Language studies

Your language of school education affects two things: which second national language requirements apply to you, and the language in which you write the maturity test included in your thesis.

Your language of education is Finnish if you have completed comprehensive school and/or upper secondary school in Finnish and studied Finnish as your native language or if you have passed the Finnish matriculation examination in Finnish as your native language.

Your language of education is Swedish if you have completed comprehensive school and/or upper secondary school in Swedish and studied Swedish as your native language or if you have passed the Finnish matriculation examination in Swedish as a native language.

If your language of school education is other than Finnish, you must fill in the electronic declaration of language of secondary education form. The language of instruction is Finnish if you have a Finnish-language comprehensive school or upper secondary school leaving certificate that includes a grade in Finnish as your native language.

Please note that basic or upper secondary education completed in a language other than Finnish or Swedish does not itself establish the language of school education. For example, studies in Finnish or Swedish as a mother tongue completed in an IB or EB programme do not count as the language of school education.

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If you want to declare Finnish or Swedish as your language of school education

You can declare Finnish or Swedish as your language of school education, even if you have received your school education in another language or completed your matriculation examination in a language other than your language of school education, if you have:

• a passing grade in the Finnish or Swedish as a mother tongue test in the Finnish matriculation examination, or
• at least the grade magna cum laude approbatur in the Finnish or Swedish as a second language test in the Finnish matriculation examination.

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Language of school education other than Finnish or Swedish

If you have completed your basic and upper secondary education in a language other than Finnish or Swedish, or received your school education abroad, you are not subject to the second national language proficiency requirement under Section 6 of Act 424/2003. In this case, the following note is entered in your record: “The student has received their previous school education in a language other than Finnish or Swedish.” Your required language studies are determined by the curriculum, unless you apply for an exemption from language studies.

The language proficiency requirements for UAS degrees are defined in the Universities of Applied Sciences Act.

Upon graduation, you must have the working life language proficiency required in at least one foreign language, both orally and in writing.

In addition, you must have proficiency in Finnish and Swedish, as required of public sector employees in a bilingual administrative area. This requirement does not apply to students who have received their school education in a language other than Finnish or Swedish, or to students who have received their school education abroad.

The aim of your studies is to reach the proficiency levels defined in the European Qualifications Framework (EQF):

• English: B2
• Swedish: B1
• Finnish (in English-taught programmes): A2

Language studies are assessed using proficiency level descriptors based on the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).

Second national language (Swedish / Finnish):

• Grade 5: corresponds to EQF level B2.2–C1 / the student demonstrates mastery of at least 90% of the set objectives
• Grade 4: corresponds to EQF level B2.1 / the student demonstrates mastery of at least 78% of the set objectives
• Grade 3: corresponds to EQF level B1.2 / the student demonstrates mastery of at least 68% of the set objectives
• Grade 2: corresponds to EQF level B1.1 / the student demonstrates mastery of at least 58% of the set objectives
• Grade 1: corresponds to EQF level B1.1 / the student demonstrates mastery of at least 48% of the set objectives
• Grade 0: corresponds to EQF level A1–A2 / the student has not achieved the minimum objectives of the course

English:

• Grade 5: corresponds to EQF level C1–C2 / the student demonstrates mastery of at least 90% of the set objectives
• Grade 4: corresponds to EQF level B2–C1 / the student demonstrates mastery of at least 78% of the set objectives
• Grade 3: corresponds to EQF level B2 / the student demonstrates mastery of at least 68% of the set objectives
• Grade 2: corresponds to EQF level B1–B2 / the student demonstrates mastery of at least 58% of the set objectives
• Grade 1: corresponds to EQF level B1 / the student demonstrates mastery of at least 48% of the set objectives
• Grade 0: corresponds to EQF level A1–A2 / the student has not achieved the minimum objectives of the course

Assessment of students exempted from language proficiency requirements

If you have been granted an exemption from language proficiency requirements and have actively participated in teaching, you will receive a verbal assessment of “participated” for your language courses.

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Proficiency level entries in your degree certificate

Your proficiency levels in Swedish and English are recorded separately in your degree certificate. The entry is based on the grades from the final exam of each course.

Your proficiency level in Swedish or Finnish is recorded with two grades: oral proficiency and written proficiency. Both are assessed on a scale of satisfactory (exam grade 1–3) or good (exam grade 4–5).

Your proficiency level in English is recorded with a single grade covering both oral and written proficiency. A passed entry indicates that proficiency has been demonstrated.

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Retaking the exam and improving your grade

If you receive a fail in any section of the exam, you only need to retake that section. You cannot retake individual passed sections separately.

If you wish to improve your overall grade, you must retake the entire exam (all sections). You may attempt to improve your grade only once, and this must be done no later than during the semester following the original exam. Register for the language resit exam and indicate at the time of registration that you are retaking for grade improvement.

Your final grade will be the best result achieved.

In accordance with Section 8 of Humak’s degree regulations and Section 7 of Government Decree 1129/2014 on universities of applied sciences, the Head of Education may grant you a full or partial exemption from language studies or language proficiency requirements. The decision is based on a written application, and the language lecturer is consulted before the decision is made.

1. Discuss before submitting an application

Before submitting an application, discuss the matter with your language teacher and PSP coach.

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2. Submit an application

The application is submitted using an online form. Exemption can be applied for on two grounds:

Full exemption from language studies

You may apply for a full exemption if:

• you have received your school education in a language other than Finnish or Swedish (including sign language education for the deaf)
• you have received your school education abroad
• you have no prior studies in Swedish or English
• you have a severe reading and writing disability diagnosed by a specialist
• you have a health- or functional capacity-related reason supported by a certificate from a healthcare professional
• you have completed the second national language and/or foreign language course(s) and, despite two attempts, have not achieved the required written and/or oral proficiency in the second national language (at least grade satisfactory 1) or the required proficiency in the foreign language (at least grade satisfactory 1)

Submit the application immediately at the start of your studies.

If you are granted an exemption, you must complete a corresponding number of credits in other UAS-level language studies in 5-credit modules, completing both a basic and an advanced level course in the same language. Agree on the arrangements with your language teacher.

The application must include:

• your language of school education and the country in which you completed your school education
• justification for why the exemption should be granted

Partial exemption from language proficiency requirements

You may apply for a partial exemption from language proficiency requirements if you have completed a course and, despite two attempts, have not achieved the required proficiency level (at least grade satisfactory 1). A prerequisite is that you have made efforts to develop your language skills in accordance with a plan drawn up with the language lecturer.

If you are granted an exemption from language proficiency requirements, you will still participate in the language studies and complete the assignments and final exam as agreed with the language teacher. The completion will be recorded as passed (has participated in language studies).

The application must include:

• an account of your studies in the language in question
• an account of your performance in relation to the language proficiency requirements
• a description of how you have worked to improve your skills in the language in question
• justification for why the exemption should be granted

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3. Request a statement from the language teacher

Request a statement from your language teacher to support your application. In the statement, the teacher assesses:

• your language skills and your potential to achieve the required competence
• your study performance and progress in the language in question, and
• recommends either approval or rejection of the exemption

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4. Await the decision of the Head of Education

The Head of Education decides on the exemption based on the language teacher’s recommendation. Student Services will notify you, the language teacher and your PSP coach of the decision. The decision will be sent to you by email to your Humak email address. The language teacher will make the necessary entries in your study register in Peppi.

Any exemption from language studies or language proficiency requirements will be noted in your degree certificate.

If you feel your language skills need strengthening, you can complete preparatory language courses as elective studies. These are particularly suitable before your degree’s compulsory language courses. Preparatory courses are available in English, Swedish and Finnish. Finnish language studies are suitable for you if your mother tongue is other than Finnish.

You can also choose other language courses as elective studies. Through cross-institutional study networks you can access a wide range of language courses. A variety of options is available, for example through KiVANET, a shared online teaching network for Finnish higher education institutions.

The programme matches two students with different native languages so they can help each other learn.

When joining the programme, you indicate which language or languages you would like to learn and which language or languages you can teach. Based on this information, students can contact each other and form pairs on the programme’s Moodle platform.

For example, a Finnish student learning Spanish is paired with a Spanish student learning Finnish. Learning happens outside the classroom, in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.

The programme is open to Humak students and students from partner universities including Aix-Marseille Université, Hochschule Burgenland, King’s College London, Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Oxford University, Universidad de Salamanca and others across Europe.

To be updated soon.