Subject teachers in Finland are required to have Master’s level degree, sufficient university studies in their teaching subjects and teachers’ pedagogical studies. Master’s thesis is written in one’s own academic discipline. In many cases, subject teachers are qualified in two, even three, teaching subjects, Master’s studies in the major subject and Bachelor’ studies in minor subjects. Pedagogical studies (min. 60 ECTs) include studies in education and didactics, research studies and teaching practice (Niemi & Jakku-Sihvonen 2011). Pedagogical studies can be completed in one year, as part of the Master’s degree or separately after completing the Master’s degree. The qualification requirements described above make the role of powerful (disciplinary) knowledge (Young 2015; Lambert, Solem & Tani 2015; Young and Muller 2010) and teacher’s powerful professional knowledge visible. Before students start their pedagogical studies, they have constructed a solid basis in their own academic discipline(s) that they are planning to teach in future. How do the student teachers then combine the conceptual knowledge of their academic disciplines with the knowledge that they study during the year of pedagogical studies? How do they think about the powerful knowledge in the school subjects that they will teach? How could teacher educators support their students in the construction process of their professional identities – to create their ‘professional compass’ (Brooks 2016)? This paper is based on the analysis of the Finnish subject teacher education system and more specifically, on the viewpoints that subject teacher educators at the University of Helsinki raise in the in-depth interviews conducted in 2019. Special attention is paid to a selection of subjects: history and social studies; geography and biology; language and literature education; and philosophy and secular ethics. The role of powerful knowledge in each subject and some major strengths and weaknesses of the subject teacher education system are identified. Possible tensions between the expectations directed to subject teachers as educators and subject-specific knowledge experts will be discussed.

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