JYU is launching a new international bachelor’s degree programme in response to the rapid changes in the technology sector and to secure Finland’s competitiveness

The University of Jyväskylä is supplementing its international degree programmes with a new bachelor’s degree programme in Immersive Software Engineering and AI, which will be offered by the Faculty of Information Technology from 2026.

“The programme aims to educate experts in demanding product development roles within the ICT sector,” says Lauri Kettunen, vice dean for education at the Faculty of Information Technology. “As technology continues to evolve at an ever-increasing pace, companies’ requirements for skills are constantly changing. Consequently, securing national competitiveness requires new approaches to university education.”

The new degree programme involves students working intensively for eight hours a day, from Monday to Friday. This intensive pace of study and weekly assessment of progress allow students to undertake a four-month paid traineeship in product development companies in the autumn of their second year. A second traineeship will take place in the autumn of the third year.

“ICT experts are not created randomly,” says Kettunen. “We have identified the core elements of academic education that we want to preserve. For everything else, we collaborate with companies to provide our students with opportunities in important societal research and product development roles.”

The Faculty of Information Technology delivers the programme’s educational content in collaboration with Nokia and Landis+Gyr, among others.

“In the era of artificial intelligence, we need a diverse range of skills in various industry sectors, as well as professionals who can operate in an international technological environment. This new bachelor’s degree programme fulfils these requirements excellently,” says Mikko Hautala, Nokia’s Chief Geopolitical and Government Relations Officer and the Country Manager of Nokia Finland.

Lauri Kettunen, Vice Dean for Education in the Faculty of Information Technology, emphasizes that securing national competitiveness requires new approaches to university education. Photo: Petteri Kivimäki.

Application for the bachelor’s degree programme in January 2026

The bachelor’s program seeks students who are creative, committed to learning, and persistent in problem solving. This is because such characteristics are required of employees undertaking demanding technology development duties.

To be eligible for the programme, you must be eligible for higher education, have excellent problem-solving and mathematical reasoning skills, as well as a sufficient command of English.

The degree programme includes extensive Finnish language studies integrated into the curriculum, as well as studies in the history of Finland and the EU, cultural studies, and business studies. The purpose of this is to help international students integrate into the Finnish society and working life.

“The aim is to bring together young adults who are committed to their work and companies that operate in international markets,” says Kettunen. “This will create new technology to meet human needs and shape the future of Finnish society and the Jyväskylä region.”

Applications for the programme will open on Studyinfo.fi in January 2026 as part of the first joint application round. After graduating, students may proceed to master’s degree studies in the Faculty of Information Technology.