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.

Schedules for supervising, submitting, assessing and approving master’s theses during the 2025–2026 academic year are as follows: Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Social Sciences

Students must submit their completed theses for assessment by 23.59 (Finnish time) on the submission deadline. The schedules do not apply to master’s theses completed in international joint degree programmes.

No supervision and feedback are provided in July, unless required in a given faculty or master’s programme. 

Theses are not assessed in July.

Schedules for supervising, submitting, assessing and approving master’s theses during the 2026–2027 academic year are as follows: Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Social Sciences

Students must submit their completed theses for assessment by 23.59 (Finnish time) on the submission deadline. The schedules do not apply to master’s theses completed in international joint degree programmes or commissioned training programmes.

No supervision and feedback are provided in July, unless required in a given faculty or master’s programme. 

Theses are not assessed in July.

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.

All licentiate theses in veterinary medicine are assessed electronically in the E-thesis system.

Theses are examined by the coordinating supervisor and another (external) examiner. Together they submit a grade proposal, while the dean decides on the approval of theses according to a separate schedule. 

Students must complete the thesis seminar before submitting their theses for examination. Detailed instructions for seminar work are available on the Instructions for Students website. For the seminar dates, see the seminar programme.

The schedule for the submission, examination and approval of theses is also available on the Instructions for Students website.

Students wishing to attend the graduation ceremony in June 2026 must submit their completed theses for assessment in E-thesis no later than on Tuesday, 7 April 2026. The schedule is binding, and the student cannot agree with the supervisor on a shorter review period.

A new assessment matrix and the new E-thesis introduced January 2025

The assessment matrix for theses is being redesigned. A single matrix has been drawn up for the medical fields at the University of Helsinki, approved by the Faculty Council in May 2024.

The new assessment matrix (link to PDF) and the redesigned E-thesis system have been deployed in the Degree Programme in Veterinary Medicine and all theses are assessed using the new assessment matrix. 
 

Assessment of licentiate theses in veterinary medicine – detailed instructions

The thesis belonging to a licentiate degree in veterinary medicine is assessed by the coordinating supervisor and an external examiner appointed by the director of studies. The examiners submit a grade proposal to the dean, who decides on the approval and grade of the thesis.

The thesis can be a literature review or a systematic literature review or include original research in the form of an experimental section.

To facilitate the evaluation, the evaluation matrix is divided into three parts according to the type of thesis:

• a literature review thesis
• a thesis including original research in the form of an experimental section
• a systematic literature review thesis

Thesis assessment is based on the areas of the assessment matrix (1–7), each assessed on a scale of 0 to 5. Area 7 (Work during the research process) is assessed only by the coordinating supervisor. For a literature review thesis, areas 3 (Research data and methods) and 4 (Presentation of thesis results) are not assessed.

The final grade of the thesis is the arithmetic mean of the area grades assigned by the examiners, where each area (1–7) has equal weight. Area 7, assessed only by the supervisor, must be multiplied by two so that its weight matches other areas. The grade is rounded to the nearest whole number.

The mean must be calculated with particular precision, and it is recommended that both examiners calculate it to verify its accuracy.

If both examiners assign the same area (1–6) a grade of 0, the thesis is rejected. If the grades assigned by the examiners for the areas of assessment differ by more than a single grade, the examiners may discuss the assessment.

In addition to the grade proposal, the examiners give the student written feedback, which must be based on criteria presented in the assessment matrix.

Both examiners must agree on the overall grade for the thesis, based on the arithmetic mean. If the examiners cannot reach a consensus on the grade, the programme director will appoint a third examiner for the thesis.

In case of disagreement, the grade for the thesis is determined as follows:  

If two out of three examiners agree on the grade, it is assigned to the thesis. If all three examiners disagree on the grade, it is determined by rounding the mean of the examiners’ grades to the nearest whole number.

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.