Aalto developing a multidisciplinary Bachelor's programme – students to choose their major during their studies

Aalto University is currently developing a new multidisciplinary Bachelor's programme. Students selected for the programme will be able to decide on their field of graduation during their studies, instead of when they apply.

Students enrolled in the programme will explore science and technology, business, and arts and design—incorporating Aalto’s three fields—and will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Business Administration or a Bachelor of Science in Technology. Upon completion of the multidisciplinary programme, they can apply to Master's programs in any of Aalto’s fields.

The idea of a multidisciplinary Bachelor's programme has been around since Aalto University's inception 15 years ago. Now is the ideal time for implementation and the programme’s development has drawn on discussions with industry professionals.

’We have the opportunity to continue Aalto's strong tradition of developing multidisciplinary education while also offering a fresh approach to renewing the Finnish education system. Thanks go to everyone involved in the programme’s development’, says Petri Suomala, Vice President for Education.

Students' motivation grows with the freedom to explore diverse themes

A key aspect of the programme is the ’one-door policy’, where students don't need to choose their focus immediately, bolstered with strong support for learning and tight-knit yearly cohorts. 

Finnish higher education has been often highly specialized. Experiences from the UK and the US show that broad-based Bachelor's programmes provide an excellent foundation for high-quality learning and developing expertise. Students' motivation grows when they have the freedom to explore different themes.

Nobel laureate in economics, Bengt Holmström, who served on Aalto University's Board from 2008 to 2016, has advised on the programme development. Holmström, an emeritus professor at MIT, has provided insights into how close, personal guidance with students can be effectively implemented.

The world is becoming increasingly complex, and this is especially evident in global challenges like biodiversity loss, unsustainable material use, and poverty. On the other hand, technological development can both enable and restrict societal change, business opportunities, and participation in society. 

For the programme, Aalto University seeks students who are interested in broad societal issues and eager to tackle the challenges of our times.

‘We need people who can think in highly complex terms but move to practical applications in the very next sentence. That is a skill, and it can be taught – but we need to combine technical skills with interpersonal skills’, says Ville Eloranta, Programme Director. ‘We aim for deep specialists who can also make their own expertise understandable and usable to everyone else on the team.’

Due to the quota for first-time applicants in Finland, many young people feel pressure when choosing their first place of study, sometimes delaying the start of higher education with the goal of ’choosing wisely’.

‘At a young age, choosing a single field for the next several years is a tough dilemma, especially for the genuinely curious and talented’, Eloranta adds. ‘In the new programme, you get the whole of Aalto first. You explore the subjects, labs, people, and communities, and then you make your specialisation choice based on real experience and knowledge – from inside the university, not outside it.’

Community is not left to chance in the new programme. Students move through the first stages of their studies together as a single cohort, and even after they choose their degrees, shared courses keep bringing them back together year after year, so classmates who have specialised in different fields keep learning to work side by side. For Eloranta, this is a deliberate design choice.

‘These 60 classmates will be your friends for the rest of your life. They go in every direction in society, but always stay in your network’, Eloranta says, and adds that the shared, interdisciplinary community should also make it easier for international students to find their place in Finland.

The new multidisciplinary Bachelor's programme is also a target for fundraising and has sparked considerable interest among stakeholders.

Update 3 June 2026: The subhead has been updated. Ville Eloranta’s comments have been added, and the end of the text has been edited.