Master's Programme in ICT Innovation
Thesis for ENTRY students
A key component in your EIT Digital Master School Program is the integrated combination of a master's thesis (30 ECTS) and an internship (no extra ECTS, included in the master’s thesis credits). The industry-based master's thesis is a core part of your education and crucial for awarding you the EIT Digital certificate.
On this page you'll find the programme-specific features related to ICT Innovation ENTRY students of Aalto University. Please also see in MyCourses for more information about the thesis process at Aalto in general (topics, deadlines, submitting the thesis, templates etc.).
If you are an exit student at Aalto University, please follow these instructions.
EIT Digital Master School's information material about internship & Master's thesis is available in the . EIT Digital Guidelines on choosing your Final Degree Project can also be found below as an attachment (you need to be logged in). Please read the guidelines carefully and note especially that according to the guidelines:
- The internship shall be carried out at a non-university entity such as a company, research institute, incubator, or other non-university organisation.
- An internship cannot be carried out at a start-up company founded by yourself.
- The internship should be carried out within the European Union or in countries officially
associated with the EU educational and research projects and with a European
company/organization. - The Internship duration is minimum 10 weeks full-time.
- EIT Digital collects The Proof of Internship from students, which is evaluated as part of the eligibility check for the Graduation Ceremony. It is also one of the criteria to be met in order to receive the EIT Label certificate.
- The master’s thesis is a public document by law in Finland. All Aalto University graduates must publish their thesis in Aalto University archive. The material of the thesis must be chosen so that it does not include any information that could be classified as a business secret. The metadata and the abstract will be published in all cases. More information in .
- A master’s thesis being a public document means that it is accessible through a closed Aalto campus network or can be sent out in electronic format upon request. 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 . Additionally, all approved theses are archived in the . Full versions of the electronically archived theses can be accessed on certain computers at the Learning Center.
- With the student's permission, the full text of a thesis can be published on the internet. The options for different permissions are provided on the online application form for Evaluation and Approval of Master’s thesis. However, the student should keep in mind that the thesis is always a public document from the date of the committee meeting where it has been approved, and accessible soon after approval in the Learning Center as mentioned above.
- A patent application claiming priority to any results reported in the thesis must be filed before the date of that committee meeting.
- 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. Errors in approved theses are corrected on an .
Instructions
According to the Cooperation Agreement of EIT Digital Master School (2023-2027), the master’s thesis shall be performed according to the rules and regulations of the exit university, and in agreement with the rules of the entry university.
Aalto entry students follow the schedule and process of their exit university. Your exit university is always responsible for supervising your thesis, monitoring the industrial context requirement, and for evaluating your thesis. Keep this in mind even if you are planning to conduct your thesis in Finland.
Your Aalto supervisor is always the local programme coordinator. No exceptions can be made, meaning that no other academic staff at Aalto can act as your supervisor.
You must still follow some administrative steps of Aalto, as instructed below. The steps required at Aalto will take place after the equivalent step has been completed at the exit university.
- Apply for topic confirmation in after your exit university has approved your topic.
- Ask your exit university to upload your transcript (incl. thesis 30 ECTS) in the Master School portal.
- Check that your personal study plan (HOPS) in Sisu is up-to-date and approved.
- Give a thesis presentation at your exit university and ask your supervisor to notify us of passed presentation at ictinnovation@aalto.fi.
- Ask your exit university to upload your final transcript (incl. thesis grade) in the Master School portal after your thesis has been registered at the exit university.
- Submit your final thesis in MyStudies by the (Note! Data Science -students: submit two weeks before the deadline).
- Send the following documents to your Aalto supervisor and ictinnovation@aalto.fi:
- exit transcript (incl. thesis grade)
- evaluation statement or other additional documents on thesis (if available).
- Submit a request for graduation in Sisu. You can do this at the same time as you submit your thesis. See graduation instruction.
Good to know about the process
- The master’s thesis is a public document by law in Finland. All Aalto University graduates must publish their thesis in Aalto University archive. Make sure that the thesis you submit to your exit university does not contain any confidential material, because the same exact thesis will later be published in the Aalto University archive.
- The thesis is evaluated by the exit university. The grade proposal will then be taken to the Degree Programme Committee at Aalto University for approval (cohorts 2018 onwards), according to the lighter evaluation process. If your study right began in 2017 or earlier, please contact the planning officer of the programme.
- Grades are translated and transferred according to the scaling table (available here) agreed in EIT Digital Master School cooperation agreements. Note that you cannot graduate from Aalto before we have received your complete official transcript of your exit university.
- Approval and grading of thesis and graduation are two separate processes applied for in different systems, but application deadlines are the same.
- The academic year at Aalto University is 1 August – 31 July. If you aim to graduate in July, consider the holiday seasons of the universities (e.g. Finland and Sweden are "closed" in July, Italy and Spain in August).
- If you graduate from Aalto after 31 July, you will be transferred ɫɫÀ² University’s local tuition fee and scholarship scheme. Aalto has no tuition fees for EU/EEA nationals. All non-EU/EEA students are encouraged to apply for a tuition fee waiver for the 5th semester of studies.
- If you need to extend your Finnish residence permit, the topic confirmation form should be submitted at the latest by the time you apply for the tuition fee waiver for the 5th semester. The application is sufficient, the topic does not have to be approved yet.
- Article format thesis of approximately 10 pages is not accepted in Aalto University.
- School of Science students who finish 60 ECTS credits and complete their degree during the academic year (by 31 July) are eligible for the Dean’s incentive scholarship of 500 EUR (subject to annual decision).
The purpose of this step is to confirm that a professor at your exit university has agreed to be your supervisor, and your thesis topic has been approved according to the regular approval procedure of your exit university.
- Follow the instructions of your exit university for finding a thesis topic, internship, and a supervising professor (sometimes called an examiner).
- Apply for thesis topic confirmation, supervisors, and advisor(s) at Aalto via MyStudies after your topic is registered at your exit university. Note the following:
- You must be enrolled as attending at Aalto when applying for topic confirmation.
- Your personal study plan (HOPS) must be up-to-date and approved in Sisu.
- The thesis topic should be word for word as it has been approved by your exit university.
- How to name your supervisors and advisors on the MyStudies form (please note that there might be diffences in terminology between universities):
- Thesis supervisor is a faculty representative who ensures that the thesis meets all goals and requirements set by the university, responsible for the instruction and evaluation of thesis.
- Your Aalto supervisor is always the local programme coordinator.No exceptions can be made, meaning that no other academic staff at Aalto can act as your supervisor.
- Thesis advisor in an expert in the field of the thesis, usually from the company for which the thesis is written, who can give advice on the content and writing of a thesis. Must hold at least a master’s degree.
- Please name them in MyStudies as follows:
- Supervisor = Aalto supervisor (programme coordinator/head of major)
- 1st Advisor = Exit supervisor (KTH 'examiner')
- 2nd Advisor = Thesis advisor (KTH 'supervisor')
- Additional information = In this field, please write "Aalto entry student".
- Your Aalto supervisor approves your application within 4 weeks (note that holidays may extend the processing times).
- You need to reapply for topic confirmation if you start a new thesis with a different topic, or your supervisor changes. In both cases, contact your Aalto supervisor and ictinnovation@aalto.fi.
Codes of majors and programme coordinators / head of majors for ICT Innovation
Name of major | Code of major | Programme Coordinator / Head of Major |
---|---|---|
Autonomous Systems | ELEC3055 | Quan Zhou |
Autonomous Systems and Intelligent Robots | ELEC3071 | Quan Zhou |
Cloud and Network Infrastructures | ELEC3059 | Jukka Manner |
Data Science | SCI3115 | Wilhelmiina Hämäläinen |
Human-Computer Interaction and Design | SCI3020 | Mika P. Nieminen |
Before submitting your thesis ɫɫÀ²:
- You must be enrolled as an attending student at Aalto for the current semester.
- Check that your personal study plan (HOPS) up-to-date and approved in Sisu.
- Ask the administrative coordinator of your exit university to upload your transcript of records (ELTE students: Certification of average of the degree in addition to transcript of records) in EIT Digital Master School portal. If the registration of your thesis grade and credits, and preparation of the final transcript takes long, you can send an unofficial transcript, or a separate statement (signed by your thesis examiner) about your thesis grade. The final transcript / final certificate is required before the thesis grade can be translated ɫɫÀ² University and before the degree can be awarded.
- Aalto students are required to give a presentation before submitting the thesis.
- If your exit university requires a thesis defense or presentation, Aalto can recognize this for the thesis presentation requirement. You do not have to give a separate presentation to your Aalto supervisor. If possible, you can invite your Aalto supervisor to follow the presentation.
- As proof of the given presentation, ask your supervisor at exit university to notify your Aalto supervisor and ictinnovation@aalto.fi by the deadline of your thesis submission. Have them include your name, the name of the exit university, and the date of presentation to the email.
- If your exit university does not have a requirement for a presentation, please arrange a meeting to give a presentation to your Aalto supervisor. An online meeting is accepted. If possible, plan this well in advance. July is a holiday month in Finland, and you are unlikely to reach your supervisor or to give the presentation then.
- Complete of your master's thesis. The abstract will serve as your maturity essay. Make sure that all basic information (e.g.,student, supervisor, advisor) is spelled correctly.
- Add the title page and abstract page that follow the templates of Aalto to your thesis. The templates are available in MyCourses in The rest of the uploaded version has to be final, and the content should be exactly identical to the version submitted to the exit university. Please note that article format master's theses of appr. 10 pages are not accepted at Aalto.
- Convert the thesis to PDF/A-format. The only valid and acceptable versions are PDF/A-1a, -1b, -2a, and -2b.
- Submit the electronic version of the thesis and apply for approval in MyStudies by the , or if you are a DSC student, submit the thesis two weeks before the submission deadline. Additionally, send the following documents to your Aalto supervisor:
- evaluation statement of the thesis from your exit university (cc. ictinnovation@aalto.fi)
- transcript of records or final certificate which has the thesis grade (if applicable at the time).
- If you have completed all other studies except the thesis, you can request for graduation in Sisu with the same deadline as you submitted your thesis.
- You will receive a Turnitin similarity report of your final thesis and can view the report through MyStudies.
- Your Aalto supervisor prepares a lighter evaluation statement that confirms the exit university’s translated grade.
- Degree Programme Committee (DPC) gives the official approval for theses in their meetings. You'll find the DPC meeting schedule .
- Following the DPC meeting, you will receive an email to your aalto.fi email address containing the final grade, statement, and instructions on how to appeal the thesis grade decision. Your thesis will be archived in AaltoDoc.
- Approximately 1–2 weeks after the DPC meeting: If you requested graduation at the same time you submitted your thesis, the graduation will be registered in Sisu.
- After your thesis has been approved and your degree is registered in Sisu, you will receive an e-mail with information about graduation and receiving your degree certificate, a link to the TEK Graduate Survey, and an invitation to participate in the Graduation Party.
When you have submitted your thesis ɫɫÀ², your Aalto supervisor prepares a lighter evaluation statement that confirms the exit university’s translated grade and will receive an official approval by the Degree Programme Committee. The lighter procedure for thesis approval means that the master’s thesis is not evaluated and graded at Aalto University, but rather confirming the exit school's evaluation.
- An entry student does not have to follow the thesis regulations of Aalto University, but only the ones of their exit university.
- The grade of the master’s thesis is translated from the exit university grade following the grade scaling table of EIT Digital Master School cooperation agreement. No exceptions or individual interpretations of the grade are allowed. All entry students of the same cohort will follow this procedure, irrespective of their master’s thesis location.
- If the thesis is evaluated with grade that corresponds to grades 1 or 5 in Aalto University, your Aalto supervisor writes a short additional evaluation to confirm the grade (decision of the Academic Committee of School of Science on 29 May 2023).
- The credit transfer and transcript exchange in EIT Digital Master School is dealt by the administrative representatives of the universities.
- An official transcript of records (and at ELTE a certification of average of the degree), including the thesis grade and credits, must be uploaded to EIT portal by the administrative contact of your exit university or sent by them to the corresponding person at Aalto University before your thesis can be registered, i.e. before the meeting of the Programme Committee. The grade will be translated based on the grade on the official transcript of records or on the certification of average of the degree (ELTE), even if it differs from the supervisor's statement at exit university.
- Aalto University reserves the right to reject the master’s thesis in case of plagiarism, whether it is detected at the exit university or at Aalto University.
ELTE students: At ELTE you will receive a Certification of average of the degree that includes separate grades for 1) final exam’s results, 2) grade of degree thesis and 3) result of degree thesis defence. Note that only the grade of degree thesis will be translated ɫɫÀ², following the grade scaling table of EIT Digital Master School cooperation agreement.
Appealing against a grade: We encourage entry students to primarily appeal against the grade at the exit university. Students dissatisfied with the grade of their thesis may appeal against the decision in writing to the Aalto University Academic Appeals Board (Aalto-yliopiston tutkintolautakunta) within 14 days of receiving notification of the decision. Address: Aalto University Academic Appeals Board, Registry, P.O. BOX 11000, FI-00076 AALTO.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this procedure, or thesis and graduation process at Aalto University in general, please contact ictinnovation@aalto.fi.