Apply to be a student representative in the supplementary call for applications 2025
NEWS
The Student Union of the University of Helsinki is looking for student representatives for a variety of positions. Check out the open positions in the university’s governing bodies below!
We are looking for student representatives in the supplementary call for applications for the following university bodies:
- Degree programme steering groups
- Faculty councils
- Una europa student board
- University collegium
- Samarbetsgruppen för den tvåspråkiga verksamheten på centrumcampus
- Tvex-samarbetsgruppen
- Language centre’s teaching development group
- Campus library advisory boards of the University of Helsinki
Degree programme steering groups
What kind of teaching is organised in your degree programme? Are the courses organised in a logical order, and do they properly account for different kinds of completion methods? If you have ever thought about these issues, this is your chance! Apply to become a student representative in the steering group of your degree programme for the term 1 January 2025–31 December 2026 to help improve your degree programme!
Each degree programme at the University of Helsinki has a steering group that supports the director of the degree programme and processes the central issues related to the degree programme’s operation. The steering group of a degree programme prepares the degree programme’s curriculum. The curriculum is made for three years at a time and determines the following issues:
- What courses are included in the degrees
- What kind of methods to complete courses are offered
- What kind of attendance requirements courses have
- What kind of learning objectives courses have
The steering group of a degree programme decides on the annual teaching schedule of the degree programme. The teaching schedule is a kind of implementation plan for the curriculum. It determines the following issues related to courses:
- Timing
- Schedule
- Teaching locations
In other words, the teaching schedule includes all the extremely important details students need to know about courses for the entire academic year. As a member of a steering group, you will thus get to influence all the things that are realised in the teaching provided in your degree programme. This is a real chance to influence matters on a practical level! By attending the meetings, you also may receive a meeting fee of 35e per meeting. Serving as a student representative will also provide you with valuable experience that is relevant in working life as well as help you form important networks.
All steering groups of degree programmes have two actual and two vice student members. The steering groups also have a maximum of six teachers from the degree programme, with no vice members. Steering groups are chaired by the director of the degree programme. We are now looking for student representatives for the term 1 January 2025–31 December 2026. Depending on the language of the degree programme, the working language of the steering groups of degree programmes is either Finnish, English or Swedish. However, it is also possible to agree on the language used in the meetings separately.
You will be working for the common good of all students, as you will serve as the students’ voice in the steering group. There are only two actual requirements: you must be registered for attendance at the University of Helsinki and you must have a justified connection to the degree programme whose steering group you are applying for.
No special skills are required – having the desire and motivation to learn about and commit to the work of the degree programme is the most important thing. Meetings are organised on a monthly basis during office hours, and they last around 1–2 hours. Reading the meeting material in advance will also take a varying amount of time. Above all, the position is an excellent place to learn new things!
You should also remember that you will never be left alone. In the steering group, you will be cooperating with the other student representatives, as there will be four of you in the group: two actual members and two vice members. In addition to this, you will get to join HYY’s new Student Representative Network where you can share your experiences with your colleagues over disciplinary boundaries.
Faculty councils
Faculty councils are multi-member administrative bodies of the faculties. They are chaired by deans. The duties of faculty councils include developing teaching and research at the faculty, controlling quality management, deciding on issues such as degree requirements, curricula and student selection criteria and processing any far-reaching plans and other important matters of principle at the faculty.
As a member of a faculty council, you will get to influence the future direction of your faculty and discipline, make students’ voice heard and create useful networks at the same time. Vice members may usually also attend the meetings and speak in them. The faculty councils of the following faculties currently have open positions:
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences: 5 vice members
- Faculty of Pharmacy: 1 actual member, 3 vice members
- Faculty of arts: 1 Vice member
- Faculty of educational sciences: 1 vice member
- Faculty of science 1 Vice member
- Faculty of Law: 3 vice members
- Faculty of Theology: 1 vice member
- Faculty of Social sciences: 1 vice member
Una Europa student board
Una Europa (www.una-europa.eu/) is a European University Alliance bringing together eleven leading research universities with global reputation and reach. Together we aim to shape Europe’s future.
Una Europa’s mission is to create a truly European inter-university environment, where outstanding research is continuously linked to transnational learning and innovative, critical thinking. The collaboration begins within six priority focus areas: Europe in the World, Sustainability, Cultural Heritage, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, One Health, and Future Materials. Diversity is a strength of our alliance, underpinned by common principles: interdisciplinarity, internationalisation, innovation, interaction, inclusivity, and impact.
The student board will systematically monitor the activities of Una Europa and participate in meeting with key stakeholders, such as the Board of Directors in Una Europa. As key stakeholders, students will give continuous feedback on the quality and relevance of the outputs and milestones delivered by the Alliance. They will join biannual physical meetings thanks to dedicated budget and support for their activities in the frame of Una Europa. We are looking for one vice member for the term 1 August 2023- 31 July 2025.
University collegium
As a member of the University Collegium, you will get to influence the future direction of the entire University, make students’ voice heard and create useful networks at the same time. You can get credits for serving on the University Collegium, and a meeting fee is also paid for the meetings. Student representatives are selected to the University Collegium from each faculty at the University as well as the Swedish School of Social Science.
Members of the University Collegium include professors, other University staff and students from all faculties at the University. The duties of the University Collegium include the following:
- Appointing members from outside the University community to the University Board
- Confirming the members representing the University community to the University Board
- Appointing the Chancellor of the University and the university auditors
- Confirming the University’s financial statements and annual report
- Meeting at least twice a year to discuss matters concerning the University
As a member on the University Collegium, you will get to ensure that student perspectives are taken into account when plotting the University’s future direction. According to the Universities Act, the administrative language of the University of Helsinki is Finnish, and the University Collegium consequently works mainly in Finnish. However, it is possible to use other languages in its meetings by agreement. We are looking for a vice member from the faculty of pharmacy.
Samarbetsgruppen för den tvåspråkiga verksamheten på centrumcampus
The cooperation group for bilingual affairs on the City Centre campus, or Samarbetsgruppen för den tvåspråkiga verksamheten på centrumcampus, develops and coordinates Swedish-language and bilingual activities and teaching on the campus. The group may deal with matters including students’ opportunities of taking exams bilingually and receiving cross-disciplinary teaching in Swedish. You can apply for the administrative body if you study in the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Social Science or Swedish School of Social Science. We are looking for one vice member for the term 1 april 2024–31 march 2026. The working group’s working language is Swedish.
Tvex-samarbetsgruppen
The cooperation group for bilingual degrees, or Tvex-samarbetsgruppen, has representation from parties involved with bilingual degrees on the Viikki, Kumpula and City Centre campuses. The group’s duties include supporting cooperation over faculty boundaries and sharing good practices. You can apply for the position if you study or have studied for a bilingual degree on the Kumpula campus. We are now looking for one actual member from the Kumpula, central and Viikki campus’ for the term 1 January 2025–31 December 2026. The cooperation group’s working language is Swedish.
Language centre’s teaching development group
The Language Centre at the University of Helsinki organises the language and communication studies for all degree programmes. Every year, 14 000 domestic and international students from all campuses and degree programmes study at the Language Centre.
The teaching development group of the Language Centre features both staff and student members. The group promotes and supports the planning, implementation and evaluation of teaching at the Language Centre. It plans and organises the Language Centre’s pedagogical training events and seminars. Discussion topics in the group include current issues related to teaching and particularly language studies at the Language Centre and the University of Helsinki. The development group’s working language is Finnish. We are looking for 2 vice members for the term 1 Aprill 2024- 31 March 2026
Campus library advisory boards of the University of Helsinki
Apply to the advisory board of your campus library to influence the services of your own library! All four of the University’s campus libraries have their own advisory board. The boards are tasked with acting as a cooperation forum for the library’s users and participating in issues such as the strategic development of library services and the planning of collection acquisitions. We are looking for 2 actual members from Meilahti campus and 1 actual members from Viikki campus for the period 1.4.2024-31.3.2026
What is expected of student representatives?
You must be registered for attendance at the University of Helsinki. No special skills are required – having the desire to learn and the motivation to serve as a student representative is of primary importance. Thoroughly reading the meeting material before the meeting, asking for the opinions of – depending on the situation – either your fellow students or subject organisation on the issues on the meeting agenda and speaking up at the meeting itself are quite enough to be successful in the position. Check out the possible special criteria for each administrative body from its application form in the Halloped application system.
How do i apply to become a student representative?
Applications should be submitted in the Halloped application system (beta.halloped.fi/en) by 11.59 pm on 10 February 2025. In your application, please indicate the following:
- Your current degree programme and study orientation
- Check out whether the position you are applying for has any special criteria or qualities that may be considered useful and should be included in the application from the Halloped application system.
The Student Union also considers the following as advantages, and we recommend including any related information in your application:
- Motivation towards serving in the position and readiness to commit to the duties
- Connections to the students of the degree programme
- Previous experience of acting as a student representative, as a person in charge of academic affairs or in some other position related to student advocacy work
The Student Union hopes to see applications from representatives of different genders and people in different stages of their studies from diverse backgrounds. We assume that you are available for the positions of both actual member and vice member. The Student Union strives to consider different disciplines’ representation when making the selections.
Further information on acting in the steering groups of degree programmes and on the call for applications, please contact:
Specialist in educational policy
Riku-Petteri Kyllönen
riku-petteri.kyllonen@hyy.fi
050 325 5202
