This degree is intended for students whose knowledge of the Finnish language is not sufficient to study in a degree in Finnish.

The programme starts in English and there is no Finnish language proficiency requirement. The Finnish language is studied throughout the programme and the role of the Finnish language as a language of instruction becomes stronger as language skills increase. The purpose of the bilingual degree programme is to train professionals, who are capable of working in Finland using the Finnish language after graduation.

Studying Finnish has an important role in this bilingual degree. In addition to separate language courses, Finnish is studied as part of professional courses and personal Finnish language learning goals are taken into account also in internships.

A multicultural and multilingual learning environment with students speaking various languages is the best way of preparing for the challenges of futures working life!

Studies at Savonia University of Applied Sciences are versatile and practically oriented. Projects and cooperation with local businesses and fellow students are integrated into your everyday life with us.

During the first year the student will get a basic understanding of the tourism and hospitality industry and working in it. In the first study year studies are in English, but students also develop their essential Finnish language skills and understanding of the study field.

The second year studies focus on planning and implementing the service products in the industry. The third year studies develop the students’ management skills and deepens the students’ knowledge of developing the industry.

The capstone of the studies includes the expert thesis and professional internship. In this bilingual degree, as the studies progress and the Finnish language skills develop, the role of the Finnish language in the courses increases and the role of the English language decreases. The goal is that in the last year of study, the student could also participate in courses taught in Finnish.

The degree consists of 210 ECTS. According to the curriculum, one academic year corresponds to 60 ECTS, which is equivalent to 1600 hours of a student’s workload.

The studies consist, among others, of lectures, online and independent studies, teamwork and internship(s). Participation in research and development activities also makes up an important part of your studies.

The detailed structure of your studies is as follows:

• Basic studies 55 ECTS
• Professional studies 90 ECTS
• Alternative studies 20 ECTS
• Internship(s) 30 ECTS
• Thesis 15 ECTS

You can familiarize yourself with the content of the degree programme by using the curriculum (the link to curriculum will be added here before the end of September).

Savonia’s Tourism and Hospitality groups are multinational and multicultural by nature. In this degree, multiculturalism is combined with locality in a special way: The degree is intended for immigrants who want to find employment in Finland, but do not yet know the language enough to be able to study in Finnish-language degrees. The student group is therefore multicultural, but cooperation with the Finnish higher education community, students and companies enables integration in Finland.

Graduates in Tourism and Hospitality Management have a wide range of employment opportunities. In Finland, there is a need for skilled tourism and hospitality workers now and in the future and a degree in Hospitality Management equips you with excellent skills to work in supervisory and expert roles within the tourism and hospitality industry.

Hospitality Management graduates can also find employment in fields other than tourism and hospitality. With a combination of knowledge in tourism and business, you will have a multitude of career opportunities ahead. Savonia’s Tourism and Hospitality Management studies also provide a solid foundation for entrepreneurship.

Savonia is active in developing the surrounding community through student projects, joint research projects and various development programmes.

The cooperation with the local working life is highly valued and based on long-term relationships. You can do your internship or work in a development project in cooperation with local companies. These are great opportunities to get integrated into the local working life. It also gives you visibility and the possibility to showcase your talents while increasing your opportunity to find a job in the Northern Savo region, in other parts of Finland, or in the global job market.

The thesis at Savonia is always work related. This gives you a good opportunity to network with professionals in your own field already during your studies, and often the thesis turns out to be a starting point for your career.

The thesis emphasises the cooperation between you, working life and the UAS – from choosing the topic to setting the goals and to actually doing it. During the process you show that you are capable of working independently in recognising, evaluating and solving developmental challenges in working life. Professional reporting and communications skills are required as well.

Your work-related thesis can be:

• A developmental project,which you or your team plan and implement based on the requirements of your client. Examples of such a project include product or service development, work flow development and information material development such as a guide or manual.
• A research-oriented project,where you or your team will perform appropriate research activities in order to shed light to the developmental or problem-solving needs of your client.
• A production,which you or your team plan and implement to show your expertise or artistic talent. The production could be an event, seminar or performance.
• A compiled thesis,where eg projects, researches or scientific articles done during the studies are gathered together and reported as a synthesis.

Your thesis process will be supported by research method studies, thesis seminars and methodology workshops. You can do your thesis independently or in a group.