Self-driven curiosity and flexibility
The first thing our international students agree upon is that studying at LUT is very self-directed: Students get to create their own schedule and are often in charge to find the information they need.
What might take a little bit of getting used to depending on what teaching style students have experienced, is based in the Finnish teaching tradition where students are expected to take an active role in their own learning activities.
Tornike Onoprishvili from Georgia is enrolled in the Master's Programme for Data-Centric Engineering and sees both sides of the learner-centered approach:
"The study programme is exceptionally flexible, and the trade off is that it's self-directed." What he means by that: Students are expected to operate independently, find information on their own and take a lot of responsibility for the progress of their studies.
He still feels well-equipped for his professional future: "For an AI engineer, it provides all the opportunities to learn and gain the knowledge you need in the field."
See our master's programmes
Low hierarchies meet high expertise
With a learner-centric educational approach, it is no surprise that the hierarchies between students and professors are practically non-existent. Egality is strongly rooted in Finnish culture, for example in the working world titles and seniority may vary, but everyone has equal worth. Corporate hierarchies are flat, everyone is expected to voice their thoughts and opinions.
Exchange student Piyapach Singto from Thailand is positively surprised by the approachability of her professors: "It's easy to go and talk or discuss with them."
Even though the teaching staff follows an open door policy, they are highly regarded researchers in their fields. For example, the LUT Business School was awarded AACSB accreditation in the spring of 2023 and climbed into the top 150 in the global THE ranking - according to dean Saarenketo, a testament to LUT's dedication to research and education quality.
Academics meet real-life applications in research facilities
The close connection to different industries are something LUT is very proud of, and facilities such as the Jamie Hyneman Center enable research to meet real-life applications. The JHC invites students to let their academic knowledge come alive in projects, and it is accessible
Elias Rantanen from Finland shares his appreciation of combining theory with praxis: "I study electrical engineering, and the best part is our research laboratory where we can get real-life examples of what we are studying."
Programmes that open doors
For international students, an important factor for choosing LUT are the programmes. While sustainability is the ligament between disciplines, there is a wide variety of courses to explore.
This is something Luka Pauletic Grasic from Croatia appreciates the most in his Bachelor's Programme of Technology and Engineering Science when asked what he likes best: "The fact that it imitates real life. You have a lot of options and a lot of open doors. You can choose or modify the programme for yourself according to your wishes, desires, needs and whatever you want to do. It's also individualistic where you have to put in a lot of work by yourself."
