Undergraduate Studies

Bachelor and Master Level Education

Cooperation in Education

Sosnet network promotes

training in the field of social work,
university specific profiling, and
a reasonable division of work.

Its purpose is to anticipate key qualitative, quantitative, and content-related aspects of training.

The aim of Sosnet is to educate high-level social workers and researchers with comprehensive professional and scientific knowledge.

Social Work Education in Finland

Social work qualifications comprises both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees with social work as a major subject (The Act on Social Welfare Professionals 817/2015, 7 §).

The task of social work education is to produce skills needed in both practical social work and social work research. Learn more on social work education in Finland (pdf).

The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) grants, upon application, the right to practice social welfare profession as a licensed social worker, registers the right of social welfare professionals educated in Finland or abroad to use the protected professional title of social welfare professional.

Qualified Outside Finland

If you are a qualified social worker from another country and wish to work as a social worker in Finland, you must applt for professional practice rights from Valvira. See more information on Valvira's webpages.

If you already have a a conditional recognition decision from Valvira and wish to complete the aptitude tests required by Valvira, see more information on Sosnet's Finnish webpages.

Statistics

Sosnet collects annually the educational statistics for social work education from the schools of Social Work. Every year approximately 450 new degree students start their studies in six universities. There are approximately 400 MA graduates every year who gain the possibility to apply the right to practice social work from Valvira. More information on social work education statistics in Finland (in Finnish).

Online courses

Sosnet universities offer cross-institutional online courses for social work students. The courses are 5 ECTS and are mainly based on a master's degree. Courses are offered from each university in the Sosnet network and students receive a wide range of courses.

Studying in the course involves applying for a fixed-term study right to a university that organizes the course.

Three courses are offered in English. Here are the links for the course descriptions:

Global Perspectives in Social Work 5 ECTS

Social Work in Ecosocial Transition 5 ECTS

Nordic Welfare State Models 5 ECTS

Contact information

Coordinator of collaborative studies
MSocSc Mari Suonio
University of Eastern Finland
phone: +358 40 5280499
mari.suonio(a)uef.fi

Material banks

Sosnet has produces mateial banks for the use of social work studies among the Sosnet network. See a video of how you can use the material banks.

Introduction to Social Work in Finland

For exchange students. Content: child protection, adult social work, social work in the social welfare system, gerontological social work, structural social work, management and social work as a profession, education and research.

Multicultural Social Work

A material bank containing lectures, assignments and literature that teachers can use on their own courses. Content: anti-racist social work, intersectionality, migrant experiences, inter-cultural communication, forced migration and family reunification.

Theories in Social Work

A lecture series for students doing their master's thesis, or for doctoral students. Content: social work research, theoretical frameworks of research, methodology.