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According to the Government Decree on University Degrees, students are required to demonstrate proficiency in both national languages, meaning Finnish and Swedish, in a higher education degree in Finland. The proficiency in your language of education (koulusivistyskieli) is demonstrated with a maturity essay written with the bachelor's thesis and proficiency in one of Finland’s second national languages, which is demonstrated by passing a written and an oral test.

If your language of education is Finnish, the second national language is Swedish. If your language of education is Swedish, the second national language is Finnish. Read more here about how the language of education is determined. You can also get an exemption from the language requirements; read more about that under the heading Applications.

Language requirement tests in Swedish for students whose language of education is Finnish

Students whose language of education is Finnish must take part in the oral and writing parts of the national language requirement tests in Swedish. This is to show they have achieved the language skills required by legislation.

Start your studies in Swedish by completing the ruotsin lähtötasotesti test (pre-test of Swedish skills), which suggests a suitable preparatory course for you to take or, in some cases, suggests taking the tests directly with a course. .

Compulsory language requirement tests

Preparatory courses for the Swedish language test

Courses that prepare students for the language requirement tests cannot be included in the language and communication studies module; instead, they must be placed under elective studies in the personal study plan.

Language requirement tests in Finnish for students whose language of education is Swedish

Students whose language of education is Swedish must take part in the oral and writing parts of the national language requirement tests in Finnish. This is to show they have achieved the language skills required by legislation.

You can find more information  on the Finnish language tests and preparatory courses here: Finska som andra och främmande språk. 

Compulsory language requirement tests

According to the Government Decree on University Degrees, students are required to demonstrate proficiency in at least one foreign language that enables them to monitor progress in their own field and operating in an international setting. All students demonstrate this proficiency by taking the mandatory course MNGT-A4004 Mastering influence in business communication in English Business Communication.

Compulsory course

Course registration occurs simultaneously for many teaching periods; please check the registration times in Sisu. Second-year bachelor’s students will also receive an email about registration instructions in the summer.

The C1 starting level of the course means the course fulfils the language requirement for exchange studies. 

The bachelor's degree includes 3 credits of elective language studies, which can be completed either by supplementing the language studies of the degree in English and one of the national languages of Finland, or by completing 3 credits in another foreign language. 

Elective language studies are chosen based on your own interest, starting level and goals. The elective language course can be:

• The English Business Communication course offered by the School of Business (see the heading English Business Communication)
• A course in one of the national languages (Finnish for students whose language of education is neither Finnish nor Swedish, or Swedish for students whose language of education is not Swedish; see the heading Finnish and Swedish)
• A language course in one of the elective languages offered by the Language Centre (each language has its own heading below)
• A language course taken at another university.

Note that the following types of courses cannot be placed in the language and communication studies module:

• Courses in your own language of education (such as LC-5000 Kommunicera som expert for students whose language of education is Swedish)
• Courses that prepare students for the national language requirement tests
• Intercultural Communication courses or other courses that the Language Centre offers, but that are not strictly speaking language courses (such as courses about other countries and their cultures).

Starting level

 The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) uses six proficiency levels to describe language courses: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. The A levels are for the basic level of language studies,  B level is more advanced and C level is the most proficient level of language knowledge.

The starting level of a language course is mentioned in the course description in the field CEFR level.

If you already have language skills in a language you want to study, check the information page for that language to see which course to begin with.

The sections Finnish courses for international students and Swedish courses for international students are intended for students whose educational background is not from Finland and who have little or no knowledge of Finnish or Swedish. If you have studied Swedish before, you'll find suitable elective courses under the heading Swedish courses for students with previous knowledge.

Finnish

Finnish courses for international students

Please note that students in the Bachelor's Programme in Business (Kauppatieteiden kandidaattiohjelma) cannot include the Finnish courses below in their degree.

Proficiency in Finnish is a key to understanding and making the most of Finnish culture and society. In many international workplaces, Finnish is important even though the official working language of the company is English. Proficiency in Finnish is often a central factor in recruitment, career advancement and success in working life. In addition, knowledge in a rare language such as Finnish may be an advantage in international working life.

If you have been granted an exemption from the national language requirement tests, we recommend the following Finnish courses in place of the tests. They also qualify as elective language studies if your language of education is not Finnish or Swedish.

More information about studying Finnish here

Swedish

Swedish courses for international students

If you have been granted an exemption from the national language requirement tests, we recommend the following Swedish courses in place of the tests. They are also eligible as elective language studies if your language of education is not Finnish or Swedish.

 ^{See more information on Swedish courses here.}

Swedish courses for students with previous knowledge

The following courses can be part of the language and communication studies module as elective language studies for students whose language of education is not Swedish (CEFR starting level B2-C1).

^{*  Kursen är avsedd för studerande med svenska som modersmål/skolbildningsspråk. Kursen är även lämplig för tvåspråkiga studerande (finska och svenska) samt övriga studerande med mycket goda kunskaper i svenska.}

Department of Management studies at the School of Business arranges the compulsory course MNGT-A4004 Mastering influence in business communication as well as an elective course in English Business Communication.

The compulsory course must be completed first before taking the elective course. This is the only English course that can be completed as an elective.

Spanish is the official language of 19 countries, and around 400 million people speak it as their native language. It is also the official language for several international organisations, among others, the UN. Spanish-speaking countries are a huge market and economic area that is becoming more and more interesting to Finnish companies. Anyone doing business in Spain and Latin America will benefit greatly from having a knowledge of the language and culture.

More information about studying Spanish here (including information on which course you should take first).

More information about studying Japanese here.

China is a key market for Finnish business, and Chinese businesses are continually expanding their operations in Finland. Leading companies of different fields are looking to recruit employees with knowledge of Chinese language and culture. Persons with proficiency in Chinese have good opportunities for doing business in China.

A Chinese character course cannot be included in the language studies module without an accompanying Chinese language course.

More information about studying Chinese here (including information on which course you should take first).

A good knowledge of French is in demand in many areas of business due to the French market opening to Finnish companies via language skills and knowledge of customs and the country. Many large corporations and international institutions have their headquarters in Paris. The French language is important in the United Nations where third of the speeches are held in French. The Council of Europe is located in Strasbourg. Along English, French is the first official working language in the European Union. By studying French, you can conveniently learn also widely used scientific and other terms based on Latin.

More information about studying French here (including information on which course you should take first).

The position of the German language in Europe is undeniable as it is the native language of around 100 million Europeans. In economic life, German is an important tool since Germany is one of Finland's biggest trading partners. The German courses at Aalto University offer versatile opportunities to study German and learn skills needed in operating in challenging international positions.

More information about studying German here.

Russian skills and knowledge have a special significance in Finland. Russia is one of Finland's most significant trading partners, and the intercommunication between the two countries is lively also in several other areas. Especially staff in exporting companies are expected to have a good knowledge of the Russian language and environment. Russian is also suitable for those who are seeking international positions because business degree holders with Russian skills are also in demand outside of Finland. Russian is commonly spoken also in many other Eastern European countries, and it is one of the official language of the UN. Students also have the opportunity to specialize in Russian economy.

Master's School in Russian and East European Studies

Aalto University is one of 12 Finnish universities participating in the Master’s School in Russian and East European Studies (ExpREES), a specialisation programme of advanced studies for a master's degree. Through ExpREES you can add special expertise to your major in your own area and in related disciplines. The application period is generally in March. .

Russian as a native language

Students with Russian as their native language or an equivalent knowledge in Russian can include courses LC-8591 Russian 9 Russian Business Communication for Native Speakers A and LC-8592 Russian 9 Russian Business Communication for Native Speakers B in their degree. They can't take courses meant for students with Russian as a foreign language. Native language Russian courses are usually taught every two academic years. Taking part in the courses requires at least a satisfactory knowledge of Finnish.

More information about studying Russian here (including information on which course you should take first).

Elective studies must meet the following requirements: they must be completed at a university or a university of applied sciences; they must, as a rule, be a part of the degree studies of the university or university of applied sciences organising the studies; and they must meet the objectives of the degree completed at the Aalto University School of Business. Elective studies cannot overlap with other studies included in the degree in terms of content and intended learning outcomes.

Higher education institutions also offer studies that are outside degree education and are aimed at a wide audience; the suitability of such studies for a degree is assessed in terms of how they relate relation to the intended learning outcomes of the degree. For example, courses that can be completed freely online and have a scope of 1–3 ECTS are generally not acceptable to be included as part of a degree.

Elective studies are selected with an aim of meeting the scope of the degree in credits (180 ECTS credits). The scope of the elective studies depends on the student's choices regarding other study modules. 

• For example, completing a minor that is broader than the minimum scope reduces the number of elective studies that need to be chosen. For example, the International minor is often somewhat broader than the minimum scope required for the degree, which means that there is correspondingly less room for elective studies in the degree. 

Elective studies can be used for:

• Broadening your skills and knowledge via multidisciplinary studies by
  • Completing 
  • Completing  
  • Completing studies at a European  
  • Completing network studies, for example, from the Hilma network of gender studies or other networks
• Completing a second 
• Acquiring entrepreneurial skills
• Deepening language and communication skills by
  • Completing studies , either as individual courses or as an entire minor 
  • Completing studies 
• Broadening or deepening your expertise in your field by
  • Completing additional studies in your major or completing studies in other majors
  • Completing additional studies 
  • Completing an individual business project, BIZ-C0100 ()
• Acquiring working life skills by completing 
• Learning self-leadership skills and developing personal well-being and meaningfulness with respect to studies