- Postgraduate studies have been on my To-Do list for at least 10 years, says Sanna Lassila, who has just completed a master's degree at Laurea.
- More specifically, I wanted to study a master's degree specifically in English and entirely online. Now the offering at Laurea was spot on. 

Sanna selected Laurea’s Leading Transformational Change Master's degree programme in English, and started the studies in autumn 2020. The programme is implemented entirely as online studies, focusing on change and change management. Important aspects of the degree include new technology and digital business operations. 

Online studying enables one to study at one’s own pace

Sanna Lassila is currently working as a senior advisor in the information management of the National Police Board of Finland. Sanna has two previously completed bachelor's degrees: An international business degree, from the turn of the 21st century, and an ICT degree from ten years ago. 

- In all my previous workplaces, the field has been domestic, to a large extent. However, internationality has always been of my interest, and now I wanted to prove to myself that I also manage studying in English, describes Sanna.

The possibility of adapting the studies to one's own work, as well as to an otherwise active lifestyle, was a clear benefit of the studies implemented entirely online: 

- Completing tasks independently has always been my strength. Setting one's own pace is the most important thing for me in online studies. I can complete study assignments when it suits me best, Sanna continues. 

New thoughts from master's studies

Sanna worked full-time, while at the same time studying the master's degree. However, work and studies supported each other well, and Sanna was able to utilise the work, for example in carrying out study assignments. Sanna also completed the thesis for the workplace, where there was a clear need for the work. 

- There were a lot of things in my studies that really supported my work. One example is the course on Big Data, which I took from the Open University of Applied Sciences, Sanna explains.
- Another topic that turned out to be valuable was service design, which can be utilised for example in the development of information systems. Legal design was also a very interesting topic in our compulsory studies. 

Sanna Lassila feels that master's degree is really beneficial for the career. In the public sector, in particular, a master's degree is a requirement in several tasks. Another important reason for starting master's studies is to maintain one's own competence:

- The world is constantly changing. For example, 10 years ago, there was little talk about service design, and today it is everyday life, Lassila emphasises. 
- And definitely studying also brings positive experiences, when one gets something new to think about and meets new people. 

Read more about our degree programmes offered in English!