Åland University of Applied Sciences ( sv, Högskolan på Åland, HÅ) is a

university of applied sciences A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic de ...

polytechnic Polytechnic is most commonly used to refer to schools, colleges, or universities that qualify as an institute of technology or vocational university also sometimes called universities of applied sciences. Polytechnic may also refer to: Educatio ...

) in

Mariehamn Mariehamn ( , ; fi, Maarianhamina ; la, Portus Mariae) is the capital city, capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finland, Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government of Åland, Government and Parliament of Åland, ...

Åland Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1 ...

. It is housed in three different buildings, the North building (Neptunigatan 17), the Western Building (Neptunigatan 6) and the South Building (Navigationsskolegränd 2). It has approx. 550 full-time students, mainly from Åland and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. The number of employees is around 60. Åland UAS is maintained by the

Government of Åland The ''Landskapsregering'' is the government of Åland, an autonomous region of Finland. The government is led by a Lantråd, the premier of Åland, who is elected by the '' Lagting'', the parliament of Åland. List of Premiers of Åland (since 1 ...

. It is the only

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

institution in the Åland Islands. The education in the Åland University of Applied Sciences is conducted in

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

History

Åland UAS is a merging of several schools, of which all have a long history in higher education in Åland. The Master Mariner education goes back to the middle of the nineteenth century, when the education in navigation started in Åland. The School of Navigation (Navigationsskolan), which changed its name to The Åland Institute of Marine Technology (Ålands sjöfartsläroverk) in 1943, incorporated in the 1930s a study programme for mechanical engineering. The mechanical engineering programme became a school of its own in 1968, called The Åland School of Technology (Ålands tekniska skola) and later, in 1988, The Åland Institute of Technology (Ålands tekniska högskola). A study programme of automation system engineering (electrotechnical engineering) was included in the Åland School of Technology in 1984. The Åland Polytechnic started as a pilot scheme in 1997. It was a collaboration between the Åland Institute of Technology, the Åland Institute of Marine Technology, the Åland Institute of Business Education, the Åland Institute of Hotel and Restaurant Education and the Åland Institute of Health Care Education. Åland UAS was established on January 1, 2003, through a consolidation between the Åland Polytechnic and the Åland Open University. At the same time The Åland Institute of Technology and The Åland Institute of Marin Technic ceased to exist and were incorporated in Åland UAS. The Åland Open University was renamed The Open University and became a part of Åland UAS.

Degree Programmes

Åland University of Applied Sciences offers seven degree programmes; Business Administration, Electrotechnical Engineering, Health and Caring Sciences, Hospitality Management, Information Technology, Marine Engineering and Marine Technology.

The Open University

The Open University is a part of the Åland UAS. The Open University offers courses at university level in cooperation with other universities. The number of course participants during 2020 was 2198. The Open University was established on June 1, 1969, as The Summer University of Åland, later The Åland University.

Library

The library of the Åland UAS is located in the same building as the Mariehamn City Library. The materials of the university library are integrated in that of the Mariehamn City Library's, with the exception of the course literature which constitutes an own section in the library - the course book library. In addition to books, the university library also offers guidance in information search for students. Högskolebiblioteket mariehamn

Research

The Åland UAS conducts both basic and applied research, which benefits the teaching as well as the local community. The teachers conduct research within their area of expertise in collaboration with national and international partners. The core areas of research are electrotechnical engineering and health and caring sciences.

Internationalisation

Internationalisation work is an integral part of the Åland UAS. The Åland UAS offers exchange programs at other partner universities for both students and staff. For students this mainly consists of exchange studies within the Nordic countries or

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

or international internships all over the world. Teachers and other staff have the opportunity to take part in exchange programs with our partner universities. Visiting guest lecturers from partner universities and companies add to the international atmosphere. The Åland UAS also participates in a number of international projects and in the

Erasmus+ Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his Christian name, baptismal name, given after Erasmus of Formia, Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used fro ...

and Nordplus programmes for higher education.

Student union

The student union at Åland UAS is called SkÅHla. They represent the common interests of students in the decision-making bodies of the university and arrange social events and other pastime activities for students.

External links

Åland University of Applied SciencesThe Åland University of Applied Sciences LibraryThe Open University

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aland University Of Applied Sciences Universities and colleges in Finland Educational institutions established in 2003 Universities and colleges formed by merger in Finland 2003 establishments in Finland Organisations based in Åland Maritime colleges