University of Oulu
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Sports Upper Secondary School,  Oulu Vocational College, Oulu Polytechnic

There are six faculties in the University of Oulu and eight branches of study in which it is possible to study for an academic degree. These areas of study are dentistry, the humanities, pedagogy, business, physics, medicine, technology and health care. The subjects and length of studies required for the degrees vary according to the discipline in question.

The pace of the studies can be adjusted relevant to the framework of the degree being taken. The disciplines of medicine and dentistry form an exception, and these studies are undertaken in the order determined by the studies programme. Nevertheless, an athlete must realise that the speed of progress may be limited to the months, of which there is a limited number for different degree programmes, during which student financial support is available. For an athlete studying at the University the personal studies and training plan (HOVS) is extremely important.

A support and liaison person network exists at the University, which has considered the challenges athletes have to face. These people are willing to help in planning studies, in the preparation of the HOVS and when problems are possibly encountered. The following arrangements have been found useful for overcoming overlap:
o choosing a time for attending a course that is suited to the sport
o independent work that compensates for absences, for example, internet tasks, written reviews
o alternative ways of doing the course, for example, essays, home exams, practical tasks
o flexibility in the timing of exams
o exams during international camp training
o summer exams
o performing possible practical work by participating in Sports Academy activities

Students’ experiences

“When an athlete determines her/his own pace he/she becomes vulnerable to separation from the study environment and this calls for greater motivation in the performance of studies. HOVS can give the athlete a certain sense of security and an academic target, towards to strive. It requires much motivation to study “on one’s own”. Also, long absenteeism takes a toll on studies. One often wonders how one can make academic progress in such a case.”

“I spent a month at an international training camp, and my English course had started in January. I missed five lessons on account of the camp, but I still managed to complete the course in question. I did half of the course through the internet. The teacher sent me material by e-mail and www links, which enabled me to do the exercises. I did the exercises, read the material and wrote a short essay. I wrote in it about the subject under discussion and thought about how I had succeeded with the exercises. I sent the work to the teacher by e-mail and asked about those things that were unclear.”