Study Abroad Period
The completion of the BScBA degree program requires students to spend their last semester abroad. The remaining ECTS points needed for completing the degree requirements will be collected during this time. The study abroad period is completed in a university in a foreign country, where students are required to study a certain amount of credits. During the study abroad period, the BScBA -students are full time students in the foreign university. The amount of study places per university per semester varies from one to eight, three being the median. Students have the opportunity of choosing, if they want to attend the study abroad period during the summer, fall or spring time of the third academic year.
The criterion for the student selection for the study abroad positions is based on a Grade Point Average (GPA)-ranking. Language skills can be used to specify the regions, where a student is eligible of applying. For example, if a student wishes to go to a French university, they should be able to show their ability to follow instruction in French. A small number of universities also require a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)-test to be taken prior to final acceptance.
Our school has over 50 different official exchange universities for students to choose from. The study abroad places range from Argentina to Canada, Sweden to Italy, and Macao to Seoul, just to name a few. Students also have the opportunity of applying individually to a school that is not an official exchange university of HSE Mikkeli. The BScBA degree program must approve the university.
When the time has come for the second year students to apply for their foreign exchange period, everyone is allowed their personal top 3 -listing of their universities of choice. The BScBA degree program will do its best in placing each student in one of these choices. If all of these three choices have already been taken, substitute universities may be used, but students are always consulted prior to making final decisions.
The selection of available universities differs each year due to ongoing exchange agreement negotiations. After the exchange period, each student is required to write a five-page report on their experiences abroad, including the courses they have taken. Students in the international BScBA program are eligible of applying for grants for the travel expenses from the Helsinki School of Economics. The Study Abroad Period is a great way for students to learn and experience different parts of the world.