The great quantity of graduate courses taught in English, with internationally competitive expertise in many fields, combined with the high standard of facilities for students, add to the attractiveness of Finnish universities. There are 20 university-level institutions in Finland, all of which offer education up to the doctoral level. The universities offer education in 20 major fields of study, the largest being engineering, humanities and natural sciences. In most fields of study, both Bachelor's and Master's degrees are conferred. The main post-graduate degree is the doctorate, which is earned mainly through independent, supervised research work.
Doctoral theses are, as a rule, published and defended in a public debate.
In addition to the thesis, the postgraduate student is expected to participate in research seminars, and in some cases, to undertake subsidiary studies or produce scientific publications. Internationalisation Throughout the 1990s, all universities have made efforts to internationalise their teaching and research functions - for example, by trying to attract increasing numbers of foreign students and scholars. There are currently dozens of degree-oriented programmes taught in English, and hundreds of shorter programmes which can usually be completed within an academic year. There is an especially wide range of 'area studies' programmes targeted at exchange students, as well as courses in Finnish language and culture for foreigners. Exceptionally strong programmes exist in environmental studies, forestry, Arctic studies, industrial design, and Russian and East European studies - fields often presented as 'national areas of expertise'.