One Health Master’s Programme to launch in autumn 2027

“Current ways of life are placing the limits of our planet’s carrying capacity under increasing strain in many different ways. The systemic challenges we face are wide-ranging and call for systemic change and solutions that can only be achieved through multidisciplinary research collaboration and the education connected to it,” says Olli Peltoniemi, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. 

“The Master’s Programme in One Health is an important initiative as the University seeks to strengthen systemic understanding and expertise, as well as multidisciplinarity and internationalisation. We also expect many One Health graduates to continue their studies in the University of Helsinki’s doctoral programmes, including our multidisciplinary One Health doctoral programme.” 

One Health approaches health through the interconnected perspectives of human, animal and environmental health and wellbeing. It brings together experts in these fields to address current challenges collaboratively. The health and wellbeing of humans, animals, plants and ecosystems are closely interlinked, making it essential to understand how developments in one area affect the others. The Master’s Programme in One Health will be genuinely multidisciplinary, drawing widely on the University’s expertise and making use of systems thinking. 

The programme will be coordinated by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Five other faculties involved in the planning and provision of teaching are the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, the Faculty of Pharmacy, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, and the Faculty of Social Sciences. 

Applications for the new Master’s programme will open in January 2027 as part of the University’s international Master’s application round, and studies will begin in autumn 2027. The programme welcomes applicants from a wide range of educational backgrounds, from the life sciences to the humanities and social sciences. The programme will be taught in English and its official name is the Master’s Programme in One Health. Graduates will be awarded the degree of Master of Science. 

All students in the programme will complete a 20-credit Foundations of One Health module at the beginning of their studies. Advanced and elective studies will be offered by all the faculties involved in the programme. New courses planned for the programme will also be made available to students in other Master’s programmes and to students in the One Health doctoral programme. 

In addition to lecture-based courses, students will develop their expertise through internships and a Capstone project, in which they will work in small multidisciplinary groups to solve real-world challenges. 

“The multidisciplinary planning process has brought teaching staff together in extensive collaboration and is also creating new opportunities in teaching for the faculty’s international staff,” says Riikka Keto-Timonen, Vice-Dean for Education at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. 

Further information on the programme is available from Research Coordinator Topi Tanskanen, topi.tanskanen@helsinki.fi, and Education Specialist Pyry Koskinen, pyry.koskinen@helsinki.fi. 

More information on the One Health approach is available on the World Health Organization website: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/one-health