Grading of Master's and licentiate theses

A master’s degree includes a written master’s thesis worth 30 credits. In licentiate programmes, the licentiate thesis in veterinary medicine and the advanced studies theses in dentistry and medicine are worth 20 credits.

Theses are graded on a scale from 0 to 5. The grade awarded for a master’s thesis is taken into account when calculating the overall grade for advanced studies. The assessment is conducted in Finnish, Swedish or English.

Master’s theses, licentiate theses and advanced studies theses are examined by two examiners as specified by the faculty council. Different faculties and degree programmes have different appointment procedures and requirements for the examiners; please check the guidelines for each degree programme separately.

A master’s thesis must demonstrate the student’s ability for scientific thinking, knowledge of the subject matter, grasp of research methods and academic writing skills. More detailed provisions and instructions for writing a master’s thesis are provided in the curricula of the degree programmes. Theses must always include a summary. In many degree programmes, the summary is examined as a maturity test proving the student’s proficiency in the language of their secondary education. The examination and grading of the thesis must focus on the part of the work completed by the student independently even if the thesis is part of a wider research project or team effort.  

Please read also the instructions on the public availability, publishing and archiving of a thesis.

The faculty council issues regulations on the grading procedure. When you are grading a master’s thesis, you can make use of the degree programme-specific assessment matrix and, if one is available in your program. If necessary, read more on the instructions prepared for assessing the structure and content of a thesis. The different parts of a master’s thesis are graded numerically and, if necessary, verbally. Many degree programmes accept the maturity test as a summary of the master’s thesis. Assessment of the new theses is examiner specific. Each examiner must always edit the assessment form in E-thesis.

Before the assessment, please check the degree programme-specific instructions for

• submission instructions and examination schedule
• the structure and content of the work (instructions provided for students)
• assessment criteria/assessment matrix

When examining a thesis:

• examine and assess the work with the help of the assessment matrix
• approve the maturity test, if one has been completed

The assessment process may involve disagreements among the examiners or between the student and the examiners. Faculties and degree programmes have prepared instructions for how to proceed if disagreements arise.

The dean will decide on the approval and grading of theses required for second-cycle degrees. The faculty council issues regulations on the grading procedure. Once the thesis has been approved and graded, the grade will be registered by Student Services within one month. The student may not change their specialisation once a thesis included in their degree has been approved and graded.

It is not possible to try to improve the registered grade of a master’s degree. If the student is not satisfied with the grade awarded to their work, they may submit an appeal for the examination of the thesis. Instructions for submitting an appeal can be found under Instructions for Students.

A maturity test is a scholarly text related to the field of the student’s thesis, such as a part of the thesis or its abstract or another piece of written work defined in the curriculum of the degree programme.

Maturity tests demonstrate students’ familiarity with the field of their thesis.

Maturity tests are graded on a pass–fail basis. The person marking and approving a maturity test is usually a teacher in the degree programme (e.g., the thesis supervisor). The person approving a maturity test must be proficient in the language of the test.

If your degree programme uses the E-thesis system to assess theses, please provide information on the approval of a maturity test in the assessment form at the examination stage. Information on the approval of the test will be passed on, and the test will be recorded as completed in the student information system.

A maturity test is an independent study attainment, but it is recorded in the student information system as having a scope of 0 credits.

In what language do students complete their maturity test, and do they demonstrate their language skills through the test?

The language of a maturity test depends on whether the student completed one for their bachelor’s degree and on the language of their secondary education.

• If the language of the student’s secondary education was Finnish or Swedish and their bachelor’s degree included a maturity test taken in that language, the student can complete their maturity test at the master’s level in Finnish, Swedish, English or the language of their thesis. They no longer need to demonstrate their language skills through the maturity test, but rather must demonstrate their familiarity with their field of the thesis. In other words, the maturity test must be marked and approved only in terms of content.

• If the language of the student’s secondary education was Finnish or Swedish, but their bachelor’s degree included no maturity test in that language (e.g., the student completed their bachelor’s degree outside Finland), the student must take a maturity test in the language of their secondary education. In doing so, they demonstrate both their language skills and their familiarity with the field of the thesis. In other words, the maturity test must be marked and approved in terms of both content and writing.
  
  This also applies to students in an English-language master’s programme and those completing an English-language degree in a multilingual master’s programme.

• If the language of the student’s secondary education was not Finnish or Swedish or if the student completed their secondary education in a country other than Finland and is studying in a Finnish- or Swedish-language master’s programme or in a multilingual master’s programme in Finnish or Swedish, the student can take a maturity test in Finnish, Swedish, English or the language of their thesis. In doing so, they demonstrate their familiarity with the field of the thesis. In other words, the maturity test must be marked and approved only in terms of content.
• If the language of the student’s secondary education was not Finnish or Swedish or if the student completed their secondary education outside Finland and is studying in an English-language master’s programme or in a multilingual master’s programme in English, the student must take a maturity test in English. In doing so, they demonstrate their familiarity with the field of the thesis. In other words, the maturity test must be marked and approved only in terms of content.