students need to be members of the Student Union at their home University.

The student union looks after the interests of the students at the university in question, e.g. by representing the Hanken students in decision-making bodies at the University and on a national level. The Student Union is not part of the University, but an independent organisation. The Student Union at Hanken School of Economics is also known for offering varied leisure time activities for students - its different student committees and sub-associations organise all kinds of events, from company and career events to dinners and social gatherings.

In order for all Bachelor’s and Master’s students to be members of the student union, you pay an annual membership fee as a student – you also register as present for the academic year by paying the fee. This money is spent to assure your interests are taken into consideration in society and at the university. Through the fee you also gain access to a student card that enables you to get cheaper prices on public transport, in many stores, in the university cafeterias, at the student gym Unisport and much more. Additionally, you can apply for housing through HOAS or Hanken’s own student apartments as well as participate in the many activities and use the facilities of the student union. As a new student you pay the student union fee through the Oili Service in the application portal www.studyinfo.fi. More info in the chapter about accepting your admission offer. The Student Union fee for the FALL semester 2023 is 34 euros

The Student Union fee for the SPRING semester 2024 is 34 euros

STUDENT CARD

As a member of the Student Union you are entitled to a Student Card. You need the card e.g. as ID during exams, to get student discounts on transport, meals etc.

You can either opt for a electronic app card or for a physical student card. You order the card from the Frank page. The app is only activated once the automated data transfer from the Hanken study register Sisu to Frank has been completed successfully which can take some time even though you have paid the student union fee. More info on te student card and how to order it is found on the New student pages.

MASTERS’ COMMITTEE & YOUR TUTOR

The Master’s Committee is a sub-committee under the Student Union at Hanken for all Master’s degree students. The Committee brings both international and national students together by e.g. organising social events. The Masters’ Committee also offer a tutor for each new master’s degree student so that you will integrate at Hanken and in Helsinki in the best possible way - you will meet your tutor during the Orientation Days. You can come in contact with current Hanken students already now by joining the Masters’ Committee’s Facebook group.

HANKEN INTERNATIONAL TALENT

Hanken International Talent is Hanken’s initiative to support international students’ inclusion into Finnish working life and society. It highlights events and opportunities that can be interesting for those students that are new to Finland or are in the process of making Finland their home. Whether your plan is to pursue your career in Finland or elsewhere, Hanken HIT supports you throughout your studies to widen your network, explore working life and kick-start your career!

Students can also choose to complete Hanken International Talent study module as part of their studies. The module includes varied possibilities to choose from - starting from volunteer work, internship, language studies in Swedish and Finnish, working life skill courses and taking part in the mentorship programme at Hanken. Students who complete the module will receive a separate Hanken International Talent diploma in addition to their degree certificate upon their graduation.

Academic information

The Master’s degree programme at Hanken is a two-year programme that consists of 120 ECTS credits. At least 90 credits are programme specific, including a Master’s thesis of 30 credits. The remaining 30 credits of the programme consist of elective courses that the students can choose amongst Hanken’s versatile curriculum. However, these 30 credits include a minimum of 5 credits of language studies. More info on the degree structure and learning goals here.

LIMITED RIGHT TO STUDY FOR MSC STUDENTS

The right to study for a university degree in Finland is limited for bachelor’s and master’s students. For students who have been admitted to the Master’s degree programme at Hanken, the estimated time to complete the studies within the programme and to graduate is two years. According to the Universities Act, students have an additional two years to complete the MSc degree. The right to study for the MSc degree is thereby restricted to a total of four years.

Students are allowed to be absent because of Finnish military service/ civil service, maternity/paternity leave or parental leave, without it affecting the time they have to complete their studies. In addition, students are allowed to be absent because of illness. For such absences, an official certificate of the statutory reason for absence must be presented to the university. Students can be registered as absent during an additional two semesters without one of the above mentioned reasons, however, not during the first year of enrolment.

This means that you have four years time to complete your degree, i.e. four years (or 8 semesters) when you are registered as present. In addition to this you can be registered as absent during two semesters for any reason.

ACADEMIC CALENDAR

The semesters at Hanken run from August until December and from January until July according to the academic calendar. The two semesters are divided into four separate teaching periods of approximately seven weeks each. After each teaching period, there is an exam week. Most courses cover one teaching period, but some courses might cover a whole semester.

SISU - THE STUDY SYSTEM AT HANKEN

The most central tool for your studies is the study system Sisu which is also the study register at Hanken. In Sisu you update your contact details, create your study plan, register for courses, apply to transfer credits and apply for graduation. At the start of your studies the most important task is to create your study plan and register for courses. During the Orientation Days, staff and the tutors will help you complete these two task during a hands on session so you do not need to manage this on your own. You can only access Sisu after having received your Hanken User ID. Note! Only use Sisu in English or Swedish since it is not set up to work in Finnish even though there is this language option.

Other useful tools during your studies are found on the pages for study practicalities.

ASSESSMENT AND GRADING

Courses are generally assessed either by a written examination at the end of the course or by essays and papers handed in during and/or after the course. The examination dates for each course can be found in Hanken’s Study Handbook. If a student fails an examination, there will be one more chance to retake it. If a student fails on both possible dates set for examination in a course, the course must be retaken entirely during the next academic year/semester when it is offered.

Assessment is based on work in class, individual and group work and exams. The grading scale is a numerical scale from 1 to 5 where 1 is required to pass. A five-point scale, with the numerical values 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, where 1 is the lowest rating and 5 the highest, is the most commonly used by other universities in Finland.

CHEATING

Please note that cheating is strictly forbidden at all universities. Students are not allowed to bring any books, papers or other reading material to the examinations – unless the teacher has specifically allowed it before the examination. It is also forbidden to talk to other students or to copy someone else’s answers when writing the examination. Plagiarism is also strictly forbidden. Plagiarism means that the work of someone else is presented as one’s own. This includes copying from books, from the Internet as well as from other written and spoken media. For information about Hanken’s plan of action against academic dishonesty, please visit here.

ACADEMIC CALENDAR 2023–2024

You find the annual academic calender on Hanken’s webpages here.