The Double Degree Program in Bachelor UVET offers students the opportunity to obtain two academic degrees. This cooperation is with Centria University of Applied Sciences in Kokkola, Finland. MCI students complete the first four semesters in Innsbruck and then go to Centria for three semesters. For the 8th and final semester, they can then decide whether they would prefer to write their Bachelor's thesis at Centria or at MCI. Centria students spend the first five semesters at their home university and then transfer to MCI for the 6th and 7th. In the last semester, they can also decide again. In addition to an enriching experience abroad, this gives students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in the fields of environmental chemistry and chemical engineering.
This year's double degree student Tommi Valve reports on his experience so far and why he chose the program:
“My name is Tommi Valve and I am from Finland. I chose the double degree program because it gives me the opportunity to do two different degrees. In Finland I will then be given a Bachelor of Engineering and in Austria I will be given a Bachelor of Sciences. Basically, these two degrees give me more options for my future. It also makes it easier for me to continue my studies after graduation, either in Finnish or in English.
The biggest differences between MCI and Centria in Finland can be found in the way of studying. Here in Austria, a lot of memorized knowledge is required for exams, whereas in Finland we can often use documentation, such as a formula book and a CAS calculator. For this reason, exams in Finland are more difficult than in Austria. On the other hand, at MCI you have to study a lot if you want to pass an exam. So both ways of studying have their advantages and disadvantages.
The question of what I miss most compared to Finland is very easy to answer. A sauna. A real Finnish sauna, with a wood stove, in the middle of the forest and by a lake. This environment and this feeling is what I miss the most.
The question of what I like most in Austria is also very easy to answer. The mountains. The lower half of Finland is flat, and having lived in southern Finland most of my life, I am not used to big hills. I love to hike, and these mountains are the most magical and wonderful place in nature. It says a lot when a Finn says that the air and water here are pure and clean, but it is the truth.
If you are also thinking about doing an exchange, I recommend you contact your international relations coordinator and start planning your double degree.”
For more information about the double degree program, contact your program assistant or the International Relations Office.
Tommi Valve is a double degree student in the department for Environmental, Process and Energy Engineering. Photo: Valve
