Studies in the School of Engineering for exchange students

• Please note that at least 2/3 of the courses in the Learning Agreement/study plan must be from one field of study in the School of Engineering in order to be admitted to this school. 1/3 of the courses can be selected from another field of study in the School of Engineering, or from the other three Aalto University engineering schools (the School of Chemical Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering and School of Science) or from the Language Centre or from the interdisciplinary course offering.
   
• Courses from Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture and School of Business cannot be selected, apart from the Aalto cross-school courses, University Wide Studies (UWS) and interdisciplinary courses.
  Periods I and II refer to teaching periods of the autumn term (September - December), and periods III and IV and V refer to the teaching periods of the spring term (January - May).
   
• Check carefully the language of instruction and the term when the course is offered (especially if you are applying for one term only).
• Make sure that you have the prerequisite skills and knowledge required for the course. We will check your course choices preliminarily, but in the end the student is responsible for checking the course prerequisites.
• The extent of the courses is given in ECTS = European Credit Transfer System) credits. One credit corresponds to 27 hours of work, including lectures  and other forms of instruction, exercises, seminars and independent work at home and in the library. The scope of a course can be 1-15 credits depending on the content of the course.
• A full study load is approximately 1600 hours per academic year which equals to 60 ECTS (= 60 cr). We expect incoming exchange students to study full time while at Aalto and to pass the courses with good grades. Full workload at Aalto is 30 ECTS credits for one semester.

A student from a partner university is able to complete a master level final project during his/her exchange studies in case the resources of the department in question allow it. Placement is not guaranteed even though the exchange period would require a thesis work. Priority in thesis placements is given to the degree seeking students of the School of Engineering. Please, note that also Final project applicants need to respect the deadlines for incoming exchange students.

If you wish to complete a final project of 20 - 30 ECTS, you have to apply either for the spring term or for the full academic year. The autumn term in Aalto University is not long enough to complete a final project of this extent. Normally it takes approximately 6 months to complete this kind of final project. Students must always complete their project within the time allocated (i.e. during the time when their right to study is still valid), because an extension to the right to study will not be granted.

It is important to note, that you should plan and organize your final project or project work well beforehand. Doing project work or writing your final project during your exchange is not possible without an academic supervisor or instructor from Aalto University.
At the time of applying to become an exchange student at the School of Engineering, you will already have to have agreed about a project with a supervisor at Aalto University. Applications without a professor contact and with only a general title "Thesis or Project work" will be rejected. 

Exchange students have to do their final projects in the university. It is not possible to do the final project in a company during the exchange period.

At Aalto University School of Engineering incoming exchange students can make final projects between 10 - 30 ECTS. Please, note that doing the final project at Aalto University doesn't mean a degree from Aalto University. An incoming exchange student should reserve six months for completing the final project of 30 ECTS. The final project is demanding so prepare to do it full time, especially if staying only for one semester.

Topics are agreed personally with a professor in the field of interest. There are no ready-made lists of topics. Applications with only a general title "Thesis or project work" will be rejected. Therefore, it is necessary to study the web pages of the potential host department and its different research groups in order to find out the areas of specialization. The first step is to determine the field of interest by browsing the Departments’ websites and the research at the Departments and look for "contact information" or "personnel". Please, introduce yourself and your educational background and research interest to a possible supervisor at Aalto University School of Engineering. Only in case the supervisor is found and the topic has been agreed upon by the time of the deadline of the applications, the final project can take place. 

Remember to make sure that your home university agrees on the topic and that you have a contact professor also at your home university. Due to the different educational systems and different final project requirements, the involvement of a professor from your home institution is important. This enables the professor at Aalto and the professor at your home institution to communicate during the process.

Aalto University School of Engineering has the right to reject the application if a student is applying for a Final project and he/she can not find a supervisor at Aalto and/or agree about the topic of the final project before the application deadline.

Even if you are applying to only do a Final project, please remember to follow the application process and deadlines for incoming exchange students.

The exchange students who do their final thesis and have been accepted for only one semester should notice that the credits cannot be registered at Aalto University if the right to study has finished before the thesis work is ready. In this case the exchange period needs to be prolonged. It is the responsibility of the student to arrange this well before the new semester starts.

Student Service Desk

− student certificates and transcripts of records (you can get an official digitally-signed transcript of records via Sisu).
− enrollment for the academic year (primarily through Oili)
− you can make changes to your name and address in the student register (primary address can also be changed using Sisu)
− registration of students and issues related to study rights, inc. non-degree students
− you can pick up your degree certificate, NB also during opening hours of the student advisors

Visiting address: Otakaari 4, K1 building, room 102, ESPOO/Otaniemi

Postal address: Learning Services, P.O.Box 14100, 00076 AALTO, Finland

E-mail: [email protected]
E-mail for bachelor's students: [email protected]
E-mail for master's students: [email protected] 

Aalto University's shared helpdesk: [email protected]

Our student service desk is open on

• Tuesdays 12:00–14:00
• Thursdays 13:00–15:00

Opening hours during the introduction week 28.8.-1.9.2023

• 28.8. - 31.8. 10:00–12:00 and 13:00–15:00
• 1.9. 10:00–14:00

Mail for Learning Services can be dropped at the mail box outside of the glass doors of the Learning Services hallway in Otakaari 4.

Please note also that Aalto University’s joint Starting Point will serve you in Otakaari 1, Undergraduate Centre, room Y199. 
See opening hours.

• Certificates of student status and attendance
• Official transcript of records (you can also get an official digitally-signed transcript of records via WebOodi)
• Annual enrolment for the academic year (primarily done online via WebOodi)
• Changes of name and address for the student register