Want to read more about earlier study projects?
Here you can find more news about various real-life challenges Aalto students have worked on with companies and other organisations.
Career and employment for Aalto students
At Aalto University, we are committed to support students in shaping their unique study and career paths right from the start of their academic journey. Whether you envision yourself as a leader, a researcher, an entrepreneur, or are still exploring your options, our services are designed to help you identify your aspirations and discover your dream career.
Career services and skill development
Aalto University’s Career Design Lab helps students prepare for their future by providing career counselling, job fairs and recruitment tools for students. The services include both general tips and practical tools for designing a career path and preparing for future work life. Career services for Aalto students include for example:
- Courses and workshops
- Career coaching
- Mentoring programmes
- Online tools
- Events & job fairs
- Job search support such as job search trainings and CV clinics
Career design is an experimental approach to creating a meaningful career path. It’s encouraged to test different opportunities creatively when trying to discover your interests. Aalto is a versatile and active community of students, staff and alumni, so it is a perfect place for learning valuable work life skills and expanding personal networks. Each project, volunteer role and summer job enhance your skillset and help you to define your interests and strengths. We encourage students to start exploring opportunities step by step already from the beginning of their studies!
Career Design for Students
Career design helps students to create meaningful career paths in the constantly changing world of work.
Design a Meaningful Career
In this course, we will look at how you can creatively shape your career as you go in the radically changing world of work.
Aalto International Talent Program
Aalto International Talent Program is a group mentoring initiative bringing together our international degree students and companies looking for talent. Join us!
Kielibuusti - Teaching Finnish and Swedish to international experts
Kielibuusti (Language Boost) develops the teaching of Finnish and Swedish. Learn more about how we do it!
Company collaboration
We believe that hands-on learning and collaboration make a perfect foundation for developing creativity and problem-solving skills. Company collaboration is present at Aalto in many forms, such as:
- Students get to solve real-life business challenges and present their solutions to company representatives
- Master’s thesis can be done for a company or in collaboration with an industry partner
- Recruitment fairs bring employers to Aalto campus where students have the chance to meet potential employers face-to-face
- Company excursions give students more in-depth insight into the employers and their recruitment needs
- It is possible to gain work experience during studies through internships, summer jobs, and part-time jobs such as in research assistant roles.
In addition, Aalto University Student Union’s active subject clubs ensure you can network with relevant people in your field. The subject clubs organise networking events tailored to students within specific fields or subjects. In these events, you can meet alumni other professionals from your field – and potentially your future employer!
Internship in Finland
Working during your studies can be an internship that counts towards your own degree, and for which you get credits. It may be possible to receive financial support for an internship in Finland.
International internships
Information about internships abroad and grant
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Aalto graduates’ employment and working in Finland
Upon graduating from a Finnish university, you can get a post study visa for two years, allowing you to stay and look for work in Finland. With a degree from Aalto University, you have good chances of finding employment in Finland or abroad.
We want to do our best to support our international students in finding a job in Finland after graduation. Aalto works closely with the cities of Helsinki and Espoo to assist international students in launching and building their careers. A variety of services, including recruitment events and mentoring programmes, are organised in collaboration with these partners alongside Aalto’s own career support.
Residence permits after graduation | Finnish Immigration Service (external link)
After graduation, students can apply for an extended residence permit for up to two years.
Finland Works open online course (external link)
In this course, we will look at how to navigate Finnish working life and how to build a career. We explore working life in Finland from societal, organisational and individual perspectives.
Aalto University graduates in working life
Aalto University Career Services follows the career development and labor market situation of their alumni.
Entrepreneurship and start-up culture at Aalto University
Did you know that half of the Finnish start-ups founded in universities come from the Aalto community?
We want to inspire our students to think and learn like an entrepreneur by integrating entrepreneurial courses into all fields of study. Our aim is to provide all students with new tools for entrepreneurship and chances to develop their entrepreneurial mindset. Those who are truly passionate, can also complete minor studies in entrepreneurship or even do a full master's degree in the Sustainable Entrepreneurship programme.
The driving force behind the entrepreneurial ecosystem is the low-hierarchy culture with empowered students. The student community is, indeed, an excellent environment to meet fellow students who are interested in entrepreneurship. There are many student-led communities and events in the Aalto ecosystem to watch out for! For example, Europe’s largest design hackathon Dash, hackathon and tech community Junction and the world’s leading start-up and tech conference Slush all have their origins in Aalto’s student community.
Sustainable entrepreneurship, Master of Science (Economics and Business Administration)
Get the tools to lead sustainable business ventures – and join the race to solve some of the world’s most urgent problems!
Entrepreneurship studies
This page gathers entrepreneurship courses and programs available to Aalto students.
Founder School
Aalto Founder School brings entrepreneurship closer to all students at Aalto through monthly Founder Talks, a new minor studies programme, and a tailor-made Founder Sprint for the most driven founders.
Stories from alumni and students
Oskari Heikkilä is the first Aaltonian to do the double degree in Automation and Electrical Engineering in Iceland
Oskari Heikkilä ended up with a variety of experiences, and two master's degrees from the double degree program between Reykjavik University and Aalto University.
Summer School alum Suvi: “Successful brands don’t just wing it”
We spoke with Summer School alum Suvi Valtonen-Kim, a Korean-Finnish design student in her senior year, based in Hong Kong.
Summer School alum story: How Finnish happiness found its way to Japan
Summer School in Happiness Science gave Junko Motohashi a reason to slow down and reflect on herpersonal life and career.
