Chydenius builds education and research around local needs
Run by the universities of Jyväskylä, Oulu, and Vaasa, the Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius offers high-quality adult education programmes – built to meet the needs of learners as well as the region’s businesses and public sector.
“We cooperate closely with the local working life to produce experts for the region. In 2024, we had more than 180 graduates, which was our new record. Years after graduation, many of our alumni are still living and working in Central Ostrobothnia”, says Director Marko Aittola.
At Chydenius, one can study for a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in the fields of applied chemistry, business, information technology, social work, or teacher education. The consortium offers both graduate and in-service programmes for life-long learning.
Not only is the number of annual graduates increasing steadily at Chydenius, but so is the demand for its education.
“In 2023, we had 11 applicants per degree place. To respond to the demand, we have been and still are growing our acceptance rate.”
The consortium has focused on creating a wider range of degree programmes that both enable more students to be accepted and help Chydenius to keep up with the evolving needs of the region.
“Thanks to our smaller size, agility, and low hierarchy, we can develop new study programmes faster than large universities. The Bachelor’s programmes in Early Childhood Teacher Education are some of the newest additions to our portfolio. In 2026, our IT unit will start offering a Master’s programme in Engineering that has been highly requested by the local business life”, Aittola states.
At Chydenius, all education is based on university research that tackles global challenges while improving regional competitiveness and innovation capacity. The projects are carried out in closer cooperation with different regional, national, and international partners than in traditional universities.
“Chydenius’ research expertise and highly skilled professors are among its greatest strengths – together with their research groups, our professors have done impactful, internationally well-known research in their fields.”
