Upon completion of all the studies required for a degree, the student may apply for a degree certificate.
The certificate is awarded by the university or faculty and the form of the certificate is decided by the
university. The university must, on request, also provide students with a certificate for the studies they
have completed while still continuing on the degree programme. Students will also receive an appendix
of the qualification certificate (called Diploma Supplement). Each student’s study credits are registered
on the credit record, of which the student may request a transcript, where necessary.
The qualification
certificates generally only contain the average grades for the different subjects as well as the grading
for the theses.
In some fields of study, graduates must have authorisation to practise their profession. These fields
include pharmacy, medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry and psychology, for example. In medicine,
dentistry and veterinary medicine, it is also possible to complete what is known as the professional
postgraduate degree, i.e. the Specialist’s Degree in Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Medicine.
University degrees and study credits are recognised throughout the country. As a result of their
autonomy, universities themselves decide on the intake of students according to their resources. In
terms of undergraduate education, there are different provisions governing studies or further studies at
another university.
The university decides whether studies completed at another institution may be
accredited or compensated in a degree. Where a student has taken his/her Master’s degree, (Finnish:
maisterin tutkinto, Swedish: magisterexamen) in a field other than the postgraduate programme to
which s/he applies, the university may demand that the student completes complementary studies
before starting the programme itself.
The polytechnics grant students a degree certificate when they complete a degree. On request,
students may also be granted a certificate for the studies they have completed while still continuing on
the degree programme.
On request, polytechnics may also grant a diploma supplement intended especially for international
use for people who have completed a polytechnic degree or studies. The supplement includes the
necessary information on the institution as well as studies and credits referred to on the degree
certificate and their level and status in the education system.
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