What are path studies?
Path studies in Social Services include the first academic year courses of the Degree Programme in Social Services, as stated in the curriculum. Completion of path studies takes two semesters. The studies start in January 2027.
Admission to the pathway program requires passing a separate exam that assesses the applicant’s language skills and motivation. Applicants will be tested on their English language skills in the selection process. The selection process will take place in December 7, 2026 after the application period has ended. The selection process will be held at Metropolia’s Myllypuro campus in Helsinki. A separate invitation will be sent for the selection process. The first 20 applicants will be invited to the selection procedure.
The study format is day-time studies, including contact teaching on campus, online learning, and independent study. Studies progress according to the schedule. The schedule is available in Schedule Machine from December 2026 onwards. The group code is SXG27K1. The schedule is released for the entire semester at a time, but please note that changes are possible.
At the beginning of your studies, you will make a personal study plan with a tutor teacher from the degree. Your studies will follow the path of the Open University of Applied Sciences, but there is one individual choice you can make if you want to study early childhood education and care studies or need Finnish language tuition.
After you have completed the path studies, you can apply for the degree programme via the separate application process.
Target Audience, to whom?
Path studies are right for you if
- your goal is a study right in a degree programme
- you want to take advantage of the intermediate year by studying purposefully
- you are ready for full-time studies
- you aim to have a right to practice in Finnish Social Welfare as a licensed professional
- you are able to study in English and also motivated to learn or improve your Finnish
Path studies are suitable for Finnish speakers as well.
Studies include
Support in learning Finnish is integrated in the studies.
First Semester
- Orientation to Studies SX00FX97, 5 credits
- Social Pedagogy in Social Services Environments SX00FX71, 5 credits
- Professional Communication and Academic Writing SX00FX73, 5 credits
- Individual and Group Counselling SX00FX74, 5 credits
- Human Growth, Development and Socialization SX00FY23, 5 credits
And you choose one of these two:
- Finnish studies (If the student chooses this option, they will complete the first aid section of the Professional in Social and Health Care SX00FX89 course separately in Moodle in order to be eligible for the internship.), 5 credits
- Professional in Social and Health Care SX00FX89, 5 credits
Second Semester
- Culture, Gender and Sexuality in Client Work SX00FX90, 3 credits
- Client and Patient Orientation SX00FX92, 2 credits
- Social Pedagogical Methods SX00FX75, 5 credits
- Foundations of Welfare Society SX00FX76, 5 credits
- Work Placement and Language Internship 1: Social Services Work and Clients’ Everyday Life SX00FX79, 5 credits
And you choose one of these two:
- Social Inclusion and Disadvantage SX00FY26, 5 credits
- Global Awareness of Well-being of Children and Families SX00FY27, 5 credits
And you choose one of these two:
- Language-aware and Anti-discriminatory Practices SX00FX78, 5 credits (This course is suitable to students whose Finnish level is B1 or above. For other Finnish learners, you will be guided to a suitable Finnish course instead.)
- Finnish studies (for Finnish learners - the exact course is determined together with the Finnish teacher in the beginning of your studies)
Language and other requirements
The language of tuition is mainly English. 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. Most course materials are in English, but courses are implemented in a language-aware manner and students will be introduced to relevant Finnish vocabulary as well.
The student is responsible of possessing sufficient language skills for studies in higher education in English.
Price
900€, 15€/ECT
Enrollment to path studies
Enrollment is open from December 1, 2026, at 15:00 p.m. until December 2, 2026, at 23:59 p.m. in the Metropolia's enrollment system.
Admission to the pathway program requires passing a separate exam that assesses the applicant’s language skills and motivation. The selection process includes written assignments.
The selection process will take place in December 7, 2026 after the application period has ended. The first 20 applicants will be invited to the selection procedure.
Below you can find the important information about studying in Metropolia’s Open UAS.
Check out Metropolia Open UAS and enroll to the studies in our enrollment system.
More information
Study content and implementation
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.
Contact information
- ask about enrollment: Please contact the Open UAS customer service using the contact form.
- ask about study practices from the guidance counsellor: 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: Hannele.Pulkamo [at] metropolia.fi (Hannele[dot]Pulkamo[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
Applying for degree studies
Guidance: admissions [at] metropolia.fi (admissions[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
How to start Social Services path studies
The orientation to your studies starts in January 2027.
More detailed instructions regarding the schedule of the orientation and receiving the online meeting link will be provided for those students that are accepted into path studies and pay the fee.
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