Beginning in 1930 and continuing until present, a correspondence school named Markkinointi-instituutti (The Institute of Marketing) has been offering classes in business and communications. In 1978, it started a separate program in public relations and organizational communication. This program consists of media, writing, journalism and business courses and takes a year and a half to complete. Also in 1978, the University of Helsinki offered Osmo A. Wiio a chair in communication. He was the first and only professor in Finland in the field and has had a major impact on Finnish public relations theory (Lehtonen, 2004). Now there are two Finnish universities that offer major studies in organizational communication and public relations:the University of Helsinki and the University of Jyvaskyla (Lehtonen, 2004).

Those two universities offer both MA and Ph.D. degrees in organizational communication and public relations. Meanwhile, the Open University system in Finland offers minor courses in public relations and training programs in public communication for government officials in charge of public communication (Lehtonen, 2004).

Today also the Helsinki School of Economis offers both Master’s Program and a Doctoral Prgram in International Business Communications.

Since 1992, most of the 29 polytechnics in Finland have been offering courses in organizational communication and public relations, which are integrated with business management courses, such as entrepreneurship and marketing, and communication-oriented internships in private or public organizations. Additionally, a number of private training companies in Finland, such as ProCom Oy and Infor Oy, offer courses in organizational communication (Lehtonen, 2004).

NOTE: This guide has been compiled by the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, For the works cited in these pages, click here.