Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Information and Communication Technology

The Bachelor of Science degree in Technology consists of common core, major, graduate, language and minor subject studies. Studies create a sustainable foundation that provides the basics of work knowledge and lifelong learning. The Bachelor of Science degree in Technology is conducted in your area of specialization. The degree is divided into modules, each with its own learning objectives.

1st year: 60 ECTS in Wuxi Institute of Fudan University in Shaoxing, China
2nd year: 60 ECTS in University of Turku in Turku, Finland
3rd year: 60 ECTS in University of Turku in Turku, Finland

The first year studies in China are taught by both teachers from both Wuxi Institute of Fudan University  and University of Turku. The second- and third-year studies in Finland are taught by University of Turku teachers.
The teaching language is English.

The Bachelor's degree (180 ECTS) has the following structure:

• Common Basic Studies (incl. Mathematics, Physics and Information Technology)
• Sector studies in the major subject

Sector-specific courses

• Assignments
• Candidate thesis and seminar

Other studies

• Languages
• Business skills
• Optional minor

The minor is free to choose from the University of Turku offering, but we recommend that you talk to the tutor before choosing.

Department of Computing is a scientific research and education unit covering the ICT field. The department does basic and applied research and gives higher research based education while working in active co-operation with the society.

Our computer science and bioinformatics research focuses on solving computationally complex problems and developing computational methods for such problems. Special emphasis is given for computational problems in the strategic areas of the University of Turku. Computer science has a strong algorithmic research tradition, which is applied to emerging bio and health informatics as well as computation intelligence related to big data problems. High level research is done in international collaboration.

Our research in engineering has also reached high international standards in the focused fields. Basing on a body of wide-ranging studies in software engineering, communications technology and smart systems, research in information technology focuses especially on developing methods, technological infrastructure and cybersecurity required for providing services for the information society.

The department provides versatile and high-quality ICT education at both natural sciences and engineering fields with an established reputation in innovative interdisciplinary and international education. International Master's programme education is advanced especially in

co-operation with European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), and with

unique double-degree programme between the prestige Fudan University in Shaoxing, China and the University of Turku.

The Bachelor of Engineering degree includes a Bachelor's thesis, which is completed in the third year. The thesis is mainly based on literature. It demonstrates the student's ability to apply what he or she has learned, as well as his or her scientific thinking and behaviour. These also include the ability to communicate in English, both orally and in writing. The maturity test demonstrates the student's familiarity with the Bachelor's thesis and language skills in English.

The programme provides students competencies for:

• fundamental knowledge and hands-on experience in programming, signal processing and communication, and electronic system design, with broad perspectives in Internet of Things, big data, as well as in artificial intelligence.
• expertise to deliver smarter products, systems or services.
• strong technological, theoretical and practical understanding, and skills and abilities for continuing their studies at postgraduate level in Master’s degree programmes.

Engineering education does not only provide students with a broad technical competence but also a professional profile based on the strengths of the multi-disciplinary university and good working life readiness. Internationality and know-how in the future’s multicultural project environments is emphasized in engineering education. This education is profiled through our multi-disciplinary university and via various collaborations. Technical competence is supported by business, innovation and entrepreneurial knowledge as well as studies in work life readiness.

The Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) education covers a broad range of ICT technology fields, providing a great foundation for further studies towards a Master’s degree. Upon completing the Master of Science (MSc) degree in Information and Communication Technology, students can benefit from a multidisciplinary university education and focus on either the entrepreneurial, expert or managerial path in various areas of society. The degree gives the student the skills to work in different fields of ICT. The MSc degree covers well the different areas of ICT technology and relies on collaboration with companies in the area, particularly for theses and Capstone projects. This enables successful placement in the IT industry with a chosen specialization profile, both in Southwest Finland and elsewhere in Finland and abroad. 

The programme gives an excellent stepping stone to start working in various industry fields, for example, in software, IT and embedded systems. In Finland, companies hire students as interns mostly during their MSc studies. Working in Finland usually requires some level of Finnish language skills; however, most Finns speak English and it is possible to find a job during and after the studies in Finland.

Local companies are often in touch with the university when they have specific needs and information is shared with the students. University of Turku also provides career assistance for international students looking for a job. Employment rate of graduates in the ICT field in the Turku area is very high, and currently there is a high demand for experts due to rapid growth driven by the maritime and automotive industry. The industry would hire more capable and educated employees than there are currently available.

After receiving a Bachelor’s degree, a student can continue studies towards Master’s degree in Turku, Finland, Europe, US and other countries accepting a degree from Europe. At the University of Turku, you can for example continue towards the Master's Degree Programme in Information and Communication Technology, specialisation track Cyber Security and Smart Systems. 

System and network security research concentrates on researching information security technologies for networked systems and applications of the communication-intensive future from the engineering and human points of view. The strategic goal in the research is to apply research and technological development to building the secure information society. At the focal point of the research are the security and privacy challenges of smart environments: smart personal area, smart rooms and homes, smart buildings and smart cities. We consider the basic elements for human well-being as the most fundamental drivers for pursuing this strategic goal, in which the technology driven, and human driven development directions meet. This is pursued with an interdisciplinary approach, where new innovations create active interaction between traditional scientific areas.

The research in Smart Systems focuses on embedded intelligence, especially on collective swarm intelligence and autonomy, utilizing capabilities of edge and fog computing. This includes e.g. development of algorithms for situational awareness and decision making, based on multi-modal sensory data, in an individual embedded device and in a swarm of such devices. A swarm is studied as a heterogeneous distributed computing platform which optimizes its computations and use of resources dynamically, autonomously adapting to changes in environmental conditions and events. An optimization criterion can be e.g. energy efficiency, real-time requirements, reliability, and fault tolerance. Autonomous systems, such as unmanned vehicles and ships as well as co-robots, serve as the key application domain.

Students can proceed their academic path to a Doctoral degree, for example at the University of Turku Graduate School, UTUGS. Tuition fee is required for BSc and MSc programmes, but Doctoral studies don’t charge any tuition fee in Finland.