Why study in Laurea and at the Tikkurila Campus?

• Our unique Learning by Developing model ensures authentic work-life learning.
  
• Our service promise “We are here for you” 
• The Tikkurila Campus is easily accessible within the metropolitan area

Why study social services?

• Diverse, engaging and rewarding career possibilities.
• A career that supports client empowerment and promotes wellbeing and creativity. 
• High employment possibilities.

Why study in English and in a diverse group?

• The social services field increasingly requires multicultural competences and multidisciplinary cooperation.
• Diverse ideas and backgrounds create a dynamic, creative and engaging learning environment.
• The learning environment facilitates both personal and professional development.

The Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Social Services will provide you with the skills and tools to work with clients from diverse backgrounds. In addition, the experiences of working in a multicultural learning environment will give you an advantage in the job market after your graduation. If you are interested in working with clients, empowering them and promoting their welfare throughout their different life stages, then studies in Social Services are just for you.

Studying is practically oriented including projects with diverse clients and organisations. Throughout your studies, you develop your own study path that is supported by your tutor teachers. So, through experience and participation in different courses, internships, and projects, you can find the client group or area that interests you professionally. The studies are organised at our Tikkurila campus close to the Helsinki metropolitan area that provides a huge range of  internship  and work possibilities. The campus is located next to the Tikkurila Railway station and can be easily reached by public transport.

Studying in the Social Services Programme

The studies are conducted through daytime teaching, which includes face-to-face instruction on campus, different group works and a chance to work closely with working life partners during the practice periods. You can also include online courses to your studies and select studies flexibly from our Laurea’s other campuses.

During your studies, you will get to work with students from other degree programmes as well as exchange students from around the world. In addition, studying in English and experience of working in diverse and multidisciplinary groups provide competences that are highly valued in the job market. And, of course, if your first language is other than Finnish, your Finnish language acquisition will be supported and facilitated throughout your studies to ensure you have the required competences for the Finnish jobs market.

Employment and work placements

There are three compulsory internships during the studies, which allow you to practice and experience working with different client groups and places. Employment opportunities for a Bachelor of Social Services graduating from Laurea are very good and having a bachelor's degree in social services is a requirement for many jobs within the social services field. This social services degree in English is equivalent to the sosionomi qualification from the Finnish language social service degree programme.

Career guidance by Laurea experts will be provided to support your study path. This includes, for example, CV and application letter workshops, career counselling and a career centre  for finding employment.

Work in the field emphasises the competences and understanding of a client-oriented approach, preventive work, initial support and promotion of health and welfare.

Graduates can find work in different areas within the social services field:

• child and family welfare,
• elderly care
• youth work,
• adult welfare,
• substance abuse and criminal work,
• immigrant work,
• early childhood education and care,
• international organizations and the third sector,
• working with people with learning and physical disabilities,
• mental health
• establishing own company or services.

Possible job titles for a Bachelor of Social Services include:

• Social counsellor
• Family welfare counsellor
• Service counsellor
• Youth leader
• School counsellor
• Organizational worker
• ECEC Social Pedagogue

Further studies

After completing your bachelor’s degree, it is also possible to apply for a master’s programme either at Laurea or other higher education institutions to continue your studies. Your study path can continue all the way to a doctoral degree if you want.

Laurea offers one Master’s Degree Programme in English suitable for graduates of the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Social Services. For more information about the Master’s Degree Programme in Global Health and Crisis Management, visit the programme website >>

Internationality in studies

Internationalisation is fully integrated and facilitated in the Social Services programme. The degree programme consists of students from diverse backgrounds, and some courses can also integrate students from other degree programmes within Laurea. Laurea also has manyd exchange students yearly from around the world, who also take part in the same courses and groups. In addition, some of the projects during studies may be conducted with international organizations. It is also possible to conduct studies or internship abroad, and to facilitate this  Laurea has an extensive network of international partners.

Depending on your background and need, social services studies also include Finnish language courses, and practice during projects and studies. Language courses are working life-oriented, and you will learn language through everyday activities. Other working life-orientated languages can also be studied such as Swedish, French, Spanish and German

Programme structure and language requirements

Studies consist of core competence and complementary competence studies totalling 210 ECTS. You can target your interest and develop competences you see as important by means of selecting complementary competence studies, participating in various projects, and choosing your internships and planning your thesis subject. You gain credits by completing study units and projects. Credits can also be gained through recognition of prior learning or competence demonstrations.

The special feature in this degree programme is that practical training is a significant part of studies: 45 ECTS. This includes three internships each with at least 10 weeks of full-time work . The first internship focuses on working with clients, the second on methods and the third on research and development of work.

Core Competence

Core competence studies will give you an understanding of the fundamentals of different areas of social services, and are obligatory for all students. The scope of core competences is 150 ECTS.

They include the following modules:

Complementary competences

The remaining 60 ECTS  consist of elective complementary competence studies. Complementary studies give you the possibility to focus your specialization on specific fields within social services that you find interesting and useful. At least 30 ECTS of the complementary competence studies need to be related to social services.

It is also possible to choose complementary study units from Laurea’s complete study offering or from the available study offering of other universities (3AMK studies or CampusOnline).

See the curriculum

Tuition fees and scholarships

This programme has no tuition fees for EU students.

Non-EU/EEA area students in degree programmes taught in English are charged tuition fees.

Tuition fee: €8 000/ academic year for non EU/EEA students.

Read more about the tuition fees and scholarships