Studies
What is it like to study Creativity and Arts in Social and Health Fields
See our student Jonna's experience of studying Creativity and Arts in Social and Health Fields in Metropolia.
Why Study Creativity and Arts in Social and Health Fields with Us?
Creativity and Arts in Social and Health Fields (shorter CRASH) is a transdisciplinary Master’s degree programme aimed at professionals in the fields of culture and arts, social services and health.
Creativity and different ways to express it, as well as cultural activities and arts related experiences, belong to all people as part of a good and meaningful life. The aim of CRASH degree programme is to strengthen the professional competences needed when promoting health, well-being, inclusion and a sense of community in society through creativity and arts.
Upon graduation, students are able to reflect in a new way on the importance of creativity in human life and to reconstruct working practices from this perspective. The studies are designed to combine expertise from different fields locally and internationally, as well as to strengthen multidisciplinary and international collaboration skills of professionals.
How studies are carried out?
The education is carried out as blended learning. You will study together with a diverse group of professionals from fields related to culture, arts, social services and health care.
A special feature of the CRASH degree programme is the multidisciplinary collaboration initiated already in the application phase and carried out through the studies. Expert lectures, workshops, projects and group work with peers, as well as supervision support your learning. There are approximately four contact-teaching days a month, some of which are carried out with remote connection.
In the application phase, the applicants present their preliminary development / thesis idea, which will be further developed at the beginning of the studies. The aim is to build multidisciplinary partnerships combining the fields of culture, health care and social services.
Lectures, seminars, workshops and study materials are mainly in English. However, Finnish can be used as a support language and some written assignments can be prepared in Finnish as well.
The underlying premise of the CRASH programme is to foster a unique forum for co-creation and togetherness. In practice, community-building is emphasised throughout the studies, and students must commit to working together with others and actively participate in live and online teaching. The studies are advanced-level and rely on phenomenon-based learning.
The study programme is enriched by the participation of international guest lecturers in addition to its regular teaching staff. Below are some of the esteemed guest lecturers contributing to the program:
- Professor Emerita Norma Daykin, University of the West of England Bristol
- Dr. Katey Warran, University of Edinburgh and University College London
- Dr. Giorgos Tsiris, Queen Margaret University
- Dr. Sue Smith, Falmouth University
- Dr. Kai Lehikoinen, University of the Arts Helsinki
- Ninni Perko, Dancer, Artistic Director, Sivuun Ensemble
- Sophia Alexandersson, Artistic Director, ShareMusic and Performing Arts
What Will You Study?
The content of the degree program in CRASH is based on development processes (multidisciplinary project, research methodology studies and thesis), advanced-level professional studies in the theme of creativity, culture, art and well-being, as well as elective studies.
For professionals in the fields of culture and arts the curriculum consists of the following elements:
- Creativity, Culture, Arts and Well-being – Advanced-level Studies
- Creativity, Health and Well-being (10 ECTS)
- Multidisciplinary Dialogue and Evaluation (5 ECTS)
- Developing the Use of Creativity and Arts in Promoting Well-being
- Co-creation Project (5 ECTS)
- Research Methods and Skills (5 ECTS)
- Master’s Thesis (30 ECTS)
- Elective Studies (5 ECTS)
For professionals in the fields of health care and social services the curriculum consists of the following elements:
- Creativity, Culture, Arts and Well-being – Advanced-level Studies
- Creativity, Health and Well-being (10 ECTS)
- Multidisciplinary Dialogue and Evaluation (5 ECTS)
- Working Methods for Creative Practice 1 (5 ECTS)
- Working Methods for Creative Practice 2 (5 ECTS)
- Creativity in Projects (5 ECTS)
- Developing the Use of Creativity and Arts in Promoting Well-being
- Co-creation Project (5 ECTS)
- Research Methods and Skills (5 ECTS)
- Master’s Thesis (30 ECTS)
- Elective Studies (20 ECTS)
Future Career Prospects
The graduates are professionals in using creativity and arts in social and health fields. They are able to utilize the opportunities of creativity to support people's lives and well-being, promote the realization of cultural rights, evaluate the effectiveness of activities as well as reconstruct professional practices, structures and thinking.
The Master's degree in Creativity and Arts in Social and Health Fields CRASH provides strong competences to act as a developer, innovator, expert and leader in using creativity and arts in various operating environments in social and health fields. It also gives you competences to work in expert positions in the social and health sector as well as in the field of arts and culture, both nationally and internationally. In working life, you can act as a bold innovator of multidisciplinary practices in solutions related to health, well-being, creativity and inclusion.
Degree Titles
Please note that this education alone doesn’t provide a qualification to work in the regulated professions in social and health fields for students from the fields of culture. The Finnish translation of the degree title will be one of the following:
Culture and Arts:
- Musiikkipedagogi (ylempi AMK)
- Muusikko (ylempi AMK)
- Kulttuurituottaja (ylempi AMK)
- Medianomi (ylempi AMK)
- Muotoilija (ylempi YAMK)
- Vestonomi (ylempi AMK)
- Konservaattori (ylempi AMK)
Social and Health fields:
- Apuvälineteknikko (ylempi AMK)
- Bioanalyytikko (ylempi AMK)
- Fysioterapeutti (ylempi AMK)
- Geronomi (ylempi AMK)
- Jalkaterapeutti (ylempi AMK)
- Kätilö (ylempi AMK)
- Optometristi (ylempi AMK)
- Osteopaatti (ylempi AMK)
- Röntgenhoitaja (ylempi AMK)
- Sairaanhoitaja (ylempi AMK)
- Sosionomi (ylempi AMK)
- Suuhygienisti (ylempi AMK)
- Terveydenhoitaja (ylempi AMK)
- Toimintaterapeutti (ylempi AMK)
- Ensihoitaja (ylempi AMK)
Scholarships and tuition fees
This fee applies only to non-EU/EEA degree students.
Annual tuition fee:
- 12 000 € for those, whose right of study starts before 1 August 2024
- 12 500 € for those, whose right of study starts after 31 July 2024
There is no tuition fee for EU/EEA students.
Application
Spring Joint Application for the English Degree Programmes:
- 8 January 2025 - 22 January 2025
Separate Application on the Basis of Finnish Higher Education Studies
- 1 May - 15 May 2025
Transfer Application
- 1 May - 15 May 2025
Application information
Join our morning online coffee session on Tuesday 6 May 2025 at 8.00 A.M. and ask about CRASH studies and application!
Students' and Alumni's experiences
Studying in practice
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Applying
- Application period-Start of studiesautumn 2025
- Culture
- Health Care and Social Services
Instructions for applying
In the spring 2025 Joint Application to higher education, you can apply to degree programmes that start in the autumn of 2025. The application period starts on the 8 January 2025 at 8 am and ends on the 22 January 2025 at 3 pm (local time in Finland).
All the information needed to apply can be found on the national Studyinfo.fi portal. At Studyinfo.fi you can find descriptions of degree programmes, application criteria, application instructions, application forms and much more.
Application fee
From January 2025 onwards there is going to be an application fee of 100 euros. The application fee is collected for applicants from countries outside EU/EEA seeking education leading to a degree in higher education. The Finnish National Agency of Education will collect the application fee in connection with filling in the Studyinfo application form. The application fees are introduced for applications starting 1 January 2025 and onwards, when applying for degree programmes beginning on or after 1 August 2025. There is no application fee for Finnish or EU citizens.
More about application fee in Studyinfo.fi.
Questions about application fees? Contact applicationfee [at] oph.fi (applicationfee[at]oph[dot]fi)The application fee does not guarantee that you will be offered admission to studies.
This pre-assignment applies only to the joint application for studies starting in the autumn term of 2025.
All applicants in Creativity and Arts in Social and Health Fields (CRASH) degree programme are expected to prepare and return a pre-assignment based on the instructions below. The pre-assignment is assessed on a pass/fail scale. The applicants are invited to the entrance exam only, if they pass the pre-assignment and meet all eligibility requirements (i.e. required background education and work experience).
In the pre-assignment, the applicants are invited to introduce themselves and their thinking on how social and health field contexts could benefit from creativity and arts. Please follow the instructions carefully, as failing to do so also means a failed pre-assignment.
The pre-assignment consists of two elements:
1) APPLICANT. The aim is to create a fruitful and supportive student group of professionals in CRASH, where diverse approaches and fields of work are represented.
As part of the pre-assignment, you are expected to describe in a concise and concrete way:
- What CRASH degree programme related education, work experience and competences do you personally have?
- Based on your life and work experience, what areas of using creativity and arts in social and health fields interest you in particular?
- How do you feel you could contribute to working in the CRASH student group?
2) DEVELOPMENT IDEA. Your studies in CRASH include a development project and thesis, which boldly develops working life practices. The applicants are requested to think in advance, from the point of view of their own professional experience, what area of development they would like to focus on during their studies in CRASH. The development idea doesn’t need to be fully finalized. It’s good to allow for flexibility, because in the beginning of studies, the aim is to form pairs or small groups for student projects, where multidisciplinary exchange of ideas and learning are possible. The idea presented in the pre-assignment can serve as the basis of the student’s Master’s Thesis, or it can be modified as the studies progress.
As part of the pre-assignment, you are expected to describe in a concise and concrete way:
- What area do you tentatively think you would like to develop in your project or thesis, and on what grounds?
- Do you already have some potential collaboration partners in mind for these development processes?
The pre-assignment is written in English, it has the maximum of 6000 characters (approx. 2 pages of A4). Visual elements are allowed but not necessary. The pre-assignment must be attached to your application at studyinfo.fi in PDF format by the end of the application period.
Name the document: last name_first name_pre-assignment.pdfThe pre-assignment is used to assess the following:
- Capacity of the applicant to follow instructions and to express themselves in their own words (as opposed to copying answers created by artificial intelligence)
- Motivation of the applicant towards developing working life practices making use of creativity and arts in the social and health fields
- Ability to identify problems related to working life and/or society and build the development idea in relation to them
- Relevance and currentness of and argumentation for their development idea
- Suitability of the background education of the applicant*
In the CRASH degree programme the pre-assignment will be used to determine which applicants are invited to the entrance exam as well as with whom an individual interview during the entrance exam days should be arranged. The applicants should prepare their pre-assignment independently in order to present their own thinking and skills. For example, with regards to language skills, English will be assessed only during the entrance exam and therefore it isn’t necessary to produce faultless English in the pre-assignment. The pre-assignment and entrance exam are designed to assess your abilities to manage and succeed in the study program. Therefore, please refrain from using AI-based tools in your assignments.
* Metropolia is entitled to grant only the following diplomas for CRASH graduates and therefore the educational background of the applicant should have a clear connection with them.
Master of Culture and Arts, which in Finnish translates into one of the following:
Konservaattori (ylempi AMK)
Kulttuurituottaja (ylempi AMK)
Medianomi (ylempi AMK)
Muotoilija (ylempi AMK)
Muusikko (ylempi AMK)
Musiikkipedagogi (ylempi AMK)
Vestonomi (ylempi AMK)
Master of Social Services and/or Health Care, which in Finnish translates into one of the following:
Apuvälineteknikko (ylempi AMK)
Bioanalyytikko (ylempi AMK)
Ensihoitaja (ylempi AMK)
Fysioterapeutti (ylempi AMK)
Geronomi (ylempi AMK)
Jalkaterapeutti (ylempi AMK)
Kätilö (ylempi AMK)
Optometristi (ylempi AMK)
Osteopaatti (ylempi AMK)
Röntgenhoitaja (ylempi AMK)
Sairaanhoitaja (ylempi AMK)
Sosionomi (ylempi AMK)
Suuhygienisti (ylempi AMK)
Terveydenhoitaja (ylempi AMK)
Toimintaterapeutti (ylempi AMK)
In order to be considered for the student selection, you must fill in the joint application form at Studyinfo.fi during the application period 8 January - 22 January 2025. The pre-assignment must be submitted as an attachment to the electronic joint application form during the application period, by 22 January 2025 3:00 p.m. the latest (local time in Finland).
File formats according to the assignment.Pre-assignments for spring 2025 Joint Application 1 will be published by the beginning of the application period.
In order to be considered for student selection, you must pass the degree programme's own entrance examination as described in Studyinfo.fi. Entrance exam invitations are sent approximately one week before the entrance exam by email to the email address provided by the applicant on the application form.
- Application period-Start of studiesautumn 2025Apply now!
- Culture
- Health Care and Social Services
The transfer application is aimed at all students enrolled in studies leading to a Finnish higher education degree and:
- who wish to transfer their study rights from one Finnish higher education institution to Metropolia so that the degree title remains the same or changes
OR - who wish to transfer their study rights within Metropolia from one degree programme to another, so that the degree title changes.
Students transferring within Metropolia in such a way that the degree title remains the same, are not considered as "transfer students" and have their own separate application procedure available on Metropolia intranet (OMA). Please note that it is not possible to transfer from abroad.
Students applying for a transfer should note that their maximum study period or the period for which they are entitled to receive student financial aid will not be extended due to the transfer. The maximum study period is calculated from the date on which the student accepted the study place in the previous higher education institution.
All the information needed to apply can be found on the national Studyinfo.fi portal. At Studyinfo.fi you can find descriptions of degree programmes, application criteria, application instructions, application forms and much more.
Application fee
From January 2025 onwards there is an application fee of 100 euros. The application fee is collected for applicants from countries outside EU/EEA seeking education leading to a degree in higher education. The Finnish National Agency of Education will collect the application fee in connection with filling in the Studyinfo application form. The application fees are introduced for applications starting 1 January 2025 and onwards, when applying for degree programmes beginning on or after 1 August 2025. There is no application fee for Finnish or EU citizens.
More about application fee in Studyinfo.fi.
Questions about application fees? Contact applicationfee [at] oph.fi (applicationfee[at]oph[dot]fi)The application fee does not guarantee that you will be offered admission to studies.
- Application period-Start of studiesautumn 2025Apply now!
- Culture
- Health Care and Social Services
The Application on the Basis of Finnish Higher Education Studies is aimed at those who have completed higher education studies in Finland. Studies are taken into account regardless of whether they have been completed as open studies or in education leading to a degree, or whether the right to study is valid or has expired.
Application period: 1 May 2025 8:00 am - 15 May 2025, all times refer to local time in Finland.
In flexible admission (i.e. rolling admission) the study places are filled in the order in which applications are received, so that all applicants who meet all the student selection requirements are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until the application ends or the study places are filled.
All the information needed to apply can be found on the national Studyinfo.fi portal. At Studyinfo.fi you can find descriptions of degree programmes, application criteria, application instructions, application forms and much more.
Application fee
From January 2025 onwards there is an application fee of 100 euros. The application fee is collected for applicants from countries outside EU/EEA seeking education leading to a degree in higher education. The Finnish National Agency of Education will collect the application fee in connection with filling in the Studyinfo application form. The application fees are introduced for applications starting 1 January 2025 and onwards, when applying for degree programmes beginning on or after 1 August 2025. There is no application fee for Finnish or EU citizens.
More about application fee in Studyinfo.fi.
Questions about application fees? Contact applicationfee [at] oph.fi (applicationfee[at]oph[dot]fi)The application fee does not guarantee that you will be offered admission to studies.
Useful links
More information
For more information on the application process please contact
Metropolia's Student and Admission Services:
+358 40 712 5100
admissions [at] metropolia.fi (admissions[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
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Starting studies
How to start your studies in Metropolia
Welcome to study for a degree at Metropolia!
Congratulations! You have been admitted to Metropolia University of Applied Sciences and we are delighted to have you as a new member of our vibrant community of more than 16 000 students!
You have made an excellent choice - Metropolia offers you unique multidisciplinary opportunities throughout your studies with its strong connections to working life and active role in innovations built around socially significant phenomena.
We are happy to have you with us and help you with any questions you might have. Welcome to Metropolia!
The below information applies to students who have been accepted to study for a full degree at Metropolia. Make sure to complete all the steps in order to secure your study place.
Confirming a place of study requires certain formalities to be completed by the deadline. More detailed instructions below:
Non-EU/EEA students need a student residence permit. You can begin the student residence permit application online at Enterfinland.fi. Remember that you must personally visit a Finnish embassy or consulate as part of this process. Start your residence permit process as soon as possible, carefully following the immigration authorities' instructions and regulations, so that you can receive your permit in good time before your studies begin! You can find detailed information and advice on the residence permit requirements and procedures on the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) website.
Note that participating online programmes does not entitle you receiving residence permit. See more about the topic in Finnish Immigration Service websites.
All Metropolia's students who do not have a Finnish personal identity code, have to apply for it before their arrival or register at the local registry office after their arrival to Finland to apply for one.
Students who have to apply for residence permit (i.e. non-EU/non-EEA citizens) before their arrival to Finland should ask to be registered in the Finnish Population Information System when they apply for their first residence permit. This way they will receive a Finnish personal identity code at the same time as they are issued with the permit. More information on this for residence permit applicants
Other students have to apply for the personal identity code from the local registry office of the city where you are living in.
More information on Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV).
More information on registration to the Finnish Population Information System
After you have received the personal identification code, remember to inform it to the Student and Admission Services.
Metropolia does not have housing services to offer. Thus, it is the student's responsibility to find an accommodation for the period of their studies. There is a lot of competition in affordable housing, so it is important to start searching for a room many months prior to arrival. More information on accommodation
All foreign students (who are not EU citizens or citizens of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland) who come to Finland for the purposes of studying are required to have a health insurance, if the studies endure longer than three months.
More information on insurances
Student financial aid is for Finnish citizens. Foreign citizens are entitled to student financial aid if they live in Finland on a permanent basis for the purpose other than studying and they have registered as permanent residents in the Finnish population register system.
- Find out where your campus is located
- If you have a smart phone you can download the free HSL mobile app to get access to the public transportation Journey Planner and tickets (e.g. for travelling from the Helsinki-Vantaa airport to your apartment or from your apartment to the campus).
- If you have a smart phone you can download the Tuudo mobile app for free to get your digital student ID and student discounts (ID and discounts are available from the first day of the studies onwards)
- Information on student life and well-being, costs and finance, study environment etc.
When you start as a new student you need to activate your user account. Activation is possible when the right to study begins. For joint application, activation is possible from 1 August.
The purpose of the activation is that you personally accept the rules of the account usage policy and start using your account. Activate your user account primarily using Mobile Certificate and Netbank User ID. Please read first the instructions in IT Services wiki.
Tuudo is a mobile app with which you can use various Metropolia web services easily on your smart phone. With Tuudo you can get VR, HSL, Matkahuolto and Kela student discounts immediately. The benefits are free for all Metropolia students.
In Tuudo you can check Metropolia, Admission Services, and student union METKA announcements, your schedule, study attainments, and cafeteria menus.
Get Tuudo on your phone from the app store for free and start using it!
During your studies, your support of well-being and health is Finnish Student Health Services (FSHS). The specialist in student health care offers you general, mental and oral health services and supports the well-being of study communities.
Our services can be used by students completing a bachelor’s or master’s degree at a university or a university of applied sciences who have registered as attending for the semester.
Master the facts! Familiarize yourself with our services and user instructions on the address fshs.fi, and the Health information resource on the address yths.fi/en/health-information-resource. You can also find information about appointments as well as current information about your service unit on the address yths.fi/en/service-units.
Start using Self! Self is the student’s own online service for health care issues at FSHS. In Self, you can manage appointment bookings, communicate via SelfChat and start a remote consultation. Log in to Self as a user immediately from the beginning of the semester and keep your contact details up to date for as long as you are a student. Read more: yths.fi/en/self-info.
The health care fee for students in higher education will be paid to Kela on your initiative (kela.fi/web/en/healthcare-fee-for-students-in-higher-education).
If you have social security coverage in another EU/EEA country or in Switzerland or the United Kingdom, you do not have to pay the healthcare fee. However, you can to use the FSHS’s services.
Already excited about starting your studies in Metropolia and meeting new people? On this page you will find welcome letters for each degree program.
Welcome letters are information packages prepared by your future tutors. They include, for example, important dates as well as information about studying, student benefits, or student life.
Create your own profile and sign up to JobTeaser portal now and stay up to date on job vacancies, training and upcoming recruitment events promoted especially to Metropolia students. There are hundreds of job opportunities available and a lot of information to support your career planning.
JobTeaser is a career portal where you can find lot of career information in one platform.
- Open jobs and traineeships
- Working life events
- Advice & guidance
- Employer profiles
Sign up and start exploring
Sign up to JobTeaser using your @metropolia.fi email address: https://metropolia.jobteaser.com/
You can also download a Jobteaser application.
Starting CRASH studies 2025
Welcome to study in Master's Degree Programme in Creativity and Arts in Social and Health Fields (CRASH)!
Orientation days 2025
- Thursday 21 August, 9-16: Lectures, workshops, campus tour, getting to know your fellow students and the teaching and administrative staff (live, Arabia Campus, Soiva: Muotoilijankatu 1B, Helsinki, room AS102)
- Friday 22 August, 9 - 16: Practical orientation (online, Zoom)
- Monday 25 August: individual study plan discussions, approx. 20 min/student (online, Zoom)
Schedule for autumn 2025
Studies will be organized mostly on Thursdays and Fridays between 9 AM - 4 PM. There will be approximately 4-5 contact teaching days a month, but on the first semester more. Please note: as part of mandatory studies, all CRASH students will participate in a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) during the autumn, and will serve as hosts to participants from three European universities in Helsinki (16-21 November). Please make sure to make space for the BIP Programme in your calendar.
Studies are scheduled as follows (changes may occur):
Teaching days, autumn 2025
Please note: days marked with * are reserved only for students in the Social and Health track. Students in the Arts and Culture track may choose the course as an elective, if they wish.
When we meet face to face, it will take place at the Myllypuro Campus or at the Arabia Campus in Helsinki.
August
- Thu 28 Aug (live)
- Fri 29 Aug (online)
September
- Thu 4 Sept (live)*
- Fri 5 Sept (live)
- Thu 11 Sept (live)
- Fri 12 Sept (live)*
- Thu 18 Sept (live)
- Fri 19 Sept (online)
October
- Thu 2 Oct (online)
- Fri 3 Oct (live)*
- Thu 9 Oct (online)
- Thu 23 Oct (live)*
- Fri 24 Oct (live)*
- Thu 30 Oct (live)
- Fri 31 Oct (live)
November
- Thu 6 Nov (live)*
- Fri 7 Nov (live)
- Thu 13 Nov (online)
- Fri 14 Nov (online)
- 16 Nov - 21 Nov (live) Blended Intensive Programme week in Helsinki
- Thu 27 (live)*
December
- Thu 4 Dec (live)*
- Fri 5 Dec (live)
- Wed 10 Dec (live)
- Thu 11 Dec (live)*
- Fri 12 Dec (live)
As some changes may occur, please carefully check the final schedule before the semester starts. Information about how to orientate yourself to the studies will be shared with new students by e-mail.