The merger of the two universities is an important and necessary step for establishing an integral environment of higher education in Estonia. As a result of the merger one strong international study centre of economics will be established that will extend to a significant extent the opportunities for studies and research in the field of economics, international relations, and law both for students as well as lecturers. The merger of the two universities also helps to reduce the unfair competition for students arising from the demographic situation that fragments universities and increases the price of higher education without offering surplus value.

What will IUA benefit from the merger?

As a result of the merger both the students as well as the lecturers will gain wider perspectives and new opportunities for studies and research.

In a longer perspective the merger of our university with a public university offers greater stability and security to both students as well as personnel.

How and where will studies and activities take place?

This and the next academic year the activities of both International University Audentes as well as Tallinn University of Technology will continue in accordance with the current conditions and procedure. The studies of both universities will continue in the current buildings, in all fields of study, forms, and languages.

Is the Tallinn School of Economics and Business Administration (TSEBA) interested in developing the programmes of law and international relations? Will these be merged into one Faculty of Economics and Business Administration?

The programmes of law and international relations match the profile of TSEBA very well. It goes without saying that each business executive has to know law and find his/her way in the globalised world.

If the university wants to recruit the best specialists in the field of law and international relations, it needs to offer them opportunities for development. These opportunities can be provided if the fields of law, business, and international relations are set apart from one another and equal contributions are made in the promotion thereof. Thus there is no need to worry that the specialities of law and international relations will “become extinct” – this will not be the case.

Will law and international relations continue as different schools?

There cannot be other faculties inside a faculty; however, in the future these fields of study will certainly stand apart and be developed separately as well.

What kind of diploma will the graduates receive?

In addition to the state diploma, TUT will also issue an additional document in English in which the name of IUA can also be used as in accordance with the letter of intent TUT can use the trademark of IUA within three years. It is not final yet what the addendum to the diploma will look like – this will be agreed on during the merger negotiations.

May the students who graduate this spring also receive a TUT diploma?

The students who graduate this spring will receive the IUA diploma, and the first TUT diplomas will be issued to those graduating in the fall term of the academic year 2008/2009.

What kind of degree will the graduates receive?

This has been governed at the state level by a regulation of the Prime Minister and is similar in terms of all the universities – the bachelor’s/master’s degree in social sciences. TUT also indicates a specialisation on its diplomas.

Will there also be any changes in the process of defences?

There will be no direct changes in defending the bachelor’s and master’s theses; however, in the case of defences, the IUA assessment committees will involve a TUT representative and vice versa. This is important as in the course of this work will be found out whether and how the form and process of defences and graduation theses differ in the universities. On the basis of the aforementioned, it will be possible to develop a common defence procedure.

What will happen to IUA programmes and accreditations?

In order for the Ministry of Education and Research not to hinder the transfer of the curricula and the accreditations, an appointment was arranged with the Minister before signature of the letter of intent. The Minister supports the merger and all the IUA programmes are valid in TUT in exactly the same form.

Will any changes be made to the curricula?

All students admitted to IUA have the right to graduate under exactly the same terms and conditions applicable upon entrance.

As for the content today, 2/3 of the Business Administration curriculum is similar in both universities. Thus it is possible that in the future a part of the Business Administration curricula of IUA and TSEBA will be joined in order to provide the students with more options and realise the synergy created upon the merger of the curricula. However, this will certainly not be the case with the students who desire to continue their studies according to the present curriculum.

Will it be possible to enrol in the TUT subjects in the autumn term?

This will be discussed in the course of the merger negotiations. Our aim is to provide the students with new opportunities and to do that as soon as possible. Initially master level studies will be united as the number of master students is smaller, and the gain to be received from the united studies will be the greatest for them. We still hope that as of September all the IUA students can at least enrol in elective subjects at TUT and vice versa.

What will happen to the study in Russian?

It is clear that everybody who has today started his/her studies in Russian can also graduate in the same language.

However, there is no 100% certain answer about the future. The reason that until now TUT has not made it possible to acquire higher education completely in Russian is that no mechanisms have been found which would ensure that a local Russian student would not confine himself/herself to complete study in Russian, but would also acquire the knowledge of Estonian required on the local labour market.

The aim of the TSEBA is to guarantee that the local students who graduate from the university would correspond to the requirements of the local labour market. This means, on the one hand, knowledge at the critical level of the Estonian language for a non-Estonian entering the labour market in Estonia and, on the other hand, knowledge of the Russian language for an Estonian student. Namely this requirement has hindered provision for full study in Russian.

What will happen to tuition fees?

The tuition fees approved in IUA this spring will apply until the end of the next academic year. In the future the fees may increase a bit, not, however, due to the merger but to a general increase in prices. The fees will certainly not increase more than the 10% allowed by law. However, eventually prices of IUA that are now somewhat lower will conform to TSEBA tuition fees.

There are students studying in IUA who could also have entered TUT at a state funded place. Will they now have the opportunity for studying free of charge?

TSEBA has 300 state budgetary places that are filled by student applicants who receive the best examination results. If a student is diligent, he/she can study without charge until the end of his/her studies. But if the student is not diligent, he/she will lose his/her place and this place will be filled by the next students based on the study results. However, the entrance results will not be taken into account here.

Will IUA scholarships remain effective and to whom will the scholarship applications have to be made?

For the next academic year an application will have to be made to IUA who will award the scholarship. As a public university, TUT has several different scholarships and also an education allowance. As a result of the merger, IUA students will also have the right to the education allowance.

Will all the services continue to be available in English in the future as well?

The language competence required for servicing international students exists also at TUT. It cannot be said that everyone knows English; however, all the people important for the students know the language.

Isn’t there a danger that in the new large structure the students of IUA will remain alone and without support?

TSEBA is somewhat different from other faculties of TUT. If in other TUT faculties ‘student support’ often means only one person, in the dean’s office of TSEBA there are 20 people of whom five deal exclusively with students. They are competent in at least six different languages.

If the students have a many questions related to the changes, isn’t there a danger that the personnel will be overloaded and cannot deal with IUA students?

There is no such danger as IUA has the requisite employees, and all those who service the IUA students today will move on to TUT.

Is the aim of the TSEBA internationalisation or provision of local people with a good education?

The joint objective of TSEBA and IUA is internationalisation – international studies and internationally recognised quality. Together we will be much more international that we would have been acting as separate entities.

Economy and business are not local but global – thus the study environment also has to be respectively so. Our aim is not only to bring foreign students here but also to educate local students in the international spirit. This can be done only with the help of foreign lecturers and students and supporting intentional development of the trend.

Won’t a public university encounter any problems due to the fact that the major part of the foreign students come here only for three or five years and then leave?

At the state level, the internationalisation has been thought over in detail; however, none of the development plans require or set the objective that foreign students should stay in Estonia.

What will happen to the international atmosphere of the university?

TSEBA is the most international faculty of TUT. Currently 10% of the students enrolled in the faculty are foreign, thus the proportion of foreign students should not change very much.

What will happen to the student government and its international essence?

The TUT Student Council has two levels – the first one is university-wide, and the second one is based in the faculties. The fact that TSEBA is the most international unit of TUT also applies to our Student Council. However, the first steps are being taken there as well, and merger with the IUA Council would be much appreciated. Although the present working language of the Council is Estonian, everybody also speaks English, and if the proportion of the students changes, the working language can also be changed so that everybody would actually be involved and could participate in discussions.

This would certainly be an issue for discussion at a meeting of the Councils.

What will happen to the field of Physical Activity and Sports?

IUA has started negotiations to merge Physical Activity and Sports with the Faculty of Exercise and Sports Sciences of the University of Tartu. Both parties have demonstrated their good intention in carrying out the given merger. The merger has also been approved both by the Ministry of Culture as well as by the Olympic Movement.

Why are so many issues related to the letter of intent still open?

A definite answer about the conclusion of the letter of intent was provided only on 22 April, thus we have had only a week for planning the next steps. There are very many issues that will be decided during the next weeks, and then the situation will be a great deal clearer. Both students as well as personnel will be informed of the decisions made and the relevant information as soon as possible.

For further questions:

Peeter Müürsepp      peeter.muursepp@audentes.eu