Academic recognition of competencies
Alternative way to develop competencies
Recognition of competencies through work and other activities offers an alternative approach to studying. It means that you intentionally and systematically acquire degree-related competencies through work, entrepreneurship, volunteer activities, organisational involvement, or hobbies, while also complementing your learning by exploring the relevant theoretical knowledge. The competencies you develop can be incorporated into your degree programme as basic, professional, or elective studies in accordance with the curriculum.
The competencies gained through academic recognition of competencies may correspond to the learning outcomes of an existing course, support your developing professional expertise as elective professional studies (through an individual study unit), or be included in elective studies.
You should discuss academic recignition of competencies as soon as you identify an opportunity to develop your competencies outside traditional study settings. During the process, you and a representative of the degree programme jointly agree on the competencies to be developed, the related theoretical knowledge to be acquired, and the methods for demonstrating the competencies achieved. Academic recognition of competencies is always planned, documented, and assessed.
Recognition of prior learning and competence
Academic recognition of competencies differs from the recognition of prior learning (RPL) in that it takes place during your studies, whereas RPL concerns competencies acquired before the start of your studies.
Studies completed or competencies acquired before the current studies may be recognised and credited towards the degree if you have
- previous higher education studies that are relevant to the curriculum of your degree programme.
- competence that corresponds to the learning outcomes of a course, acquired for example through work experience, hobbies, or other learning applicable to the degree.
Academic recognition of competencies through work or other activities and experience gained during studies can be converted into academic credits if you
- acquire degree-relevant competence, for example through work experience or hobbies. The competence may correspond to the learning outcomes of a specific course or otherwise be applicable to the degree.
Requirements and process for the academic recognition of competencies
Academic recognition of competencies requires from you
To benefit from curricularisation, you should:
- Identify your own learning and competence development needs, including what you want to learn and what will support your future career.
- Have access to a workplace or another environment where you can develop the agreed competencies.
- Be proactive and willing to learn in new and unconventional ways.
- Demonstrate motivation and commitment, as competence development requires active learning whether it occurs in higher education, working life, or leisure activities.
- Have room within your degree structure for the credits earned through curricularisation.
How to proceed
There are two alternative ways:
- Participation in the Osaamo coaching.
- Completing the process independently.
In both options, it is possible to curricularise either existing courses included in the curriculum or competencies that are not linked to an existing course. In the latter case, an individual study unit will be created and included in your personal study plan (PSP). If the learning is accredited against a course included in the curriculum, the correspondence between the course learning outcomes and the contents of the accredited learning entity must be 60–100%, assessed on a case-by-case basis.
- Contact a representative of your degree programme (for example, your study councellor or head of the degree programme) to discuss the available options. If necessary, have your chosen option approved by the head of the degree programme.
- Complete Osaamo coaching under the guidance of coaches, or carry out the process independently. When proceeding independently, agree on the implementation and assessment methods with the teacher in charge of the course or head of the degree programme The accredited course will be assessed with marking pass (S) or fail (0).
Please note that academic recognition of competencies is not always possible. Some courses cannot be completed through curricularisation, or you may already have completed all studies required for your degree.
Documents and forms
To support the planning and agreement process, you may use the following documents (in Finnish only) developed within the Ohjus project, such as:
Degree programmes may also provide their own document templates for the process.