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  • PRE-THESIS



    [COMPULSORY ACTIONS]
    You are here! This means you are nearly done with following two courses from DoD MA Joint Studies that are 'prerequisites' for you to join the thesis process:
    - MUO-E0002 Design Research, including the both Lecture and Essay (remote) versions
    - MUO-E0023 Thesis Plan Orientation, including both Lecture and Essay (DIY) versions.
    *Note: "Thesis Plan Orientation (MUO-E0023)" replaces "Thesis Plan Orientation (MUO-E0011)“ and "Thesis Seminar (MUO-E0004)” and it is enough to complete one of them.
    - During Thesis Plan Orientation (after the intensive week for the Lecture version), you are expected to:

    (1) draft your preliminary plan as a proposal for your master's thesis,
    (2) present your 'Thesis Plan Proposal' in your study programme/major; and
    (3) get approved your 'Thesis Plan Proposal' to proceed, 



    [MUST KNOW]
    As a result of these courses, you are expected to have an early draft of your thesis plan ('Thesis Plan Proposal'), which requires to be presented and approved by your study program/major in the following stage (PART 1). The draft of the plan includes:
    • your topic area; 
    • preliminary research question; 
    • first ideas whether you are focusing on creating knowledge on the topic or design outcomes; and
    • the types of activities for data collection and/or design processes.
    While creating the draft of your thesis plan, you can still access the MyCourses pages of Design Research and Thesis Plan Orientation during the thesis process and view relevant resources selectively (e.g. video lectures, teaching materials, etc.).

    You will be invited to the corresponding MyCourses page ('MA Thesis Platform') for your study programme / major. This is where you are engaged in the programme / major specific MA thesis process. If you haven't gotten invitation for the Platform, you may contact your study coordinator or programme director / major head. 

    Additionally, a thesis plan template is available (LINK) as a guideline while formulating your thesis plan. It is not a definite rule to follow as each thesis can be slightly different depending on the individual preference, study programme/major, approaches, etc. However, it can be useful to check already if your thesis plan considers important elements required from ARTS Thesis Guide and its evaluation criteria. 


    [CONSIDER]
    During this stage, make sure you start familiarizing your (potential) supervisor and advisor(s) via Aalto's research portal and DoD Research groups. Most research events in the university are open to public and by attending the events, you can get a good idea of topics and interests of faculty members. Knowing research groups and their members are a good practice in the phase when you are formulating your thesis plan.

    Forming a reading circle or a thesis work group with your peers at this stage can help you go through the process significantly. As a group, you can agree on a regular meeting schedule to share your thoughts on your readings and works, and exchange ideas to support each other (see "Aalto Helping Hand for ARTS Students" and "How to Give and Receive Feedback" below).

    If you have learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, you can get supports from Aalto University (LINK). See "Support for Studying" to check other supports available from the university.

    "Tutorial Videos 01" is here to share some tips. This series of videos are made for the Aalto BIZ context. However, for some of you, this can be useful to watch. 


    When you are done with these, you may move forward to THESIS: PART 1.
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THESIS: PART 1