What is it like to study at Uniarts Helsinki?
Read more about our teaching practices, the role of artistic activities as part of the studies, and the facilities that you can use as a student.
Tailored high-quality instruction
Our learning environment promotes a genuine dialogue within the community and supports your growth in becoming an independent expert and artist. Flexible curricula, one-to-one guidance and independent artistic work are the core of your studies at Uniarts Helsinki. Group instruction, workshops, field trips and different projects create a sense of community. Individual instruction focuses on developing your own special talent and independent thinking and encourages you to push the boundaries of art. The individual instruction emphasises open dialogue and a low hierarchy between students and teachers.
Teachers with world-class expertise
Uniarts Helsinki’s teachers are distinguished artists and experts in their respective fields. Several Finnish and international guest lecturers and teachers visit the academies every year. Through their expertise and professional networks, your teachers will introduce you to the field of arts in Finland and abroad and help you build an excellent professional basis for working as an independent artist.
Artistic activities
Uniarts Helsinki’s selection of joint studies and artistic activities give you the versatile skills you will need as a professional. It also provides you with fresh perspectives on collaborative arts projects. The university’s joint studies give you tools to understand the different aspects and work methods of your own artistic field. You will learn to critically compare the phenomena of knowledge, research and art.
The artistic activities are a medium of instruction and offer our students contacts with society, the field of arts and the arts audience in general. These exhibitions, concerts and performances set the pace for your studies and give you memorable experiences, starting from your first year of studies until you graduate. Through your personal artistic projects, you will anchor your work in the contexts of art and society, where artists may adopt multi-faceted roles and profiles.
The artistic activities can be experimental and include even spontaneous elements, such as productions utilising urban spaces. During your studies, you will get the chance to participate in collaboration projects and projects involving public art.
International student life
As a student at Uniarts Helsinki, you will be part of a distinctly international community. A total of 15% of our bachelor’s and master’s degree students, 23% of our doctoral students and 10% of our teaching and research staff come from outside Finland. In addition to our permanent teaching staff, our degree programmes regularly host top international experts who lead master classes, thematic workshops, special courses and projects.
You can also include an international mobility period to your degree, for example, by going abroad as an exchange student or a trainee. During your studies, you can also participate in a master class, residency period, workshop, exhibition or a festival that takes place abroad.
Read more about Uniarts Helsinki’s international projects
A supportive university community
Our goal is to support you in your journey of strengthening your independent artistic expression, because the diversity of our students enriches all of our lives. We hope to create a safe environment where you get to experiment with ideas, make mistakes, fulfil your goals, and reflect on your own growth as an artist. This kind of atmosphere requires a strong sense of community, which in turn requires us to establish joint codes of conduct. One obvious guideline is that we do not condone harassment of any kind.
In order for Uniarts Helsinki to operate successfully as a community where its students and staff members get to work with a sense of peace and security, all of its members must treat each other with respect. There will surely be differences of opinion from time to time, but we encourage everyone to discuss them openly.
If students are subjected to harassment or some other problematic situation, they can approach any staff member and discuss the matter with them. All staff members have the responsibility to provide help and take the matter forward, if necessary.
Wellbeing of our students
We pay particular attention to the wellbeing of our students. This includes their mental health, ability to study, general health, functional and healthy learning surroundings as well as student meals.
Quality teaching, individual goals, personal guidance, a study plan as well as student services are all factors that help promote the wellbeing of students. We also organise study periods around wellbeing and give guidance on ergonomic working. The university psychological services and chaplaincy support our students’ mental health. We follow up on the wellbeing of our students with questionnaires and investigations. We are continuously developing our teaching, pedagogy and services.
Work facilities, equipment and materials
Academy of Fine Arts
Emphasis is laid on individual, one-to-one instruction that takes place in the student’s studio or the common studio and work facilities. All students have their own work station assigned for them for their independent artistic work that they can access 24/7, every day of the year. You can apply for various grants to cover the material and exhibition costs related to your studies.
The Academy of Fine Arts has a professionally equipped gallery, Kuva/Tila, located in its main building Mylly in the lively Sörnäinen district. The gallery regularly serve as a venue for exhibitions and events related to the Academy of Fine Arts and its studies, including the annual MFA Degree Show with the name Kuvan Kevät, which is the main event of the year. Exhibitions are also organised in galleries owned by the academy’s various partners.
Students of the Academy of Fine Arts can apply to the academy’s residency programme in Berlin.
Sibelius Academy
As a Sibelius Academy student, you can book the facilities of your own department as well as the classrooms that are shared between the departments. You can use them for studies, practice and study-related performances. Apart from certain restrictions, you also have the right to book recording studios and performance halls for your own use.
The Stage and Studio Team is in charge of providing you with professional amplification, recording and lighting services at your performances. The team maintains and develops the lighting and sound systems of the concert halls and the Sibelius Academy’s recording studios in cooperation with the Department of Music Technology.
The Sibelius Academy has an instrument lending service for students and teachers and a collection of a bit over 200 instruments. No fee is charged for the loan, and the maximum lending period extends to the end of the ongoing academic year. The lending service is located in the same premises as the Instrument Workshop, which serves students and staff members regarding the maintenance of instruments. You can also come to the workshop and work independently on your own projects under the guidance of the staff. The Workshop offers courses on the making of instruments and related knowhow and maintenance.
Theatre Academy
You can book rehearsal halls at the Theatre Academy for practice purposes, and there are five performance halls available for your artistic activities. There are also rehearsal and dance halls that can be used for performances.
The Theatre Academy’s Producer Team and Technical Production Team support your artistic activities. The main task of the Producer Team is to take care of the licensing, copyright, contracts, budgeting, scheduling and internal communications for all study and research-related productions.
The expertise of the Stage, Props and Wardrobe Team is at your disposal when you prepare your performances. They will plan, prepare, acquire and modify the props and costumes for all Theatre Academy productions. Lighting and sound designers, on the other hand, plan and create the lighting and sound designs for the productions at the Theatre Academy.
University of the Arts Student Union (ArtSu)
University of the Arts Student Union (ArtSU) is the community and interest and service organisation for students at Uniarts Helsinki. The student union is a self-governing community subject to public law, and all bachelor’s and master’s degree students at Uniarts Helsinki are automatically its members. Doctoral students, exchange students and students completing non-degree pedagogical studies for teachers are also welcome to join the student union.
The total number of members in ArtSU is about 1,800. The purpose of the student union is to act as a bond between its members and promote their sense of community. It promotes the students’ interests and rights at Uniarts Helsinki as well as on a national level and provides services and benefits that assist students in their daily life. All Uniarts Helsinki students are welcome to join the student union activities. Read more at www.taiyo.fi.