Central Ostrobothnia University of Applied Sciences

Central Ostrobothnia University of Applied Sciences (COU) is a private-recognized higher education institution in 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...

which came out in top 5 from a survey of Universities of applied Sciences conducted by Finland’s Talouselämä newspaper. 25 universities of applied sciences were compared using 10 different indicators collected from student feedback, recent statistics and from Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. The factors that put COU at the top group were funding versatility, student satisfaction and the low price of degrees.

The University has three campuses: Kokkola

Kokkola

Kokkola is a town and municipality of Finland.The town is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...

, 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 :...

and Ylivieska

Ylivieska

Ylivieska is a town and a municipality of Northern Ostrobothnia region, Finland. It has a population of , and it serves as the administrative centre for Kalajokilaakso and Pyhäjokilaakso, an area with about 90,000 inhabitants....

. Internationalisation is one of COU's values thus the University offers seven international degree programmes taught in English, namely DP in Business Management, DP in Chemistry

Chemistry

Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....

and Technology

Technology

Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...

, DP in Industrial Management, DP in Information Technology

Information technology

Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...

, DP in Nursing

Nursing

Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....

, DP in Tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

and DP in Clothing

Clothing

Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...

and Fur Design. COU is a multidisciplinary, dynamic and international institution, which offers students and staff an environment that is innovative, caring and multicultural.

The education is versatile with degree programmes ranging from Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering

Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...

, Information Technology

Information technology

and Business Management to Nursing

Nursing

, Music

Music

Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...

and Performing Arts

Performing arts

The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...

. A strong focus on entrepreneurship and excellent connections with the working-life, provide a good basis for combining theoretical knowledge with career skills in a meaningful way. COU profiles as an international university of applied sciences that encourages innovation and entrepreneurship.

Achievement and Awards

The Ministry of Education and Culture issued the universities of applied sciences in annual contract negotiations on the basis of the performance of additional funding. The aim is to encourage colleges' efficiency and economic activities as well as improving the quality and effectiveness.

The Ministry of Education and Culture has granted the Central Ostrobothnia University of Applied Sciences performance funding in 2001 - 2010 as follows:

Year 2010: R&D - Research and Development
Year 2009: Regional impact and cooperation with working life
Year 2006: Regional Impact of Excellence in 2006-2007
Year 2001: Regional Impact of Excellence in 2001-2002
Year 2000: Efficiency and economic activities and the Internationalism

Organization

Central Ostrobothnia University of Applied Sciences is owned by a limited liability company whose shareholders are the Central Ostrobothnia Education Group, Kalajoki Municipal Education and Training Consortium, Pietarsaari City, Raudaskylän Christian College Association and Central Ostrobothnia Conservatory Support Association. At present, the Rector of Central Ostrobothnia University of Applied Sciences is Dr.Marja-Liisa Tenhunen.

Marja-Liisa Tenhunen has been working in Central Ostrobothnia University of Applied Sciences as the rector of the university since 1995. She is a Doctor of Economic Sciences. Marja-Liisa Tenhunen's name is the most important member of the Finnish Government for 2007-2011 set by the Research and Innovation Council. The Council is chaired by Prime Minister

Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

Mari Kiviniemi.

Studies in Central Ostrobothnia University of Applied Sciences

COU is multidisciplinary institution located in Western Finland

Finland

, Northern Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

and offers 21 degree programmes in the fields of:

• Technology

Technology

, Communications and Transport

Transport

Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...

• Social Sciences

Social sciences

Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...

, Business

Business

A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...

and Administration

Management

Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...

• Social Services, Health

Health

Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...

and Sports

• Culture

Culture

Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...

• Humanities

Humanities

The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....

and Education

Education

Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...

• Tourism

Tourism

, Catering

Catering

Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...

and Domestic Services

The extent of UAS degree studies is generally 210−240 study points (ECTS), which means 3.5 – 4 years of full-time study. This education is arranged as degree programmes. The entry requirement is a certificate from an upper secondary school or the matriculation certificate, a vocational qualification or corresponding foreign studies. The requirement for Master's studies in UASs is a Bachelors' level UAS degree and at least three years of work experience. The UAS Master's, which is 60-90 study points and takes 1.5–2 years, is equivalent to a university Master's in the labour market. Each student has a personal study plan, which facilitates student guidance and the monitoring of progress in studies. Students apply for UAS studies in a national application system. The UASs determine the admission criteria and arrange student selection and entrance examination at their discretion. Nearly 90% of applications are submitted electronically. UASs also arrange adult education and open education geared to maintain and upgrade competencies. The teaching arrangements in adult education are flexible and enable mature students to work alongside their studies. Some 20 percent of UAS students are mature students.

The Department of Fur Design

Central Ostrobothnia University of Applied Sciences, Department of Fur Design offers a unique degree programme which combines professional studies in the leather and fur trade with business studies. The professional studies contain design, material knowledge, computer aided pattern making and the usage of different fur techniques when designing and manufacturing leather and fur garments. Equally important are the fields of business, marketing, languages and foreign trade.

STUDY THE BEAUTIES OF FUR DESIGN

The town of Jakobstad on the west coast of Finland is home to the “Culture Factory Campus ” of the COU. Situated in the premises of a former lace factory it provides a very creative atmosphere, which inspires both students and tutors. The Ostrobothnian area has a long history of fur and leather industry and is one of the most renowned areas of fur production in the world.

In 1996 an exiting new degree came to 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 :...

in which the skill and knowledge of the fur trade joined with theory and design in a versatile combination of a four year degree programme. This unique degree combines professional studies in leather and fur techniques with business studies. Subjects covered include: technical aspects with the history of fur, basics of fur work, basic fur techniques and accessories. Practical aspects cover material knowledge, dressing processes and treatments, introduction to the fur trade, basics of fur design and industrial fur design. During their studies the students will design and make different articles using different materials and techniques and take part of design projects.

DESIGN PROJECTS

The Department of Fur Design carries out different large-scale design projects that effectively combine the theoretical knowledge and the students’ practical skills and provide the student with useful contacts for their working life. The projects include co-operation with national and international companies and they have resulted in different collections including clothes, furniture and accessories. The collections have been shown nationally and also at international fashion fairs in Milan

Milan

Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

and Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

since 1999.

Enrollment

In COU there are around 3300 students in six fields and 21 degree programmes.

Annual intake is 622 students.

R&D Services

CENTRIA is the unit of research, development and further education of the Central Ostrobothnia University of Applied Sciences. The main function of research and development is to create possibilities for the development of the region’s enterprises and communities. Annually CENTRIA participates in more than 100 separate r&d–projects.

International Co-operation

International co-operation is fundamental for maintaining a high standard in teaching and research and development and international interaction is an essential part of studies at a higher education institution. Internationalisation has therefore been declared as one of the top priorities of COU in its most recent strategy. At present the international co-operation involves interaction with around 130 partner institutions in 34 countries around the world. Scandinavia

Scandinavia

Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...

and Europe

Europe

are the most important areas for us, but we also co-operate actively with universities and higher education institutions in North and South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

. Moreover, we have also been a forerunner in co-operation with Chinese universities.

COU promotes actively the mobility of students and teachers and we strive to ensure also non-mobile students with opportunities to learn more about different cultures and the different aspects of international relations through a strong emphasis on Internationalisation at Home. Moreover, we also participate actively in international networks and projects, including R&D projects carried out in co-operation with our international partners.
COU participates actively in the Socrates programme

Socrates programme

The SOCRATES programme was an educational initiative of the European Commission; 31 countries took part. The initial Socrates programme ran from 1994 until 31 December 1999 when it was replaced by the Socrates II programme on 24 January 2000, which ran until 2006...

and currently have approximately 90 bilateral Erasmus agreements. Through the NORDPLUS programme we collaborate with other Nordic institutions and we have also deepened the co-operation with North and South American institutions through the EU-USA and ALFA programmes. COU participates in the CREPUQ student exchange programme, which has enhanced the co-operation with Canadian institutions in Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

. COU has also been active in collaboration with institutions in the Balkans

Balkans

The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...

through the TEMPUS programme.