DP for Multilingual Management Assistants in a nutshell l Profile of the DP l Key learning outcomes l Professional growth l Semester themes l Curriculum

Degree Programme for Multilingual Management Assistants in a nutshell

Profile of the Degree Programme for Multilingual Management Assistants

Key learning outcomes of the Degree Programme

The Degree Programme for Multilingual Management Assistants supports the professional growth of student on the path towards becoming fully-competent expert of Management Assistant’s work.

General competencies of Multilingual Management Assistant graduates

Developmental competencies

• initiative and critical mindset
• quality improvement
• anticipating the future
• application of theory into practice
• creative problem solving

Workplace competencies

• working independently
• teamwork
• interaction and cooperation
• networking
• entrepreneurial attitude
• presentation skills

Ethics and environmental awareness

• ethics of responsible business and public administration
• principles of sustainable development

General knowledge

• general awareness: current events, literature, art, politics

Professional competencies of Multilingual Management Assistant graduates

Organising, prioritisation and service competencies

• service attitude
• situational awareness
• performance quality decisions
• prioritisation decisions
• company events
• meetings

Business language and culture

• knowledge of different cultures and communicating and working with people from different cultures
• business etiquette

Mother tongue Finnish

• excellent written and oral  Finnish skills as required in business life and public administration
• very good written and oral  English skills as required in business life and public administration
• good proficiency in two other languages as required in business life and public administration

Mother tongue other than Finnish

• very good written and oral  English skills as required in business life and public administration
• good written and oral  skills in Finnish and one other language as required in business life and public administration

Organisational communication

• implementation and development of workplace communications
• establishing and maintaining contact with partners and other stakeholders

Business and society

• principles of financial administration, operations management and leadership
• customer focus and profitability
• norms governing business life and corporate safety and security
• societal structures

Information competencies

• the value of information and knowledge
• seeking, retrieving, assessing and refining of information
• document management and archiving

Professional growth

The goal of the professional growth of the Degree Programme students is to adopt the researching and developing working method. 

As a part of the course Assessment of Professional Growth and Career Planning (SLF2LE080) the student collects a digital portfolio. In this work the student makes use of the yearly growth goals of the professional growth. The portfolio describes the development of the professional expertise.

Semester themes

Curriculum

Core Studies  56 cr (Finnish students)/59 cr (foreign students)

Core studies are completed during the first academic year. They are either compulsory or elective (Chinese, English, Finnish, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Swedish). They provide students with a basic understanding of the degree programme's key areas of emphasis.

The ’learning by developing’ working method appears in the core studies so, that the student is able to recognise  the development targets in the organisations and is also able to reflect her/his own learning and skills.

Professional Studies 87 cr (Finnish students)/78 (foreign students)

Professional studies deepen the student's expertise in the management assistant’s core and professional areas. Students choose their advanced professional studies from the following alternatives: Organisational Communication, Organisations, Leadership and HR or Marketing. Professional studies amount to at least 7 credit points. Some professional studies courses are offered only if enough students sign up for them.

The ’learning by developing’ working method appears in the professional studies so, that the student is able to develop the processes related to assistant’s work. The student is also able to develop her/his critical thinking and problem solving skills to produce new ideas in her/his own professional field and produce  realizable solutions for them.

Free-choice Studies 22 cr (Finnish students)/28 cr (foreign students)

Free-choice studies should be chosen in such a way that they complement the student's advanced professional and language studies. Other studies completed at HAAGA-HELIA or Finnish or foreign universities and polytechnics can be as free-choice studies.

Work Placement 30 cr

Work placement is compulsory for all students and is equivalent to 30 credit points (100 full working days). Work placement usually commences after the second year of studies, i.e. after the completion of 120 credit points. It is completed without interruption in companies, public organisations, or similar organisations in Finland or abroad.

Finnish students have to complete one semester abroad either in a work placement or as an exchange student.

Management assistant/secretarial work as well as employment supporting the student's studies is accepted as part of the work placement requirement.

Bachelor's Thesis 15 cr

Theses are primarily completed as commissioned works for companies or other organisations. During thesis work, students familiarise themselves with a topic in their area of specialisation and complete an analysis, development project or similar pertaining to it. Through thesis work, students gain valuable skills for the development of their competencies as multilingual management assistants.

In her/his thesis process the student applies the ’learning by developing’ working method in solving the problems of the company or organisation.
After handing in the thesis, the student takes a maturity test (see Maturity test).

Maturity Test

In the Degree Programme for Multilingual Management Assistants, students are required to write a maturity test based on the thesis, which demonstrates the student's grasp of the subject area studied. Students who completed comprehensive school or upper secondary school in Finland and completed studies in Finnish or Swedish as a mother tongue are required to write the maturity test in Finnish/Swedish. Students who completed comprehensive school or upper secondary school with mother-tongue studies in a language other than Finnish or Swedish, or completed corresponding education abroad write the maturity test in the language of the degree programme. The maturity test can be written on all common re-examination dates. Students have to enrol for the test through their advisor at least one week before the test date. The time reserved for the test is 135 minutes.

• Structure, Content and Extent of the DP >>
• Courses, Finnish students >>
  Courses, foreign students >>
• Recommended Study Schedule, Finnish students >>
  Recommended Study Schedule, foreign students >>
• Language studies >>
• Study Paths >>