Education in Finland

Academic degrees	Vocational degrees		Age
Doctor	Employment
Licenciate
Master
Bachelor	Polytechnic or Vocational College	Employment
Matriculation	Vocational School		18-19
Grammar School			17
			16
Upper Primary School			15
			14
			13
Lower Primary School			12
			11
			10
			9
			8
			7-8
Kindergarten			6-7

Contents

1 Primary and Secondary School 2 Tertiary education 3 Post Graduate 4 Post-secondary Education 5 Comparisons with other Educational Systems 6 See also 7 External links

Primary and Secondary School

The educational system in Finland is based on a nine year primary school, or "peruskoulu" with mandatory attendance. After this, for the next three years, there is a choice between a grammar school (lukio), which prepares for the university, and vocational school (ammattiopisto), which develops vocational competence and as such does not prepare for higher education. Unlike in Sweden, these two are not considered the same type of school. There was an experiment about integrating these two into a so-called "youth school" as in Sweden, but the conclusion was to keep them separate.

The grammar school concludes with a nationally graded matriculation examination (ylioppilastutkinto). The exam allows for a limited degree of specialization in either natural sciences or social sciences. Universities may use the test score in the matriculation examination to accept students. The examination was originally the entrance examination to the University of Helsinki, and its high prestige survives to this day. Each May Day, or Vappu, people wear the white cap that is the academic regalia associated with the graduation.

Special programmes exist in vocational institutes which either require a matriculation examination, or allow the student to study for the matriculation exam in conjunction to the vocational education.

Tertiary education

There are two sectors in the tertiary education: universities (yliopisto, korkeakoulu) and polytechnics (ammattikorkeakoulu, AMK for short). When recruiting new students, national matriculation examination and entrance examinations are used as a criteria for student selection. Universities give more theoretical education, whereas in the polytechnics teaching more practice-oriented. Polytechnics are governed by the municipality and the universities operate under the state. In theory, it takes about 3 years at a university and 3,5 - 4,5 years at a polytechnic to take a Bachelor degree. However, in practice, it takes usually 3-4 year to take a Bachelor degree at a university.

In a university Licenciate and Doctor's degrees can be obtained. Universities distinguish between "higher" and "lower" university degrees. Lower degrees take about three years to complete and are called kandidaatti (Candidate). Higher degrees take about 5-7 years to complete, and with exceptions as below, are called maisteri (Master).

Some universities and universities of technology give professional degrees in fields like engineering, law and medicine. They have additional requirements than merely completing the studies, such as demonstrations of competence in practice. Even if these have a more extensive curriculum and require a longer time to complete than a Master's degree, it is generally not possible to receive any intermediate degree prior to completion. For example, there is only a Master of Science in Engineering, but no Bachelor in this field. Similarly, a degree of "Master of Medicine" (lääketieteen maisteri) doesn't exist - only the Licenciate of Medicine does. As a part of the Bologna process, such grades are being introduced, but the only aim is compatibility with foreign systems that have these degrees.

Examples:

• varatuomari, "Vice Judge" is a degree for Bachelors in Law and is considered a higher degree. Qualifies for the position of a judge and requires working as a lawyer.
• diplomi-insinööri, Master of Science in Engineering. Requires the completion of the "diploma project" (diplomityö), some engineering project typically taking ½-1 years and giving 20 credits more than the 160 credits Masters in other fields receive.
• lääketieteen lisensiaatti, Licenciate of Medicine. A Bachelor in Medicine (lääketieteen kandidaatti) specializes in his field by doing medical work.

Post Graduate

The stage of quaternary education offers two degrees, an intermediate postgraduate degree, called Licentiate, and the Doctor (Doctorate) degree. Most universities give the title "doctor of philosophy", filosofian tohtori. However, Universities of Technology give the title "doctor of technology", tekniikan tohtori, and there are several similar titles, e.g. in medicine lääketieteen tohtori, in art taiteen tohtori, in political science valtiotieteen tohtori, etc.

Post-secondary Education

Completing secondary school on a vocational program with full classes on a three year curriculum provides a basic qualification for further studies. However, it may prove necessary to obtain post-secondary education before being admitted at university or university college. Post-secondary education is provided by municipal schools or independent "adult education centres", which can give either vocational education or grammar school teaching. It is possible to obtain the matriculation diploma, or even better the primary school grades in these programs.

System Comparison

Finland		United States
Post Doctorate	PD	Post Doctorate	PD
Tohtorin tutkinto	-
		Doctorate	Q4
	-
Lisensiaatin tutkinto	-		Q3
	-
		Master's Degree	G2
Maisterin tutkinto	-
			G1
Kandidaatin tutkinto	3
		Bachelor's Degree	T4
	2
			T3
	1
			T2
Grammar School (Preparatory) Ages 16-19	3		T1
	2	High School Ages 14-18	H12
	1		H11
Primary School (Upper) Ages 13-16	9		H10
	8		H9
	7	Middle School Ages 11-14	M8
Primary School (Lower) Ages 7-12	6		M7
	5		M6
	4	Elementary School Ages 6-11	E5
	3		E4
	2		E3
	1		E2
Early Primary School	-		E1
Kindergarten	-	Kindergarten	K

Comparisons with other Educational Systems

The Finnish educational system has its own distinctions and is as such not directly comparable to other educational systems such as the one used in the United States. There is however a need to compare degrees and the educational or academic levels attained through a completed education.

One of the first things to notice as compared to the U.S. system is primary schooling, which is compulsory until age 16 in Finland. However, almost everyone attends the elective secondary school where the student makes the important choice whether to prepare for higher studies or receive a vocational education. Comparatively, in terms of education, the latter half of the preparatory secondary school roughly corresponds to the freshman and to some extent parts of the sophomore year of college.

The higher education system in Finland does not recognize any intermediate stages between "undergraduate" and "postgraduate" education. Under graduate education offers the general degrees of "kandidaatti", literally Candidate and "maisteri". These degrees are for all purposes seen as equivalent but not identical to the degrees of Bachelor's and Master's. A Finnish Bachelor's degree is seen to hold a slightly higher academic distinction, and a Master's degree, while attaining at least the same level of specialization is not as extensive, as a graduate Master's degree.

The post graduate level at Finnish universities offers an intermediate degree called Licentiate and it is closer in academic level to a Doctorate than a Master's degree. It can be thought as a intermediate step towards a full Doctor's degree, or an extended Master's degree. E.g. a manuscript of the doctoral dissertation might be approved as a Licenciate work, or a Master can obtain a degree of larger scope than the Master's degree can provide. Due to the Licenciate degree, the requirements for a disputation for a Doctorate in Finland is also seen to be slightly higher. Though at the Doctorate level the degree of specialization is reaching a point where the benefit of any kind generalized comparisons can be put in to question.

In the OECD's international assessment of student performance, PISA, Finland has consistently been among the highest scorers worldwide; in 2003 Finnish 15-year-olds came first in reading literacy and science, and second in mathematics, worldwide.

See also

• Professional degree
• List of universities in Finland

• Finnish National Agency for Education
• Government Agencies in Finland

External links

• Finnish school system. http://www.edu.fi/english/SubPage.asp?path=500,4699
• Nuorisokoulua ei tule. http://194.251.244.92/opettaja/aplus0102/apaa.htm