Welcome new Master students

On this page, you will find the information and materials needed to start your studies on the following programmes:

• Degree Programme in Business Technologies (BUTEM)
• Degree Programme in Leading Business Transformation (LEBUM)
• Degree Programme in Tourism and Hospitality Business (HOSBUM) 
• NB! The materials for Strategising in Organisations students can be found here.
• NB! The materials for Sustainable Aviation Business students can be found here.

First and foremost, confirm your study place by December 2, 2022 at 3 p.m. Finnish time. Also, carefully read the information and instructions on this page for starting your studies.

Students accepted through the open path, please read the schedules and instructions on confirming your study place here.

Structure of the curriculum

The scope of studies leading to a Master's degree is 90 ECTS credits and the completion is scheduled for 1.5 years of full time or part-time studies. The degree includes 20 credits of Common Elective Studies, 20 credits of Specialisation Studies, 20 credits of Free-Choice Studies and 30 credits of Thesis. The only compulsory course of the degree is the Applied Design Research.

Find out about the study structure, specialisation options and course descriptions of your own degree programme through the links below. 

Planning your studies

It is recommended to choose Common Elective Studies and Specialisation Studies for the first study semester (spring 2023). The pace of the studies is individual, but graduation on time requires courses for 30 ECTS during the semester. Most students complete 3-5 courses (15-25 ECTS) during one semester and do a thesis at the same time. Note that a five-credit course means approximately 135 hours of student work, including teaching hours.

You should create an individual study plan at least on a rough level already at the beginning of your studies. The plan (1.5 years) can be structured, for example, as follows:

1. Semester: Common Elective Studies 10 ECTS; Specialisation Studies 10 ECTS; Applied Design Research 5 ECTS

2. Semester: Common Elective Studies 5 ECTS, Specialisation Studies 5 ECTS, Free-Choice Studies 10 ECTS and Thesis 10 ECTS

3. Semester: Specialisation Studies 5 ECTS, Free-Choice studies 10 ECTS, and Thesis 10 ECTS + 10 ECTS

Common Elective Studies (Data Analytics/Futures Research/Learning Culture in Organisations /Evolving Organisations) are offered throughout the academic year in both Finnish and English. When planning Specialisation Studies, it is also important to take into account the timing of the offer, because not all specialisation courses are offered in both semesters. Familiarise yourself with the curriculum and make a plan for your studies next spring using the list of the implementations below:

It is good to start developing the topic of the thesis as soon as the studies begin, so that the studies can be built to support the contents of the thesis. Compulsory course Applied Design Research is relevant when you have a topic for the thesis. The thesis can be started immediately at the start of the studies or at the beginning of the second academic year at the latest. 

The study plan will be finalised in the PSP (personal study plan) during April. At the beginning of your studies, the most important thing is to identify the courses according to your plan for the spring semester and enroll for them after the study right begins. Some of the specialisation courses are very popular so it is good to also choose a couple of extra options in the plan if the implementation you have chosen is already full. You can find more information about enrollment and study planning on the Master's student orientation platform, where you can log in with your credentials in January.

Also book specialisation specific Master seminars in your calendar (prev. specialisation evening), which support your professional development and the planning and structure of the thesis topic. During the spring, you are expected to attend at least one of the seminars, but you may attend all of them. Basically, the seminars will be held on campus. Note! The seminars of the specialisation Strategic Thinking and Management will always be held online. 

• 1.2. in English
• 9.3. in Finnish
• 11.4. in English from-to 17.40-20.30

Start of the studies

Familiarise yourself with the contents of the Master student’s webpages and start to orientate yourself to your studies already before the actual orientation evenings. In January, week 1, you will receive an email invitation to the orientation materials for Master’s students. If your credentials do not work by Thursday 5 January, please contact: opintopalvelut(at)haaga-helia.fi.

With the help of the orientation materials, you can familiarise yourself with the structure of the curriculum and the creation of a personal study plan (PSP). You will also receive instructions on logging into Haaga-Helia's systems and how to enroll for spring courses. 

Specialisation Studies are also presented in the orientation materials, because you will make a preliminary choice of your specialisation before orientation.  

To do before the Orientation

Note! You will receive the credentials in January in week 1, so book a time for the following things at the end of that week: 

Read the invitation email and follow the instructions to:

• Log in to Moodle and familiarise yourself with Master student’s orientation platform 
• Log in to the school e-mail and, if necessary, forward the school e-mail to your own e-mail
• Download and log in to the Zoom and Teams online meeting programs. Read the instructions from IT Service's webpage
• Enroll for spring courses and book Master seminars on your calendar 
• Make a preliminary choice of specialisation on Tue 10 Jan at the latest.

Support for study planning and technical issues will be available during the first and second week of January, more details in the invitation email sent in the first week of January.

Orientation evenings

Orientation to the studies is arranged on two weekday evenings before the beginning of the actual academic year. The first evening on Tue 10 January is common to all new Master's students and the latter evening on Thu 12 January is held in specialisation groups. Tuesday’s orientation will be held in Zoom and the specialisation info on Thursday will be held on Pasila campus. Attendance at both evenings is mandatory. However, if you are hindered from attending, you can view the Tuesday’s orientation afterwards as a recording. 

Tuesday 10 January from 5 pm to 7 pm the orientation will be arranged as an online meeting, to which you will receive a link on Thu 5 Jan by email. To be able to participate, all you need is a working network connection and the device you need to join the Zoom (we recommend computer/laptop, but also tablet or phone is possible). During the evening, you will get information about study planning and practices, hear about different study experiences and get to know Haaga-Helia's Master team. 

Thursday 12 January from 5 pm to 7 pm the specialisation info will be arranged on Pasila campus. The meeting prepares you for the specialisation studies as well as provides an opportunity to meet student colleagues who share your professional goals with you.

Support for study planning and technical matters is also available during the orientation week, details of which will be provided in more detail in the email invitation arriving in the first week of January. Detailed information and instructions for orientation evenings will be sent to you to your student email no later than Thursday 5 January. So be sure to log in to your student email and, if necessary, redirect your mail to an address that you are actively following. 

Previously acquired expertise

Previously acquired expertise refers to applying previous Master’s level studies in your degree. The studies may have been completed in Finland or abroad in a university, university of applied sciences, open university/open university of applied science, or summer university. The studies must have been completed within ten years.

Start by checking the curriculum and reading the course descriptions. You can include previous Master's studies to the free-choice studies if they are clearly related to the field of the degree. Sometimes, if the course content matches, you can replace even common and/or specialisation courses with your previous Master's studies.