SCI Master's thesis

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.