Topic outline

  • 1) Introduction to the course

    The introduction section of the course offers you a video motivating the thesis project. In case you do not know what a thesis is and what goes in to different parts of the thesis, please see file 'Thesis writing instructions' in the materials folder. This section further informs you on how supervisors are allocated and what are the rights and responsibilities in student-supervisor relationship (file in the end of the page). Below you can also find information about the possibility to do a thesis in collaboration with someone (a pair thesis) as well as information on projects that you could do your thesis for.


    One of the key problems of thesis projects is relating to poor time management. I strongly encourage you to take the “course” Time to Get Cracking – 3 week Self-study material on time management for students (https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/view.php?id=23146). To do the course would take only 3-5 hours of your time during a period of three weeks. It is worth it! It may reveal where your time is going, and perhaps encourage you to change your priorities in order to get the thesis done.  


    Doing the thesis as pair work

    It is possible to do the thesis together with someone. In case you contemplate this option, make sure you know how your collaborator works. Being a good friend may not be a sufficient criterion for selecting a thesis collaborator. Whoever you will choose as your research partner, please sit down and discuss in detail your expectations regarding the targeted grade, the resources each one of you will bring to the table and the timeframe in which you expect the thesis to proceed. In case you choose this option, please discuss it over with your supervisor. A joint thesis will be evaluated using the same thesis rubric as other thesis, but they will have the following additional expectations.

    Joint thesis

    • must be longer.
    • must have more data.
    • authors’ must be able explicate their individual contributions.


    Do you want to do your thesis for a research project?

    Doing a thesis for a project will have one/some/all of the following benefits: Access to already existing data, research questions to select from, additional support, access to organizations and people, and monetary compensation. Below you can find the file ‘Ongoing Projects of the Department’ that offers you an overview of projects that you could join in case you do not have a thesis idea of your own that you want to pursue. If you are attracted to any of the projects, please contact the person(s) in charge following the instructions given on the slides.


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2) What is a Good Master's Thesis?