Career planning is future-oriented work and the deliberate development of your professional identity. It includes, among other things, study choices that support your career goals, strengthening work-life readiness and considering different career options.
What is the PSP?
The personal study plan (PSP) is a key tool in career planning. It helps you plan and structure your studies in a way that supports your individual learning objectives and career goals. The PSP brings together the curriculum, your personal study choices, and career planning into a coherent whole.
In your PSP, you reflect on your short- and long-term study and learning goals, the organisation of your studies, and how your studies relate to other areas of your life. You identify your study habits and methods, as well as the support and guidance you need. In the PSP, you also plan the progression of your studies, make study unit selections, choose ways to acquire competencies, and manage your time effectively.
Working on the PSP is a continuous process that lasts throughout your studies. The PSP supports your learning, the smooth progress of your studies, and career planning. It helps you develop self-awareness and self-assessment skills and supports you in recognising and making your competencies visible.
Why create a PSP?
Creating the PSP helps you gain an overall view of the degree you are completing. By making your study choices carefully, you support the development of your competence in the direction you are aiming for and avoid overlapping studies. The PSP also helps you understand the time required for studying, making it easier to balance your studies with other areas of your life.
The PSP is a key tool also in study guidance: by preparing for individual PSP guidance sessions, you ensure that the guidance you receive focuses on the most important factors related to your learning and study progress.
How is the PSP created?
The PSP is based on the curriculum of your degree programme and your personal goals. The core competence studies of your programme (compulsory studies) form the foundation of the degree and ensure that you develop strong professional competence required in working life. Through complementary competence studies (elective and freely selectable studies), you can broaden and / or deepen your core competence and build an individual, career-oriented, and competitive degree that supports your professional goals. In some programmes, complementary competence studies are subject to field-specific requirements.
When planning your PSP, reflect on your starting point as a student: identify your existing competencies and study skills, and consider what you aim to achieve through your studies.
The PSP is developed gradually over the course of your studies as your interests and goals become clearer. You prepare an initial plan during your first semester and outline your studies for the entire study period up to graduation. The PSP must be updated regularly, at least once each semester.
Plan your studies so that the scope of your degree is not exceeded. Completing an average of 60 credits per academic year supports graduation within the target time.
Parts of the PSP
The PSP consists of the sections below, which are emphasised at different stages during your studies:
- starting situation
- core competence plans
- placement plans
- thesis plans
- plans for complementary competence
- internationalisation plans
- study ability
- future plans
In Bachelor’s degree studies, PSP work is supported by a teacher tutor as part of the Development of Expertise study module (or From a Student to a Professional in nursing) and through individual guidance throughout the studies.
PSP in practice
It is important to document your reflections related to PSP work throughout your studies. Consider which method suits you best—writing, drawing, photographing, video recording, or another approach. By collecting your reflections, you can revisit them as your studies progress, making it easier to discuss relevant topics during PSP guidance sessions.
In Pakki, you make concrete study unit selections, schedule your studies, and monitor your study progress. You are responsible for keeping your PSP up to date and for following notifications related to PSP updates, such as semester info.
How do I make study selections in Pakki?
In the PSP view in Pakki, you can see the core competence studies of your degree programme, which are preliminarily scheduled according to your group’s curriculum. You may change the scheduling of these studies if necessary.
Pakki also displays the complementary studies for your field. In addition, you may choose core or complementary competence studies from other fields within Laurea or from other higher education institutions. You select and schedule complementary competence studies independently as your plan develops.
When selecting study units, make sure that the competencies do not overlap and that all programme-specific requirements are met. Check the suitability of your study choices with your teacher tutor.
Remember to enrol in studies during the designated enrolment periods. More information can be found in the study offering and enrolment instructions.
How do I schedule studies in Pakki?
Schedule your studies using the Scheduling tab in Pakki. Already at the beginning of your studies, outline your study plan for the entire study period up to graduation. When updating your PSP, consider whether core competence study schedules need adjustment. Add complementary competence studies as your plans become clearer.
Always make sure you have planned enough studies for each semester without exceeding the total scope of the degree.
The basis for study workload is the credit. Study units are credited according to the workload they require: one credit corresponds to approximately 27 hours of work. One academic year of full-time study equals 60 credits, or about 1,600 hours of work. Prior experience and study skills may affect the time required. It is important to create a realistic plan that allows time for both studying and activities outside your studies.
How do I monitor the progress of my studies in Pakki?
In Pakki, you can view the real-time progress of your studies and the grades you have received. Actively check that your completed studies are recorded correctly and on time. Keeping your PSP up to date helps you track completed and upcoming courses.
Why update the PSP in October and March?
PSP updates are linked to study enrolment and the planning of Laurea’s study offering. An up-to-date PSP makes enrolling in studies easier and provides important information for planning future study offerings.
When updating your PSP, please:
- check the scheduling of core competence studies
- add and schedule complementary competence studies
- remove or hide alternative core competence and complementary competence studies you will not complete
- move any incomplete studies from previous semesters to future semesters
- review study offerings and schedules in Lukkarikone before enrolment begins and update your plan if needed
- remember to enrol in study units during the enrolment period
Remember to update your PSP in Pakki as needed throughout your studies. Keeping it current helps you stay informed about your study progress.
What does PSP approval mean?
During guidance discussions, you review the content of your PSP together with your teacher tutor. The teacher tutor approves the PSP at the end of the discussion. An approved PSP represents a shared understanding of your study plan and progress.