Faculty of Social Sciences

Hops - Personal Study Plan

What is Hops?

HOPS stands for the Finnish words henkilökohtainen opintosuunnitelma, a personal study plan.

To facilitate the long-term planning of studies, each student is required to draw up a personal study plan. The study plan is checked regularly, and it will therefore help in the monitoring of study progress.

HOPS is an agreement the student makes with herself/himself on what, how and when s/he will study during the three years of study for a Bachelor’s Degree. You can plan your HOPS as detailed as you wish, but remember that HOPS is a flexible agreement and you can make changes to it during your studies.

Teacher tutors are there to help you in drawing up the plan. However, the use of HOPS in student counselling varies according to department.

What Does it Include

HOPS is a compulsory study unit in the degree requirements for the Bachelor of Social Sciences -degree. Depending on the department, drawing up HOPS might be part of some study unit of the major subject. HOPS is usually worth 1 credit.

There is more than one correct way to write the study plan. At the Faculty of Social Sciences, HOPS should include the objectives the student sets for her/his studies and a plan on how the student is going to reach these objectives.

In HOPS, you write down your plans and schedule concerning different study modules, language studies and minor subjects. If you plan to go abroad on a exchange or do a traineeship, you should include it in HOPS.

When and How to Draw it up

It is recommended to draw the personal study plan up in your first year of study during the second or third period of study. Practices vary according to department.

Teacher tutors at each department help students in drawing the HOPS up. You can submit your HOPS to your teacher tutor at the appointed time.

Teacher tutors then submit HOPS’s to the Faculty, and the Study Office takes care of the registration of HOPS into the study register.

See the Personal Study Plan -form, Bachelor's Degree (pdf)

HOPS Contact Persons at Departments

Here are the names of the departments' contact persons who will help international students in matters concerning the personal study plan:

Economics: Jenni Pääkkönen
Development Studies: Piia Susiluoto
Social and Moral Philosophy: Tuula Pietilä
Social Science History: Katalin Miklossy
Social Policy and Social Work: Mikko Puukko
Social Psychology: Anu Kuusela
Sociology: Tapani Alkula
Statistics: Pekka Pere
Communication: Yonca Ermutlu
Political Science: Juri Mykkänen (Master students), Petri Minkkinen (Bachelor students)