New University of Helsinki Master’s Programme Brings Students to Satakunta for Their First Field Study Period
News
The new Master’s Programme in Technologies for Sustainable Use of Renewable Resources at the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry was launched in September 2026. The programme’s first group of students will arrive in Satakunta on Monday, 19 October, for a week-long field study period, during which they will get to know companies in the region and gain an insight into working life.
Part of the field week programme will take place in Rauma. A Get Together event for students, companies and the programme’s partners will be held at Cultural House Poselli on Tuesday, 20 October.
– We warmly welcome the first group of students. At the Get Together event, students will meet companies and other partners in the region and build valuable connections with working life, says Project Manager Janne Ussa.
The Master’s Programme received applications from more than one hundred applicants from Finland and around the world. A total of 17 students accepted their study place and received funding.
Field Study Periods Bring Students Together with Companies
The studies are primarily based at the University of Helsinki’s Viikki Campus, but the programme also includes field study periods in Satakunta. During their studies, students will visit the region 4–6 times for week-long periods focusing on local companies, working life and operating environments in the renewable resources sector.
– During the first field week, students will get to know companies in Satakunta. In Rauma, they will visit Metsä Group, and the week also includes visits to Apetit and Corex Finland. The company visits are planned according to the theme of each field study period, with the first week focusing on the forest industry. The aim is to complement the studies with practical experience and give students an insight into the sector’s operating environments, Ussa explains.
Rauma Helping to Build a Pathway for Future Professionals
The Master’s Programme aims to respond to the growing need for professionals with expertise in the sustainable use of renewable resources, technology and the bioeconomy. The studies explore the use of digitalisation, artificial intelligence and other new and emerging technologies in the agri-food and forestry sectors, as well as solutions related to the circular economy and the sustainable use of renewable resources.
The programme has been developed over several years in cooperation with municipalities, companies and other organisations. Satakunta serves as the programme’s pilot region, where a new model of collaboration between the University of Helsinki and companies in the region has been developed.
– As the first field study period begins, we will see in practice how this new model of collaboration works. The programme gives Rauma and Satakunta as a whole an opportunity to introduce companies in the region to future professionals, strengthen the region’s pool of skilled professionals and deepen collaboration between education and working life, Ussa says.
