Haaga-Helia offers a wide range of high-quality language and cultural studies in degree education as well as in continuous learning and other training activities.
Our language and culture studies provide you with skills to develop your international competences and strengthen your global profile for future career. The themes of our language studies support the requirements of modern business life. We work very closely with companies and organizations as well as our extensive international partner university network.
Through Haaga-Helia's own offerings, you can study Spanish, Chinese, French, German, Finnish as a second language (S2), and Russian from the beginner’s level. In global languages, all courses are numbered 1–4 so you can easily find your own level. As a Haaga-Helia student, you can also study e.g. Korean and Estonian language through our partner networks.
We offer Swedish and English mostly in higher-level studies, from level B1 onwards. After the Haaga-Helia key competencies (Professional English and Svenska för arbetslivet) you have the opportunity to deepen your skills through more advanced courses.
Language Levels - Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
Below you can find information about the courses that will prepare you for the YKI (A2) Basic Level test.
If you start your degree studies in August:
If you start your degree studies in January:
During these semesters, to support the language proficiency, you may also need:
Below you can find information about the courses that will prepare you for the YKI (B1) Intermediate Level test.
If you start your degree studies in August:
If you start your degree studies in January:
This is the official information page for the national certificates of language proficiency: https://www.oph.fi/en/national-certificates-language-proficiency-yki
Here you will find more information on the tests and test days for the year 2026: https://www.oph.fi/en/education-and-qualifications/selecting-right-yki-test-test-days
In this page, you can find information about scholarships in Haaga-Helia: https://www.haaga-helia.fi/en/tuition-fees-and-scholarships
Finnish students may apply for an exemption from the compulsory key competence in Swedish for specific reasons. A special reason could be, for example, a similar exemption from another level of schooling or very limited studies from previous levels (e.g. school background partly abroad). To apply for an exemption, please send an e-mail to the Head of Languages and Global Competences (Marjaana Halsas). Always include any previous exemptions and a previous degree certificate. Please remember that Svenska för arbetslivet / Professional Swedish course must be approved in your personal study plan. Further information on substitute studies will be given during the exemption process.
Do you know, that China is now the world´s no. 1 trading nation with the largest amount of import and export. Chinese written language is used in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Malesia, and 65% of Korean words are borrowed from the Chinese language. China has already surpassed the USA as world's no. 1 economic superpower, in terms of GDP counted by purchasing power (PPP) and most of the electric equipment you are now using including iPhone is probably at least partially made in China.
Contrary to what many people believe, Chinese is not that difficult to learn. The grammar is simple, the verbs are not conjugated and most words are short – only one or two syllables. The Chinese characters, the graphic writing system 汉字 is extremely interesting. The art of writing characters, i.e. calligraphy, is itself one of the most esteemed art forms in East Asia.
According to the latest language research, only 581 characters make up 80% of common Chinese texts. And if you know 934 characters, for whatever you might wish to read in Chinese, you can already recognize 90% of the characters.
In Haaga-Helia, we use a new method to learn Chinese. We learn spoken and written language separately, using familiar western Latin letters to learn to speak and learn written characters by telling the stories in the structure. This new method makes Chinese learning easy and fun.
Do you need to strengthen and improve your English language skills to succeed in the demanding job market? Do you want to take your professional and practical use of English to the next level? Choose Haaga-Helia to gain diverse skills and reach a fluent level in your own industry-specific domain. We offer the latest methods combined with new knowledge from the global business environment for holding meetings, negotiations, and business communication in various forms. Become culturally competent, boost your English level, and equip yourself with professional and business skills to help you work more effectively in the business community.
We offer, for example:
Choose our new carefully designed language and culture courses and immerse yourself in the journey of improvement. Join the many different internships abroad and other student exchange possibilities that are created in collaboration with companies, organizations, and our extensive international network of partner universities.
French is the official language of 68 states around the world and is spoken by more than 300 million people, making it the 5th most spoken language in the world. It is present on every continent and is the 3rd most used language in international negotiations and business. In Africa, for example, 60% of negotiations are conducted in French.
France welcomes more than 70 million international visitors each year, which makes it one of the top destinations in the world for both leisure and business tourism. In Paris alone, more than 1,000 international events are organized each year (fairs, exhibitions, congresses, and conferences). The French language is also valuable for nearly any trip throughout the world.
Did you know that French is also an official language at the UN, within the EU and the African Union, at UNESCO, at NATO, at the IOC, and at the Red Cross? It is also widely used in higher education and in the world of research. Knowledge of French is an enormous asset for accessing many international projects and advancing in your career.
The Finnish language is the key to life in Finland. Even the slightest language skills help you to get in touch with local people and feel part of the community. The more you learn the language, the better you will be able to function in your daily life and boost your well-being and future. Proficiency in the Finnish language is highly valued in the workplace, and in most workplaces, the knowledge of Finnish is a prerequisite for employment.
The Finnish language opens up a new way of perceiving the world: Finnish is a language with a very different structure and vocabulary than, for example, Indo-European languages, and therefore progress is slower at first. However, perseverance is rewarded! Finnish is different but no harder to learn than other foreign languages.
At Haaga-Helia, you can start your Finnish studies at the level you are currently at. We offer a broad range of courses starting from beginners´ level to independent language users, as well as special courses on spoken language and Finnish culture. Finnish teachers will guide you forward on your language path, whether you are a beginner or an advanced Finnish speaker. On Moodle, you can take entry-level tests independently at level A (Finnish level tests, course key: suomitesti). Welcome to all our courses!
If you have near-native skills in Finnish, you can also take more advanced courses for native speakers of Finnish:
Also, there are additional courses to strengthen your existing skills at the beginner's level:
Do you want to take over Central Europe and multiply your possibilities in work life as a professional in German language and business culture knowledge? Do you want to learn to create unique customer experiences for German-speaking clients? Do you want to improve your business potential and learn to sell Finnish products successfully to German-speaking customers? At Haaga-Helia all this is possible!
The meaning of German-speaking Europe is bigger than you probably know. Germany is the biggest economy in Europe and the fourth biggest in the whole world, after the United States, China, and Japan. It is also Finland´s most important trade partner when you measure it in terms of imports and exports. There is definitely a demand for German-speaking experts now and in the future – both in Finland and globally.
At Haaga-Helia you can start your German studies in English and progress on to complete German courses in business communication as well. We offer you an exceptionally wide selection of German language and business culture topics, student exchange and internship possibilities of different lengths, double degree programs with our partner universities, and high-quality modern teaching given by competent, committed, and inspiring lecturers. Already at the beginning of your studies, you have the possibility to get to know our German-speaking exchange students and develop valuable international connections.
Would you like to know the Nordic countries better? Are you interested in Nordic companies? Would you like to learn how to communicate with clients and conduct sales in Swedish? Are you interested in following topical issues related to your study field in Swedish? Did you know that the Swedish language opens up a market of 25 million consumers and plenty of new opportunities for your future career?
These are a few of the reasons to jump on board and develop your Swedish skills in an inspiring and modern learning environment! We offer you an exceptionally wide range of diverse Swedish courses.
If you get seriously enthused about the Swedish language we will also happily help you with choosing a suitable Nordic student exchange destination. Thanks to our extensive collaboration network you can also combine your studies with a work placement to enhance your professional profile. In addition, you can choose the specialization option Professional Services and Languages where you study a specific language for a value of 10-15 credits.
Learning languages always pays off and functional multilingualism is a talent that will give you an advantage in your future working life Finlandssvenska och rikssvenska – Varför inte? Take the next step in your career and enroll today!
Did you know that Russian is the most widely spoken foreign language in Finland and the share of Russian speakers has been constantly increasing? Globally, Russian is spoken by nearly 270 million people, making it the 8th most widely used language in the offline world and the 2nd most widely used language on the Internet following English? In cooperation with Russian speakers, English alone would not secure success; however, knowledge of the basics of Russian becomes a driver for success in many countries besides Russia.
Russia is by far the largest country in the world with an estimated total population of almost 146 million. There are 16 cities with a million-plus population, of which St. Petersburg, only 3.5 hours away by train, has about the same population size as Finland in total.
Cyrillic script is often, quite unfoundedly, perceived as a challenge. Yet, you can learn to read it in just a few weeks and, once the letters are learned, Russian can be studied like any other foreign language. Turns out that Russian has embraced hundreds of English words and a number of Finnish words have been borrowed from Russian, take for instance lusikka (ложка), ikkuna (окно), smetana (сметана), piirakka (пирог), leima (клеймо), majakka (маяк), mesta (место) ja tavara (товар).
¡HOLA! ¿Hablas español? ¿Quieres viajar a Málaga? ¿Trabajar en Buenos Aires? ¿O estudiar en México? ¿Te gustan los clásicos entre el Barꞔa y el Madrid? ¿Una cerveza? ¿Un rioja? ¿Un mojito? ¿Una piña colada? ¿Ves la Casa de Papel? ¿Narcos? ¿Escuela de élite? ¿Escuchas a Maluma? ¿Shakira? ¿Enrique Iglesias? ¿Quieres saber cómo lo hizo Amancio Ortega? Zara, ¿sí?
If you answered yes, or if you would like to answer yes, start your Spanish studies in Haaga-Helia or continue them!
Spanish is one of the world’s most spoken languages. It is an official language in 21 countries; it is spoken in Spain, Latin America and Equatorial Guinea in Africa. Spanish originates from Latin and it belongs to Iberian Romance languages like Portuguese, Catalan in Catalonia, and Galego in Galicia. Spanish opens doors to the entire American continent, reaching the United States and Brazil and it is the third most used language on the Internet.
Spain is one of Finns’ favourite travel destinations. Finnish companies already have a long experience in Spanish-speaking countries like Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Mexico. The importance of Spanish-speaking countries’ business grows along with Latin America’s development. The Spanish-speaking continent and Caribbean Islands offer many new business opportunities!
Spanish pronunciation is easy. When you have learned the basics it is easy to continue to business situations – in communication situations language awareness and skills are highly appreciated.
Haaga-Helia also offers its students language studies through its network collaborations. Through the links below, you can familiarize yourself with both the language offerings of the national KiVANET network and the opportunities available through the international Ulysseus University for language studies.
