Higher Education and Research in Finland

1
(No Transcript)
2
Higher Education and Research in Finland

• Statistical facts about Finland
• Historical Overview
• Overview of Finnish educational system
• Higher educational system
• Research and degrees in Finnish universities and
  polytechnics
• Some facts about research in Finland

3
Statistics

• Finland is a Democratic Republic between Sweden
  and Russia.
• Population 5 190 785 (July 2003)
• Life expectancy at birth 77.92 years (2003 est.)
• Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
  total population 100 (1980 est.)

4
Historical Overview

• The first Finnish university, Turku Academy, was
  established in 1640.
• A decree issued in 1898 contained an obligation
  for the local authorities to provide all
  school-aged children with an opportunity for
  schooling.
• In the Constitution, enacted in 1919, an
  obligation was laid down to provide for general
  compulsory education and for basic education free
  of charge.

5
Historical Overview

• The public authorities were to maintain or
  support general education, vocational education,
  applied art and scientific higher education, as
  well as university education. General compulsory
  education was prescribed by law in 1921.
• The network of universities expanded gradually
  after the Second World War to cover the entire
  country. During the 1990's, a non-university
  sector of higher education, consisting of almost
  30 polytechnics, has been created parallel with
  the university sector.

6
The Education System of Finland
7
Education policy definitions

• Regional accessibility of education.
• Equal opportunities to education for both
  language groups.
• No separation of the sexes.
• Instruction free of charge.
• State's financial aid scheme for students.

8
Basic Education

• Basic Education means the general education
  provided for each age group in its entirety.
• Intended for children from seven to sixteen years
  of age.
• Completion in comprehensive school takes nine
  years. After completing comprehensive school,
  pupils have fulfilled their compulsory education.
  
• In 2000, there were 65,000 seven-year-olds.

9
Objective

• The objective of basic education is to support
  pupils' growth towards humanity and ethically
  responsible membership of society, and to provide
  them with the knowledge and skills necessary in
  life.

10
How?

• Basic education is general education provided
  free of charge for entire age groups.
• The network of comprehensive schools covers the
  entire country.
• All children permanently resident in Finland are
  subject to compulsory education for a period of
  ten years starting in the year of their seventh
  birthday.

11
Features of basic education 1

• No admission requirements.
• No charges.
• A nine-year comprehensive school.
• May include voluntary one-year pre-school
  education and voluntary one-year additional
  education (10th form).
• Instruction arranged in schools near the home.

12
Features of basic education 2

• No official qualification final certificate
  granted for acceptable completion of the
  syllabus.
• Provides eligibility for all upper secondary
  education.
• Almost all Finnish children complete
  comprehensive school.
• Interruption and repeating a form is rare.
• Compulsory education is fulfilled by completing
  the basic education syllabus.

13
Upper Secondary Education

• Upper secondary education comprises general upper
  secondary education and initial vocational study
  programs.
• General upper secondary education is general
  education preparing for the matriculation
  examination.
• The principal objective of the vocational
  programs is vocational competence.
• Approximately 94 of each age group start
  general or vocational upper secondary studies and
  some 82 complete the education.

14
Higher education

• Two parallel sectors universities and
  polytechnics.
• Polytechnics are oriented towards working life
  and base their operations on the high vocational
  skill requirements set by it.
• Universities are characterized by scientific
  research and the highest education based thereon.

15
Polytechnic Education

• Polytechnics provide vocational higher education
  usually in a multi-field environment for those
  who have completed either the matriculation
  examination or an upper secondary level
  vocational qualification.
• The completion of a polytechnic degree takes
  3.5-4.5 years.
• In 1999, there were some 26,000 new students.

16
About polytechnics

• The objective of the studies leading to a
  polytechnic degree is to provide the necessary
  knowledge and skills for operating in
  occupational expert functions on the basis of the
  requirements set by working life and the
  development thereof.
• Polytechnics are mostly multi-field and operate
  in several units. They are maintained by
  municipalities, federations of municipalities or
  private organizations.

17
Studying in polytechnics

• Polytechnics provide instruction for expert
  functions in the sectors of natural resources,
  technology and communications, business and
  administration, tourism, catering and
  institutional management, health care and social
  services, culture, and the humanities and
  education.
• Studies leading to a polytechnic degree take
  3.5-4.5 years (140-180 credits). The studies
  consist of basic and professional studies,
  optional studies, practical studies to boost
  occupational skills and a thesis.

18
Teaching and funds

• Lecturers are required to have a Master's degree
  and principal lecturers an academic postgraduate
  degree. Teachers are required to have completed
  pedagogical studies and have three years of work
  experience.
• Basic funding for polytechnics is granted by the
  State (57) and local authorities (43).

19
Features of polytechnics

• The admission requirement is the completion of a
  vocational qualification or the matriculation
  examination.
• Polytechnics select their students independently
  application takes place through the national
  joint application procedure.
• Polytechnic studies lead to higher education
  degrees.
• The scope of education is 3.5-4.5 years.

20
Features of polytechnics

• All degree programs include an on-the-job
  training period of at least 20 credits (half the
  academic year).
• Instruction is free of charge.
• Education providers are municipal or private the
  State does not maintain polytechnics.
• Close research and development co-operation with
  the regional working life.

21
University Education

• Universities provide lower (Bachelor's) and
  higher (Master's) academic degrees and scientific
  postgraduate degrees, which are the licentiate
  and the doctorate.
• A Bachelors degree can usually be completed in
  three years and a Masters degree in five years.
• The university system is composed of
  multidisciplinary universities and specialized
  scientific universities and art academies, which
  are also called universities.

22
Purpose

• The purpose of universities is to promote
  independent research and scientific and artistic
  education, to provide instruction of the highest
  level based on research, and to raise the young
  to serve the fatherland and humankind.
• Universities arrange their operations in order
  for research, education and instruction to
  achieve high international standards, by
  observing ethical principles and good scientific
  practice.

23
How many?

• There are twenty universities in Finland ten
  multidisciplinary universities, three
  universities of technology, three schools of
  economics and business administration and four
  art academies.
• The network of universities covers the different
  parts of the country and provides a student place
  for almost one third of the age group. All
  universities are owned by the State. Academic
  degrees in the military field can be taken at the
  National Defense College falling under the
  administrative field of the Ministry of Defense.

24
Features of Finnish university

• The decision-making system of the universities is
  highly independent.
• Competition for student places in higher
  education is fierce, and a numerus clausus, i.e.
  an annual intake quota, applies to all fields of
  study at universities. Various types of entrance
  examinations form a central part of the selection
  process.
• In addition to degree programs, universities also
  provide adult education and various research and
  consultant services.

25
Main features of higher education

• Free of charge.
• Anyone who has upper secondary education an
  apply.
• Two parallel sectors universities and
  polytechnics.

26
Main features of polytechnics

• Polytechnics are oriented towards working life
  and base their operations on the high vocational
  skill requirements set by it.
• Polytechnic studies lead to higher education
  degrees.
• The scope of education is 3.5-4.5 years.
• Polytechnic studies lead to higher education
  degrees.

27
Main features of universities

• Universities are characterized by scientific
  research and the highest education based thereon.
• Universities provide lower (Bachelor's) and
  higher (Master's) academic degrees and scientific
  postgraduate degrees, which are the licentiate
  and the doctorate.
• A Bachelors degree can usually be completed in
  three years and a Masters degree in five years.
• In addition to degree programs, universities also
  provide adult education and various research and
  consultant services.

28
PhD education arrangements in general

• PhD dissertation which has to be a published
  refereed work. It may be either a monograph or a
  collection of refereed journal/conference
  articles plus a summary.
• Around 40-50 course credits (one credit one
  weeks or 40 h worth of work). The motivation of
  these courses is to facilitate the writing of the
  thesis.
• The students are expected to complete their PhD
  studies in 4 years (of full time work). It is a
  common policy now to try to lower the age at
  which students complete their PhD degree.

29
Publications/thousand inhabitants
30
Researcher mobility

• In 2004 Finnish teachers and researchers made a
  total of 633 visits of a minimum of one month's
  duration to foreign universities. Correspondingly
  1,060 foreign researchers visited Finnish
  universities.
• The Academy of Finland had in 2004 bilateral
  agreements with 26 countries or regions and with
  38 science and research funding organizations.
• The Centre for International Mobility CIMO
  granted in 2004 altogether 1,082 grants for
  longer-term postgraduate studies and shorter
  visits, 704 of which were for foreign
  postgraduate students coming to Finland. The
  largest numbers of visitors came from Russia,
  Hungary and Estonia.

31
Women and men in senior university posts ()
32
Proportion of women among university students,
holders of higher university degrees and teaching
staff.
33
Finnish innovation system
34
Some key aims and priorities in Finnish science
policy

• To effect a substantial increase in research
  funding.
• To promote national, European and international
  networking in research to make use of EU
  research programs, other international research
  schemes and bilateral arrangements
• To support research especially in fields relevant
  to knowledge-intensive industries and services,
  such as biotechnology
• To intensify cooperation between the users of the
  research system and research findings and the
  diffusion of research findings
• To promote the commercialization of research
  findings and the creation of new business and the
  utilization of research findings and technology

35
References

• SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON FINNISH EDUCATION
  SYSTEM, Retrieved December 11, 2005 from
• http//www.edu.fi/english/pageLast.asp?path500,46
  99,41302,41303
• Finnish science and technology Information
  service
• http//www.research.fi/index_en.html

36
Thank you. Any questions?