Topic outline

  • WAT Personal Learning Portfolio 2020-

    NOTE: This page is no longer updated. Please, see here for the updated information on WAT Portfolio, Master's Thesis process, and well-being:

    Course: WAT Personal Learning Portfolio, Topic: Master's Thesis Process (aalto.fi)

    However, you can still submit your final portfolio version through the submission box in this page.



    These pages provide you information about Personal Learning Portfolio (PLP) that all WAT degree students will do as part of their studies. For general information related to your studies, please have a look at the Into pages of our WAT Master's Programme. 

    The aim of the portfolio process is: 

    • To assess and reflect your summative learning, based on your Personal Study Plan (PSP) -> This also helps you to plan your future studies 
    • To learn to document your skills and knowledge
    • To do all this together with your fellow students (mentor group) and your Aalto mentor


    The portfolio process runs throughout the entire Master's Programme, and you have to submit your final portfolio before graduating from our Master's Programme. It does require time, but you are also credited for that: 2 credits of WAT-E1100 course are allocated for the portfolio process, corresponding some 54 hours of work. 

    Majority of the work on portfolio is done individually as well as with Mentor Groups that were formed during the WAT Orientation Days. You must include a short reflection of your meeting as an Annex to your portfolio. For more details, see the instructions document below. 

    The portfolio process also includes meetings with your Aalto Mentor (a member of WAT staff). Timetable for those meetings is agreed separately with your mentor.  

    In order to keep track of your portfolio process, you must submit an updated version of your portfolio through Submission sub-page on left (requires Aalto login). For more information, browse these pages or contact Meeri or Marko. 


    WAT Common Courses and Advanced Courses

    The portfolio process aims to ensure that you make most out of your Master's studies, and it therefore links closely to your personal Study Plan (PSP). To help you plan your studies, the diagram below (also available below as a separate file) shows the timetable for WAT common courses i.e. 2courses (in orange during Period I) as well as advanced courses in (in different shades of blue in Periods II-V).   

    WAT courses for 2020-21

  • Submission of your portfolio

    Portfolio is an evolving document that you update regularly after you have completed a new set of courses. Meetings with with your Mentor Group are intended to help you to reflect your learning and to share your experiences. 

    In order to keep track of your portfolio process, submit a new version of your portfolio as advised below.

    Note: Before you graduate, you should submit the final version of your portfolio (named accoringly) and inform us about it by email (meeri.karvinen(at)aalto.fi). If you want to join the WAT alumni contact list, make sure you provide your contact information in the final portfolio file, or by email.

    You can submit your portfolio in two different ways that you can select yourself:


    1) Through Discussion Forum by adding a New Discussion Topic with your name as a title and your portfolio as an attachment to your topic. After, submit new versions of portfolios by replying to your original Discussion Topic.

    -> This allows you to browse through your portfolio and see how it has evolved. Your portfolios are also visible to other Aalto students browsing through these pages, and you can thus e.g. share your portfolio with your group.


    2) Through Assignment link provided below

    -> This allows you to submit your portfolio so that it is visible only for AaltoWAT teachers. Note that the different versions of portfolio you submit through assignment are not visible even to yourself, so make sure to keep a personal copy of the different versions. 


    Note: If you make an electronic portfolio (e.g. website), print the current version of the portfolio as .pdf-document and submit it as your current version.


  • Master's Thesis process

    NOTE: This page is no longer updated. Please, see here for the updated information on WAT Portfolio, Master's Thesis process, and well-being:

    Course: WAT Personal Learning Portfolio, Topic: Master's Thesis Process (aalto.fi)


    This page contains instructions concerning the Master's Thesis process in WAT programme and Aalto School of Engineering. 

    Please do also read the two key documents i.e. Thesis instructions and Thesis checklists: they are available as .pdf below. 

    Make sure you also read the INTO pages concerning Completing your Master's Thesis and Graduation.

    You can also find some links to the courses offered by the Language Center, and a Discussion Forum to share other beneficial links, hints, thoughts and for example to find peer support or ask practical questions concerning the thesis.

    WAT Master's Thesis process

    The Thesis process is a compulsory part of WAT studies, so please make sure you are familiar with it. The detailed instructions are in the pdf document below, but the main steps of the process are:

    1. Attending (listening to) one Master's thesis seminar
    2. Presenting your research proposal in WAT Master's thesis pre-seminar
    3. Attending a Finalizing session
    4. Presenting your finalized thesis in WAT Master's thesis seminar

    The Thesis schedule 

    The Thesis is scheduled for the 2nd study year's spring semester, but the implementation depends on your individual study plan. You should, however, start thinking about your interest areas already during the 1st study year and start the Thesis process in the spring term, or the 2nd year's autumn term by attending one Master's Thesis seminar and reading the Aalto ENG guidelines for Master's Thesis (please see the instructions for details).

    The Thesis work starts by contacting a WAT professor and agreeing on the topic. The actual work should take around 6 months, during which you will write a research plan and present it in the WAT pre-seminar, write the thesis and attend the finalizing session, and present the finalized theses in WAT Master's Thesis seminar.

    WAT Master's Thesis seminar dates

    SPRING 2023: Wednesdays on Jan 18th; Feb 15th; March 15th; April 12th; May 17th; June 14th.

    The seminar starts always at 15.00 (3pm sharp) @Water Building room 247a (following the seminar through Teams is still possible, but presenters ought to attend at campus).

    The pre-seminar takes place in the same room (and Teams channel) at 14.00. The time of the finalising session will be agreed with the registered participants each month separately.

    REGISTER to the seminar, pre-seminar and finalising session at least one week before the planned date by sending an email to meeri.karvinen(at)aalto.fi. When registering to the pre-seminar and seminar, please, remember that you need to agree on the presentation date with your thesis supervisor and advisor(s).

    Applying the thesis topic and evaluation/approval

    You need to apply for the Master's Thesis topic, and for Master's Thesis evaluation and approval at least two weeks prior to a degree programme committee meeting. Please, see WAT pages in Into for detailed information and the programme committee meeting dates: Completing your thesis

    The evaluation form used to grade your thesis, see here.


    Useful links 

    Below you can find links to other Thesis-related pages and courses in Into and MyCourses. Please, use the Discussion forum to share the pages and courses you have found useful, so that we can add them into this page!

    Into-pages
    • WAT Programme's main page
      • AaltoENG instructions for master's thesis, Thesis styleguides, Thesis templates, Application deadlines, Turnitin links etc..

    (Completing your thesis is under the title Planning your studies)

    Courses facilitating the thesis process

    List of published WAT Master's thesis

  • Well-being

    Studying can be hard and stressful, and Aalto University pays therefore a special attention to student well-being. 

    Both mental well-being and physical health are significant for academic success. Therefore:

    • Take care of yourself physically by exercising regularly, eating well and getting enough sleep. Also see a nurse or doctor promptly if health concerns arise: Finnish Student Health Services YTHS are your first stop for this.
    • Maintain your social well-being by staying connected to friends and family at home and becoming involved on campus to make new friends at Aalto. We all need friends and activities that provide relaxation and fun.
    • Care for yourself emotionally. Transitioning to a new university community can be stressful and you may have feelings and worries that you do not normally experience. It is important to be aware of your feelings and reactions, and reach out for support early on if you feel that you are having difficulties with coping. Aalto's Learning Services has an excellent Psychology Service that offers counselling and support for learning, motivation, self-regulation, study skills, coping with stress and career choice. 
    • Set yourself up for academic success by establishing personal goals, learning time management strategies and strengthening your study skills. Our Personal Learning Portfolio process and related mentoring process helps you in this, so please reach out to your mentor if you need guidance. Also have a look at Into's Study Skills pages, and reach out to our study advisers if needed. 


    Time management strategies
    Planning and managing your study time is extremely important for your well-being. It is therefore good to check regularly whether you are actually using your time for those things that are meaningful and valuable for you.

    Your calendar provides information about your activities, making visible what is important to you and where you are actually allocating your resources. It is worth checking once in a while how consciously you are directing these choices and whether you are happy with them. Sometimes our goals and actions are not supporting each other: it is important to be aware of this and act accordingly.

    There are also several good websites related to study-related time management strategies and skills available. One place to start is this site: https://into.aalto.fi/display/enopisk/Self-management+and+time+management



    For more information on well-being, study advising and study skills, visit following pages: 


    In addition, we encourage you to make use of your peer students and Aalto mentors. Our study and career planning psychologists are also very happy to help whenever you feel like that.