What are path studies?
Path studies offer an alternative route to becoming a degree student in Applied Gerontology. During the path studies, you complete the first-year courses together with degree students.
The studies are bilingual. Teaching begins mainly in English, and no Finnish language skills are required at the start. Finnish language learning is included in the studies and the role of Finnish increases as the studies progress.
Please note that completing the path studies does not automatically guarantee admission as a degree student in the separate application process.
What will you study?
The path studies (60 ECTS) consist of the first-year courses in the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Applied Gerontology.
1. Semester: Starting Points of Gerontological Competence (30 ECTS)
- Orientation to the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Applied Gerontology – 5 ECTS
- Gerontological Competence – 5 ECTS
- Finnish studies (the exact course is determined together with the Finnish teacher in the beginning of your studies) – 5 ECTS
- Society and Ageing – 4 ECTS
- Professional Ethics 1 – 2 ECTS
- Professional in Social and Health Care – 5 ECTS
- Digital Services in Social and Health Care – 2 ECTS
- Client and Patient Orientation – 2 ECTS
2. Semester: Right to Individual Ageing (30 ECTS)
- Anatomy, Physiology and Age-Related Changes – 3 ECTS
- Cultural Wellbeing of Older People – 5 ECTS
- Person-Oriented Memory Work I – 2 ECTS
- Rights of Older People and Legislation – 3 ECTS
- Internship 1: Promoting Cultural Wellbeing for Older People – 8 ECTS
- Sustainability in the Urban European Context – 1 ECTS
- Culture, Gender and Sexuality in Client Work – 3 ECTS
- Finnish studies (the exact course is determined together with the Finnish teacher in the beginning of your studies) – 5 ECTS
Students who have completed their basic education in Finnish and/or have Finnish language proficiency at C1–C2 level will complete 10 credits of Alternative studies instead of Finnish language studies. These Alternative studies consist of separately agreed courses that are part of the Bachelor of Gerontology degree programme and are selected at the beginning of the studies.
How are the studies organized?
The studies start in August 2026 and end in May 2027. Teaching is organized in a multimodal format, combining contact teaching on campus, online learning and independent study. Path students study together with degree students and follow the same schedule. The schedule will be available from May 2026 onwards. Please note that changes to the schedule may occur.
Language and other requirements
The studies are bilingual. Teaching begins mainly in English, and no Finnish language skills are required at the start. Finnish language learning is included in the studies and the role of Finnish increases as the studies progress. The student is responsible of possessing sufficient language skills for studies in higher education.
Successful studies require:
- active participation
- good study skills
- sufficient language skills
- independent and responsible study habits
Higher education studies require you to have strong self-organization, time management and collaboration skills, an ability to comprehend wide-ranging areas of study, and effective communication skills both orally and in writing. In addition to scheduled teaching, you must also reserve plenty of time for independent study.
See more information about study skills and requirements:
Price
900€, 15€/ECT
Enrollment to path studies
Enrollment is open from August 3, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. until August 4, 2026, at 11:59 p. in the Metropolia's enrollment system.
Note! The selection process will be held after the application period ends on Monday, August 10, 2026 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., at Metropolia’s Myllypuro campus in Helsinki, in room MPC5012. A separate invitation will be sent for the selection process. All applicants will be invited to the selection process.
More information
Study guide
Contact information
- ask about study practices from the guidance counselor: elina.nissinen [at] metropolia.fi (elina[dot]nissinen[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
- ask about what's included in the studies from the Head of degree programme Anna.Puustelli-Pitkanen [at] metropolia.fi (Anna[dot]Puustelli-Pitkanen[at]metropolia[dot]fi), +358 40 682 3326
- ask about enrollment: Please contact the Open UAS customer service using the contact form.
Open UAS: Payments, benefits, services, studying
- Terms of Payment and Cancellation
- Open UAS studies and enrollment
- Studying in Open University
- Guidance: Please contact the Open UAS customer service using the contact form.
Applying for degree studies
Guidance: admissions [at] metropolia.fi (admissions[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
How to start path studies at Metropolia
Welcome to study path studies at Metropolia!
Read below all the common instructions for Metropolia's path students.
When you start as a new student at Metropolia, you need to activate your Metropolia user ID. Metropolia user accounts are activated independently using online banking credentials or a mobile certificate at the beginning of your studies. You can usually activate your account before the start-of-studies information session or orientation days, provided that your information has already been transferred to Metropolia's systems. You will receive an email notification once your right to study has been registered.
See the IT Services website for instructions on how to activate your user account.
Identity Verification
If you did not complete strong electronic identification when registering for your studies, for example through the Suomi.fi identification service, you must verify your identity before you can activate your Metropolia user account.
- You can verify your identity by presenting an official identity document at a Student Services customer service desk during opening hours. The opening hours of the customer service desks are available on the Student Services website.
- If you did not complete strong electronic identification during registration and are unable to visit a campus to verify your identity, please contact the Open UAS customer service.
All messages related to your studies will be sent to your Metropolia email account, so make sure to set it up as soon as possible and check it regularly throughout your studies.
Before you can access your email and other Microsoft 365 services, you must first set up multi-factor authentication (Microsoft Authenticator).
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Once you have activated your Metropolia user account, set up multi-factor authentication by following the IT Services instructions.
You can also find answers to frequently asked questions about multi-factor authentication on the IT Services website.
Metropolia Email
How to log in to your Metropolia email:
- Go to outlook.office365.com.
- Enter your username in the format username [at] metropolia.fi (username[at]metropolia[dot]fi) and your password.
- Approve the sign-in using your Microsoft Authenticator app.
Please note that after activating your user account, it may take a few hours before you can log in to your email.
Open UAS students have access to Microsoft 365 Apps for the duration of their studies.
See the IT Services instructions for downloading Microsoft 365 Apps.
Cloud Services
Open UAS students have access to Metropolia's cloud services for the duration of their studies.
Open UAS students do not need to register for courses themselves, as you have already been enrolled in your courses when you registered for your studies.
Lukkarikone
Lukkarikone provides up-to-date timetables. We recommend checking your timetable regularly for any changes.
When you log in to Lukkarikone using your Metropolia credentials, your timetable will be displayed automatically. You can also search for your timetable using your group code.
Tuudo
Tuudo is a mobile app that allows you to view your timetable, completed courses, and other study-related information. Open UAS Path students can download a red student card in Tuudo, which entitles them to a special student meal discount at Metropolia's campus restaurants (excluding the student restaurant at the Arabia campus).
Download the Tuudo app free of charge from your phone's app store and set it up. When logging in, select Metropolia University of Applied Sciences as your institution and sign in using your Metropolia credentials.
OMA Service
On the OMA Student Desktop, you can view your study information. For example, you can check the validity period of your right to study, the courses you are enrolled in, and your completed courses and grades.
You can find your student number on the left-hand side of the page, next to your name.
How to log in to the OMA service:
- Go to opiskelija.oma.metropolia.fi.
- Enter your username and password.
Log in to the OMA Student Desktop.
Certificate of Study and Transcript of Records
You can download your study-related certificates yourself.
See the instructions for downloading your certificate of study and transcript of records in OMA.
Open UAS students are not eligible for Kela-subsidised student meals. However, Metropolia UAS has arranged a special meal discount for Open UAS students at the student restaurants on the Myllypuro, Myyrmäki and Karamalmi campuses. The meal discount is specific to these restaurants and does not apply to the student restaurant at the Arabia campus.
You can access the meal discount by presenting your red Path student card, which is available through the Tuudo mobile app.
Tuudo is a mobile app that allows you to conveniently access various Metropolia online services on your phone. For example, you can use Tuudo to view study-related announcements, your timetable, completed courses and grades, and daily lunch menus.
Download the Tuudo app free of charge from your phone's app store and log in using your Metropolia credentials.
If you have chosen to pay for your studies by invoice, the tuition fee will be invoiced in two instalments. The first invoice will be sent at the beginning of your studies, and the second invoice approximately four months after your studies begin. Invoices will be sent by post.
Please familiarise yourself with Metropolia Open UAS's payment and cancellation terms on the website. If you have any questions about paying for or cancelling your studies, please contact Open UAS Customer Service.
Please also notify Customer Service if your address changes during your studies.
Additional Studies at Metropolia
If you would like to take additional courses alongside your Path studies, you can register for courses offered by Open UAS through the online store. Please make sure that your additional courses do not overlap with your Path studies.
Additional Studies for Pathway Students through Cross-Institutional Studies
Metropolia Open UAS Pathway students can take additional courses offered by other higher education institutions free of charge through cross-institutional studies.
Learn more about cross-institutional studies in the Student Information Bank.
Instructions for Open UAS Path students on how to register for cross-instutional courses.
Once you have completed most of your Open UAS Path studies, you can apply to become a degree student through a separate admission process based on your Open UAS studies. Please familiarise yourself with the application instructions for your chosen degree programme, where you will find detailed admission requirements and application periods. See the application instructions on Metropolia's website.
You can also apply for a degree programme through the joint application process while completing your Open UAS studies. If you are admitted as a degree student during your Open UAS studies, please inform Open UAS Customer Service.
General Questions
- General guidance on Open UAS studies, payments and financial support applications.
Questions About Course Content or Schedules
Contact your course teacher or the designated Pathway contact person for your degree programme.
IT Support
Metropolia's IT Services provides guidance and support with technical issues related to Metropolia's services and user accounts.
The IT Services AI chatbot, Mikro-Mikko, can often help you resolve common issues:
You can also submit a support request to IT Services:
Applying for Degree Studies
Admissions Services Customer Service