As the most populous city in Northern Finland, Oulu has over 100,000 inhabitants. The city is home to the Oulu University of Applied Sciences, the University of Oulu, and a vocational college.

Students might investigate material science if they're interested in securing employment in a relevant industry, such as microchip manufacturing or plastics research. Programs in this subject might also lead a student to further academic specialization as a materials engineer or researcher.

The formal higher education system of Finland is the 7-3-2-2 pattern. The university takes two years in vocational or technical education and finally two-year pre-tertiary education. Finland also has several public as well as private universities that have enabled accessibility of higher education to students.

The MSc, or Master of Science, is an internationally recognized academic degree that indicates proficiency and knowledge of a given topic or field. Most MSc programs take about four years to finish, after which some join the workforce while others continue on in the classroom.