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Preparing curricula 2026–2028: Goals for the curriculum work published to support development of the programmes

Our shared goals in curriculum design are strengthening the status of national languages Finnish and Swedish alongside English, strengthening the employability of international students in Finland and integrating the cross-cutting approaches of sustainability, radical creativity, and an entrepreneurial mindset into the programmes.

The design work for the curricula for academic years 2026–2027 and 2027–2028 is ongoing or beginning in the programmes. To support this work, the Learning Steering Group has agreed on the shared goals for the University.

The long-term goal in curriculum development is a research-based and future-oriented curriculum that guides students to graduate within the target time. The goals of curriculum development for the period 2026–2028 are to strengthen the status of national languages Finnish and Swedish in education alongside English, to enhance the employability of international students, and to integrate cross-cutting approaches into the programmes.

Our shared goals for the preparation of curricula for the academic years 2026–2028 are:

  1. We strengthen the status of national languages Finnish and Swedish alongside English. The goal is that in all 15 areas of the educational responsibility at Aalto University, there will be programmes where students can complete the majority of their studies in national languages. This goal particularly pertains to the programmes responsible to offer teaching in national languages identified by the schools, as well as the courses offered within these programs.
  2. We strengthen the employability of international students in Finland. It is hoped that the programmes will identify development needs related to the professional skills and employability of international students in Finland and select development measures that can enhance these skills during their studies.
  3. We continue to integrate the cross-cutting approaches of sustainability, radical creativity, and an entrepreneurial mindset into the programmes. Programmes will continue the work of integrating these cross-cutting approaches into teaching to strengthen future skills and multidisciplinary collaboration competencies in each field. Learning objectives related to the cross-cutting themes will be identified and linked to the curricula and courses in a way that is meaningful to the goals of each field and supports student learning. The goal is for all students to encounter these cross-cutting approaches during their academic journey.

Instructions and tools for curriculum work

In addition to the shared goals, materials and tools have been published to support the curriculum design work, as well as instructions and a schedule for the preparation of the curricula:

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Curriculum development

The aim of curriculum design is a programme that helps students acquire the competence they will need in their field in the future and to acquire it within the target time frame. In this page, we have described the stages of curriculum development and instructions for each stage. You can find also methods, tools and working templates to support the co-development and carry out each stage.

Programme director's handbook
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Curriculum design at Aalto University

Aalto University’s curriculum design guidelines and schedule aims at supporting sustainable, future led degree programmes.

Programme director's handbook
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