The Fulbright Finland Partnership Awards for Graduate Studies

If your answer is yes, take advantage of a great opportunity provided by the Fulbright Finland Foundation and the University of Colorado Denver. This Partnership Award includes Bixler Scholarship from CU Denver and support services provided by the Fulbright Finland Foundation.

The Fulbright Finland Foundation works together with the University of Colorado Denver to support Finnish students interested in graduate studies in Architecture. The award helps CU Denver and the Fulbright Finland Foundation in efforts to enhance high-quality mobility between Finland and the U.S.

Who is the Program Aimed at?

The award is targeted for students in Architecture at Aalto University, Tampere University, and the University of Oulu. The award supports study in the Master of Architecture professional degree program at the College of Architecture and Planning, University of Colorado Denver. This M.Arch degree is fully accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) in the United States.

Program Benefits

a) The Bixler Scholarship

The Bixler Scholarship (previously called the Johnson Scholarship) covers full-time tuition and associated university fees for one-semester of study in the M.Arch degree program at the College of Architecture and Planning, University of Colorado Denver. The scholarship does not cover living expenses, travel costs, and health insurance (as required for international students).

The scholarship may be continued for the following spring and summer semesters for students accepted into the Design Build Program.

The Scholarship is open to applicants from Finland, Italy, and Japan who have successfully completed an undergraduate architecture degree or who currently are enrolled in a graduate architecture degree program in Finland, Italy, or Japan. All scholarship winners begin studies in fall semester.

Bixler Scholars are required to enroll in a full course load of 12-15 credit hours each semester, maintain a 3.0 minimum grade point average, and remain in good academic standing.

b)  Fulbright Finland Foundation Support Services

• training sessions in Finland regarding graduate study in the U.S.
• one-day orientation training seminar in Finland in the spring before departure to help students prepare for studies at CU Denver
• personal advising services, flexible access to materials at the Fulbright Finland Foundation
• access to the service website for all Fulbright Finland Foundation grantees at www.fulbright.fi
• support in the visa process
• access to and support from Fulbright Finland's alumni network in Finland and in the U.S.
• Grant Award Ceremony together with all the other Fulbright Finland Foundation grantees

The College of Architecture and Planning at CU Denver

The College of Architecture and Planning offers graduate degree programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban and regional planning, urban design, and historic preservation. The College also offers a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a doctoral degree.  Find out more about the Architecture program and College at the University of Colorado Denver on the websites below.

• M.Arch. program
• Design Build program

Application

By submitting your application to the University of Colorado Denver, you will automatically be considered for the Bixler Scholarship. If you are admitted to CU Denver, you are automatically considered also for the Fulbright Finland Foundation program and its benefits.

There are two separate and independent application processes: 

1. There is the University of Colorado Denver application process with a deadline of January 15.

Please note that as an undergraduate you may apply for the CU Denver Master of Architecture program before you complete your Bachelor’s degree in the spring. This means that if you are graduating from your Finnish Bachelor’s program during spring 2022, you can submit your application to CU Denver even though you wouldn’t have received your Bachelor’s diploma by the CU Denver application deadline (January 15, 2022). In this case, you would be required to submit your transcript from your final semester after it is completed.

Please read the detailed university application instructions at the CU Denver website: University of Colorado Denver application and application instructions

The University of Colorado Denver admission decisions are completed by March 15.

If you have any questions on the CU Denver application process, please contact Jodi Stock, Academic Advisor, College of Architecture and Planning, University of Colorado Denver ([email protected]) and also cc the Foundation in the message ([email protected]).

Please make sure to take the English language TOEFL test as requested by the university. 

2. The Fulbright Finland Foundation review is a separate and independent process.

Candidates accepted into the University of Colorado Denver M.Arch. Program will be interviewed at Fulbright Finland in Helsinki after March 15. Those candidates that pass the Fulbright Finland review will receive the Fulbright Finland Partnership Award and all the benefits described above including the Fulbright Finland Foundation support services.

Fulbright Finland Foundation Programs

To get to know the ASLA-Fulbright program, its history, and "Fulbright culture", listen to the Yle Radio 1 program on the topic.

Please also see the history of the ASLA-Fulbright program.

Alumni Experiences

Take a look at the stories of the previous Johnson Scholarship grantees.

"Opiskelin vuoden Master of Architecture -ohjelmassa University of Colorado Denverissa. Koska olin Design Build -ohjelmassa, sain kokea monta hienoa hetkeä. Toisella opintoviikolla kiipesimme 4000 metrin korkeuteen vuorelle katsomaan tonttia, jolle lopputyö rakennetaan. Pari kuukautta myöhemmin matkustimme Moabiin Utah:n osavaltiossa katsomaan edellisen vuoden projektia. Pääsimme myös rakentamaan yhteistyössä paikallisten yritysten kanssa omia suunnitelmiamme. Tämä loi mieleenpainuvan yhteisöllisyyden tunteen opiskelijoiden ja Denverin rakennusmaailman kanssa. Suosittelen lämpimästi Design Build -ohjelmaa, joka on luokassaan yksi maan parhaista, ellei jopa paras.

Kaupunki sijaitsee kalliovuorten juurella, mikä on viime vuosina houkutellut mielettömän määrän nuoria aikuisia muuttamaan alueelle. Kaupunki muuttuu ja kehittyy hurjaa vauhtia, mikä tekee Denveristä mielenkiintoisen paikan asua arkkitehtiopiskelijalle. Opiskelijat, jotka valitsevat Denverin maisteriopintopaikakseen ovat yleensä hyvin aktiivisia ulkoilemaan, ja heidän seuraansa kannattaa liittyä. Ulkoilureissulla saa mahdollisimman paljon irti Coloradon ainutlaatuisesta luonnosta.

Opintojen alettua huomasi nopeasti studiokulttuurin eron Suomen ja Yhdysvaltojen välillä. Amerikassa kurssi jaetaan studioryhmiin, jolloin opiskelija on tiiviisti tekemisissä vain yhden professorin kanssa. Jokainen professori toimii, ajattelee ja ohjaa eri tavalla, ja opiskelijan kannattaa tutustua eri professoreihin ennen kuin valitsee, mihin ryhmään menee."

- Aleksi Vuola, Fulbright Finland Partnership Awards for Graduate Studies - The Johnson Scholarship

"Halusin lähteä Yhdysvaltoihin opiskelemaan koska koin, että erityisesti arkkitehdille kansainvalisesta kokemuksesta on suuresti hyötyä. Asuminen, opiskelu ja työskentely monikulttuurisessa valtiossa on auttanut minua ymmärtämään paremmin ihmisten toimintatapoja ja käyttäytymistä ja tätä kautta antanut hyvät valmiudet ammattiin, missä sitä päätänkin harjoittaa.

Opintojen jälkeen tarjottava harjoittelu-optio kannattaa ehdottomasti käyttää, työkulttuuri on monella tapaa erilaista kuin Suomessa ja kokemisen arvoista. Nyt olen työviisumilla töissä Denverissä, mikä olisi ollut hankala toteuttaa ilman Yhdysvalloissa hankittua koulutusta ja työharjoittelujaksoa. Muutaman vuoden aikana olen luonut loppuelämän kestäviä ystävyyssuhteita ja oppinut paljon maasta ja alasta täällä.

Denverista on loistavat kulkuyhteydet koko maahan ja olenkin koittanut ottaa kaiken irti tästä mahdollisuudesta - täällä on niin paljon nähtävää! Kokemus on ollut minulle korvaamaton ja voin suositella sitä kevein mielin kaikille."

- Pipsa Happo, Johnson Scholar

Read about Pekka Sangi's experience in the Fulbright Finland News (2/2019) article: Building with Your Own Hands

Minttu Aaltonen shares her experience in the CU Denver News (10/2019): Finnish architecture student Minttu Aaltonen comes to Denver for hands-on experience

Partner Organization Contact Information

CU Denver
Jodi Stock, Academic Advisor, College of Architecture and Planning, University of Colorado Denver
E-mail: [email protected]

What is the Fulbright Finland Foundation?

The Fulbright Finland Foundation is a private, independent, not-for-profit organization based in Helsinki, Finland. The Foundation’s aim is

• to promote a wider exchange of knowledge and professional talents through educational contacts between Finland and the United States, and
• to support the internationalization of education and research in Finland, and help U.S. and Finnish institutions create linkages.

What Makes the Fulbright Finland Foundation Program Unique?

• In addition to the grant, the Fulbright Finland Foundation offers the grantees several additional benefits and free support services, as well as access to a global, multi-professional network.
• We are looking for applicants who want to impact the future and to make a difference – applicants who want to facilitate positive change, develop and advance their own profession or discipline, and find solutions to national and international challenges in their field.

• The grantees also act as ambassadors for the Fulbright Finland Foundation, their home country, and their home organization and, in this way, do their part in sharing their home country and culture and contributing to the relations between Finland and the U.S.