The Department of Social Policy (including the unit of social work) is one of the largest departments at the Faculty of Social Sciences and the oldest such department in Finland. The Department carries out research in the fields of welfare institutions and broader social and social policy matters and gives its students comprehensive instruction based on this research. The Department has two main degree subjects, social policy and social work for which there is a separate entrance examination. There are also three special study programmes in the Department: urban studies, environmental research and ageing research.

The Department aims to give students qualifications to play their part in the management and analysis of social policy at international as well as national and local levels. Graduates from the Department will be experts in their field and also equipped with generalist skills, which allows them to retain their competence in a rapidly changing world. Teaching in social work is aimed at training professional social workers who should be ready to work in a complex urban environment.

The Department arranges a limited amount of teaching in English, some of it in collaboration with other Departments in the Faculty. International students studying on the degree programmes are provided with individual supervision and tailored studies and can also attend courses held in English by other departments in the Faculty. See also the Research Master's Programme in Social Sciences (REMS): http://www.helsinki.fi/rems/

• Research Master´s Programme in Social Sciences

• Current affairs