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Student Guide

Master's Programme in Finance

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Thesis

Master鈥檚 thesis seminar in Finance

The programme studies include a Master's thesis. The thesis demonstrates readiness for specialized knowledge in finance, scientific and critical thinking, and problem solving skills. The thesis also measures proficiency in project management and collaborative skills, research methods, and analysis skills. 

Students are required to actively participate in the seminar (see below), submit a master's thesis, and complete the maturity test (abstract).

All students in the Master鈥檚 programme in Finance must complete the mandatory thesis seminar. This seminar helps students prepare and complete their thesis. The seminar generally extends over one or two semesters and is organized during both autumn and spring semesters.

During the semester(s) you will be required to complete and attend the following mandatory sessions: (1) one kickoff session and data session at the start of the semester, (2) at least one meeting with your supervisor per semester, and (3) a seminar presentation session at the end of each semester with your supervisor鈥檚 group (in December or May). The thesis seminar is graded as pass/fail.

The master鈥檚 thesis seminar in Finance follows a structured seminar schedule and students should submit their master鈥檚 thesis report (research proposal or a complete thesis) at the end of either semester.

Prerequisites

Students must have graduated with a bachelor鈥檚 degree. Master鈥檚 students of the Master鈥檚 programme in Finance are recommended to start their thesis work at the start of their second year of their master鈥檚 studies. An earlier start is possible, with the requirement that the student has completed at least four (4) master鈥檚 level Finance courses.

Registration

Registration for groups starting in the autumn term (period I) opens in May (previous spring term) and closes in late-August. For seminar starting in spring terms (period III) registration is open during December.  The programme Planning Officer will notify you via email when enrolment is open in Sisu.

To register, enrol to 28E99905 Master's Thesis Seminar in Sisu. Answer the additional questions about your thesis topic, possible pair thesis and preferred supervisor. It is recommended to think about the topic of your thesis beforehand, but it doesn't have to be precisely outlined when enrolling to the seminar. A topic or at least a topic area helps to match your research interest with the right supervisor.

You will be allocated to a seminar group in the beginning of the term and your thesis supervisor will inform you on a more detailed seminar schedule and further instructions. It is important that you attend the mandatory kick-off session and data session at the beginning of term (online or on campus).

Writing your master's thesis

You need to write a master鈥檚 thesis in accordance with the instructions given by your programme. The associated master鈥檚 thesis seminar will help you in the writing process, as will your designated thesis supervisor. Please note that you must be enrolled as an attending student for the right to study which relates to the master鈥檚 thesis you are writing.

The Master's thesis process has changed in January 2025 with the introduction of a new thesis functionality in MyStudies portal. To start the thesis process in MyStudies, you must apply for supervisor approval in MyStudies. You can send the application when you have your preliminary thesis topic and you have been assigned a thesis supervisor. Please note that the supervisor must be approved in MyStudies before you can submit the thesis for evaluation. 

Master鈥檚 thesis process

  1. Read more about the thesis seminar of your programme on Sisu.
    • You will find the seminar in your personal study plan or through the curriculum page of your programme.
  2. Register for the thesis seminar on Sisu.
  3. Agree on thesis topic and supervisor according to the instructions of your programme鈥檚 thesis seminar.
  4. Once you have a preliminary thesis topic and you have been assigned a thesis supervisor, apply for supervisor and topic approval in MyStudies > Thesis-tab
  5. Take part in the seminar work and write your thesis.
  6. You can use Turnitin proactively during your thesis work. Before submitting your final thesis, you can run a Turnitin check in the MyCourses workspace. More information:
  7. The abstract of your thesis acts as your maturity essay. Read more about the maturity essay further down on this page.
  8. Finalize the thesis and format the thesis file for submission.
    • Practice saving the thesis in the correct format before the deadline date, because if you encounter any problems, you might not have time to fix them on the day your thesis is due.
  9. Submit the final thesis for evaluation in MyStudies.
    • See the submission deadlines under the Graduation tab > heading Graduation timetables. Submission deadlines are the same as graduation dates (June is exception).
    • If you have written your thesis together with another student, both of you need to submit the same file for evaluation.
    • You have to be enrolled as an attending student for the right to study to which the master's thesis relates.
  10. After submitting the thesis:
    • If you have completed all other studies except the thesis, you can apply for graduation in Sisu with the same deadline as you submitted your thesis.
    • Your supervisor will evaluate and grade the thesis. The final grade will be marked on MyStudies and theses will be registered in Sisu. You can view the final grade from Sisu ja MyStudies and download the evaluation statement from MyStudies.
    • The abstracts of bachelor's and master's theses will always be openly published in the Aaltodoc publication archive together with other metadata of the theses. Read more about theses as public documents here.

Maturity essay

You must write what is called a 鈥榤aturity essay鈥 as part of your thesis process. The maturity essay is obligatory for a bachelor鈥檚 degree and for a master鈥檚 degree. The purpose of maturity essay is:

  1. to demonstrate conversance with the subject area of your thesis, and
  2. to demonstrate, if necessary, your proficiency in the language of your primary and secondary education.

You only need to demonstrate your language proficiency once: in connection with the first maturity essay you complete.

The maturity essay at the master鈥檚 level

The abstract of your thesis will serve as your maturity essay.

You need not write any other maturity essay. No separate submission of the abstract is needed, for it is submitted, evaluated and approved as part of the thesis. Use the template for writing your abstract. Instructions on submitting the thesis and maturity essay are available on this page under Instructions for the master's thesis.

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