Academic Information

Language of Instruction

Metropolia has several Bachelor's and Master's programmes that are taught fully in English.

In addition, many degree programmes that are taught in Finnish also have an international semester and course packages that are offered in English for exchange students. New modules and degrees in English are continuously planned.

Depending on the degree programme and field of study, there may be some other study opportunities in English: study modules, small projects, final year projects, or work placements.

Most of the teachers and students at Metropolia speak fluent English - don’t be afraid of language barriers.

For related topics, please see the sections:

Language Courses
For exchange students: see course lists and fact sheets of your field of study.

Methods of Teaching

Studies at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences can consist of theoretical lectures, exercises, group work, laboratory work, independent studies, project work and work placement / clinical practice / internship.

The methods vary from field to field, and from course to course. The focus is on applying theory into practice.

At Metropolia, intensive cooperation with local business and industry provides you with possibilities to develop your professional skills and expertise in practice already during your studies.

Assessment and Grading

Assessment criteria for each course are specified in the Course Catalogue.

The teacher in charge of the course is responsible for the assessment. At the beginning of each course, students are informed on the assessment principles. These are based on the course objectives.

Assessment applies to the students who have registered and been accepted on the course. If the course consists of several components, the teacher may point this out in the assessment principles. Different components of a course may be assessed individually.

Metropolia uses the following assessment scale:

5 excellent
4 very good
3 good
2 very satisfactory
1 satisfactory
0 fail
H pass

The grade of an approved course can be upgraded in a re-sit. Students that fail a course may re-sit the exam twice on specified dates.

Students will be provided with feedback and assessment within four weeks of their course performance and in any case well before the next possible retake. Course grades are entered in the student register OMA.

Grades for successfully completed courses that have been entered in the student register cannot be erased. The course coordinator or teacher files the documents used as the basis for student assessment for six months, counting from the publication of the assessment.

Transcript of Records

Students enrolled in Metropolia have access to the student register OMA where they can follow their up-to-date course performance. Official transcripts of records are provided by the Student Affairs Offices.

In the case of exchange students finishing their semester at Metropolia, international coordinators will send the official transcripts of records to their home institutions after all the grades are given.

ECTS Credit Allocation and Learning Outcomes

ECTS Credits

The workload of a course, module and degree programme is indicated as ECTS credits in Metropolia (in Finnish "opintopiste"). The extent of studies for one academic year is 60 ECTS credits, which translates to some 1,600 hours of work. One semester equals to 30 ECTS credits.

The indicated ECTS workload includes all the work required for the student to complete the course: lectures, exercises, assignments, seminars, and other forms of instruction as well as independent course-related studying and exams.

ECTS credits for each degree programme, module and course are indicated in the Course Catalogue.

See more on European Credit Transfer System at European Commission webpages.

Credit Allocation and Learning Outcomes

The curricula in Metropolia University of Applied Sciences are competence-based, describing the expected learning outcomes for each degree programme and individual course. Learning outcomes indicate what the student knows, understands and is able to do as a result of the learning process.

For reaching the described learning outcomes, the student is expected to commit himself/herself to a certain amount of work. This workload is defined as credit points. The credit points are a numerical value allocated to courses to describe the student workload required to reach the described learning outcomes. The credit points used in Metropolia are equivalent to ECTS credits.

60 ECTS credits (approximately 1,600 hours) are allocated to the workload of a full-time academic year.

For the details of the curricula of each degree programme, please refer to the Study Guide: Course Catalogue.

Regulations

There are several stages during the studies in which rules and instructions commonly agreed and decided by the university of applied sciences apply. The principles and definitions of policy of the tasks and activities of the universities are defined in the university rules, based on the acts and decrees given by the Finnish Government. The instructions specify criteria and processes of tasks. By rules and instructions we assure that students are treated equally and equitably and everyone studying and working at Metropolia knows her/his responsibilities and duties.

The most essential regulations for a student are the Degree Regulations of Metropolia (pdf) which include the principles of eligibility and right for studies and curricula structures, including tutoring and assessment of study performances.

Other instructions and regulations concerning studying are found in Metropolia's intranet under the Study Guide. The section Instructions and Rules contains the most relevant instructions.

Discontinuation of the right to study

A student will lose the right to study for the following reasons:

failing to register as attending or non-attending by the deadline
failing to finish his or her studies within the period prescribed by law and any discretionary extension period granted
resigning at his or her own request
failing to pay the tuition fee for the academic year by the deadline given by the university of applied sciences, if he or she is obliged to pay such a fee, and not registering as non-attending.

Regranting the right to study after neglecting to register for the academic year or pay the tuition fee for the academic year or resigning

In accordance with section 32 of the Universities of Applied Sciences Act (932/2014), a former student of Metropolia who has lost his or her right to study after neglecting to register as attending or non-attending for the academic year or after resigning may reapply to the university of applied sciences for admission without participating in the student selection procedure.

The right to study can be regranted if the student has the possibility to complete the remaining studies within the period of the right to study. Metropolia considers the academic terms spent and those remaining when granting a period of the right to study. All the academic terms when the student did not have a right to study because he or she failed to register will be considered as terms of absence. In the event that all the permitted terms of absence have been used, absences due to failing to register will count towards the period of the right to study.

A student whose study right has expired but has remaining study right, can apply for regranting the right to study and pay the fee online at https://maksut.metropolia.fi. A fee of 50 euros will be charged for processing the application, in accordance with section 3 of the Government Decree on Fees Charged by the Universities of Applied Sciences (1440/2014).

If a student who is obliged to pay tuition fees fails to pay the tuition fee for an academic year by the deadline without registering as non-attending, he or she may reapply for the right to study in accordance with the procedure above. A fee of 50 euros will be charged for processing the application.

A student may request a rectification of a decision concerning his or her application for regranting the right to study from Metropolia's Legal Protection Committee in writing within 14 days of receiving notice of the decision.

If the student is dissatisfied with the Legal Protection Committee's decision, he or she may lodge an appeal against it with the Helsinki Administrative Court. The period of appeal is 30 days as of the date on which a notification of the decision was received.

Regranting the right to study after the expiry of the period of the right to study or a discretionary extension period

A former student of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences who has started his or her studies on or after 1 August 2015 and who has not completed his or her degree during the period of the right to study or the discretionary extension period may reapply to the university of applied sciences for admission without participating in the student selection procedure (Act on the Amendment of the Universities of Applied Sciences Act (325/2015), section 32).

The student may be asked for further explanation to support the decision on regranting the right to study. The right to study is regranted for a maximum of two academic terms, beginning from the start of the following term. A student whose right to study has been regranted may not register as non-attending nor apply for a discretionary extension period.

The application is filled and the fee paid online at https://maksut.metropolia.fi. A fee of 50 euros will be charged for processing the application, in accordance with section 3 of the Government Decree on Fees Charged by the Universities of Applied Sciences (1440/2014).

A former student of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences who has started his or her studies before 1 August 2015 and lost his or her right to study due to failure to register for the academic year, the expiry of his or her period of the right to study or some other reason, will be instructed to apply for admission through the joint application process or the separate application process, and he or she will be granted a new right to study for a period determined by the university of applied sciences.

Additional information:
studentservices [at] metropolia.fi (studentservices[at]metropolia[dot]fi)