Optional and elective studies for degree students

Guide for planning and choosing the optional and elective studies in your degree.

General information

When selecting optional studies, consider your own goals, areas of interest, and how the optional courses support your degree as a whole. Also, take into account the needs and demands of the working life when considering optional and elective studies. Through the extensive range of optional studies offered by the Ģ��ֱ��, as well as various collaborative networks, you have access to versatile options so you can focus and personalise your degree the way you want.

To help the planning of studies, the structure of some Master’s degree programmes contains recommendations for optional studies and study modules. In some degree programmes, there is a specified mandatory set of courses in another subject defined in the curriculum.

In general, you have the right to choose optional and elective studies at JYU. This means that you can select a study unit or a study module for your personal study plan, and complete it according to the instructions in Sisu. Please note that certain studies may require an application, while others may involve a selection process based on an aptitude test, and in some cases, there may be other valid reasons for restricting the right. Check the study guide to see whether there is a open completion right or an application process for the studies.

If you need help with planning your studies, please contact your study advisor or education coordinator. You can verify from the education coordinator if the studies made elsewhere can be included in your degree.

If you are doing doctoral studies, please contact your faculty's education coordinator regarding the planning of your studies and studies completed elsewhere.The studies to be included in the degree must be at a higher education level, meaning they must be completed at a university or a university of applied sciences.

In addition to the our university's own offering, various opportunities for optional studies are available, for example, through collaborative networks.

Sisu guide: adding optional studies to your study plan

Optional and elective studies at the Ģ��ֱ��

The right to study minor/elective study modules is unrestricted at the University, excluding subjects with an entrance examination, an aptitude test or other justified reason to limit the number of students in the subject. If the right to study a study module is not unrestricted, students must apply for the right to study from the faculty of the subject in question.

Communication and language courses at Movi

In addition to the compulsory communication and language studies included in your degree, you can choose additional courses according to your individual learning needs and interests at the Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication Movi. In Movi, teaching is based on the most recent research as well as on the needs of working life.

You can develop your communication and language skills in many ways. At the Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication Movi you can start a completely new language or enhance your existing skills. You can also choose courses related to for example multilingual and intercultural competence.

Communication and language course offerings at Movi

EduFutura Studies

EduFutura Jyväskylä is a learning, developing and research competence cluster comprising JAMK Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences , the Ģ��ֱ�� and the Jyväskylä Educational Consortium Gradia. Cross-studying in EduFutura means that as a JYU student you can enrol, for example, to JAMK's studies available in EduFutura course catalogue, or participate in joint projects between different institutions. EduFutura offers courses for students in specific fields as well as courses suitable for students in a wide range of fields.

You can include JAMK's studies in your degree as optional studies. You can apply for recognition via SISU. Gradia studies cannot be recognised as part of the optional studies in a university degree. Gradia studies can be recognised by substitution, in which case the equivalence of Gradia studies and the achievement of the learning outcomes are assessed in relation to the JYU study unit to be substituted.

Studies at Gradia and JAMK allow you to broaden your knowledge, especially in terms of working life skills. Gradia studies (e.g., languages) can also be utilised as preparatory courses, although they may not be accepted for a higher education degree.

Flexible study right (JOO)

The national Flexible Study Rights Agreement (JOO) provides degree students with an opportunity to include studies from other Finnish universities to their degree.

Flexible study right (JOO)

Working life studies

Working life studies are suitable optional studies for all JYU students, and the completion of these studies does not require extensive prior knowledge from other courses.

Working life study selection

Internationalisation studies

During student exchange, you can take optional courses that are not offered at the Ģ��ֱ��. The University also offers a chance for internationalisation at home.

Internationalisation and student exchange

Internationalisation at home

Network studies

Degree students at the Ģ��ֱ�� may include network studies as a part of their degree. Some of the network modules involve studying at another university. This means you study and complete the courses there. Please read the instructions regarding studying and transferring credits carefully from the network studies' website. In general, you should apply for recognition in Sisu after you have completed your network studies.

In some cases, you can add the network studies as optional studies directly to your personal study plan in Sisu. You can do this if the studies are included in the JYU study guide. In this case, you do not need to do the recognition of prior studies separately.

The Ģ��ֱ�� participates in the following networks offering studies in English:

The aim of the is to bring together study content and operation model to meet the learning needs in biodiversity issues now and in the future. Through this, co-operating universities bring expertise from their areas of strengths and strategic objectives for the use of the entire network. Biodiversity education network offers new courses for the students coming from different universities.

(CNS)is a network established by a group of universities. Teaching within the framework of the network is developed, produced and coordinated by the Ruralia Institute of the University of Helsinki together with the other participating universities. The studies cover new co-operative types and new fields of co-operative activity that are becoming increasingly significant to society, such as the social welfare and healthcare industry. The courses cover the entire spectrum of co-operative activity as well as the special features of mutual undertakings.

are aimed at degree students of the partner universities and all open university students. Studies provides an overview of digital commerce and the significant transformation of the commerce sector. Studies is coordinated by Finnish Commerce Federation and organised by five Finnish universities. The aim of the studies is to increase the number of new digital commerce experts in the sector and develop the skills of those already working in the sector.

is a network of 9 Finnish universities promoting and co-ordinating academic futures education in Finland. The FFA aims to provide the platform for transforming national expertise into worldwide excellence. Futures Studies courses are available for undergraduate and postgraduate students at Finnish member universities, including exchange students.

offers university courses for degree students. The Finnish Institute of Technology (FITech) was founded by seven Finnish universities of technology. The mission of FITech is to contribute to the development of Finnish innovation capacity and to respond to competence demands arising in the field of engineering. Course topics include information technology, 5G technology, energy storages and other fields of technology.

is a university network of psychology consisting six departments of psychology in Finland that award a legally certified degree needed to work as a practicing or academic psychologist in the country. It organizes education of psychology as a national collaboration on all levels of education (basic, continuing and doctoral). Collective teaching is done through video lectures and seminars, online courses or their diverse combination. Some Psykonet courses are offered in English.

was established by three Finnish universities. The network's course selection is versatile and multidisciplinary. The courses offered through the network are open for all degree, doctoral and exchange students of the member higher education institutions. There are courses with different requirement levels. When applying for courses, a student should consider their study skills and previous learning experiences if they intend to take, for instance, an advanced-level course. Modes of study vary between the courses.

Faculties' elective and optional studies

From the menu below, you can explore the elective and optional studies offered by the department or faculty. Select the field of study you want more information about.

Further instructions

Select instructions for your studies

Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics

Here is a list of study modules delivered in English that suit our international master's degree programmes. Please note that you are encouraged to consult with your study advisor about the electives studies of your degree. JSBE master's programmes do not require the completion of an elective study module. The study modules delivered in English are open for all students.

JSBE Study modules

Basic Studies in Entrepreneurship (25 ECTS)

Please note that JSBE course admission is based on study rights and prerequisites (background study requirements), not on the time of your registration. So we do not use the "first come, first served" method at JSBE. Therefore, even if the course seems to be full and you are on the waiting list, if you are a JSBE student, you will have priority to JSBE courses over the students from other faculties.

Study modules from other faculties