OREANDA-NEWS. April 06, 2012. The aim of this visit was strengthening cooperation between our universities and discussing further partnership prospects.

– We want Murmansk students to come to Finland and our university more often and Finnish students to come to Murmansk, – underlined Vice rector, Professor Dr. Olli Silven talking about the purpose of their visit.

Two other delegation members were the Head of Student Admission and International Services Department Kimmo Kuortti and the coordinator of foreign students’ enrollment Irina Rousu.

Olli Silven underlined that one of the first steps of cooperation could be development of the joint master’s degree programme in the field of environmental engineering taught in English.

– We are interested in development our partnership both in education and science, – emphasized Svetlana Derkach, Vice rector for Research of MSTU.

Representing the University of Oulu Olli Silven mentioned that nowadays they have 700 students being taught at international master’s degree programmes at their university. About 400 students are engaged in exchange programmes. Discussing the issue of developing an international master’s degree programme taught in English at MSTU Olli Silven said that this will increase the inflow of Finnish students who are willing to study in Russia.

– We can motivate Finnish students to study Russian language more intensively if they join such a programme, – added Vice rector Olli Silven. – Especially, in case the Russian language course will be organized in addition to the main programme.

In the afternoon Olli Silven gave students of the Faculty of World Economy and International Relations a lecture on the economy of Oulu, the possibilities of University of Oulu and Finnish education system.