Social Services path studies

Basic information

Duration / Date(s)
2 semesters
Extent
60 ECTS credits
Next application period:
4.8.2025 at 10.00 - 5.8.2025 at 23.59
Study places
10
Price / Tuition fee
900 €

What are path studies?

Path studies in Social Services include the first academic year courses of the Degree Programme in Social Services, as stated in the curriculum. Completion of path studies takes two semesters.

The study format is day-time studies, including contact teaching on campus, online learning, and independent study. Studies progress according to the schedule. The schedule is available in Schedule Machine from May 2025 onwards, with the group id SXG25S1. The schedule is released for the entire semester at a time, but please note that changes are possible.

At the beginning of your studies, you will make a personal study plan with a tutor teacher from the degree. Your studies will follow the path of the Open University of Applied Sciences, but there is one individual choice you can make if you want to study early childhood education and care studies or need Finnish language tuition.

After you have completed the path studies, you can apply for the degree programme via the separate application process.

Target Audience, to whom?

Path studies are right for you if

  • your goal is a study right in a degree programme
  • you want to take advantage of the intermediate year by studying purposefully
  • you are ready for full-time studies
  • if you want to go towards getting a right to practice in Finnish Social Welfare as a licensed professional
  • you are able to study in English and also motivated to learn or improve your Finnish

Path studies are suitable for Finnish speakers as well.

Studies include

Support in learning Finnish is integrated in the studies.

First Semester

  • Orientation to Studies SX00FX97, 5 credits
  • Social Pedagogy in Social Services Environments SX00FX71, 5 credits
  • Professional Communication and Academic Writing SX00FX73, 5 credits
  • Individual and Group Counselling SX00FX74, 5 credits
  • Human Growth, Development and Socialization SX00FY23, 5 credits

And you choose one of these two:

  • Finnish 1 (for Finnish learners) XX00EL05, 5 credits
  • Professional in Social and Health Care SX00FX89, 5 credits

Second Semester

  • Culture, Gender and Sexuality in Client Work SX00FX90, 3 credits
  • Client and Patient Orientation SX00FX92, 2 credits
  • Social Pedagogical Methods SX00FX75, 5 credits
  • Foundations of Welfare Society SX00FX76, 5 credits
  • Language-aware and Anti-discriminatory Practices SX00FX78, 5 credits

    And you choose one of these two:

  • Social Inclusion and Disadvantage SX00FY26, 5 credits
  • Global Awareness of Well-being of Children and Families SX00FY27, 5 credits

Additionally, you also choose one of these two:

  • Finnish 2 (for Finnish learners) XX00EL11, 5 credits
  • Work Placement and Language Internship 1: Social Services Work and Clients’ Everyday Life SX00FX79, 5 credits

Language and other requirements

Higher education studies require you to have strong self-organization, time management and collaboration skills, an ability to comprehend wide-ranging areas of study, and effective communication skills both orally and in writing. In addition to scheduled teaching, you must also reserve plenty of time for independent study. The language of tuition is mainly English. Most course materials are in English, but courses are implemented in a language-aware manner and students will be introduced to relevant Finnish vocabulary as well.

The student is responsible of possessing sufficient language skills for studies in higher education in English. Applicants will be tested in August 2025. Information about the test will be updated later. Applicants will receive a separate invitation for the test.

Read more about language skills and other requirements.

Price

900€, 15€/ECT

Enrollment to path studies

Students are selected either in the order of enrollment or through a pre-test.

Enrollment link will be updated in April 2025. Enrollment is 4.8.2025 at 10.00 - 5.8.2025 at 23.59

Below you can find the important information about studying in Metropolia’s Open UAS.

Check out Metropolia Open UAS and enroll to the studies in our enrollment system.

Contact Information for Open UAS in various situations

More information

Study content and implementation

Open UAS: Payments, benefits, services, studying

Contact information

  • ask about enrollment: avoinamk [at] metropolia.fi (avoinamk[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
  • ask about study practices from the guidance councellor: miia.penttinen [at] metropolia.fi (miia.penttinen@metropolia.f)paula.lindqvist [at] metropolia.fi (i)
  • ask about what's included in the studies from the Head of Degree Programme: Tanja.Saariaho [at] metropolia.fi (tanja[dot]saariaho[at]metropolia[dot]fi)

Applying for degree studies

Guidance: admissions [at] metropolia.fi (admissions[at]metropolia[dot]fi)

How to start path studies at Metropolia

Welcome to study path studies at Metropolia!

Read below all the common instructions for Metropolia's path students as well as the instructions for your own group.

How to start Social Services path studies

The studies will start Thu 22.8.2024 at Myllypuro Campus.