Master's Degree Structure
Hanken's master's programmes consist of 120 credits and are completed in 2 years. Out of the 120 credits, you will complete at least 90 credits in the major subject you were admitted to. Every major has its own study plan, which contains all the courses you need to complete in order to be able to graduate.
The student workload is measured in credits. One credit at Hanken corresponds to one ECTS, which in turn corresponds to 27 hours of work. Full-time study equals approximately 30 credits per semester, or 60 credits per academic year.
During the first year of your master's degree, you will complete the majority of the courses in your major subject, as well as language studies. During the second year, you will complete the seminar course, master's thesis, and optional studies.
Your master's degree can contain a maximum of 60 ECTS which you have transferred from another university. It is also possible to transfer master's level studies from a university of applied sciences, as well as language studies from a university or university of applied sciences. Studies included in the degree on the basis of which you were admitted to Hanken cannot be transferred to the master's degree at Hanken.
Degree Structure
The master's degree consists of the following components:
Major SubjectDuring your master's degree, you will complete a minimum of 90 credits in the major subject you have been admitted to. If you completed your bachelor's degree at Hanken, you will usually continue with the same major subject you studied in your bachelor's degree. Every major subject has its own study plan, which contains the courses you need to complete in order to be able to graduate. Although every subject has its own study plan, all study plans include the following: Master's thesis (30 cr), seminar course (5 cr), Global Competence-module (2 + 3 cr), and methodology studies (5-10 cr). In addition, the study plan for your major may include other mandatory courses, as well as a selection of elective courses. In total, your major subject should comprise at least 90 credits. You can read more about the master's thesis here. |
Studies in Languages and Business CommunicationYour master's degree also contains a minimum of 5 credits in languages and business communication. These can comprise any language or a combination of languages. In your study plan in Sisu you can find a list of recommended language and communication courses, however, you are free to choose any courses you like. If you have received your previous school education in Swedish or Finnish in Finland (diploma from lower secondary and/or upper secondary education), you must fulfil the requirements for language proficiency in Finnish and Swedish in accordance with the Act on the Knowledge of Languages Required of Personnel in Public Bodies (424/2003). If you have not fulfilled these requirements in your previous degree, you must do it as part of your master's degree at Hanken. You can find more information about the requirements and how to fulfil them further below on this page. |
Requirements of language proficiency of Personnel in Public Bodies
Do I need to fulfil the requirements of language proficiency of Personnel in Public Bodies?
Students who have received their previous school education in Swedish or Finnish in Finland (diploma from lower secondary and/or upper secondary education) must fulfil the requirements for language proficiency in Finnish and Swedish in accordance with the Act on the Knowledge of Languages Required of Personnel in Public Bodies (424/2003). The language requirements must be fulfilled at the time of applying for the degree certificate.
You do not have to fulfil these requirements in your degree at Hanken if:
- you have a previous degree from Finland, in which you have written a maturity test in the language of your previous education and fulfilled the requirements for language proficiency in the other national language, in accordance with the Act on the Knowledge of Languages Required of Personnel in Public Bodies (424/2003). Check your degree certificate to see if you have fulfilled these requirements.
N.B.! If you are a student at a Master's Programme with instruction in Swedish and have completed your previous education in Finnish, you must show proof of good skills in Swedish as part of your Hanken degree. If you have not fulfilled the requirement of good skills in Swedish in a previous degree, you must write a maturity test in Swedish at Hanken when submitting your master’s thesis.
- you have received your previous education (comprehensive school and upper secondary education) abroad.
How do I fulfil the language requirements in my degree at Hanken?
Students at a Master's Programme with instruction in English and previous education Finnish:
- Write a maturity test in Finnish (with language review) when submitting your master’s thesis.
- Fulfil at least satisfactory skills in Swedish in one of the following 4 ways:
- Course 5656 Swedish for Language Proficiency in Finland - Svenska på arbetet, 5 credits
Pre-requisites: CEFR A2.2, shown through a test in Swedish or by completing the course 5623-3B Swedish as a Foreign Language 3B.
Target level: CEFR B1 - EXAM: Language test in Swedish (560)
a. The written part of the test (560-S) is completed in Exam. The written part consists of two parts: an e-mail or other short text (~50-70 words) about communication in working life and a written assignment (~200 words) on a subject within your own field of study.
b. The oral part of the test (560-M) is completed through an oral exam and gives the student a certificate for approved language skills on level B1 in Swedish.
Please contact Swedish teacher Charlotta Sundström if you wish to fulfil your Swedish language requirement by completing the test in Exam.
We ask that you use Swedish when contacting Hanken’s Swedish teachers.
- A language test completed in Swedish at another university. The transfer of the test is approved by the head of the subject of Swedish at Hanken.
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A language test for the State Administration that shows good or satisfactory written skills in Swedish, supplemented with an oral test where the student must demonstrate knowledge of the terminology within their own area of expertise.
Level test in Swedish
The level test in Swedish provides a picture of whether your knowledge of Swedish corresponds to CEFR, A2.2 i.e. the level required for taking the course 5656 Swedish for Language Proficiency in Finland - Svenska på arbetet. The test is completed during the orientation days, but it is also possible to take it later. You need an active Hanken user ID to be able to take the test.If you do not fulfil the pre-requisites required for course 5656 (CEFR A2.2), you can start by taking courses in Swedish as a foreign language on lower levels:
5659, 5623-1B
5623-2A, 2B, 2C
5623-3A, 3B, 3CNB: The level test in Swedish is not the same as the language test used for admission to Hanken or the language test that shows skills in Swedish (560) for the degree.
More information can be found on the Language Centre's webpages.
Students at a Master's Programme with instruction in English and previous education in Swedish:
- Write a maturity test in Swedish (with language review) when submitting your master’s thesis.
- Fulfil at least satisfactory skills in Finnish by completing the course 5724 Yritysviestinnän syventävä kurssi. Please inform the teacher Marit Nilsson-Väre at the beginning of the course that you need to fulfil the requirements for language proficiency in Swedish.
Students at a Master's Programme with instruction in Swedish and previous education in Finnish:
- Write maturity tests in both Finnish and Swedish (with language review) when submitting your master’s thesis.
Students at a Master's Programme with instruction in Swedish and previous education in Swedish:
- Write a maturity test in Swedish (with language review) when submitting your master’s thesis.
- Fulfil at least satisfactory skills in Finnish by completing the course 5724 Yritysviestinnän syventävä kurssi. Please inform the teacher Marit Nilsson-Väre at the beginning of the course that you need to fulfil the requirements for language proficiency in Swedish.