Sponsored by the University of Eastern Finland

If you’ve got your heart set on studying abroad but aren’t sure where, you might do well to consider Finland.

Over the last few years, more than 20,000 students have moved to Finland to experience its great quality of life, laid-back culture, natural beauty, and exciting cuisine. 

But it’s the country’s reputation for academic excellence that seals the deal for many. Finnish universities have been ranked among the best in the world, with many offering English-taught master’s programs. In the most recent QS World University Rankings, nine Finnish universities were featured – with the University of Eastern Finland being one of them. 

We caught up with a couple of master’s students from the Faculty of Science and Forestry at the University of Eastern Finland to find out more about their study experience so far, and what makes Finland a special place to study.

Its modern study environments and forward-thinking teaching

From kindergarten all the way through to higher education, Finland has always been a front-runner in education and learning development.

The University of Eastern Finland in particular, prides itself on the development of its new and evolving physical learning facilities and resources, with the university’s state-of-the-art technologies and innovative learning environments cater to each and every student’s individual studying styles.

From Multilocation Classrooms (MLCs), to virtual laboratories – students can be sure that their learning experience in Finland will look (and feel) quite different to what they are typically used to.

The Escape Room Lab – which is the first of its kind in the country – opened in October 2020. It was designed and created in collaboration with a team of computer science and physics academics. The Escape Room Lab aims to ‘gamify’ the learning experience and enhance students’ teamwork and problem-solving skills.

Another unique learning facility is the Sm4rtLab which can be accessed from anywhere in the world. It is a safe space for students to try out new ideas and gain new learning experiences through augmented reality.

Flexible studying is another open and diverse pathway in which students are encouraged to take the lead and responsibility for their own learning. Flipped Classroom learning shifts the focus from teacher-centered teaching to student-centered learning. This means students utilize a variety of learning materials including videos to familiarize themselves with the subject matter before class. Class time is then dedicated to students’ feedback, insights and questions surrounding the relevant topic.

Which leads us to the next reason…

Student-centered learning is at the heart of Finnish education

Student-centered learning provides valuable learning experiences. It increases your capacity to learn and encourages collaboration with your peers. As a result, your independent and critical-thinking skills improve, as will your self-confidence and global perspective.

Godswill is a second-year Medical Physics master’s student at the University of Eastern Finland, and is originally from Nigeria.

His learning experience so far “has been terrific”, especially when it comes to working and learning alongside his fellow peers.

“It is great that there are about 12 students on the program which means that the student to lecturer ratio is ideal, and this in turn makes our learning more effective.

“The diversity of the program’s cohort is quite incredible as my classmates come from Egypt, Poland, Pakistan, Iran, and Bahrain which provides the opportunity learn and share intercultural and international knowledge.”

Giang Tran is originally from Vietnam, and is another second-year master’s student studying Environmental Policy and Law. Before officially starting their studies in autumn 2019, Giang had the opportunity to attend several summer courses at the University of Eastern Finland, and believes it was a “great chance to get to know the campus and university.”

Having the freedom to choose their own courses that best suits their career aspirations was something Giang very much appreciated, along with the support and guidance from professors and guest lecturers.

They said: “I was truly blessed to be able to learn from my professors at the University of Eastern Finland Law School.

“It has been very enjoyable, and I am looking forward to next semester.” 

Sponsored by the National University of Singapore (NUS)

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, just like the previous three, will transform society. Known as Industry 4.0, it promises to be one of the greatest opportunities in modern history to solve a variety of societal and business problems.

The challenges confronting the world have probably become only more evident in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to isolate themselves, and catapulted the world into ‘online mode’. In every country, large swathes of the population have had to become accustomed to working and learning online, and connect with each other through social media platforms.

Among some of technologies that have come to the fore in these tumultuous times are artificial intelligence, which is being used to shorten the amount of time needed to develop a coronavirus vaccine, while drones have been utilized to manage and monitor quarantines.

These technological innovations are being driven by technological integration and a deep understanding of systems and processes attributable to Industry 4.0, a force more powerful and complex than previous industrial revolutions.

A report published by MarketsandMarkets™ in December 2019 estimated that the current global Industry 4.0 market is valued at US$71.7 billion and will more than double to US$156.6 billion by 2024. The Asia Pacific region is expected to have the largest share of this market over the forecast period.

The need for talent is obvious, but to have the competencies required to excel in Industry 4.0 is no easy task. The emerging technologies of the revolution include the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, industrial metrology, industrial robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, blockchain, 3D printing, digital twin and 5G technology, along with cloud computing and big data.

To succeed in Industry 4.0, individuals need to have a wealth of diversified knowledge, amplified by a mindset of lifelong learning. Equally important is the ability to correctly recognize and analyze problems. All of these traits are critical in order to leverage a new way of thinking when it comes to the transformation of industries and the development of innovative solutions through Industry 4.0 technologies.

The National University of Singapore (NUS), which is ranked first in Asia and 11th in the world in the QS World University Rankings® 2021, is actively pioneering master’s degree programs that will lead the way in the era of Industry 4.0.

Some existing NUS programs relevant to Industry 4.0 are the Master of Computing (which offers a specialization in Artificial Intelligence), and the Master of Science in Data Science and Machine Learning. Joining that list is the Master of Science in Industry 4.0, which was launched in 2019. This program taps into the strengths of several schools and faculties at NUS (including the School of Business, the School of Computing, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Science, Institute of Systems Science, and the School of Continuing and Lifelong Education) to train graduates in order to become the change-makers and leaders of tomorrow.

The innovative Master of Science in Industry 4.0 breaks down the walls that traditionally separate one discipline from another. It offers core courses in Industry 4.0 and Applications, Data Analytics for Sense-making, Digital Physical Integration in Industry 4.0, and Digital Architecture and Transformation Systems. This is complemented by eleven elective tracks, including Digital Supply Chain, Data Mining and Interpretation, Deep Learning for Industry, Quality Assurance and Yield Optimization, Principles and Practice of Secure Systems, Digital Business, Pattern Recognition Systems, Intelligent Sensing Systems, Additive Manufacturing, Internet of Things, as well as Robotics and Automation.

Beyond the classroom, six-month capstone projects give students unique insights into the very real challenges being faced by companies in Industry 4.0. The projects are built around industry-relevant issues, and give students the opportunity to put theory into practice, deepening their knowledge and understanding of how they may implement Industry 4.0 solutions into working systems and processes.

The Master of Science in Industry 4.0 (which is accepting applications for the August 2021 intake until 15 March 2021), along with several other cutting-edge master’s degree programs offered at NUS such as the Master of Science in Data Science and Machine Learning (which is accepting applications for the August 2021 intake until 31 January 2021), have been designed to reflect the demands of Industry 4.0.

They emphasize cross-disciplinary competency, inclusiveness and growth, so individuals interested in joining these programs need not necessarily have academic qualifications or work experience in very focused or specialized areas.

Industry 4.0 needs talents who can work with a variety of disciplines to develop next-generation solutions in an increasingly complex world. Graduates of the Master of Science in Industry 4.0 program can expect to find career opportunities as an automation engineer, user interface and user experience designer, or even as a predictive supply network analyst. Graduates’ cross-functional competencies may also be a good fit for a broad range of occupations in across many industries and organizations. For individuals who are inspired and motivated rise to the occasion, now is the time to take action.

Published annually since 2009, the QS Asia University Rankings highlights the top universities in Asia each year. The methodology used to create the ranking is similar to that used for the QS World University Rankings®, but with some additional indicators and adapted weightings. This set of criteria, developed in consultation with regional experts and stakeholders, is designed to reflect key priorities for universities in Asia, drawing on as much available data as possible. Find out more from the QS Intelligence Unit.

The 11 indicators used to compile the QS Asia University Rankings are as follows:

Academic reputation (30%)

This is assessed using data from the large global survey of academics conducted by QS each year. The results of this survey, which asks academics to identify the leading universities in their own subject area, also feed into other rankings and reports produced by QS, including the QS World University Rankings and the QS World University Rankings by Subject. The aim is to give an indication of which universities hold the strongest reputation within the international academic community.

Employer reputation (20%)

This is again assessed using the results of a major international survey, this time of graduate employers, who are asked to identify the universities they perceive as producing the highest-quality graduates. The results of this survey are used to inform a number of other QS research projects, reflecting the importance of employability and employment prospects for today’s university applicants and graduates.

Faculty/student ratio (10%)

This indicator assesses the ratio of full-time academic staff members employed per student enrolled. The aim is to give an idea of how much contact time and academic support students at the institution may expect to receive.

International research network (10%)

Using data provided by Scopus, this indicator assesses the degree of international openness in terms of research collaboration for each evaluated institution. To calculate this indicator the Margalef Index, widely used in the environmental sciences, has been adapted to produce a score that gives an indication of the diversity of an institution’s research collaborations with other institutions in different locations of the world.

Citations per paper (10%) and papers per faculty (5%)

These two indicators are both assessed using data from the Scopus database of research publications and citations. The first assesses the number of citations per research paper published, aiming to give an idea of the impact each institution’s research is having within the research community. The second assesses the number of research papers published per faculty member. This provides an indication of the overall research productivity of the university.

Staff with a PhD (5%)

A new indicator introduced to the QS University Rankings: Asia for 2016, this assesses the proportion of academic staff members qualified to PhD level. This complements the faculty/student ratio indidator, both aiming to provide proxy measures of an institution's commitment to high-quality teaching.

Proportion of international faculty (2.5%) and proportion of international students (2.5%)

The final four indicators all aim to assess how ‘international’ each university is, reflecting the fact that internationalization is a major priority both for universities in Asia and in every world region. These two indicators, also used in the QS World University Rankings, assess the proportion of staff and students at the university who are classed as ‘international’.

Proportion of inbound exchange students (2.5%) and proportion of outbound exchange students (2.5%)

These last two indicators, not used in the global ranking, offer additional insights into the internationalization activity at universities in Asia, assessing the relative size of each institution’s inbound and outbound student exchange programs.

The overall results of the QS Asia University Rankings are published in an interactive online table, which allows users to compare universities’ performance on individual indicators, or view those with the highest combined scores.