“The best thing about Centria is the atmosphere and community. You can't really explain it. You have to experience it yourself.”
Centria University of Applied Sciences is a Finnish higher education institution that offers both bachelor’s and master’s studies in English. Study selection consists of several bachelor's degree programmes in the fields of business, engineering and health care.
Centria is known for its flexibility and tight-knit community in which every fourth student comes from outside Finland. Students represent dozens of nationalities and numerous languages can be heard on campus daily.
Straightforward cooperation with working life
As study groups at Centria are relatively small, teachers become familiar with students. An unnecessary hierarchy doesn’t exist. If you’d like to brainstorm with the rector, you may join him in the campus café for a cup of coffee.
– Centria feels like a team. In a year I got to know counsellors, teachers, tutors and other people. It always feels like I am being heard, there is always someone ready to help you, says Business Management student Kawtar Tahaoui.
The curricula of Centria’s degree programmes have been renewed in cooperation with the working life of the region. Because of Centria’s nimble size, cooperation with working life is straightforward and continues throughout studies. Students participate in projects, visit companies, and get their foot in the door during practical training. Centria’s career services make sure that students have the skills to craft great job applications to land their dream job after graduation.
– The biggest inorganic chemical industry ecosystem in Finland (KIP) is in Kokkola and I plan to apply to some position there in the future. So, studying at Centria is also going to help you get a job after studies as Central Ostrobothnia is an area full of industry, Kawtar notes.
Centria offers the possibilities of a big university but the community of a small one. – The best of both worlds.
Brilliant campuses for studying and beyond
Campuses with English-conducted studies are in romantic and cosy towns on the beautiful west coast, in Kokkola and Pietarsaari. They have all the services you need and a tight community to socialize in. At the same time the gorgeous Finnish nature and the Baltic Sea are right there when you need to take a breath.
Ahmed Shafin studies at Centria’s Business Management degree programme that focuses on Enterprise Resource Planning. He is also a freelance content creator who loves capturing the Finnish nature.
– Because of my studies, I have the opportunity to stay in this beautiful seaside town, and I want to take advantage of this opportunity to show the world the beauty of Kokkola, he says.
The main campus in Kokkola offers a modern study environment with outstanding library services, modern lecture rooms and equipment for studying independently and with friends. The campus is also an excellent hang out spot so you might find yourself on campus long after lectures are over.
As studies are a combination of theoretical studies and applying theory to practice, a large part of the teaching happens in workshops, simulations, and laboratories. Centria has excellent dedicated laboratories for chemical engineering and IT students as well as simulation spaces for health care students.
UAS with appeal
The education powerhouse has numbers to show for its success. Centria was the most appealing UAS in Finland in 2022. This means that it had the most applicants per one study place amongst all Finnish universities of applied sciences. Centria also made a new record in the number of applicants during the joint application 2022.
In the annual survey for graduating students in Finland, Centria’s master’s students have assessed their education as the best amongst universities of applied sciences in Finland for several years in a row.
Support from the start
Centria offers international students an information package after they have confirmed their study place. The academic study year starts in the autumn with orientation days where students meet each other, their teachers and student tutors who will be helping and guiding them. Centria also has a specialist for helping international students in the early stages of their studies.
– My goal is to help students feel at home and hopefully to eventually make a life here, find a job and settle down. I help with everything to do with arrival, integration, housing, living, meeting people and finding meaningful things to do, describes Sofia Behluli, Specialist in Learning Services at Centria.
Should you study at this special UAS, Centria is sure to leave a heart-shaped mark in your soul while equipping you with expertise in your chosen field.
The next application period for Centria’s English-conducted bachelor’s programmes is open 4.-18.1.2023. Master’s programmes are available for application in February. More information here.
HT
