Dear all,
There seems to be some confusion regarding which courses you can take during the MSc (especially on the Molecular and Cellular side which is a bit light at the moment since the new professor is not yet in place).
There are certain compulsory courses.
There are certain courses where you have to do at least 4 from a list
There is the Pro Gradu - which must be in a subject which can be linked in some way to the MSc degree title i.e. Molecular and cellular Biology or Protein Science and Biotechnology
There are certain recommended optional courses - includes Dissertation which must be in a subject which can be linked in some way to the MSc degree title.
The optional courses includes up to 12op of totally free choice (any subject, but at an appropriate level) from any Finnish University (or any other university if approved).
It IS possible to do other courses from the department to count towards your MSc, even if they appear on the other MSc degree strand.
e.g. Structural enzymology appears on the Protein Science and Biotechnology degree strand as one of the 4 from 7 choices. However you CAN do it if you are doing the Molecular and Cellular Biology strand and it will count towards the final 120op.
Another example: Neurobiology is listed on the Molecular and Cellular Biology strand but you CAN do it if you are doing the Protein Science and Biotechnology strand and it will count towards the final 120op.
If you do these as options they DO NOT count towards either your 12op free choice AND they do not count towards your compulsory at least 4 courses from the list (if they are not on the list from your degree).
This matches what was decided in meetings on this subject, but opinto-opas is not clear on this point and this has lead to some contradictory messages from the department. In the next opinto-opas we will add the line under optional courses "Any other MSc level course offered by the department" (though there will be a proviso that it cannot match a course taken during the BSc e.g. if you have Protein Chemistry I in your BSc you cannot do Protein Production and Analysis as a MSc course as the courses are very similar - the other course this applies to is Methods II which appears in the BSc for Finnish students and in the MSc for international students).
This means that students do have options to complete the MSc in Molecular and cellular Biology without having to do the dissertation (hopefully the new professor will be in place soon and there will be even more choice of courses directly related to the degree).
By careful picking of choices it is possible for Finnish students with a BSc in Biochemistry to do courses from both strands and decide late in the MSc which MSc degree to take - i.e. the choice is not fixed from the start.
The choice of degree title IS fixed for international MSc students, who have a very different 1st term and different compulsory courses, and the choice is fixed for Finnish students with a BSc in Biology or in Chemistry who are only allowed entry onto one of the MSc programmes under the current rules.
VBW,
Lloyd