A B.A. in Finnish opens doors to a center of business, education and culture in Europe, as well as a gateway to the Baltics and Russia. Students build advanced linguistic skills through a three-year program in language and literature. They increase their knowledge of Finland, Scandinavia, and the Baltics through cultural surveys, specialized courses on topics ranging from the “Kalevala” to Finnish pop culture, and affordable study abroad opportunities that cover diverse fields of study. Prepared with knowledge from world leaders in welfare, business, and gender equity, graduates pursue careers in business and nonprofit work, law, academia, and STEM industries across the globe.
First Year Finnish 1 (FINN 101) is available only in the fall quarter. Because the core of the Finnish major is building advanced linguistic skills over the course of three years, students should sign up for this class as early as possible. If you have previous experience studying Finnish, schedule a placement test by emailing uwscand@uw.edu.
Admissions, Advising & Student Resources
Please see our Undergraduate Programs section for information about applying to the program, career paths, scholarships, and other student resources.
Each of our majors has an option to pursue departmental honors. Students who are interested should meet with the undergraduate adviser to learn more about the requirements.
Major Requirements:
60 credits of which 25 are on the 300 level or above (As of Autumn, 2022).
- First- and second-year courses in Finnish (30 credits)
- Upper-division courses in Finnish from list of approved courses. (10 credits)
FINN 310 Topics in Finnish Language and Culture
FINN 395 Foreign Study: Finnish Area Studies
FINN 399 Foreign Study: Topics in Finnish Literature and Culture
FINN 490 Supervised Reading - Upper-division SCAND courses from list of approved courses. (15 credits)
SCAND 312 Masterpieces of Scandinavian Literature
SCAND 315 Scandinavian Crime Fiction
SCAND 316 Child and School in Scandinavia
SCAND 327 Women in Scandinavian Society
SCAND 330 Scandinavian Mythology
SCAND 331 Folk Narrative
SCAND 334 Immigrant and Ethnic Folklore
SCAND 335 Scandinavian Children's Literature
SCAND 340 Kalevala and the Epic Tradition
SCAND 341 Sami Culture and History
SCAND 344 The Baltic States and Scandinavia
SCAND 345 Baltic Cultures
SCAND 360 Scandinavian Cinema
SCAND 361 Danish Cinema
SCAND 365 Finnish Popular Culture
SCAND 367 Sexuality in Scandinavia: Myth and Reality
SCAND 370 The Vikings
SCAND 380 History of Scandinavia to 1720
SCAND 381 History of Scandinavia Since 1720
SCAND 399 Foreign Study in Scandinavia
SCAND 402 International Political Economy and Scandinavia
SCAND 427 Scandinavian Women Writers in English Translation
SCAND 430 Readings in Folklore
SCAND 431 The Northern European Ballad
SCAND 445 War and Occupation in Northern Europe: History, Fiction, and Memoir
SCAND 450 Scandinavian Literary History
SCAND 454 Baltic History
SCAND 455 Baltic Politics and Society Today
SCAND 460 History of the Scandinavian Languages
SCAND 465 Translation Workshop in Nordic and Baltic Languages
SCAND 470 Scandinavian Auteurs
SCAND 480 Kierkegaard and Decadence in European Literature
SCAND 481 August Strindberg and European Cultural History
SCAND 482 Knut Hamsun and Early European Modernism
SCAND 490 Special Topics
SCAND 495 Foreign Study: Research Project
SCAND 499 Independent Study or Research - SCAND 498 Senior Capstone Project(5 credits)
Credits earned during studies in Finland can be transferred in consultation with the Foreign Study Office and the Scandinavian Department.
Other courses may be substituted per discussion with the Undergraduate Adviser.
More about the Finnish Program
Finnish Program History Why Study Finnish? Support Finnish Studies