Thesis

Student Guide

Master’s programme in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Interior Architecture

Contact people: Major's teaching staff and study coordinator

Thesis instructions for all majors of the programme

Please read the instructions below carefully, after which get familiar with the major-specific information about the thesis.

Master's thesis is a work of design, research or art - or a combination of these. Thesis is independent work and student chooses the thesis topic. With thesis work a student demonstrates their ability apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the programme in response to the command of the field. Theses always include a written component (50 000-140 000 characters). Thesis is a mandatory part of one’s Master’s degree, and will be published in Aalto's publication archives ().

Typically, the thesis is done during the spring semester of the second year of master's. Altogether it awards 30 credits which equals to half a study year’s full-time work. Thesis process is divided into three parts, each being 10 credits (). Contents and the submission of each part are agreed with the thesis supervisor.

Thesis supervisor is responsible for i.e. approving the thesis topic, advisor(s) and parts. The thesis supervisor and advisor may be the same person. Thesis advising is the responsibility of the thesis advisor, who supports the student in different stages of the thesis process. A thesis may have one or two thesis advisors. Appendix 3 in the states the responsibilities of a supervisor and advisor.

Thesis as commission

For thesis as a commission, see and Thesis contract template.

Thesis as pair or group project

Thesis can be done as a pair or group project, in which each participant must have a clearly defined independent section in addition to the common part. Please ask the teachers responsible of the thesis seminar / supervisor for more information.

1) Get familiar with thesis process and topics:

Before starting your thesis read the instructions on this page and (in Finnish here) (in Swedish here) for students. Familiarize yourself with as well as the responsible use of AI in academic work.

See the topics available for your major under the major-specific information and acquaint yourself with previous theses by browsing Aalto's publication archives ().

Choose a topic that interests you. It is advisable to discuss possible topics with teaching staff even before the thesis seminar.

2) Starting your thesis: Enroll in the ARK-E5520 Thesis seminar course according to the recommended timetable. See who could be your supervisor according to the area of your interest or topic (see teachers' field of profession here). Contact them via email and ask if they could be your supervisor.

3) Approval of thesis topic, supervisor and advisor(s): After agreeing with your supervisor, enter your thesis topic, supervisor and advisor(s) in MyStudies: . Wait for approval. Only approved topics can be presented and eventually submitted in MyStudies. Approved topic is valid for one year. If thesis is not submitted for examination within the year, you must ask for the approval of the thesis topic from your supervisor once again.

4) Working on thesis: Once the supervisor has approved your topic and advisor(s), you start working on thesis. The student and the supervisor agree on the thesis process, the date and requirements for registering the progress as 10 credit packages. The progress of the thesis is acknowledged with each 10 credits.

5) Presentation and finishing thesis (see major-specific schedules below): Prepare and present the work you have done so far as an oral presentation. The purpose of presentations is to help students finalize their work based on the feedback they get from the presentation. Presentation is not graded but is still a mandatory part of the thesis project.

After presentation, you may go through the comments and instructions you got with your supervisor and advisor. Please note the effect holiday seasons have on your supervisor and advisor's timetable and plan the meeting well ahead.

Finalize the thesis according to the given feedback. You complete an originality check of the manuscript in Turnitin well in advance. Thesis supervisor or advisor checks the report.

Discuss the date of thesis submission with your supervisor. Thesis submission schedule should be aligned with thesis presentation (see major-specific schedules below).

6) Final thesis and exhibition poster submission: Submit the final thesis in the MyStudies system before the submission deadline (see below), as a PDF/A file and max. 100Mb in size. If your thesis includes an artistic piece that is cannot be converted into a PDF file, such as video, submit the piece as an appendix. By submitting the thesis, evaluation process starts.

Send your in the format of .pdf and .jpeg to Departmental Assistant Liina Nurmi (liina.nurmi@aalto.fi). The deadline for submitting the poster is the same as with the final thesis. See instructions on the page below.

If thesis and maturity test are the last submissions of your degree, you may apply for graduation as soon as you have submitted your thesis (see step 8).

7) Evaluation: The thesis is evaluated using the . The abstract of the thesis serves as the maturity test, which is approved by the supervisor. The thesis is examined by two examiners. The other examiner can be another faculty member or an external expert from the field of study, and the supervisor is the other examiner. The thesis is graded by the Programme Committee based on the examiners' statement in the next committee meeting after the hand-in deadline.

8) Graduation: If thesis and maturity test are the last submissions of your degree, check that your personal study plan in SISU is up to date and apply for graduation.

Exhibition poster summarizes the key content of the work. The poster will be collected and shown under the main page of the Department of Architecture as a showcase.

Instructions on the exhibition poster can be found here.

To create a poster, use and fill it with the following information:

Authors’ name
Date of submission
Department
Degree programme
Supervisor
Instructor(s)
Key words
Abstract (max 2000 characters)
Selected images (diagrams, site plans, drawings, perspectives etc.; please use the previous posters as a model)

Name your file with the following style: “author name (year of graduation) _name of the project.

Please send your poster in the format of .pdf and .jpeg to Departmental Assistant Liina Nurmi (liina.nurmi@aalto.fi). The deadline for submitting the poster is the same as with the final thesis.

Final thesis submission in MyStudies

26.5.2025

31.7.2025

24.11.2025

31.12.2025

Note! These dates are also graduation dates. Apply for graduation in Sisu if thesis and maturity test are the last submissions of your degree.

Major-specific information

See your major's topics, presentation practicalities and schedule.

Architecture's thesis topics

The thesis is completed on one of the following topics, which the teacher in whose field the subject belongs and the student agree.

Building Design (Professorships: Building Design, Design of Structures, Emergent Design Methodologies, Housing Design, Computational Design, Humanitarian Architecture, Sustainable Construction, Wood Constructions, Emergent Design Methodologies)
Urban Planning and Design (Professorships: Urban Planning, Urban Design, Computational Design, Humanitarian Architecture, Emergent Design Methodologies)
History and Theory of Architecture (Professorships: Architectural Principles and Theory, History of Architecture)

Find teachers' field of profession here.

Determining thesis topic

The subject of the thesis can be obtained after a bachelor's degree has been completed. There is no specifically defined credit limit (1 studio from the field should be completed) when you can start doing a diploma thesis and apply for the topic of the diploma thesis.

Enroll in the Thesis Seminar before starting with your Thesis. During the seminar you will clarify the topic of your thesis.

Presentation

Thesis presentation is mandatory as thesis can't be evaluated in case presentation is missing.

Confirming presentation	Thesis submission to supervisor via email	Thesis presentation	Final thesis submission in MyStudies (=graduation date)
31.3.2025	7.4.2025	Mon 14.4.2025	26.5.2025
26.5.2025	2.6.2025	Mon 9.6.2025	31.7.2025
22.9.2025	29.9.2025	Mon 6.10.2025	24.11.2025
27.10.2025	3.11.2025	Mon 10.11.2025	31.12.2025

Contact your supervisor and inform them on which presentation date you are planning to present your thesis. Confirm from the supervisor that your thesis is ready to be presented at least two weeks before the presentation time.
Thesis submission to supervisor via email a week before the presentation at the latest.
Presentation: The timetable for the presentations will be informed by the major before the presentation day. Presentation time is 30 min. of which max. 15 min. presentation and the rest of the time for discussion.

This major's information is only in Finnish. Please switch the language of the page.

Interior Architecture's thesis topics

The thesis is completed on one of the following topics, which the teacher in whose field the subject belongs and the student agree.

Spatial design
Furniture design

Find teachers' field of profession here.

Determining thesis topic

Enroll in the Thesis Seminar before starting with your thesis. During the seminar you will clarify the topic of your thesis.

Presentation

Thesis presentation is mandatory as thesis can't be evaluated in case presentation is missing.

Confirming presentation	Thesis submission to supervisor via email	Thesis presentation	Final thesis submission in MyStudies (=graduation date)
31.3.2025	7.4.2025	Mon 14.4.2025	26.5.2025
26.5.2025	2.6.2025	Mon 9.6.2025 (and Tue 10.6.2025 if needed)	31.7.2025
22.9.2025	29.9.2025	Mon 6.10.2025	24.11.2025
27.10.2025	3.11.2025	Mon 10.11.2025 (and Tue 11.11.2025 if needed)	31.12.2025

Contact your supervisor and inform them on which presentation date you are planning to present your thesis. Confirm from the supervisor that the thesis is ready to be presented at least two weeks before the presentation time.
Thesis submission to supervisor via email a week before the presentation at the latest. Material for the presentation does not have to be submitted beforehand.
Presentation: The timetable for the presentations will be informed by the major before the presentation day. Thesis presentation is 45 minutes: 20-25 minutes the student's presentation, rest of the time for examiners' questions and comments.

Urban Studies and Planning in Architecture thesis topic

The thesis is completed on the following topic.

Urban Planning and Design (Professorships: Urban Planning, Urban Design, Computational Design, Humanitarian Architecture, Emerging Design Methodologies)

Find teachers' field of profession here.

Determining thesis topic

In addition to the thesis seminar in Helsinki University, we recommend taking our ARK-E5520 Thesis seminar course.

Presentation

Thesis presentation is mandatory as thesis can't be evaluated in case presentation is missing.

Confirming presentation	Thesis submission to supervisor via email	Thesis presentation	Final thesis submission in MyStudies (=graduation date)
31.3.2025	7.4.2025	Mon 14.4.2025	26.5.2025
26.5.2025	2.6.2025	Mon 9.6.2025	31.7.2025
22.9.2025	29.9.2025	Mon 6.10.2025	24.11.2025
27.10.2025	3.11.2025	Mon 10.11.2025	31.12.2025

Contact your supervisor and inform them on which presentation date you are planning to present your thesis. Confirm from the supervisor that your thesis is ready to be presented at least two weeks before the presentation time.
Thesis submission to supervisor via email a week before the presentation at the latest.
Presentation: The timetable for the presentations will be informed by the major before the presentation day. Presentation time is 30 min. of which max. 15 min. presentation and the rest of the time for discussion.

Completing your master's thesis

Before starting to write your thesis, read the instructions below, Master's Thesis Guide (in Finnish here) (in Swedish here) for students and familiarize yourself with .

Start your thesis work as instructed in your study programme (thesis seminar, pre-thesis course etc.)
Give your thesis information: topic, supervisor and advisors in MyStudies
Thesis supervisor will be selected based on your thesis topic by the process defined in your study programme. The supervisor will confirm the supervision in MyStudies.
Supervisor approves your topic and thesis advisor / advisors in MyStudies and makes sure that you get advising and feedback on your thesis.
Supervisor approves thesis part I (10 cr) and part II (10 cr).
Thesis examiners are named when thesis part II is completed. Programme director confirms the examiners, supervisor is normally one of the examiners and the other one is for example programme faculty or an external expert from the field of study.
Take the originality report in Turnitin during your thesis process according to your programme practices. Your thesis advisor checks the report.
If you plan to graduate please make sure that your personal study plan (PSP) is up to date in SISU
Oral presentation is a mandatory part of thesis work and needs to be completed before the thesis is handed in for examination (instructed in your study programme)
When your thesis is ready to be evaluated, present it first to your advisor and then supervisor to get an examination permission from the supervisor. Oral presentation must be completed before examination permission can be given. NOTE! See also "Checklist for submitting the thesis" (below)
Thesis abstract is your maturity test. Supervisor approves maturity test. (more instructions below)
Apply for examination by submitting your thesis in MyStudies (incl. written part and production part / documentation of production) (instructions below) There are four possibilities a year to submit your thesis for evaluation. Originality check and AI detection check for yout thesis text are automatically created when you submit your work and your supervisor gets access to these reports.
If your thesis includes production part and the examiners haven’t examined it in an earlier phase please contact your examiners to schedule the examination of the production part.
Apply for graduation in SISU (instructions in sisu help and in your programme's graduation page)
Your thesis will be graded in the next programme committee meeting addressing thesis grades after hand-in deadline

Thesis process management has been moved to

If you have started your thesis work before 1 Aug 2024 you need to enter your thesis information to thesis page without delay.

Enter your thesis information as soon as possible to (Supervisor, topic, advisors) and apply for approval for them. Please note that even if your topic has already been approved you need to enter the information to Mystudies AND apply for approval. These steps need to be completed well in advance before you can submit your thesis for evaluation.
NOTE! Select your programme according to your current study right. Even if you are able to select your previous programme it is no longer valid.

Familiarize yourself with the thesis instructions of your own program and find more information on the Thesis tab of MyStudies..

In the thesis tab of MyStudies

You provide the basic information about your thesis.
You maintain the basic and metadata of your thesis.
You add your thesis supervisor and advisor(s).
You submit the finished work for evaluation, approval, and archiving.
You will find the grade and evaluation of the thesis when it is approved.

The finished thesis is submitted in for evaluation, approval, and archiving.

is a digital desktop for students. In addition to the thesis process, you can find your own study support team in MyStudies, and if they offer meeting times on the platform, you can schedule appointments in the service. In addition, the most important services for students can be found on the desktop, some including appointment functionality, as well as direct links to the most frequently used pages.

If it is not possible to add the thesis information in MyStudies, you can ask for help from Sisu clinics (schedule), at studentservices@aalto.fi or by booking an appointment with your study coordinator in MyStudies.

Maturity test in Master of Arts, Architecture and Landscape Architecture Degrees

In a master's degree the abstract of the thesis serves as maturity test. If a student's language of education (language they have been educated in secondary level) is Finnish or Swedish they write the abstract in two languages, in the language of education (Finnish or Swedish) and in English. If language of education is other than Finnish or Swedish, student writes the abstract only in English and the supervisor evaluates only the content of the abstract (and not the language).
Students who have been educated in Finland in Finnish or Swedish:

If the student has completed required language studies and maturity test according to their language of education in their bachelor's degree, they don't need to complete them in their master's degree. In this case only the content of the abstract will be evaluated by the supervisor.

If the student has not completed required language studies and maturity test according to their language of education in their bachelor's degree, their abstract needs to be sent to language check to language center. Student submits their Finnish language version of the abstract in MyCourses: In addition to the language check supervisor evaluates the content of the abstract.

Writing an abstract guide (in Finnish here)

Abstract form (FI, SWE, EN)

(in English, Finnish and Swedish)

Template is not mandatory to use.

Before proceeding to submit your thesis for evaluation, approval, and archiving, please check the following:

Your personal information and study right information above are accurate and up-to-date.
You have enrolled as an attending student at Aalto .
You have provided all necessary information in "Update Thesis Data".
You have given a thesis presentation.
If you have been asked to have the maturity demonstration language checked, you have sent your abstract to the Language Centre .
Add an abstract to your thesis. It is recommended to use the thesis abstract form (above).
Your thesis file follows the structure of the Aalto thesis template and is in PDF/A format AND size of the file under 100Mb.
The artistic component of the thesis is archived in digital documentation. If you have separate digital documentation of your artistic component (pictures, audio, video material), save it as a separate media appendix file(s) to the section reserved for it, remember to add also credentials and meta information for the documentation. Please note that if the documentation is included in the written part there's no need for separate documentation material.
You have familiarized yourself with the thesis approval schedule specific to your degree programme.
If you wish to graduate, submit graduation request in Sisu.

Technical support:

IT Servicedesk (servicedesk@aalto.fi) is responsible for all PDF/A-conversion related issues
Studentservices if something went wrong with your thesis submission studentservices@aalto.fi
Aaltodoc-help (aaltodoc-help@aalto.fi) helps if something needs to be added or corrected in your thesis that is already approved and in Aaltodoc

According to Finnish archiving practices, the file should be saved in PDF/A format. PDF/A is an ISO-standardized version of the Portable Document Format (PDF) specialized for the digital preservation of electronic documents. PDF/A differs from PDF by omitting features ill-suited to long-term archiving. Library recommends ISO-standardized versions PDF/A-1a, PDF/A-1b & PDF/A-2.

Instructions on how to convert files to PDF/A -format using the different tools

More Instructions here and a few quick instruction below:
Microsoft Word 2010: File » Save As ---> Save as type = PDF ---> Options ---> Choose: ISO 19005-1-compliant (PDF/A)
PDF-XChange 4.0: Print ---> PDF-XChange 4.0 ---> Properties ---> General ---> Choose: PDF/A-1b (RGB)
Open Office 3.2 Writer: File ---> Export as PDF ---> Choose: PDF/A-1a
If you use layout software (for example Adobe InDesign) you should create an PDF file and open it with Adobe Acrobat Pro and save it again: File > Save as Other > Achivable PFD (PDF/A).

Convert the PDF file so that it is suitable for web publishing. Maximum size for thesis file is 100 Mb. The recommended size for the pdf/a document is under 20 Mb and for Theses including a lot of images under 100 Mb.

It is the student's responsibility to check that the PDF/A file has been correctly converted and that it is identical to the submitted thesis copies.

Naming the PDF file

You should name the file without Scandinavian letters (e.g. ä and ö) and special characters to the following format: school'sabbreviation_publishingyear_lastname_firstname.pdf, (e.g. arts_2013_meikalainen_matti.pdf).

Technical support:

IT Servicedesk (servicedesk@aalto.fi) is responsible for all PDF/A-conversion related issues
Studentservices if something went wrong with your thesis submission studentservices@aalto.fi
Aaltodoc-help (aaltodoc-help@aalto.fi) helps if something needs to be added or corrected in your thesis that is already in Aaltodoc

The theses and the metadata of all theses will be archived in the . The term metadata refers to the data that describes your thesis for example the title of thesis, the language, keywords and the advisor of thesis. When submitting the thesis in eAge you can give permission to publish the whole-text and/or the abstract through the Aaltodoc publication archive.

The thesis publishing date can be postponed by a maximum of one (1) year. Hence, students don’t have to publish the thesis immediately if they wish to postpone publishing for reasons related to other publications, patent applications or corporate secrets, for example. However, please note that the thesis is still a public document and it will be displayed publically. The public copy can be seen in the Learning Centre customer computers or sent via email by request.

If you do not grant permission for publishing, the archived PDF file will be available for anyone by request but it is not published online. The Learning Centre is obliged to send the digital version to anyone who wants to read the thesis.

If you have any questions related to thesis submission or saving, please contact studentservices@aalto.fi

If you have any comments regarding the data of your thesis, or you wish to make corrections, please send an email to anja.lehtokari@aalto.fi

Technical support:

IT Servicedesk (servicedesk@aalto.fi) is responsible for all PDF/A-conversion related issues
Studentservices if something went wrong with your thesis submission studentservices@aalto.fi
Aaltodoc-help (aaltodoc-help@aalto.fi) helps if something needs to be added or corrected in your thesis that is already in Aaltodoc

Please note that you have to submit the final version of your thesis to the MyStudies.

If the contents of your thesis, such as the text or a table, is found erroneous after the thesis has been approved, the errors can be corrected on a separate errata page (). Once your thesis has been approved, it cannot be altered or resubmitted to MyStudies. Instead, any errors found in it are collected on an errata page, which lists the page numbers of the errors and gives a corrected version of the text or item. The errata is attached to the thesis metatext in the Aaltodoc publication archive ().

Please follow the instructions below.

Write the errata and save it in PDF/A format (not PDF/A-3).
You can download a Word-format errata template from Aaltodoc.
The errata must include the following details: the thesis author and thesis title, page number of the error and a corrected version of the text or item.
Please send the errata page to your thesis supervisor to obtain their approval for it.
- If you cannot reach your supervisor, send the errata to the learning services of your school (addresses provided below).
- send the supervisor’s approval to aaltodoc-help@aalto.fi
Append your approved errata page to the metadata of your thesis on Aaltodoc in accordance with the .
- If prompted, log in91��doc using your Aalto username and password; you will find the link in the top right corner of the page.
- If you no longer have a valid Aalto username and password, request a one-time login link from aaltodoc-help@aalto.fi
- Append the errata page to your thesis in Aaltodoc using the form on Aaltodoc.
- Log out.
The errata page is now be visible on Aaltodoc together with your thesis.

Contact details for the schools’ learning services

    ARTS: studentservices@aalto.fi
    BIZ: opinnot-biz@aalto.fi
    CHEM: studies-chem@aalto.fi
    ELEC: studies-elec@aalto.fi
    ENG: studies-eng@aalto.fi
    SCI: email addresses to the programmes

Master's thesis presentation and evaluation process

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Masters thesis poster

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Updated: 26.5.2025
Published: 29.8.2022

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Student Guide

Master’s programme in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Interior Architecture

Thesis

Thesis instructions for all majors of the programme

What is master's thesis?

Thesis as commission

Thesis as pair or group project

Thesis process in a nutshell

Exhibition poster instructions

Thesis submission dates

Major-specific information

Architecture

Architecture's thesis topics

Determining thesis topic

Presentation

Landscape Architecture

Interior Architecture

Interior Architecture's thesis topics

Determining thesis topic

Presentation

Urban Studies and Planning

Urban Studies and Planning in Architecture thesis topic

Determining thesis topic

Presentation

Completing your master's thesis

Thesis process steps briefly

NOTE! If you have started your thesis work before 1 Aug 2024 READ THIS

Maturity test guidelines

Maturity test in Master of Arts, Architecture and Landscape Architecture Degrees

Guide for writing the abstract and forms

Thesis template

Checklist for submitting the thesis

Before proceeding to submit your thesis for evaluation, approval, and archiving, please check the following:

Technical support:

How to create a PDF/A file

Naming the PDF file

Technical support:

Thesis data in the Aaltodoc publication archive

Technical support:

Errors in approved theses

Contact details for the schools’ learning services

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