The Suomi College of Arts and Sciences (SCAS) provides academic programs that prepare students through scholarly and creative endeavors to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
At Suomi College, we hone the most crucial interpersonal and industry skills identified by employers: information literacy, critical thinking, written and spoken communication, analytical reasoning, scientific inquiry, and decision-making. We embrace the idea that before students can positively impact the world, they must be rooted and open in understanding that world and themselves. We prepare students to respond to enduring needs in their chosen area(s) of study. In a rapidly changing society, we also prepare students to answer questions that have yet to be asked, solve complex problems that are yet to be identified, and work in fields that may change in ways we cannot yet imagine.
SCAS offers Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees in Art Therapy, Biology, Criminal Justice, English, History, Liberal Studies, Psychology, and Sociology, and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees in Biology and Psychology. The college hosts two associate degrees: an Associate in General Studies (A.G.S.) and an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Criminal Justice.
Institutional learning outcomes
- Communication – Students will be able to communicate in both the spoken and written word, with clarity and originality while adapting to diverse situations.
- Analytical and Critical Thinking – Students will be able to gather relevant data and information, evaluate ideas, and draw relationships and conclusions across areas of study.
- Creative Insight – Students will be able to integrate knowledge, skills, diverse perspectives, and collaborative processes to produce an expansive holistic approach to problem solving.
- Personal Perspective – Students will be able to articulate and model a personal philosophy that expresses care for self, community, and lifelong learning.
- Global Perspective – Students will be able to exhibit an understanding of and appreciation for diverse cultures and the natural environment, and demonstrate a sense of belonging in an interdependent world.
Academic integrity
Academic Integrity Policy Academic Integrity Appeals Form

Suomi college of arts & sciences News
News and Notes from Finlandia's College of Arts & Sciences
- March 2
Finlandia University will not enroll students for the 2023-2024 academic year
On Thursday, March 2, Finlandia University’s Board of Trustees announced that Finlandia will not enroll students for the 2023-2024 academic year. The decision follows months of continuous efforts to find pathways for the University to continue its mission.
“I am deeply saddened to announce that due to a combination of demographic changes, with fewer high school graduates available, a steep decrease in interest in going to college among those graduates, and an unbearable debt load, Finlandia’s Board of Trustees met and [...]
- February 28
Finnish studies professor shines spotlight on FinnU
Virtanen presenting during Kalevalathon 2023, a reading marathon of Finland’s national epic poem, the Kalevala.
Finlandia Associate Professor of Finnish & Nordic Studies Dr. Hilary-Joy Virtanen has been named co-editor of the Journal of Finnish Studies. Having worked on the journal’s editorial staff since 2009, Virtanen now shares co-editorship with renowned folklorist and scholar, Thomas A. DuBois.
In addition to her co-editorship, Virtanen highlighted Finlandia’s Finnish studies program further when her field-related work was featured in three PBS [...]
- February 27
March 15 Spring Colloquium to feature new faculty books about Grammy winning musician and life as a professor in the ‘North Country’
Finlandia University’s Suomi College of Arts & Sciences presents the 2023 Spring Colloquium celebrating two new faculty books. This year’s event will feature a reading, dialogue and book signing by authors Dr. Carolyn Dekker and Dr. William Knoblauch.
More about the authors and their new books can be found below.
North Country: A Pedagogical AlmanacNorth Country: A Pedagogical Almanac is a memoir in-essays that covers Dr. Carolyn Dekker’s life from 2015-2020. The book braids together teaching and family stories with [...]