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Please note that your course registration in Sisu can only be accepted when you add a course to your personal study plan (HOPS) or update the version (Note: if you update the version of a course after you have already registered (enrolled) to participate in it, you will need to re-register for the course). 

Communication courses
 

Intercultural Communication 

(3 cr) - Period 2 (Onsite): This course helps students develop practical skills for collaborating in diverse teams. Through interactive learning activities, you will learn to recognise and prevent intercultural misunderstandings and miscommunication, adapt your communication style to different contexts, and strengthen both task-related and socio-emotional processes in teamwork. The course equips you with transferable skills to succeed in multicultural academic, professional, and organisational settings.

(1–2 cr) - Period 2 (Online): This course provides students with the knowledge and skills to work effectively in global virtual teams. You will explore the characteristics, benefits, and challenges of international online collaboration, examine the role of English as a lingua franca in virtual teamwork, and develop practical metacommunication strategies. By linking core dimensions of global competence (i.e. attitudes, knowledge, skills, and critical awareness) to real teamwork contexts, students will gain the ability to communicate appropriately and effectively across digital boundaries.

Communication and social interaction

Leadership is communication! Would you like to gain new perspectives on leadership as interaction and deepen your understanding of the importance of communication in the workplace? During this practical course, you will develop your communication competence through a variety of exercises and learning tasks. The key themes of the course are leader communication competence, leader-follower relationship, feedback skills, listening, difficult conversations, and group communication. The course is open to all Aalto students at bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels.  You are warmly welcome to the course!

Do you have a conference presentation coming up? Would you like to feel more confident about your presentation? Sign up for this short course, where you can practice your presentation in a small group (max. 10 students) and receive useful feedback and practical tips for improving your presentation skills. The course is also a great opportunity to meet other doctoral students from different fields and share experiences of conference presentations.

See the full course offering here: Communication and Social Interaction | Aalto University

Finnish as Second Language
(1 cr)

LC-7003 Survival Finnish Online (1 cr) is a self-study course that teaches you the basics of Finnish. You will learn language situations related to everyday life and studies. The course is meant for students who have never studied Finnish before. Register for the course on Sisu. 

Are you currently studying Finnish on your own? Check out these interesting self-study materials: 

Kielibuust's self-study material search allows you to search and filter the materials that suit your level: 

The Introductory Finnish self-study course allows you to learn the basics of the Finnish language (no credits): 

Other Foreign Languages

At Aalto University, you can also study the following foreign languages: Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, French, German, and Russian. The goal is to use foreign languages in professional life and/or during exchange studies, which is why most languages can be studied up to a very high level (B2). In Russian, level C1 is also available. Japanese and Portuguese can be studied up to level A2. 

These languages can be studied in addition to or instead of English. The teaching is conducted in small groups, allowing for highly individualized guidance and support. Studies can be started from level 0.

Spanish

With over 400 million speakers, Spanish is the fourth most spoken language in the world. It is the second most studied foreign language in the world after English.

Click the language name and browse the course offerings

Japanese

Japan is Finland’s second-most important trade partner in Asia. The key to this country—often thought of as foreign, distant, and challenging—is the Japanese language. As Japanese people are not always fluent in English, knowledge of Japanese is essential for succeeding in the Japanese market. Language proficiency is also crucial in developing and participating in Finnish–Japanese collaboration in the sectors of higher education, science and technology.

 Click the language name and browse the course offerings

Chinese 

China is a key market for Finnish business, and Chinese businesses are continually expanding their operations in Finland. Leading companies of different fields are looking to recruit employees with knowledge of Chinese language and culture. Persons with proficiency in Chinese have good opportunities for employment in business life.

Click the language name and browse the course offerings

Portuguese 

Portuguese is among the most spoken languages in the world. Spoken in Portugal and Brazil as well as many African countries, Portuguese has over 200 million speakers worldwide. Brazil is increasingly important for Finland as market region, and in business, having a knowledge of the language and culture is a great asset.

Click the language name and browse the course offerings

French 

Although English has undoubtedly become the most common lingua franca in the world, French with its 200 million speakers remains strong in international contexts.

Click the language name and browse the course offerings

German

German is spoken natively by over 100 million Europeans and is traditionally a leading language for technology, art and economic life.

Click the language name and browse the course offerings

Russian 

All Russian courses are held in a hybrid format.

A knowledge of the Russian language has many benefits. It also makes it easier to understand and study other Slavic languages. A command of Russian facilitates communication in countries where Russian is an official language. Russian also serves as a lingua franca for many people in Eastern European countries, for example.

Click the language name and browse the course offerings

English and Swedish studies
 

English

NB! Changes to registration times for English courses offered in period 3. Please note that registration for period 3 English courses ends already before Christmas. 

Before your register for an English course, make sure you have enough time to compete it. We offer both one- and two-period courses. Remember that the total workload for a 3-credit course is the same (=81 hours) whether it's a one- or a two-period course. A one-period course might have fewer contact teaching hours, but then there will be more independent work, so it is not any lighter than a two-period course. In fact, it might even feel heavier since the weekly workload is double compared to a two-period course. 

You can find our whole course offering in sisu, but here are a few tips

English courses for students from all Schools (ARTS, BIZ, CHEM, ELEC, ENG, SCI)

English courses for students from CHEM, ELEC, ENG, SCI 

English courses for Master’s students

for ARTS master’s students currently writing their thesis.

Need help with starting and materializing your master’s thesis project?

Sign up for LC-1315 Tools for master’s thesis. In this course, you’ll learn about managing the different phases of the thesis writing process, such as defining the thesis topic and aims, searching for sources, managing references, utilizing productive working methods and getting started with writing scientific texts. 

Swedish

If you have Finnish as your mother tongue/school education language you can start by taking an entry-level test to identify the right course and study method for you. You can find the test in MyCourses by using search words "ruotsin lähtötasotesti + ENG, CHEM, ELEC, SCI, ARTS tai BIZ" depending on your field of study.

Basic courses for Finnish-speaking students in period II, autumn 2025:

One period course, test result 25+ (courses include the exams required for the degree)

• , for Finnish-speaking technology students
• , for Finnish-speaking BIZ-students
• , for Finnish-speaking ARTS-students
• , for all Finnish-speaking Aalto students.

Other Swedish language courses in period II

• , for international or Finnish-speaking students who have taken the course LC-5771 or equivalent or otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge of Swedish, see also online course
• Kursen är avsedd för alla studerande som har svenska som modersmål/skolbildningsspråk vid alla högskolor på Aalto-universitetet. Kursen är även lämplig för tvåspråkiga studerande (finska och svenska) samt för övriga studerande med mycket goda kunskaper i svenska. Kursen (3 sp.) ingår i de obligatoriska språk- och kommunikationsstudierna för konstkandidatexamen.
• , Kursen är avsedd för studerande vid Aalto-universitetets alla högskolor. Den passar för studenten som vill utveckla sina färdigheter i svenska inom sin egen bransch för arbetslivets eller akademiska behov.
• , lähtötasotestistä alle 16 pistettä. Kurssi auttaa kertaamaan ruotsin kielen perustaitoa ja antaa valmiudet perustason kursseille.
• Nätverket Svenska nu och Sverigekontakt i Finland arrangerar årligen en informationsdag om Sverige för finskspråkiga högskolestuderande. Årets Sverigepaket arrangeras torsdag 13.11.2025 kl. 9.00–12.00 på Hanaholmen. Årets tema är Framtidens arbetsliv. Journalist Martin Appel talar om hur AI påverkar framtidens arbetsliv och Markus Fabricius ger rekryterarens perspektiv på framtidens kompetenser. Deltagarna kommer också att ha chansen att öva på sina praktiska svenska färdigheter genom olika aktiverande övningar. Deltagandet är gratis men förutsätter .