For me, attending the University of Turku has been one of the best experiences I have gotten the opportunity to have. Turku is a small city on the southwest side of Finland that doesn’t feel like a city, which is wonderful for me who was born and raised in a small town in America. The master’s program that I am a part of is a small group of very diverse people from all over the world and is taught in English. The university’s working language is Finnish, but most speak Swedish and English as well, and if they don’t, they are patient with you while you use a translator/dictionary. In addition, the university offer Finnish as a foreign language for international students. Personally, I found studying Finnish in this course difficult (and I also study Chinese!) so my best recommendation to potential students would be to download Mango or Mondly or some other language learning application to get a little head start before attending the class.

The professors in the program are very kind and very capable. It seems to me that they are always ready and able to answer your questions (except during holidays, which are taken very seriously here!). Whether or not the professor is your thesis advisor or a professor of a class you’re attending, they will always answer your questions or guide you to someone else who can. The program checks in with its students about twice a year to make sure everyone is doing well with their research and with completing the degree requirements.

The program has a combination of in-person, virtual, and self-study. The program walks students through the whole thesis process and assists them every step of the way. Although the program is advertised as a two-year master’s degree, however, it seems that most students take approximately three years to complete their research.