UCL SSEES: BA Degrees in Finnish:

Finnish and East European Studies (UCAS RR67)
Modern Languages (Finnish and another language) (UCAS R000)

Dr Titus Hjelm
Lecturer in Finnish Studies

Finland (or 'Suomi' in the native language) is a country of little over 5 million inhabitants situated in the northernmost part of Europe. Finland's society and culture have been strongly shaped by its geographical location in the North, and by its political location between Sweden and Russia, countries with which it has had close cultural and historical ties. Nowadays Finland is best known for Nokia mobile phones and Santa Claus (who does NOT come from the North Pole, but lives in Korvatunturi in Finnish Lapland). The Finnish language is a member of the Finno-Ugric language family, which includes Finnish and Estonian and the more distantly related Hungarian. SSEES/UCL is the only university in the UK where you can do a full-time degree in Finnish language and culture.

A view of Helsinki from the sea

Studying Finnish culture and language at SSEES will prepare you for a wide variety of careers in today's and tomorrow's Europe. Finland's position at a cultural crossroads and its leading role in the development of the European welfare state will give you not only an understanding of one nation, but also a wider view of the Nordic and Baltic area. The range of courses offered gives you an opportunity to combine solid language skills with knowledge of Finnish culture, history, society, and literature. The course-unit system gives you flexibility to compose your individual programme of study. As part of the BA Finnish and East European Studies degree (UCAS RR67), you can take courses in history and social sciences in many of UCL's departments of humanities and social sciences. Participation in courses offered by the Scandinavian studies department is also especially popular.

Finnish is also available in combination with other languages, such as French, Swedish, Italian, or Russian, as part of the Modern Languages degree (UCAS R000).