The UEF website

In this section, I cover the findings I made during my discourse analysis on the international website of the UEF. The website is mostly written in a British English variant, which becomes evident in some of the spelling choices. Among these are the British English forms of writing words like programme, organised, emphasise, and neighbourhood. In some cases, texts are written in the American English variant, for instance with the spelling of the word color in the name of a course called Color Science. In my opinion, this variation is due on the fact that course names are translated by some other author than the “regular” text on the website. The UEF website has features that are seemingly influenced by ELF, such as in the phrase: “Manuals of different measurements equipments.” This has to be differentiated from regular errors in spelling and typing that appear in the website from time to time, such as chemictry, reseach or envisonment.

Throughout the UEF website, there is plenty of advertisement of the international goals of the UEF. When discussing internationality, English is the only language mentioned as the language medium, but Russian studies are mentioned as one area of expertise. Rather than mentioning specific languages, the website includes numerous expressions such as International, international research/networking, internationally recognized/attractive/known, high international standard, valuable to the international scientific community, top-level international research areas, improving the international and national image, multicultural, encouraging of international cooperation. For instance, on the introduction page of the UEF website it is stated that:

We have extensive international relations and are involved in several international networks.

Our teaching and research staff and students are active in participating in various mobility programmes. We have concluded bilateral agreements of cooperation with approximately 100

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universities abroad. Furthermore, we are involved in several international networks and discipline-specific projects. (UEF, 2016)

Internationality has its own section, but its first page only includes four lines of general text about how UEF holds internationality in high value. Further information has been divided into other subpages: working at UEF, working abroad, studying at UEF, studying abroad and international cooperation. Notably, it mentioned in the first subpage that “The university seeks to attract an increasing number of international students and staff members, while at the same time promoting the internationalisation of its own staff and students” (UEF, 2016). This is something I had anticipated as a part of my hypotheses of my research. Remarkably, in these subpages, English is the only language mentioned as the language of instruction for international studies.

Both Working at UEF and Working abroad have information on how UEF is part of the scientific community and what sort of working aspects they provide. Neither of the pages is very long in content, and they do not mention any language aspects in particular. Interestingly, the subpage studying at UEF, does not include information about the existing policies for all international studies, but encourages the user to visit the Admissions page of the website.

However, there is not much information on the actual page about admissions, but there are links to the home pages of the international study programmes, as well as a link to a brochure about the international programmes arranged in the UEF. The brochure is very much like any other advertisement of an institution and Finland in general, but it includes practical information about studying and living in Finland. There is also an interesting sentence: “In general, studies leading to a degree are free of charge in Finland” (Savonlahti and Vuorre 2014: 3). The notion is curious because as of 2017, the UEF starts to collect tuition fees from all international students arriving from outside the EU and EEA (see Section 2.2). Admittedly, this piece of text has been written prior to the decision of the tuition fees and is still valid in the academic year of 2016–2017. However, an update on this notion is to be expected.

All the possible doctoral degree programmes (total of 13) are presented at the pages of UEF Doctoral School, listed according to their faculties. It is mentioned that a new structure of the doctoral programmes was decided on in spring 2015, but all the previously arranged doctoral programmes that may have been merged into the current doctoral programmes are still visible on the page. Surprisingly, all links to the doctoral programmes can be accessed without having

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to be registered at the UEF except the link to the Doctoral Programme in Educational Studies.

It is curious how some of the newly formed doctoral programmes have a link to their own subpage (e.g. Doctoral Programme in Social and Cultural Encounters) but for some of the programmes, the only thing visible is their title and there are links only to the previously arranged doctoral programmes. This is the case with Doctoral Programme in Environmental Physics, Health and Biology. Remarkably, only one of the doctoral programmes has a subpage in the new layout and design of the UEF website: the Doctoral Programme in Health Sciences.

The amount of information provided on the actual webpages of the programmes varies distinctively. There are some basic features common to the majority of the webpages. To start off, every webpage displays the name of the programme, although in some cases the title is abbreviated to only a few letters. Most of the pages include at least some sort of description of the programme: among the most basic information is admission criteria, information on how to apply, the degrees available in that programme and, if not the current board of the doctoral programme, at least some sort of contact information. Pages that have the most extensive information provide information on seminars, symposia, courses and major subjects. Some may even provide links to the dissertations published in that programme. A few of the programmes display the names of the postgraduates and doctoral students. One of the programmes even offers the study material right at the website, and a few of them provide a list of the works that are a part of the courses and/or exams. There are some programmes that display only a minimum amount of information, or include a noteworthy number of links to WebOodi and/or other places for the reader to search further information. Two of the programmes offer information on how to join their mailing list and to get more information through there.

Unfortunately, it is also possible to run into invalid links from time to time in the case of a couple of programmes.

Although all of the doctoral degree programmes are international, it is mentioned that the languages of instruction in some of the doctoral degree programmes are English and Finnish.

Finnish may be the language of instruction, but fluency in English is specified as a prerequisite for all doctoral degree programmes at the UEF. English language skills can be proven in a few different ways. First, applicants to doctoral degree programmes have to have completed either a relevant Finnish Master's degree or a relevant Master's degree abroad. Secondly, applicants must include a certificate or proof of their English language skills. The proficiency in English

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need to be proven by language tests, unless the applicant has completed their Master’s studies in English, has conducted their secondary education in English in Anglophone countries, or has taken the matriculation examination in English language in Finland (IB-degree or English as A1 language). It seems that the doctoral degree programme does not always contain obligatory language courses, but the students are highly encouraged to include academic writing and language studies in their course selection.

In my opinion, the UEF has gone to great lengths in order to promote itself as an international university. It would be hard to deny that the university is clearly internationally oriented. If all the plans mentioned in the internationalisation policy as well as the various webpages of the UEF are put to action, I would say that the university is very well on its way to fulfil the goals set by the Finnish Ministry of Education and the EU. However, it is questionable how the amount of information provided on the doctoral degree programmes varies to such a large extent. Arguably, this might indicate that the information is provided by so many different authors that it becomes difficult to control these webpages as an entity. It also seems that there are no specific instructions as to what kind information needs to be provided on all doctoral degree programmes, which could possibly be one way of following the new brand consistently.