Business Administration degree is versatile: “I can go into working life with a good feeling”

Viena-Maria Kivilä, who is studying Tourism and Wellness as Business, has found her studies at Turku University of Applied Sciences practical and useful. She ended up in education through pathway studies.

Viena-Maria Kivilä has enjoyed the practical approach to learning.

Text and photo: Siiri Welling

When a gap year at work started to feel boring, Viena-Maria Kivilä finally decided to pursue higher education degree studies. The joint application had already ended, but Kivilä decided to explore alternative ways to gain a Bachelor’s degree.

“Then I just browsed the pages of the Turku University of Applied Sciences and found the path studies. I looked at different fields of study, but the Tourism and Wellness Business degree immediately felt like my own”, says Kivilä.

In high school, Kivilä was interested in society, different cultures and religions, for example. She has also always enjoyed travelling. In the description and curriculum of the Tourism and Wellness Business degree, she was attracted by the emphasis on cultural, linguistic and international issues.

“I immediately thought, this is my thing. I didn’t think much about other options,” says Kivilä.

Kivilä completed her first year of studies as a pathway student, i.e. not yet a degree student. When the required number of credits was completed, she applied for a degree. She has been able to study with the same group from the beginning and has experienced a sense of belonging with other fellow students.

“No one asks you how you got to study. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you do your best in your studies.”

Practical teaching

Kivilä describes her studies as very varied and interesting. Her studies have included marketing, sales, product development and business-related modules, but the focus has been on tourism and wellbeing. Kivilä herself has a particular interest in marketing and has also tried to emphasize marketing aspects in her studies.

“In many projects or group work, I have willingly offered to take responsibility for marketing-related issues. I was part of the marketing team when we students were involved in the planning and implementation of the Find Your Future career and recruitment fair at Turku University of Applied Sciences.”

Kiviä will be graduating soon, with a thesis and a few courses still to do. The studies have included lectures and projects, which Kivilä describes as very instructive.

“Through my studies, I have come to understand that there are many aspects to tourism: the logistical side, the services, of course the accommodation and so on. Wellbeing is also a broad concept. Teaching has given me a deeper understanding of these issues.”

Kivilä has a personal interest in wellbeing and could see herself working in a wellbeing-related service, for example in marketing. For the time being, however, her future is still open.

“I myself feel that I have been able to build up my professional skills here at the Turku University of Applied Sciences. I can go into working life with a good feeling, and I can also say what I can definitely do, even if I don’t have ten years of experience behind me.”

Business Administration degree programmes are versatile

Kivilä recommends Bacherlor of Business Administration degree programmes for a wide range of people. She points out that there is a wide range of degree programmes, from librarianship to logistics, sales and accounting, for example. If you are interested in numbers and a little precision work, for example, a degree in accounting may be a suitable field of study. For those interested in entrepreneurship, Kivilä recommends the BusinessAcademy at Turku University of Applied Sciences, where students run their own businesses and earn credits at the same time.

“Tourism and Wellness is for anyone interested in tourism or the promotion of tourism, whether in Finland or abroad. For example, you will learn about the attractions that we have here in Finland. At the same time, you learn about the business around tourism. Wellness, on the other hand, is related to services that may exist in connection with tourism or other leisure services such as, for example, gym services and related business issues.”

“It’s suitable for people from both vocational school and high school, and it doesn’t matter whether you’ve already been in the working life or are coming straight from school. It’s your attitude that counts the most,” concludes Kivilä.