Bachelor of Health Care, Nursing
Centria University of Applied Sciences educates qualified registered nurses who care for patients with diverse health issues, support them, and maintain rehabilitation for people of various ages. Our objective is to train nurses capable of working in Finland, across the EU, and in international positions worldwide.
Degree: Bachelor of Health Care
Study type: Daytime studies
Duration: 3,5 years, 210 credits
Campus: Talonpojankatu 2, Kokkola
Tuition fee for non-EU/EEA citizens: 9500 €
Places: 15
Application period opens: 08.01.2025 at 08:00
Application period closes: 22.01.2025 at 15:00
Studies start in autumn 2025
Teaching language: English
Programme description
During your nursing studies, you will learn interpersonal and interactional, guidance- and decision-making skills, as well as diverse caretaking skills. Your main task as a registered nurse is to ensure the clients’ health and safety, which means you need to be able to take responsibility and perform critical assessment and decision-making in different nursing situations. You also have the ability to work in multiprofessional teams, assessing your own and your teams´ development and skills.
At Centria, nursing studies are highly practical, allowing you to dive into various fields of nursing from your first year. Theory courses are offered through contact teaching, online studies, and independent learning. Nurses must be familiar with different treatments and procedures, meaning that part of the teaching happens in workshops and simulations. In simulations, you get to practice real-life care situations as part of a team or a group. We also have experts from working life visiting our lectures.
The studies are conducted in English and lessons take place on weekdays. Although most Finns speak good English, Finnish is the main language in everyday activities and especially in the health care field. You will need increasingly Finnish language skills as your studies progress. Centria offers you Finnish language studies, but in addition to these, you also need self-directed language learning.
Nursing studies include several practical work placement periods in different environments, such as hospitals and health centres. During the practical training, you get to familiarise yourself with various work assignments with the support of instructors from the workplace and your Centria teacher. Finnish language is especially emphasized during practice periods, where guidance language is mostly Finnish.
The nursing teachers at Centria University of Applied Sciences have extensive experience in different sectors of nursing. We are proud of the fact that we know our students and can give them very individual teaching and guidance. We also have modern study environments and a diverse variety of different teaching equipment – during your studies, you get to use the same equipment that nurses use in clinical settings.
Our students come from all around Finland and the world. During your studies, you get to experience a multicultural atmosphere.
Registered Nurse (BHC)
The title Registered Nurse (BHC) may only be used and practiced by a registered nurse who has completed the degree of Bachelor of Health Care. The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) grants, upon application, the right to practice as a licenced or authorised professional and authorises the use of the occupational title of “health care professional” according to the Act on Health Care Professionals (559/949). The degree programme fulfils the European Union’s Directive (2013/55/EC) on the requirements for recognition of professional qualification.
Finnish language studies
Nursing studies also include Finnish language studies. You will need Finnish language skills especially during practical work placement periods. The language studies offered by the Centria will help you get started with the basics of Finnish language. Notice that learning Finnish on the long term requires self-directed effort alongside the language instruction provided by Centria. Students are encouraged to take an active role in their learning by practicing independently and seeking opportunities to immerse themselves in the language.
Additional information
The scope of the Bachelor’s degree programme in Nursing is 210 ECTS, and the studies last 3,5 years. Nursing studies consist of core studies, profiling studies, practical training and a bachelor’s thesis. The teaching takes place at our Talonpojankatu campus in Kokkola on weekdays.
During nursing studies, you go through the basics of health care. You learn how the human body functions and how to advance the health and capability of the patient. You will also study ethics and learn customer service skills and communication skills. You get acquainted with the operational environment of the social and health sector, patient safety in different clinical environments and research and development operations.
The studies of clinical nursing begin from the basics. During your studies, you will dive into internal medicine, pharmacology, surgical nursing and acute care. You will study the nursing of children and families, as well as mental health nursing. All the different sectors of clinical nursing will be covered during your studies.
You can find the curriculum here.
Nurses’ work is becoming more and more international, which is why in addition to occupational skills, language and communication skills are emphasised in the studies. In Centria, nursing studies include communication studies and Finnish language studies. Swedish is an important language in our operational area and it is possible to study Swedish and some other languages as optional studies. You will also learn to utilise international research results in different written assignments and in your bachelor’s thesis.
You can complete some of your practical trainings abroad. Short and long work placement periods can be spent in various countries, for example in the Nordic states, Belgium, Portugal, Poland, Italy, China, Kenya and Uganda and many others.
All our students have the chance to study in a genuinely international environment and we recommend that you take full advantage of the possibilities Centria UAS offers.
At the end of your studies, you will carry out your own thesis project on a topic that interests you. The thesis is a bridge between studies and work life, and it will advance your transition to specialist positions. The objective of the thesis is to develop and demonstrate your ability to apply the evidence-based knowledge and skills you have learnt to perform specialist tasks. The scope of the thesis is 15 ECTS.
In the online library Theseus www.theseus.fi all the previously completed bachelor’s theses are available for everyone.
Registered nurses who graduate from Centria University of Applied Sciences have excellent employment possibilities locally, as well as around Finland, but also internationally. Nurses who have graduated from Centria are currently working in hospitals, health centres, first aid, medical centres, home care, nursing homes, patient associations and other third sector organisations. In addition to these, some graduates work in different development and project positions.
Some of our work-life partners are Central Ostrobothnia Federation on Municipalities for Social and Health Care Services Soite, the City of Kokkola, The Regional Council of Central Ostrobothnia, The Jakobstad Region, municipalities of the Ylivieska region, local associations, congregations and private sector companies of social and health care services. Centria University of Applied Sciences is involved in many national UAS networks. We are also active in international university cooperation.
Student selection and tuition fees
First joint application 2025
Joint Application period is from 8 to 22 January 2025.
Centria University of Applied Sciences uses the following student selection method during the first joint application 2024:
International University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Exam: 100% of study places
International University of Applied Sciences (UAS) Exam
International UAS Exam is a joint digital entrance exam of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS), used for selecting students to English-conducted study programmes leading to a Bachelor’s degree.
The entrance examination assesses the applicants’ abilities to study at UAS. The entrance examination does not contain any pre-reading materials or pre-tasks.
Every applicant must submit a document of the English language skills and a valid identification document on the Studyinfo’s application form. Please check the approved documents at UASinfo.fi.
Language requirements during joint application 2025
In order to be invited to the International UAS Exam and to be selected based on the International UAS Exam selection method, the applicants have to prove their English language skills either by an internationally recognized language test or previous studies. Please, check the accepted documents here.
Identification documents during joint application 2025
The applicant needs a valid, acceptable identification document to be able to participate in the International UAS Exam. Please, check the accepted documents here. (Notice: only a passport is accepted from the applicants outside EU/EEA).
Please notice: the UASinfo.fi -website will be updated before the new year for the 2025 application.
More information about admission criteria on the UASinfo website.
NB. Changes may occur.
Please notice that some applicants are obligated to pay tuition fees. If you are not an EU/EEA- citizen or if you do not have a document that exempts you from paying the tuition fees, you are obliged to pay them.
Please note that Centria UAS uses Flywire to accept payments from international students worldwide. This is the only accepted way to pay the tuition fee. Centria does not approach students with any other payment methods. Please only use the payment link provided in the conditional offer letter.
More information about the tuition fees and scholarships can be found here.
How to apply
Joint application 8.–22.1.2025
While the application is open you can apply to the degree programme in Studyinfo.
Applying during transfer application 1.-15.5.
It is possible to apply to Centria UAS during the transfer application period if a student wants to transfer from one field of study to another within Centria UAS or a student wants to transfer from another Finnish university of applied sciences to Centria.
Applying with open UAS studies 1.–30.4 and 1.–31.10.
Students who have completed studies in the Open University of Applied Sciences (UAS) may use the open UAS pathway to apply for degree student status.
Applying with an incomplete degree 1.–30.4 and 1.–31.10.
If you have studied in Centria UAS or in another university in Finland but you have not yet finished your degree, you can re-apply for the same or related degree programme to finish your degree.
Check your eligibility
following education will give applicants eligibility to apply for Bachelor´s programmes:
- the studies required for graduating from the Finnish upper secondary school or a Matriculation Ex-amination;
- an International Baccalaureate (IB) degree;
- a European Baccalaureate (EB) Diploma;
- a Reifeprüfung (RP) or Deutsche Internationale Abitur (DIA) degree;
- a Finnish vocational upper secondary qualification covering 120 credits or 180 competence points or a corresponding earlier Finnish vocational degree covering at least 80 credits;
- a Finnish post-secondary or higher vocational level diploma;
- a Finnish vocational upper secondary qualification or a further or specialist vocational qualification as a competence-based qualification, or a comparable previous qualification;
- a foreign qualification that provides eligibility for higher education studies in the country in question;
- Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree.
Contact us
Do you have questions about studying in the degree programme, studying in Finland or the practicalities of the application process? Please don’t hesitate to contact us!
How to reach us
If you want to know more about studies in the programme, you can contact our Education Export team and they will get back to you.
If you have a question about the practical application process, you can contact our Admissions services.
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Student stories
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– Augustina Okwue, Student
The engaging classes, active learning, the practice, workshops and simulations combine to make my studies here enjoyable and impactful.
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– Vivian Ajayi, Opiskelija
It’s not about “failure – passing” in Centria. The flexibility is just -wow. In terms of understanding students in the academical way, and their social life as well.
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– Livera Cardozo, Student
Studies are divided in two sections; theory and work placement. The work placement I enjoyed the most, because the theory you learn in the class – you can apply it in the work placement. Especially for me – when I do those things I learn better.
Nursing education is a great opportunity to learn about human health and disease. With us, you will learn professional nursing theories and evidence-based practice.
Timo Kinnunen, Head of the Degree Programme
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