Åbo Akademi University
Encyclopedia
Åbo Akademi University ( ˈoːbu akadeˈmiː) is a Swedish language
university
in Turku
, Finland
(Åbo is the Swedish name of the city). , there are 7 941 students and a staff consisting of 1125 people. The university has activities not only in Turku, but also in Vaasa
, Jakobstad
, Helsinki
and on Åland. Åbo Akademi was a private institution until 1981, when it was turned into a public institution.
Åbo Akademi should not be confused with the Royal Academy of Åbo
, which was founded in 1640, but moved to Helsinki
after the Turku fire
of 1827 and is today known as the University of Helsinki
.
Åbo Akademi was founded by private donations in 1918 as the second university in Finland, both to let Turku again become a university town and because it was felt that the Swedish language was threatened at the University of Helsinki. The Finnish University of Turku
was founded 1920, also by private donations and for similar reasons.
As the only unilingually Swedish multi-faculty university in the world outside Sweden and, obviously, the only one in Finland, Åbo Akademi University is responsible for higher education for a large proportion of the Swedish-speaking population. This role has many implications on the education and research as well as on the social environment. As there are few students in most subjects, cooperation between the subjects and with other universities is very important.
A significant minority of the students are Finnish-speaking. While Turku in itself is mostly Finnish, the university provides a strong Swedish environment. Most of the students, regardless of original language, will be functionally bilingual when finishing their studies.
The university has a policy that non-Swedish
speaking applicants from the Nordic countries
are required to participate in a Swedish language test, in order to prove their ability to successfully study in Swedish. Applicants from non-Nordic countries can, however, choose between Swedish
or English language
tests.
The faculty area of Arts:
The faculty area of Social Sciences:
The faculty area of Natural Sciences:
In addition, there are several other units and joint programs, such as:
When the university was turned into a public institution the foundation Stiftelsen för Åbo Akademi remained. Besides maintaining many of buildings of the university, it is also a significant donor. With a new law on higher educations, the universities in Finland are planned to be turned into semi-private institutions.
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
(Åbo is the Swedish name of the city). , there are 7 941 students and a staff consisting of 1125 people. The university has activities not only in Turku, but also in Vaasa
Vaasa
Vaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa...
, Jakobstad
Jakobstad
Jakobstad is a town and municipality in Ostrobothnia, Finland. The town has a population of and covers a land area of . The population density is .- History :...
, Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
and on Åland. Åbo Akademi was a private institution until 1981, when it was turned into a public institution.
Åbo Akademi should not be confused with the Royal Academy of Åbo
The Royal Academy of Turku
The Royal Academy of Turku was the first university in Finland, and the only university in present-day Finland to be founded when it was still a part of Sweden. In 1809, after Finland became a Grand Duchy under the suzerainty of the Russian Tzar, it was renamed the Imperial Academy of Turku...
, which was founded in 1640, but moved to Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
after the Turku fire
Great Fire of Turku
The Great Fire of Turku was a conflagration that is still the largest urban fire in the history of Finland and the Nordic countries. The fires started burning on 4 September 1827 in Burgher Hellman’s house on Aninkaistenmäki slightly before 9 p.m...
of 1827 and is today known as the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
.
Åbo Akademi was founded by private donations in 1918 as the second university in Finland, both to let Turku again become a university town and because it was felt that the Swedish language was threatened at the University of Helsinki. The Finnish University of Turku
University of Turku
The University of Turku , located in Turku in southwestern Finland, is the second largest university in the country as measured by student enrollment, after University of Helsinki. It was established in 1920 and also has faculties at Rauma, Pori and Salo...
was founded 1920, also by private donations and for similar reasons.
As the only unilingually Swedish multi-faculty university in the world outside Sweden and, obviously, the only one in Finland, Åbo Akademi University is responsible for higher education for a large proportion of the Swedish-speaking population. This role has many implications on the education and research as well as on the social environment. As there are few students in most subjects, cooperation between the subjects and with other universities is very important.
A significant minority of the students are Finnish-speaking. While Turku in itself is mostly Finnish, the university provides a strong Swedish environment. Most of the students, regardless of original language, will be functionally bilingual when finishing their studies.
The university has a policy that non-Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
speaking applicants from the Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
are required to participate in a Swedish language test, in order to prove their ability to successfully study in Swedish. Applicants from non-Nordic countries can, however, choose between Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
or English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
tests.
Organisation
The university consists of twelve departments:The faculty area of Arts:
- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Education (located mainly in VaasaVaasaVaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa...
) - Faculty of Theology
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics
The faculty area of Social Sciences:
- School of Business and Economics
- Department of Social Sciences (located partly in Vaasa)
- Department of Political Science (located partly in Vaasa)
- Department of Law
The faculty area of Natural Sciences:
- Department of Biosciences
- Department of Information Technology
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Department of Natural Sciences
In addition, there are several other units and joint programs, such as:
- MediaCity (located in Vaasa)
- Language Centre
- Centre for Continuing Education
- Institute of Human Rights
- Turku PET Centre (jointly run by Turku UniversityUniversity of TurkuThe University of Turku , located in Turku in southwestern Finland, is the second largest university in the country as measured by student enrollment, after University of Helsinki. It was established in 1920 and also has faculties at Rauma, Pori and Salo...
, Åbo Akademi and the Turku University HospitalTYKSTurku University Hospital is a hospital in Turku, Finland.-General information:The hospital serves as the central hospital for southwestern Finland. It is located near the city centre of Turku and the university, and has branches in the nearby towns of Raisio and Paimio...
) - Turku Centre for Computer Science (TUCS) (in co-operation with Turku University, among others)
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology (in co-operation with Turku University, among others)
When the university was turned into a public institution the foundation Stiftelsen för Åbo Akademi remained. Besides maintaining many of buildings of the university, it is also a significant donor. With a new law on higher educations, the universities in Finland are planned to be turned into semi-private institutions.
See also
- Education in FinlandEducation in FinlandThe Finnish education system is an egalitarian Nordic system, with no tuition fees and with free meals served to full-time students. The present Finnish education system consists of well-funded and carefully thought out daycare programs and a one-year "pre-school" ; a nine-year compulsory basic...
- ESN vid Åbo Akademi r.f.ESN vid Åbo Akademi r.f.ESN vid Åbo Akademi r.f. is the official ESN section of the Erasmus Student Network at Åbo Akademi University, the only Swedish-speaking multidisciplinary university in Finland...
- List of modern universities in Europe (1801–1945)