Fast-track BBA in Nordic Tourism and the Experience Industry

The Nordic Tourism and the Experience Industry, Fast-track programme is aimed at an applicant who has:

• A Bachelor of Business (BBA) completed outside the EU/ETA area, preferably in Tourism or Hospitality
• Or A minimum 3-year Diploma in Tourism and Hospitality Management
• Work experience
• English skills
• Finnish skills

Upon completion of the programme the applicants will gain a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) with a specialization in Nordic Tourism and the Experience Industry. The programme can be completed in under 2 years. More information on the programme can be found here.

The application period is 13th - 19th February 2025.

An applicant may be subject to both application and tuition fees. For a student with a Bachelor's degree, the tuition fee for the whole Fast-track BBA programme is 11 000 euro whereas it is 13 000 euro for a student with a Diploma or similar level of education. You can read more about tuition fees here.
The tuition fee may be subject to changes during a student's study time.

NB! Since this is a new programme Arcada UAS withholds the rights to defer the programme until January 2026 if there are not enough applicants.

Eligibility

You can apply to this programme if you have completed one of the following outside of Finland:

• A Bachelor of Business (BBA) completed outside the EU/ETA area, preferably in Tourism or Hospitality. Applicants with a BBA not related to Tourism or Hospitality will be required to complete two mandatory online pre-admission courses
• A minimum 3-year Diploma in Tourism and Hospitality Management 

Language requirements - Finnish

All applicants must have Finnish language skills at a minimum level of A1 on the European framework before the start of studies. The Finnish language proficiency can be proven through one of the following methods:

• National Certificate of Language Proficiency
• Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificate
• Certificates or verification from established educational institutions that offer language instruction and can be verified by Arcada

Finnish language proficiency can not be proven with language courses such as Duolingo.
Applicants must attach proof of skills in Finnish or official proof of participation in accepted Finnish course to their application by the set deadline which is 7 days after application has ended. If the applicant is pursuing a Finnish language course aiming at level A1 result, they must submit a copy of a final course certificate by 31st July 2025.

Language requirements - English

All applicants must also have sufficient English language skills in order to complete their studies. The English language proficiency can be proven through one of the following methods:

• Bachelor or Master studies in English, which includes a thesis written in English
• IELTS or IELTS online External link; academic:
  • minimum overall band score 6.0
  • valid for two years
• TOEFL External link Internet-based or Home Edition test:
  • minimum score 79
  • test result must arrive directly from the Educational Testing Service
  • Arcada's TOEFL code 5724
  • valid for two years
• Pearson Test of English External link Academic or Academic online:
  • minimum score 51
  • results are accepted only when sent through the online PTE account
  • valid for two years
• Cambridge ESOL’s tests External link B2 First (First Certificate in English) Cambridge Advanced:
  • minimum score 170
  • include your Candidate ID and Candidate Secret number when sending your results to Arcada
• Certificates or diplomas from verified educational providers that can be verified by Arcada

English language proficiency can not be proven with language courses such as Duolingo.
The applicant must attach proof of skills in English by the set deadline, which is 7 days after application has ended. Please ensure that you have allowed your language test result to be verified by Arcada.

Work experience

Work experience will give the applicant additional points, but it is not mandatory. The scoring of the work experience will be found under the section Selection method. Applicants must provide proof of their work experience by submitting a work certificate within seven days after the application closes. The certificates will be checked for authenticity and should preferably be on the organization's letterhead with a stamp and/or signature. If the documents are issued in a language other than Swedish, Finnish or English, applicants must also submit a translation into one of the languages mentioned above within the deadline. The translation must be done by an authorised translator. 

Admissions procedure

Conditional admission to the programme is gained through:
•    Proof of educational requirements
•    Successful participation in and passing of online interview 
•    Proof of English language proficiency
•    Proof of Finnish language proficiency. Applicants who are completing Finnish studies at the time of application must provide a Finnish language certificate at minimum level A1 by 31st July 2025.
•    Completion of the pre-admission course Working in Finland – Nordic Tourism before 31st May 2025
•    If applicable completion of the pre-admission course Introduction to the Tourism Industry before 31st July 2025

Mandatory pre-admissions courses

All applicants are required to complete the following pre-admission course:
•    Working in Finland – Nordic Tourism
The pre-admission course costs 225 €. Enrollment is binding and the course fee is non-refundable. The enrollment fee is to be paid upon registration. 
The Working in Finland – Nordic Tourism pre-admission course will open 1st April 2025 and you will have until 31st May 2025 to complete it.
 

Applicants with a BBA that is NOT related to Tourism or Hospitality are in addition required to complete the following pre-admission course:
•    Introduction to the Tourism Industry
The pre-admission course costs 75 €. Enrolment is binding and the course fee is non-refundable. The enrolment fee is to be paid upon registration. 
The Introduction to the Tourism Industry pre-admission course will open 1st June 2025 and you will have until 31st July 2025 to complete it.

If the pre-admission course or courses are not completed successfully the conditional admissions offer will be withdrawn. 

Online Interview

Applicants who meet all requirements will be invited to the online interview.
The online group interviews take place 11-13.3.2025. The interview requires no preparation by the applicants. The interview will test applicants' communicative skills and motivation to study.

Applicants will receive an invitation to the interview which will contain all necessary information on the required settings, equipment (webcam, microphone) etc. The invitation will be sent by e-mail roughly one week prior to the time of the interview.

Selection method 

Admission to the programme is based on total points for qualifying education, work experience and group discussion. 
1.  Qualifying education (1-4 points) 
o    Bachelor's degree in Tourism or Hospitality Management, 4 p
o    Bachelor's degree in Business, 3 p
o    Diploma in Tourism or Hospitality Management, 1 p.

2.  Work experience (0-6 points)
o    No experience, 0 p
o    1-4 years of experience, 1 p
o    5-9 years of experience, 2 p
o    10 years or more of experience, 3 p
o    If the applicant is employed in tourism or hospitality at the time of application the hospitality sector, they will receive an additional 3 p.
3.  Group discussion (0-30p)

The group discussion will be scored according to a pre-defined matrix, which will be published on Arcada website before the discussion. To pass the group discussion, the candidate must achieve a passing score in all parts of the discussion and at least 15 points in total.
Applicants will be ranked on the basis of the total score of the qualifying education, work experience and the group discussion. If several candidates have the same score no further ranking is done, but all applicants with the same score are offered a study place if necessary.