Planning the exchange

General information

Students studying at Aalto School of Arts and Design BSc, MSc and PhD level degree programmes can apply for student exchange abroad for 1 -2 semesters, after completing at least one semester of studies at ARTS. Applicants have to be registered as attending at ARTS during the application round.

Architecture and landscape architecture students can apply only for master and doctoral level exchange. For Art Education students, exhange is recommend on bachelor level.

You can apply to ARTS' partner institutions open for your own degree programme/major, or if you wish to apply to aa destination which is not our partner institution, you can apply as a free mover. 

The duration of the exchange is normally 3-12 months (excluding trimester based destinations where the minimum duration can be less than 3 months).

Before applying, discuss with your degree programme's Academic Advisor / Study Coordinator what would be a recommended timing for your exchange and what studies you can complete abroad. You can also ask them, or your professors, what destinations would be suitable for you. 

Planning your exchange studies

Studies completed during the exchange must be carefully plannedP before you apply and they must be approved by your degree programme. More information on the destinations' study offer and links to the course information are available in the ARTS Destination Database. If up-to-date course information is not available, use the information available from the previous corresponding semester, latest exchange reports, or contact the host institution or your ARTS Planning Officer responsible for outgoing exchange for up-to-date information.

Criteria for the studies to be completed:

• Check that you have enough room for exchange studies in your degree. From the Academic Year 2022 - 23 onwards BA level students should complete 30 ECTS/semester during the exchange, MA level at least 24 ECTS/semester. PhD level students's work load is agreed case-by-case with their Advisor at ARTS. Note that many destination outside Europe indicate the courses credit in the local system, not ECTS.
• The exchange studies must be part of your degree at Aalto and full-time.
• The studies must normally be from your own study level (BA, MA, or PhD).
• ARTS students normally study major or elective studies suitable for your personal study plan, but it is possible to also study minor courses during the exchange. Please consult your Academic Advisor/Study Coordinator on what studies you can take during the exchange.
• In some cases, it is possible to work on your thesis or final project during the exchange, but this has to be agreed case by case with the student's Academic Advisor. Note that it is not possible in all destinations, and partner universities have no obligation to offer you an advisor in completing your thesis. If you are interested in completing your thesis during the exchange we recommend you to contact ARTS Planning Officer resposible for outgoing exchange well before the application deadline.
• Check the host institution's course offer for the semester which you are applying for, to make sure the courses which you wish to complete are available.
• Check in which language the courses are offered.
• Choose a destination which offers you enough credits. 
• Check if the destination has language, gpa or other requirements for exchange students.

Study plan

After you know what courses are available in your host institution, make a detailed study plan (including name, course code and credits of each course, if available) to all destinations which you want to apply for.

• The study plan must include the course names, codes and credit points, if the information is available.
• Your study plan must include include the required number of credits (BA: 30 ECTS/semester, MA: at least 24 ECTS/ semester, PhD: agreed case-by-case).
• The plan must be written on a ARTS Student Exchange Study Plan form. Applications with study plans made on other documents than the ARTS Student Exchange Study Plan are not processed!
• It has to be approved and signed by your Academic Advisor (or Study Coordinator) and included in Sisu. If your ARTS Exchange Study Plan is not signed by your Academic Advisor / Study Coordinator, your application is not processed.

The study plan is not final, it can be changed if necessary after you have been accepted by the host institution.

General information

Exchange scholarships are tied to the amount of credits completed during the exchange period. Students are expected to complete a full-time workload at the host university regardless of what the minimum requirement of the host institution for foreign exchange students is. In Europe undergraduate students are expected to complete a minimum 30 ECTS credits for a semester and graduate students a minimum 24 ECTS. Outside Europe the full-time workload is the equivalent of 30 ECTS for undergraduate students and the equivalent of 24 ECTS for graduate students, unless the host university demands a bigger workload. In some universities where the academic year consists of trimesters, the extent can be approximately 20 ECTS or the equivalent in local credits. However, this does not apply to all universities that use trimesters.

Students must commit to comply with the School of Business' requirements regarding the extent of the studies. The student is responsible for checking the course obligations at the host university as soon as the semester has begun (e.g. mandatory presence). In case the required studies are not completed regardless of good attempt (e.g. a course is cancelled), the student must be able to show written evidence of it (e.g. a note from a professor).

Studies to be included in the International Minor

Studies completed during exchange must always be included in your degree. You can find more information and links to the course information of our partner universities in the BIZ Destination Database.

Criteria for the studies to be completed:

• Primarily studies from the correct level (undergraduate/graduate).
• From economics, business administration or related field OR from other fields of science if supporting business studies - please validate your choices in your study plan / learning agreement.
• Courses you have not yet completed for your degree.
• International Minor can also contain courses from the field of your own study program / specialization field if necessary. Content must differ from the courses you complete for your study program / specialization field at Aalto.
• Max. 8 ECTS local language/culture studies, min. 16 ECTS must be other than language/culture studies (trimester universities).

Transfer of credits completed on exchange

Exchange studies are always part of the degree at Aalto University School of Business. In the learning agreement students define how they plan to include the exchange studies in their Aalto University degree. The studies are most often transferred to the degree as a minor (International Minor). All students who apply for exchange must have International Minorin their personal study plan (eHOPS) already at the time of application. In addition to International Minor, students have the possibility to substitute individual courses from the study program or to include an individual course to the degree (e.g. to elective studies). However, at least 18 ECTS should be left for the International Minor.

More about credit transfer on page After the exchange.

IDBM students:

Exchange studies will mainly be transferred to electives. If you plan to apply for exchange, make sure you have room in your electives. Exchange studies can also substitute some other courses in your degree. IDBM planning officer will check the equivalence of the courses in question. Substituting the mandatory business minor with exchange studies requires approval well in advance. For more information, contact planning officer Hilkka Honkanen [email protected].

General information

Some exchange destinations are more suitable for Bachelor's degree students and some for Master’s degree students. Explore your possiblities and exchange universities via Destination Database. 

If you are studying on the Bachelor level, we recommend you go on exchange during the third year. You can transfer credits to both your Bachelor and Master’s degrees, if there is space. In the Master’s phase, you should carefully ensure that all the courses can be integrated in your Aalto degree.

Planning your exchange studies

During the exchange you can take courses for your minor, elective studies or major studies. It is often easier to find courses suitable for minor or elective studies. Studying an international minor is a very good option for exchange studies. For more information, please consult your programme.

Note that the exchange agreements are often made for a specific field of study (e.g. certain department or faculty) which may restrict what courses you can choose from the exchange university's offering. Also the study level (Bachelor/Master) must be taken into consideration.

Criteria for the studies to be completed:

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Study plan

You should make the study plan for 30 ECTS credits (bachelor students) or 24 credits (master students). In European destinations, the credits most oftern corresopond with Aalto credits. In bilateral destinations, the number of local credits equivalent to ECTS varies. Please check from the destination information in the Destination Database for how many local credits you need to prepare your study plan for. The studies will be transferred to your degree in Aalto Univeristy. In case you need to make changes to your study plan during your exchange, remember to get approval for the changes from your degree programme.