SCI Master's thesis
Topic outline
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NB! This old workspace closes on 31.10.2023.
From 23.8.2023 the new SCI Masters Thesis Guide can be found here.
Welcome to the School of Science Master's Thesis workspace!
All School of Science students are required to complete a master's thesis, which is a research assignment with a workload corresponding to 30 credits.
This workspace contains all relevant information you need to know about the thesis process. The main section, "SCI Master's Thesis", consists of pages that explain how the Master's thesis is completed in the School of Science from finding the topic to submitting the thesis for evaluation. Scroll down to read the pages either on this page or open them to separate tabs.
On the left-hand navigation you can find specific information for your programme. Please read it as well.
The workspace is updated by the School of Science Learning Services, studentservices@aalto.fi. We are happy to receive feedback of how we can improve this workspace to meet your needs.
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Master's thesis is written on a topic usually related to the student's major and agreed upon between the student and a professor/university lecturer who specializes in the topic. On reasonable grounds, the school may also grant permission for the thesis to be written on a topic related to the minor.
It is student's responsibility to find a master's thesis position and topic. This may take time, and therefore it is highly recommended to start searching for the master's thesis position at the beginning of the second autumn at the latest.
Where to find a thesis topic
The thesis topics vary and they can originate either from the needs of businesses and industries or from the needs of the academic community. Master’s thesis positions and topics are available for example in Aalto JobTeaser and the webpages of the departments but students can find the topic elsewhere as well. No matter where the topic is discovered, the student must agree on starting the thesis with the faculty member in charge of the major or whose field of research best matches with the topic.
It is also possible to write the thesis on your own topic without funding, i.e. your thesis is not done in a company or university research group. However, you must still find a supervisor and an advisor for your thesis.
Note that according to Finnish legislation, a master's thesis is a public document and its contents cannot be confidential. Therefore, the material of the thesis must be chosen so that it does not include any information that could be classified as a business secret.
Thesis supervisor and advisor
The master’s thesis must have a supervisor and it may have one or two advisors. The supervisor can also act as an advisor. The supervisor is usually one of the professors of the School of Science. The thesis supervisor may also be another professor, university lecturer, or senior university lecturer of the school.
When a student finds a topic that interests them, the appropriate supervisor for that field of study can be found from the list of faculty members and their research areas on the department’s webpage. Often supervisor is one of the responsible persons of the student's major. Responsible persons for the majors are listed in the curricula at aalto.fi
Please contact the responsible teacher of your major if you want to do the thesis for your minor or you find a supervisor from another school. Remember to inform your programme's study secretary about the approval as well.
While the supervisor and the advisor(s) offer support, the thesis is written independently and the student is responsible for the successful completion of the master’s thesis.
The supervisor ensures that the thesis meets all aims and requirements set by the School of Science. After the student has returned their thesis for approval, their supervisor evaluates the thesis, writes an official statement and suggests a grade for the Degree Programme Committee.
The advisor is usually from an organization for which the thesis is written and holds at least a master’s degree. The advisor is an expert in the field of the thesis, and they can give advice on the content and writing of a thesis. The duties of the advisor are agreed on by the student, supervisor and advisor.
Neither the supervisor nor the advisor may be a relative of the student or biased in any other way.
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Once you have agreed on the topic with the supervisor, you must apply for topic approval from the Degree Programme Committee. The Degree Programme Committee approves the topic, language, supervisor and advisor(s) for your thesis.
It is advisable to keep the topic compact and informative. The final title of the thesis can be changed later without a new approval as long as the topic remains the same.
Requirements for topic approval
You can apply for thesis topic approval if:
- you are enrolled as an attending student
- your B.Sc. degree has been registered
- your personal study plan (HOPS) is completed / approved in Sisu.
You should have a study plan (HOPS) for the total scope of your degree (120 credits) when applying for topic approval. The Learning Services will check your HOPS when handling your application.
Applying for topic approval
To apply for topic approval, submit the form "Approval of the master's thesis topic, supervisor, advisor and language" in eAge.
You must include a written agreement from your supervisor to the application form. Examples of a written agreement include a form linked below, an email conversation, signed memo from the thesis meeting or other written agreement.
It is recommended to use the form 206 Request for approval of topic of master’s thesis (pdf) as the supervisor's agreement.
Topic is approved at the Degree Programme Committee meeting
After the deadline is met, your application is handled by the Learning Services. We check your application and present it to be approved for your programme's Degree Programme Committee (DPC). When the DPC has officially approved your topic, we will send you an email confirmation.
The deadlines for sending the topic approval form in 2023 are listed on the Deadlines page.Topic is valid for one year after approval
Your thesis topic is valid for one year from the date of approval. If the thesis is not submitted for evaluation during that period, the topic expires and must be applied for again.
Even though the topic is valid for one year, note that the target time for completing the thesis is six months. Time used for completing the thesis affects the thesis evaluation. This time period is not calculated from the approval date of the topic but from the actual start date of the thesis as agreed and judged by the supervisor.
If you have problems completing your thesis within the target time, please contact your supervisor as soon as possible. The thesis supervisor can extend the target time if there is a good reason for it.
NB! The thesis topic and the completed thesis cannot be approved in the same Degree Programme Committee meeting. This is especially important to know if you are submitting your thesis for the last DPC meeting of the academic year and your study right is ending.Thesis topic renewal
If your thesis topic is expired, you have to apply for topic renewal. This is done exactly the same way than your original thesis topic approval. Use the same form on eAge and attach an updated written agreement from your supervisor to the form.
- you are enrolled as an attending student
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Master’s theses are research publications. Thus, both the research process and the published thesis must follow guidelines for responsible conduct of research. For a concise summary, see the guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity (in English, pages 30-33). Mainly, it important to be honest about the methods, data and results, and about how much is your own work. There are specific requirements for experiments on human subjects and for handling personal data. When you have questions, talk with your supervisor and advisor.
TurnitinTurnitin is a tool for practising scientific writing. It is a submission box where an originality report is generated of the submitted texts. It is especially used to check scientific texts in terms of unacknowledged borrowing without citation.
Using Turnitin is not required when submissing Master's thesis. Discuss also with your supervisor how they view it as a tool in your thesis process.
All students can enrol in MyCourses to Independent Turnitin Originality Check for Academic Year 2021-2022.
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When starting the thesis work, it is recommended that the student reads:
- Guidelines for master’s thesis evaluation (pdf) / Diplomityön arviointiohje (pdf)
- Typical characterization of theses grades (pdf) / Diplomityön arvosanojen kuvaukset (pdf)
These documents describe the evaluation of the thesis extensively. They help the student to write a good or even an excellent thesis.
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According to Finnish legislation, a master's thesis is a public document and its contents cannot be confidential.
Students who are preparing their theses should keep in mind that the thesis is a public document. The thesis submitted for evaluation may not contain any secret information, as information about the thesis can be retrieved from the Aaltodoc portal. Archived copies of the theses itself may be viewed at the Learning Centre in either electronic or printed form. In addition, theses produced in a digital format will be electronically sent by the Learning Centre to anyone requesting a copy.
If a thesis is produced on commission for a business, any parts of the thesis containing commercial secrets must be left as part of the background material, and not be included in the actual thesis for evaluation.
Metadata and abstract
The so-called metadata (i.e. name of author, title of thesis, name of thesis supervisor and advisor, keywords) of each thesis is published in the Aaltodoc database. In addition, all approved theses are archived in the Aaltodoc publication archives.
With the student's permission, the thesis abstract and/or full text are published on the internet. Possible permission for electronic publishing is given on the same for the student applies for thesis approval.
It is possible to postpone the date of online publishing by a maximum of one year from the date of thesis approval, i.e. the date of the Degree Programme Committee meeting, due to reasons related to other publications, for example. However, the student should keep in mind that the thesis is always a public document from the date of the Degree Programme Committee meeting where it has been approved, and accessible soon after approval in the Learning Centre as mentioned above. Notably, a patent application claiming priority to any results reported in the thesis must be filed before the date of that Degree Programme Committee meeting.
Making changes to approved thesis and metadata
The PDF/A file of the thesis cannot be corrected or changed after the approved thesis has arrived in Aaltodoc.Consultation with the legal counsel of the Aalto University has contributed to this practice. However, the metadata of the thesis will be corrected according to the author’s wishes also after it has arrived in Aaltodoc.
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The School of Science does not require using a certain template for the thesis. However, there are several available that you can use. See the links below for Aalto Word and LaTeX templates.
There are no strict rules for marginals, spacings or other document elements. Check approved master’s theses on Aaltodoc and in the library to guide your work.
Aalto thesis templates
Below are some older models and templates that show what information should be in the abstract page:
- Model of the title page: English, Finnish, Swedish (Word)
- Model of the abstract page: English, Finnish, Swedish (Word)
- LaTeX template (the result with hints as pdf, the template as zip)
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The language in which the student writes their master’s thesis determines also the language of the degree. If the master’s thesis is written in Finnish or Swedish, the language of the degree will be Finnish or Swedish accordingly, and the student receives the degree certificate in either Finnish or Swedish and an English translation of the certificate. If the master’s thesis is written in English, the student receives two original degree certificates: one in English, and one in either Finnish or Swedish.
The language of student’s school education determines the required abstracts: if the student's language of school education is Finnish, the thesis has abstracts both in English and in Finnish. Similarly, if the language of school education is Swedish, the abstracts are both in English and in Swedish.
If the language of student's school education is other than Finnish or Swedish, the abstract is written in English only.
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The master's thesis includes a seminar presentation or an equivalent presentation. The student should arrange the time and place for the presentation with the supervisor. The last possible date to give the thesis presentation is the deadline for submitting theses and applications for evaluation.
After the presentation, the student submits the thesis presentation form to the student services of the programme.
Thesis presentation form (pdf).
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According to the Universities Act 794/2004, students are required to complete a maturity essay as a part of the thesis. The maturity essay demonstrates a student's language skills and competence in the study field of their thesis.
The abstract of your master’s thesis will serve as the maturity essay (except for Industrial Engineering and Management students, please see instructions below). When you submit your thesis with the abstract(s) in the required languages, the maturity essay is considered done. When your supervisor submits a statement approving the thesis, also the maturity essay is considered approved.
Languages for the abstract
Write the abstract in English and either in Finnish or in Swedish, depending on the language of your basic education (koulusivistyskieli). Students educated in languages other than Finnish or Swedish need to write the abstract only in English.
Students who received their general or upper secondary education in Finland but completed their bachelor’s degree abroad
Students who have not demonstrated their language proficiency in national languages during their bachelor’s degree must do so when submitting their master’s thesis. In practice, this means that Student Services will send the abstract of the master’s thesis in Finnish or Swedish (koulusivistyskieli) to language evaluation by the Language Center.
To avoid delay in the graduation process and to get feedback from the Language Center before submitting the thesis, students belonging to this small group should contact Student Services (studentservices@aalto.fi) early in the master’s thesis process.
Students in the Master's Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management
Please see section Industrial Engineering and Management for the maturity essay instructions.
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When your thesis is ready, arrange a schedule with the supervisor for the evaluation and approval of the thesis. The supervisor needs about a month to read the finished thesis and write a statement. The Degree Programme Committee approves and grades the thesis based on the statement(s) given by the supervisor and the advisor. The supervisor and advisor may write either a joint statement or separate statements. When submitting the thesis, you should take into consideration the Degree Programme Committee deadlines and possible graduation deadlines.
The thesis can be approved when:
- The student is enrolled as attending.
- The topic of the master’s thesis is approved and valid.
- The thesis supervisor approves the thesis to be submitted.
- The student has given a seminar presentation and completed the maturity essay.
The last possible date to complete the thesis presentation and maturity essay is the deadline for submitting theses for evaluation.
The date of approval of the thesis will be the deadline for submitting the applications, although the approval of the thesis will not be processed by the Degree Programme Committee until after the deadline for submitting theses and applications for evaluation.
Even though the theses are submitted for approval only in electronic format, the supervisor might still require theses bound in black covers (binding model pdf). The student must agree upon this with the supervisor.
Submitting the thesis and applying for its approval
Submitting the thesis and applying for its approval is done on eAge:
- Fill the form 207 Approval and grading of the thesis according to the instructions in eAge
- Upload the final version of your thesis to the eAge form. The file must be saved in PDF/A format.
- The file name should not have any Scandinavian letters (e.g. ä and ö) or special characters. The name should be in the following format: school's abbreviation_publishingyear_lastname_firstname.pdf (for example student Jan Järvinen would name the file as sci_2022_jarvinen_jan.pdf)
The only valid and acceptable versions are PDF/A-1a, -1b, -2a and -2b. Instructions (PDF/A-format).
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This table shows the important dates for thesis approval process. The deadline for submitting documents for the Degree Programme Committee is approximately 3 weeks before the meeting.
When you are planning for submitting your thesis for evaluation, consider these dates according to your graduation and study right. You need to be present as a student when applying for thesis evaluation. This is critical especially at the end of semesters in July and December.
Submit your documents on the deadline date by 23:59 at the latest.
Deadlines for submitting applications 2023Degree Programme Committee meetings 2023
Fri 30.12.2022 week 4 (23.-26.1.2023) Mon 27.2.2023 week 12 (20.-23.3.2023) Mon 24.4.2023 week 20 (15.-18.5.2023) Mon 29.5.2023 week 24 (12.-15.6.2023) Mon 31.7.2023 week 34 (21.-24.8.2023) Mon 25.9.2023 week 41 (9.-12.10.2023) Mon 20.11.2023 week 50 (11.-14.12.2023) Fri 29.12.2023 January 2024 -
Preferably, do not use MacOS Preview application to fill in the form, because it can cause problems with forms. Use Adobe Acrobat Reader DC instead.
eAge- Approval of the Master’s thesis topic, supervisor, advisor and language (CHEM, ELEC, ENG, SCI)
- Applying for master’s thesis approval and electronic archiving
Make sure you send exactly the same version of your thesis also to your supervisor for evaluation when applying for thesis approval!
PDF forms
- Request for approval of topic of master’s thesis (pdf). Attach this form to "Supervisor agreement" on the eAge topic approval form.
- Thesis presentation form (pdf)
Checklist
After you and your supervisor have agreed on the topic of the thesis:
- Document the supervisor's agreement, preferably using the PDF form above
- Submit the thesis topic application form in eAge.
When your thesis is almost ready:
- Check that your thesis topic is valid (it is valid for one year from the date of approval).
- If your topic is not valid, apply for topic approval again on eAge.
- Note that your topic cannot be approved in the same meeting with your thesis being evaluated!
- Present your thesis. The last possible date to complete the thesis presentation is the thesis evaluation application deadline.
- Check the guidelines for writing the abstract.
- Ask your supervisor if they want a bound copy of the thesis.
When your thesis is ready (your supervisor approves the thesis to be submitted):
- Fill the eAge form "Applying for master’s thesis approval and electronic archiving"
- Attach the thesis in PDF/A format in the form. Make sure it is the final version!
- Submit the form.
- Send exactly the same version of your thesis to your supervisor for evaluation.
- Check that your HOPS in Sisu is complete and apply for approval(s) if needed.
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More information about graduation is available on the Student Guide page Graduation (the information is common for all SCI master's programmes).
The request for graduation is made on Sisu. The graduation requests are based on students’ personal study plans (HOPS). This means that your degree certificate will include the studies that are on your primary HOPS when you apply for graduation.
Thesis approved after graduation deadline
If you have completed all other required studies for your master’s degree and they are registered in Sisu except the thesis, you can request for graduation and submit your thesis for evaluation at the same time. The thesis and the degree will be registered to the shared deadline date for submitting them, although the thesis evaluation will be processed by the Degree Programme Committee after the deadline for submitting the thesis.
Example: The deadline for both thesis approval and graduation is 31.12.2022. If all your studies except the thesis are registered in Sisu, and you have left your thesis for approval before 31.12.2022, It is possible for you to graduate on 31.12.2022 as the thesis will be registered in Sisu to the completed at the deadline date even though it will be processed by the Degree Programme Committee in January 2023. This makes the thesis the last registered course in your degree. The deadline for submitting the degree certificate request will also be the date of graduation date printed on the degree certificate.
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Appealing against a thesis grade
Students dissatisfied with the grade of their thesis or doctoral dissertation may appeal against the decision in writing to the Aalto University Academic Appeals Board within 14 days of receiving notification of the decision. The appeal shall arrive at the university before the closing time of the Registry (at 15.00) on the deadline date. For more detailed instructions, please see Academic appeals (into.aalto.fi)
Errors in approved theses are corrected on an errata page
If the contents of your thesis, such as the text or a table, is found erroneous after the thesis has been approved, the errors can be corrected on a separate errata page (http://tieteentermipankki.fi/wiki/Tekstuaalitieteet:errata). Once your thesis has been approved, it cannot be altered or resubmitted to the eAge system. Instead, any errors found in it are collected on an errata page, which lists the page numbers of the errors and gives a corrected version of the text or item. The errata is attached to the thesis metatext in the Aaltodoc publication archive (aaltodoc.aalto.fi).
Please follow the instructions below.
- Write the errata and save it in PDF/A format (not PDF/A-3).
- You can download a Word-format errata template from Aaltodoc.
- The errata must include the following details: the thesis author and thesis title, page number of the error and a corrected version of the text or item.
- Please send the errata page to your thesis supervisor to obtain their approval for it.
- If you cannot reach your supervisor, send the
errata to the learning services.
- send the supervisor’s approval to aaltodoc-help@aalto.fi
- Append your approved errata page to the metadata of your thesis on Aaltodoc in accordance with the instructions given on Aaltodoc.
- If prompted, log into Aaltodoc using your Aalto username and password; you will find the link in the top right corner of the page.
- If you no longer have a valid Aalto username and password, request a one-time login link from aaltodoc-help@aalto.fi
- Append the errata page to your thesis in Aaltodoc using the form on Aaltodoc.
- Log out.
- The errata page is now be visible on Aaltodoc together with your thesis.
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Master's programmes and their majors in the School of Science are listed on this page. When applying for thesis topic and submitting your thesis, you are asked both the namea and the code of your major subject.
As the names of the majors are only in English, use the English names in all contexts (also in Finnish/Swedish abstracts). Similarly, use the English programme name wherever necessary for coherence.
SCI21 Master’s Programme in Engineering Physics
Curricula 2020-2022 / 2022-2024
- SCI3106 Advanced Energy Technologies
- SCI3107 Materials Physics and Quantum Technology
Curriculum 2018-2020
- SCI3056 Engineering Physics
SCI22 Master's Programme in Mathematics and Operations Research
- SCI3053 Applied Mathematics
- SCI3054 Mathematics
- SCI3055 Systems and Operations Research
SCI23 Master's Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management
Curricula 2020-2022 / 2022-2024
- SCI3108 Operations Management
- SCI3094 Organisation Design and Leadership
- SCI3116 Product and Innovation Management
- SCI3109 Strategy
Curriculum 2018-2020 and earlier
- SCI3048 Leadership and Knowledge Management
- SCI3049 Operations and Service Management
- SCI3050 Strategy and Venturing
- SCI3051 Strategy
SCI24 Master's Programme in Information Networks
Curriculum 2022-2023- SCI3099 Business and Organisational Design
- SCI3160 Digital Ethics, Society and Policy
- SCI3036 Software Engineering and Architectures
- SCI3161 User, Data and Design
Curriculum 2020-2022 and earlier- SCI3047 Information Networks
SCI25 Master's Programme in Life Science Technologies
- SCI3092 Bioinformatics and Digital Health
- SCI3059 Biomedical Engineering
- SCI3060 Complex Systems
- SCI3601 Human Neuroscience and Technology
- ELEC3045 Biosensing and Bioelectronics
SCI26 Master’s Programme in Computer, Communication and Information Sciences (CCIS)
- SCI3042 Computer Science
- SCI3043 Software and Service Engineering
- SCI3044 Machine Learning, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
- SCI3046 Game Design and Production
- SCI3084 Security and Cloud Computing
- SCI3097 Human-Computer Interaction
SCI28 Master's Programme in ICT Innovation
- ELEC3055 Autonomous System
- ELEC3059 Cloud and Network Infrastructures
- SCI3115 Data Science
- SCI3102 Visual Computing and Communication
- SCI3020 Human-Computer Interaction and Design
SCI30 Master's Programme in Security and Cloud Computing (SECCLO)
- SCI3113 Security and Cloud Computing
SCI31 Master's Programme in International Design Business Management (IDBM)
- SCI3101 International Design Business Management
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This page contains useful information for SCI thesis supervisors.
Where do I send the thesis statement?
All thesis statements in School of Science can be sent to course-sci@aalto.fi. This email address is taken into use in February 2023 and it replaces grades-sci@aalto.fi. You will be notified by Learning Services if your student has submitted their thesis after each submission deadline (see Deadlines), but you can send your statements there anytime as soon as they are ready.
Useful guidelines for thesis evaluation
- Guidelines for master’s thesis evaluation (pdf, opens in new tab)
- Typical characterization of theses grades (pdf, opens in new tab)
- Recommendation of the Academic Appeals Board on master’s thesis supervision (pdf)
- SCI Maturity test instructions for supervisors, master's level (pdf)
Statement templates
Download the SCI Statement template (docx) for thesis supervisors above. SCI statement template was created to be used in all programmes. CCIS programme created another template based on the common one in 2022 for their own use.
Using this template helps you to include all necessary information needed for a good statement. If you choose to use other template, make sure your statement includes the following information:
- Degree programme name
- Student’s name
- Thesis title
- Supervisor's name
- Supervisor's signature
- Second reviewer's signature if the proposed grade is 1 or 5.
The last possible date to complete the thesis presentation is the deadline for submitting theses and applications for evaluation. Student's deadlines for submitting theses are on page Deadlines.
Guidelines in Finnish
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This page includes a list of Computer Science faculty members who can supervise master's theses.
The student should contact the eligible supervisor whose area best matches with the potential topic. If finding a supervisor turns out to be difficult, the student can request help from the responsible person of their major.
Students:
Looking for a topic in Aalto? Check the wiki page for master thesis topics at the Department of Computer Science.CS faculty members' contact information: https://www.aalto.fi/en/department-of-computer-science/faculty-members.
For abstract: use the full name of the programme (Master's Programme in Computer, Communication and Information Sciences). Check your major's code and name from Sisu or SCI Majors, Programmes and Codes even if you are sure you know them. Use the programme name and major always in English, also in Finnish and Swedish abstracts.Faculty members:
The list was updated: 27.10.2022
Supervisors Supervisor Number of master's theses in supervision Potential Master's thesis topic area Aledavood, Talayeh 2 Data Science, Social Computing, Digital Health Alku, Paavo 2 Speech processing, speech-based biomarking of health Aura, Tuomas 8 Information security and privacy Brzuska, Chris 0 Cryptography, computational complexity Bäckström, Tom 0 Macadamia Chalermsook, Parinya 1 Algorithms, theoretical computer science Deny, Stephane 1 Di Francesco, Mario 1 Mobile and ubiquitous computing, IoT Ekberg, Jan-Erik 0 Fagerholm, Fabian 6 Främling, Kary 1 Garg, Vikas 1 Macadamia Guckelsberger, Christian 1 Gunn, Lachlan, Univ. Lecturer 1 Haaranen, Lassi 6 Hellas, Arto 2 Hirvisalo, Vesa, Senior Univ. Lecturer 1 Embedded systems Hollmen, Jaakko 0 Holme, Petter 0 Hyvönen, Eero 3 Semantic web, linked open data, artificial intelligence, web technologies Hämäläinen, Perttu 4 Game design and production, animation technology, human-computer interaction, gameplay innovation, exercise gamification Hämäläinen, Wilhelmiina, Senior Univ. Lecturer 8 Data mining, machine learning, computational medicine Ilin, Alexander 5 Machine learning, deep learning, artificial intelligence Jung, Alex 6 Machine learning, artificial intelligence, statistical learning theory, compressed sensing, complex networks Junttila, Tommi, Senior Univ. Lecturer 0 Computational logic, constraint programming, algorithms Kannala, Juho 1 Computer vision, machine learning Kaski, Petteri 4 Algorithm theory, algebraic algorithms, algorithm engineering Kaski, Samuel 1 Machine learning, probabilistic modelling, artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, computational medicine Kisfaludi-Bak, Sándor 0 Kauppinen, Marjo 6 Software engineering, requirements engineering Keller, Barbara 1 Kivelä, Mikko 2 Computational science, complex systems Korhonen, Ari, Senior Univ. Lecturer 1 Learning technologies, learning analytics, software visualization Kujala, Sari 0 eHealth, accessiblity Kurimo, Mikko 5 Macadamia, Speech and Language Technology Korpi-Lagg, Maarit 0 Macadamia Laaksonen, Jorma, Senior Univ. Lecturer 2 Machine learning, computer vision, multimodal methods Lai, Russell 0 Lampinen, Jouko 0 Computational science, machine learning Lassenius, Casper 6 Software engineering; processes, measurement, testing and quality assurance Lehtinen, Jaakko 4 Computer graphics, image synthesis Lindqvist, Janne 4 Systems security and privacy, usable security and privacy Linna, Riku, Senior Univ. Lecturer 0 Complex systems, computational methods Lokki, Tapio 1 Room acoustics, perception, virtual acoustics, 3D sound, psychoacoustics Lähdesmäki, Harri 2 Machine learning, generative models, deep learning & AI, computational biology/medicine/health
Malmi, Lauri 1 Learning technologies, software visualization, gameful learning Mannila, Heikki 1 Marttinen, Pekka 4 Machine learning, computational health, probabilistic modelling Nieminen, Marko 6 User-centred design, user experience, service design Nieminen, Mika P. 15 User-centered design of new product, service concepts Orponen, Pekka 0 Algorithms, data science Oulasvirta, Antti 2 Paler, Alexandru 0 Pollari-Malmi, Kerttu, Senior Univ. Lecturer 1 Databases, string algorithms Rinke, Patrick 1 Rintanen, Jussi 0 Artificial intelligence Rousu, Juho 2 Data science, artificial intelligence, predicting structured data, kernel methods, computational biology, machine learning Saramäki, Jari 4 Data science, complex systems, complex networks, social networks, network neuroscience, computational immunology Sarvas, Risto 0 Savioja, Lauri 0 Room acoustics, virtual acoustics, audio, virtual reality Sawhney, Nitin 1 Seppälä, Otto 0 Siekkinen, Matti 3 Multimedia systems, mobile computing, extended reality (VR/AR) Sorva, Juha 1 Solin, Arno 0 Machine learning, probabilistic modelling, sensor fusion Suomela, Jukka 2 Algorithms, theoretical computer science, distributed and parallel computing, digital humanities Suoranta, Sanna, Univ. Lecturer 0 Authentication, usable security, security Truong, Linh 4 Service engineering analytics for IoT, cloud computing, big data and blockchain Turpeinen, Marko 0 Uitto, Jara 1 Vanhanen, Jari-Pekka, Senior Univ. Lecturer 3 Software engineering Vehtari, Aki 2 Data science, machine learning, bayesian inference, probabilistic modeling Vuorimaa, Petri 8 Web services, web applications, web of things Viitanen, Johanna 7 Usability of health and social care IT systems, user-centred design of eHealth services Ylä-Jääski, Antti 1 Mobile and ubuquitous computing, mobile multimedia systems -
Engineering Physics Supervisor Potential master's thesis topic area Ala-Nissilä, Tapio Multi-scale and coarse-graining methodologies and their application to condensed matter systems Alava, Mikko Statistical physics for materials, complex networks, and computer science Flindt, Christian Theoretical problems in quantum transport Foster, Adam Atomistic and quantum mechanical simulations, machine learning, nanoscale surface and interface physics Groth, Matias Fusion energy technology Hakonen, Pertti Fundamental quantum phenomena in nanostructures at low temperatures, electronic transport measurements Ikkala, Olli Functional materials based on supramolecular and supracolloidal self-assembly and its hierarchies Kaivola, Matti Modern optics and photonics, various aspects of light-matter interaction, optical coherence and polarization Lado, Jose Theoretical condensed matter physics, focusing on emergent properties of quantum materials Liljeroth, Peter Atomically well-defined nanostructures with low-temperature scanning probe microscopy Kauppinen, Esko Aerosol technology, nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes in transparent and flexible electronics, pharmaceutical nanoparticles Lund, Peter Renewable energy technologies Möttönen, Mikko Quantum physics with superconducting circuits, control and readout of superconducting qubits, theory of fundamental quantum mechanics Pekola, Jukka Electron transport in nanostructures, quantum thermodynamics Ras, Robin Functional soft materials and the wettability of surfaces, water-repellent biological surfaces Rinke, Patrick Electronic structure and machine learning for material science, surface science, and chemistry Ruokolainen, Janne Functional materials based on supramolecular and supracolloidal self-assembly and its hierarchies Sand, Andrea Computational methods for nuclear materials, nuclear engineering Sillanpää, Mika Quantum phenomena in mechanical systems, superconducting qubits with micro acoustics, spin acoustics Timonen, Jaakko Experimental soft condensed matter physics, active matter, living matter, pattern formation, biophysics, self-assembly, capillary phenomena and colloidsTörmä, Päivi Quantum coherent dynamics and many-body phenomena in designed nanosystems, ultracold quantum gases and nanoplasmonics van Dijken, Sebastiaan Magnetic, magneto-optical, and spin-transport phenomena in new functional materials and hybrid nanoscale structures
Get in contact with PHYS supervisor. -
Supervisors
The list below describes potential MSc research topic areas by supervisor. You may contact any of the professors below to discuss any potential topic of your interest.
Supervisor
Research areas
Boffi, Daniele
Mathematics, applied mathematics, operations research
Brzuska, Chris
Mathematics, applied mathematics, computer science, cryptography, complexity theory, logic, formal verification, random constraint satisfaction problems
Freij, Ragnar Combinatorics, Graph Theory, Coding Theory Hakula, Harri Numerical Analysis, Computational Mathematics, Machine Learning Hannukainen, Antti
Mathematics, applied mathematics, operations research
Hollanti, Camilla
Algebraic number theory, coding theory, information theory, information theoretic security, (post-quantum) cryptography, communications, distributed systems
Hyvönen, Nuutti
Applied mathematics, inverse problems, numerical analysis, mathematics of (medical) imaging, scientific computing, optimal experimental design, machine learning
Ilmonen, Pauliina
Mathematical statistics, applied statistics
Ivarsson, Björn Mathematical analysis, complex analysis in one or several variables Kinnunen, Juha
Nonlinear partial differential equations, calculus of variations, harmonic analysis
Korte, Riikka
Mathematical analysis, elliptic and parabolic partial differential equations
Kubjas, Kaie
Nonlinear algebra, applied algebraic geometry, algebraic statistics, algebra in life sciences, structured matrix and tensor decompositions, polyhedral geometry
Kytölä, Kalle
Mathematical physics, probability theory, algebra and representation theory, computer formalization of mathematics (especially in Lean)
Lahdelma, Risto
Mathematics, applied mathematics, operations research
Leskelä, Lasse
Stochastic models, mathematical statistics, probability theory, complex systems, random graphs, network statistics, applied probability
Noferini, Vanni
Matrix theory, numerical linear algebra, complex network analysis, linear algebra, algorithms
Oliveira, Fabricio
Operations research, mathematical programming, optimisation, production systems planning, supply chain management, decision making under uncertainty (stochastic programming and robust optimisation), efficient solution methods (decomposition and parallelisation).
Peltola, Eveliina
Random geometry, stochastic analysis, representation theory, complex analysis, mathematical physics
Peltonen, Kirsi
Differential geometry and applications, geometric analysis, complex analysis and dynamics, mathematics and arts
Sahlsten, Tuomas Quantum chaos on manifolds or graphs, harmonic analysis and PDEs, random walks on groups, coupled ergodic systems, metric number theory and fractal geometry Salo, Ahti
Operations research, investment science, financial engineering, risk management, decision analysis, problem structuring methods, scheduling, supply networks, energy systems
Schiewe, Philine Operations research, optimisation (discrete/combinatorial/network), mathematical modelling, game theory, transportation planning, logistics, scheduling Siddiqui, Afzal
Operations research, energy economics, game theory, real options
Stenberg, Rolf
Mechanics, numerical analysis, applied mathematics
Tölle, Jonas Probability theory, stochastic processes and stochastic analysis, variational analysis, nonlinear (stochastic) partial differential equations, dynamical systems and ergodic theory, functional analysis and function spaces, stochastic control and stochastic finance Virtanen, Kai
Operations research, decision analysis, optimization, simulation, behavioral operations research, human performance in complex systems, defence and security applications
Earlier theses
Information about earlier MSc research projects can be found on the list of completed MSc theses at the department. Full texts of all MSc theses are accessible from the Aaltodoc publication archive. -
Below is the material for the Master's Thesis Event on 14 November 2022
Maturity test for the Industrial Engineering and Management students
IEM maturity test instructions 1.11.2020
Role of major and minor in selection of supervisor and evaluation
Selection of supervisor
As a default, the master’s thesis is written on a topic related to the student’s chosen major. The supervisor should be a professor or lecturer from the field of the chosen major (see list of supervisors below).Exceptions:
- In exceptional cases, a professor from another field may act as supervisor for a thesis in the field of the student’s chosen major. In such a case, the professor responsible for the student’s chosen major needs to approve the supervisor and confirm that the topic is in the field of the student’s chosen major (as part of topic approval). The student should send a short summary about the thesis topic by email to the professor responsible for the chosen major (cc proposed supervisor and study coordinator Jasmin Seppälä). If the suggested supervisor is other than IEM professor or lecturer, the professor responsible for the chosen major and supervisor will also discuss the evaluation criteria (since the professor responsible for the chosen major will sign the evaluation statement).
- If supervision would benefit from the specific expertise of a professor or lecturer who is not from the field of the chosen major, instead of acting as supervisor this person may also act as advisor. In this case the supervisor is a professor or lecturer from the field of the chosen major. He/she and the advisor agree on the actual supervision and evaluation, but the supervisor is ultimately responsible for evaluation.
- The student can also write the master’s thesis on a topic that is related to the student’s chosen minor. This must be marked in the topic approval form on eAge. In these cases, the supervisor must be a professor who is an expert in field of the respective minor. In such a case, the program director needs to approve the supervisor. The student should send an e-mail to program director (cc proposed supervisor and study coordinator Jasmin Seppälä). The program director will also discuss the evaluation criteria with the supervisor.
- IEM Programme Director: Jens Schmidt
- Professors in charge / Head of Majors:
- Operations Management - Lauri Saarinen
- Organization Design and Leadership - Jari Ylitalo
- Product and Innovation Management - Mikko Jääskeläinen
- Strategy - Kimmo Karhu
Evaluation
All master’s theses must be evaluated according to the SCI guidelines for master’s thesis evaluation.
For all master’s theses written on a topic related to the student’s chosen major where the supervising professor is not a professor at the IEM department, the professor responsible for the major will need to approve and sign the evaluation form in addition to the supervising professor.
For all master’s theses written on a topic related to the student’s chosen minor, the program director will need to approve and sign the evaluation form in addition to the supervising professor.Supervisors in Industrial Engineering and Management
Strategy & Venturing / Strategy
Robin Gustafsson: Strategic Management, Strategy, Platform Business, Platform Economy, Innovation Policy
Mikko Jääskeläinen (Head of the Product and Innovation Management major): Startups, Corporate entrepreneurship & venturing, Venture capital, Entrepreneurship ecosystems, Innovation, Product management, Product development
Kimmo Karhu (Head of the Strategy major): Digitalization, Platform Strategy, Digital Platforms, Open-Source, Innovation, Information Systems
Jukka Luoma: Competitive Dynamics, Data-driven Decision Making, Analytics, Competitive Strategy
Markku Maula: Venture Capital and Private Equity, Corporate Venturing, Mergers and Acquisitions
Tero Ojanperä: Platform Strategy, Business Models, Strategy, Artificial Intelligence
Henri Schildt: Digital Strategy, Digitalization, Strategic Change, Sensemaking, Industry Ecosystems, Social Organizations, Social Enterprises, Organizational Values
Jens Schmidt: Strategy, Innovation, Business Models, Ecosystems, Platforms, Internationalization
Timo Vuori: Strategy Formulation, Strategy Execution, Platform Strategy, AI in Strategy Process, Emotions, CognitionOperations and Service Management /
Operations Management
Karlos Artto: Project Business, Project Operations, Project-Based Firms, Project Networks and Supply Chains, Buying Projects, Selling Projects, Innovation, Product/Service Development
Jan Holmström: Operations Management, Design Science Research, Digitalization of Operations, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Digital Twins and Virtual Counterparts, Industrial Services, Physical Asset Management, Building Information Management
Jouko Karjalainen: Management Accounting and Cost Estimation
Paul Lillrank: Industrial Engineering, Quality and Service Management, Healthcare Operations Management, Health Systems Science
Risto Rajala: Management of Service Systems, Development of Digital Services, Service Innovation and Business Models
Lauri Saarinen (Head of the Operations Management major): Data Analytics-based Operational Management
Timo Seppälä: Digital Operations, Platform Governance, Industrial Ecosystems
Kari Tanskanen: Purchasing and Supply Chain Management
Pekka Töytäri: Customer Value, Institutional Change, Business Ecosystems and Platforms, Value Based Selling and Pricing, Sales Management, Service InnovationsOrganization Design and Leadership
Lauri Järvilehto: Startup Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Development Goals, Sustainable Entrepreneurship
Nina Nurmi: Virtual / Hybrid Work, Leadership, Work Design, Organizational Design, Virtual Teams, Teamwork, Well-Being
Natalia Vuori: Strategy Implementation, Change Management, Organizing for Innovation, Heuristics and Biases, Emotions and Cognition (identity, motivation, cognitive frames) in Organizational Processes
Jari Ylitalo (Head of the Organization Design and Leadership major): Leadership, Leadership and leader development, Organizational development and transformation, Leadership in networks, Collaboration in networks and partnerships, Dialogue in organisationsContact details: https://www.aalto.fi/fi/tuotantotalouden-laitos -
Supervisors in Information Networks
This page includes a list of master's thesis supervisors suitable for Information Networks students. You can also find more suitable supervisors listed on the IEM and CCIS sites.
If you cannot find a supervisor on any of these lists, contact the professor in charge of your major and they will help you:
SCI3099 Business and Organisational Design: Jukka Luoma (jukka.luoma@aalto.fi)
SCI3160 Digital Ethics, Society and Policy: Risto Sarvas (risto.sarvas@aalto.fi)
SCI3036 Software Engineering and Architectures: Casper Lassenius (casper.lassenius@aalto.fi)
SCI3161 User, Data and Design: Marko Nieminen (marko.nieminen@aalto.fi)
SCI3047 Information Networks: Risto Sarvas (risto.sarvas@aalto.fi).
If you are planning on doing your thesis for your minor, or your supervisor is not from the Department of Computer Science or the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, you need approval for this from the professor in charge of your major. Please forward said approval to studentservices@aalto.fi.
All supervisor e-mails are firstname.lastname@aalto.fi.SCI3099 Business and Organisational Design Jukka Luoma Competitive Dynamics, Data-driven Decision Making, Analytics, Competitive Strategy Mikko Jääskeläinen Startups, Corporate entrepreneurship & venturing, Venture capital, Entrepreneurship ecosystems,
Innovation, Product management, Product developmentLauri Saarinen Data Analytics-based Operational Management Natalia Vuori Strategy Implementation, Change Management, Organizing for Innovation, Heuristics and Biases, Emotions
and Cognition (identity, motivation, cognitive frames) in Organizational ProcessesNiina Nurmi Virtual / Hybrid Work, Leadership, Work Design, Organizational Design, Virtual Teams, Teamwork, Well-Being Risto Sarvas SCI3160 Digital Ethics, Society and Policy Risto Sarvas Nitin Sawhney Human Computer Interaction (HCI), ethical AI, human-centric AI, participatory research, voice and auditory interaction, crisis informatics, societal impact Marko Turpeinen
Marjo KauppinenSoftware engineering, requirements engineering Johanna Viitanen Usability of health and social care IT systems, user-centred design of eHealth services Marko Nieminen User-centred design, user experience, service design Casper Lassenius Software engineering; processes, measurement, testing and quality assurance SCI3036 Software Engineering and Architectures Casper Lassenius Software engineering; processes, measurement, testing and quality assurance Marjo Kauppinen Software engineering, requirements engineering Risto Sarvas Marko Turpeinen SCI3161 User, Data and Design Marko Nieminen User-centred design, user experience, service design Risto Sarvas Johanna Viitanen Usability of health and social care IT systems, user-centred design of eHealth services SCI3047 Information Networks Risto Sarvas Marina Biniari Jari Collin Mikko Jääskeläinen Startups, Corporate entrepreneurship & venturing, Venture capital, Entrepreneurship ecosystems,
Innovation, Product management, Product developmentJohanna Kaipio Marjo Kauppinen Software engineering, requirements engineering Casper Lassenius Software engineering; processes, measurement, testing and quality assurance Jukka Luoma Competitive Dynamics, Data-driven Decision Making, Analytics, Competitive Strategy Marko Nieminen User-centred design, user experience, service design Antti Oulasvirta Lauri Saarinen Data Analytics-based Operational Management Tapio Takala Marko Turpeinen Petri Vuorimaa Web services, web applications, web of things -
MSc Thesis supervisors and topic areas at NBE
Supervisor
Potential MSc Thesis topic areas
Petri Ala-Laurila
Cellular electrophysiology, neural circuits, neural coding, visual neuroscience
Linda Henriksson
Neuroimaging, human visual system
Risto Ilmoniemi
Brain stimulation, magnetic resonance imaging
Iiro Jääskeläinen
Cognitive and behavioural neuroscience
Ari Koskelainen
Cellular biophysics
Anton Kuzyk
Molecular self-assembly, biophysics, plasmonics, biotechnology, biosensing
Heikki Nieminen
Medical devices
Matias Palva (professor in charge of BME)
Systems neuroscience, brain signal analysis, digital therapeutics
Lauri Parkkonen (professor in charge of NEURO)
Neuroimaging, medical imaging, data analysis, medical instrumentation, systems neuroscience
Hanna Renvall
Clinical neuroimaging, physiology, medical applications
Riitta Salmelin
Systems neuroscience, neuroimaging methods and applications, signal analysis
Matti Stenroos
Electromagnetism, inverse problems, imaging and data analysis, cardiac applications
All people in the list can supervise theses for both BME and NEURO majors without needing separate approval from professor-in-charge. Your academic advisor or the professor-in-charge will help you in finding a supervisor.All MSc Theses supervised by NBE faculty shall have a Thesis presentation in NBE Student Seminar, unless the Thesis is done for a non-NBE major that has its own seminar series. The seminar booking should be made at least two weeks before the desired presentation day. If there are, despite early booking, no seminar slots available, the supervisor and student shall organize a public presentation that will be announced at NBE Student Seminar announcements and nbe-personnel@aalto.fi email list at least two working days before the presentation day.
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Aalto University offers support for your thesis writing process. You can seek help for academic writing, finding resources and background information for your work and contact wellbeing services to discuss the topics such as learning skills, motivation and coping with stress.
Support for academic writing: Aalto Writing Clinic
Aalto Writing Clinic supports non-native thesis writers when their thesis is written in English. They facilitate your writing process and help you improve as a writer, and provides individual writing tutoring to help you learn how to plan, organise, write and revise academic papers.
Note that Writing Clinic is not a language-checking service, and neither is it available to exchange or visiting students (schools' decree).
Self-enrol to Writing Clinic's MyCourses workspace for more information.
Contact Writing Clinic at writingclinic@aalto.fi for consultation.
Library resources and information skills
Aalto University Learning Center offers resource guides to help students with thesis writing. Find extensive guides at https://libguides.aalto.fi/en.
Starting point for Wellbeing
Aalto Starting point for Wellbeing offers students advice and guidance on services related to wellbeing. In 2022, they organize for example Theses & Tomatoes co-writing event at Zoom for students who are stuck with their thesis writing or need help finding routines for their work. The event is led by Aalto psychologist, and no enrolment is needed.
Read more at Starting point of Wellbeing Into pages.
Aalto psychologists' slideshow for thesis writers: https://mycourses.aalto.fi/pluginfile.php/569812/course/section/120146/SCI%20Writing_Thesis_NOV4_Hannu_Pesonen.pdf
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