Apply to becoma a student representative in the steering group of your degree programme or in other open positions
NEWS
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 2023–31 December 2024 to further improve your degree programme!
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
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 the degree programme prepares the degree programme’s curriculum. The curriculum is made for three years at a time and it 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 the 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 the 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!
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. The steering group is chaired by the director of the degree programme. We are now looking for student representatives for the term 1 January 2023–31 December 2024. Depending on the language of the degree programme, the working language of the steering groups of degree programmes is either Finnish, English or Swedish, but it is also possible to agree on the language used in the meetings separately.
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU AS A STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE?
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.
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 11 february 2024. In your application, please indicate the following:
- Your current degree programme and study orientation
- Your student number (The student number is only used to verify your attendance status. The information will be deleted after it has been verified.)
- A justified connection to the degree programme, especially if you are not studying in the degree programme connected with the steering group you are applying for at the time of applying.
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
- Understanding of current issues and challenges in the degree programme in question and ideas for developing the programme
- Connections to the students of the degree programme in question and readiness to communicate to them about the work of the steering group
- Previous experience of acting as a student representative in administration, 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.
For further information on acting in the steering groups of degree programmes and on the call for applications, please contact:
DEGREE PROGRAMMES WITH OPEN POSITIONS IN THEIR STEERING GROUPS:
FACULTY OF BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Bachelor’s programme in Biology: 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: 1 vice member
Master’s programme in Genetics and Molecular Bioscience: 1 actual members, 2 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in Molecular Biosciences: 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in Environmental Change and Global Sustainability 1 actual member, 2 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in Environmental Sciences: 1 vice member
FACULTY OF PHARMACY
Bachelor’s Programme in Pharmacy: 1 actual member, 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in Pharmacy: 2 vice members
FACULTY OF ARTS
Master’s Programme in Area and Cultural Studies: 2 actual member, 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in English Studies: 1 vice member
Bachelor’s Programme in Philosophy: 1 vice member
Bachelor’s Programme in History: 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in History: 1 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in Languages: 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in Languages: 1 actual members, 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in Literary Studies: 2 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in Cultural Studies: 1 actual member, 2 vice members
Russian, Eurasian, and Eastern European Studies 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in Intercultural Encounters: 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in Cultural Heritage: 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in Translation and Interpreting: 1 actual member, 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in Scandinavian Languages and Literature: 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in Gender Studies: 1 vice members
Master’s Programme in Finnish and Finno-Ugrian Languages and Cultures: 2 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in Art Studies: 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in Art Studies: 1 actual member, 2 vice members
FACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES
Master’s Programme in Education: 1 vice member
Master’s programme in changing education 2 actual members, 2 vice members.
FACULTY OF MEDICINE
Bachelor’s and master’s programmes in logopedics: 2 vice member
FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
Master’s Programme in Food Economy and Consumption: 1 vice member
Master’s programme in Food Science 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in Human Nutrition and Food Behaviour): 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in Agricultural, Environmental and Resource Economics: 2 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in Agricultural Sciences: 2 vice members
Master’s programme in Agricultural Sciences: 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in Forest Sciences: 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology: 2 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in Environmental and Food Economics: 2 actual members, 2 vice members
FACULTY OF SCIENCE
Master’s Programme in Data Science: 1 vice member
Bachelor’s programme in physics 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in Geology and Geophysics: 1 vice members
Master’s Programme in Atmospheric Sciences: 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in Chemistry and Molecular Sciences: 1 actual member, 2 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in Chemistry: 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in Life Science Informatics: 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in Geography: 2 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in Mathematic Sciences: 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in Mathematics and Statistics: 1 vice member
Bachelor’s Programme for Teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry: 2 vice members
Master’s Programme for Teachers of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry: 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in Materials Research: 1 actual member, 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in Theoretical and Computational Methods: 1 actual member, 2 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in Computer Science: 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in Computer Science: 2 vice members
FACULTY OF LAW
Master’s Programme in Global Governance Law: 1 actual member, 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in International Business Law: 1 actual member, 2 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in law 1 actual member, 2 vice, member
Master’s programme in law 1 actual member, 1 vice member
FACULTY OF THEOLOGY
Master’s Programme in Theology and Religious Studies: 1 actual member, 2 vice members
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
Master’s Programme in Philosophy: 1 actual member, 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in Global Politics and Communication: 2 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in Politics, Media and Communication: 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in Politics, Media and Communication: 1 actual member, 2 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in Social Research: 1 vice member
Master’s Programme in Social Research: 1 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in Economics: 2 vice members
Bachelor’s Programme in Society and Change: 2 vice members
Master’s Programme in Society and Change: 2 vice members
Swedish-language Master’s Programme in Social Sciences (samhällsvetenskaper): 1 actual member, 2 vice members
Other open positions
UNIVERSITY COLLEGIUM (FACULTY OF PHARMACY)
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 one member and one 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 member and two vice members for the term 1 January 2024–31 December 2025. 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 campus and one actual member from the central campus for the term 1 January 2022–31 December 2024. The cooperation group’s working language is Swedish.
The administrative committees of discipline-specific funds for meilahti campus
The administrative committees are tasked with declaring the grants, prizes, scholarships and any other kinds of financial support awarded out of the money donated into the funds open for applications as well as with making the decisions on awarding them. The committees are campus-specific, which means that the discipline-specific funds of each campus are administered by their own committee.
These positions allow you to learn about fund management, the processing of applications and decision-making processes. You will gain experience of negotiation, meeting procedures and administration. Later, you can ask HYY for a certificate of having served in the position! The meeting language of the administrative committees is Finnish. The next representative period is 1 January 2024 – 31 December 2025. We are looking for one actual member for the administrative committee of Meilahti campus.
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: 3 vice members
- Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry: 3 vice members
- Faculty of Theology: 2 vice member
- Faculty of law 1 vice member
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 11 February 2024. 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
