Apply for Advanced Courses

  • FAQ
  • Study Guide
  • Next: Application period for courses provided during the summer term 2025 is organised 24.3 – 20.4.2025
  • Link Summer Application Form 
  • You don’t need to prepare any documents for the application (except for non-degree self-funding student applicants), just fill in the required info and indicate your course selection in the application form.

Introduction:

Advanced online courses offer advanced knowledge of Asia. The courses focus on the political, social, cultural, and economic issues of Asian countries. The courses are aimed for students who have already acquired some knowledge about Asia, or on the specific topic of a particular course.

Structure of the Studies:

You can apply for one or multiple courses. If you wish to take more than one course, please consider whether this is feasible, as online courses require good time management and a considerable amount of independent studying.

The advanced courses offered by the Asia Network do not constitute a study programme by themselves, and therefore it is not possible to receive a minor degree by taking only advanced courses.

If you want to complete a minor, you can combine advanced courses with introductory courses offered by the Asia Network to complete either the “Mini Minor in Asian Studies” (10-16 ECTS), or the ”Asian Programme” (at least 25 ECTS). More information about the minor study programmes is here.

How to apply?

1. Students of the Asia Network’s member universities

Students who are actively enrolled in a member university of the Asia Network can take the courses free of charge. This includes both degree students and exchange students.

The members of the Finnish University Network for Asian Studies are:

  • University of Turku
  • University of Jyväskylä
  • Tampere University

Students from the following universities of applied sciences can also take part in Asianet courses free of charge because of local bilateral institutional agreements.

Tampere University of Applied Sciences (through the agreement with Tampere University)
JAMK University of Applied Sciences (through the agreement with University of Jyväskylä)

2. Other students

a)  Non-degree self-funding students of the Asia Network (University of Turku).

Self-funding students who want to take advanced courses have to prove that they have basic knowledge of the topic either through studies or working experience.

By signing up as a non-degree student at UTU you have the option to take courses and pursue a full minor for a fee of 250 euros. To do this, you must first fill out the Asia Network application form and the UTU application form for non-degree studies. Once you have received the acceptance letter, make sure to pay the study fee before the courses start to receive the registration codes for the courses.

Decisions 

Once your application has been processed, you will receive a message about the decision. This will come a few weeks after the application period has ended. If you are accepted to the course, you will receive a welcoming email on the first day of the course, and gain access to the course site in Moodle. The welcome email comes to the address you have given in the application form. It may go to the spam or offers folder of your email (at least Gmail tends to do it), so check those folders too.

Application periods 

When to apply?

  • Application period for summer 2025 studies: March 24 – April 20, 2025
  • Application period for courses provided during the autumn term is organised in August-September
  • Application period for courses provided during the spring term is organised in November

Before applying to a course, please check with your own institution whether you can include the course in your degree.