In Kokkola, combined general and vocational upper secondary education is organised as a joint effort between the City of Kokkola, the Federation of Education in Central Ostrobothnia and the Central Ostrobothnia Conservatory. In a combined general and vocational upper secondary school, you can obtain a vocational degree, complete the upper secondary education syllabus and take the Matriculation Examination during a period of four academic years, which means completing a so-called triple degree. You can also complete a double degree, which means obtaining a vocational degree and taking the Matriculation Examination, but not completing the upper secondary education syllabus. The Kokkola upper secondary school for adults is responsible for organising the secondary school teaching for the vocational upper secondary school. The upper secondary school studies are mainly organised in the daytime in the Central Ostrobothnia Vocational College’s facilities at the Kokkola campus at Närvilänkatu.
Studies in the combined general and vocational upper secondary school are organised so that the vocational studies and general upper secondary studies alternate in the different periods. The academic year is divided into four periods, and students will take either vocational studies or upper secondary studies in the different periods during the first three years of studying. Students in the combined general vocational upper secondary school usually finish their vocational degree in the spring of the third year and complete the remaining upper secondary studies and take the Matriculation Examination during the fourth year.
Syllabus
The general upper secondary studies of students in vocational upper secondary education follow the curriculum and hour distribution of general upper secondary education for adults, meaning that the students in vocational upper secondary education must complete a minimum of 44 courses of general upper secondary studies. If you are planning to complete the entire general upper secondary school syllabus, you should plan your studies so that you take both compulsory and specialisation courses in different subjects. This way you will meet the minimum course requirements. During each period, you can take a maximum of 10 courses. The duration of each course is 38 hours. Each period ends with an exam week. The grades for the passed courses are entered into the Wilma system.
Applying to vocational upper secondary school
Apply to vocational upper secondary education during the spring joint application period by applying to vocational basic education at the Federation of Education in Central Ostrobothnia and the Central Ostrobothnia Conservatory. Notify the school of your interest in completing upper secondary studies when you accept the study place or, at the latest, in the autumn when you start your studies. The upper secondary studies start in pre-determined study groups in the autumn of the first year of your studies.