Topic is applied electronically in eAge system (enter application form). With the application you must attach a confirmation about the topic from your supervisor (for example a screenshot of an e-mail discussion or a separate document).

You can apply for thesis topic approval when:

• you have completed your Bachelor's degree (graduation date passed)
• you have an approved personal study plan for the Master's degree

The thesis topic and the completed thesis cannot be approved in the same committee meeting. The Master’s thesis topic is valid for one year from the date of approval. However, the target time for completing the thesis is six months. Time used for completing the thesis affects the thesis evaluation. Note, that this time period is not calculated from the approval date of the topic but from the actual start date of the thesis as agreed and judged by the supervisor.

If you have problems completing your thesis within the target time, please contact your supervisor as soon as possible. The thesis supervisor can extend the target time if there is a good reason for it.

Re-approval of the topic is needed if:

• the topic expires before the thesis is ready (same topic can be re-approved)
• the topic changes significantly (minor changes to the title don't require re-approval)
• the supervisor and/or the advisor(s) change

Support courses for thesis writing:

• ELEC-E0210 Master's Thesis Process
• LC-1320 Thesis Writing for engineers (MSc) (w)
• LC-1315 Tools for Master's Thesis
• LC-7109 Tieteellinen kirjoittaminen maisteriopiskelijoille

Other support services:

• Writing clinic (language support for writing in English offered by the language center)
• Starting Point of Wellbeing’s Theses & Tomatoes
• Turnitin (online tool for practicing scientific writing and prevention of plagiarism

Write your thesis on a master's thesis template. Two templates are available:

• Thesis template for LaTeX (recommended). For LaTeX use Aalto provides free accounts for students on Overlief (a web-based Latex tool) or you can download a free Latex software on your own computer.
• Thesis template for Microsoft Word.

Please note that the Master’s thesis is a public document once it has been approved. The thesis can't have any confidential sections. If there are confidential sections, only the "visible" part of the thesis will be evaluated and the thesis must form a coherent whole also without the concealed parts. Read more about theses as public documents.

In order to have your Master's thesis approved:

• check the application deadlines (see topic approval section above)
• convert your thesis into pdf/A format (instructions)
• fill in the online application form in the eAge system for the approval of your thesis
• attach a pdf/A version of your thesis in the online application form
• if you also want to apply for graduation, see the instructions under Graduation.

Please make sure that the electronic version submitted in the application is the final and corrected version of your thesis. Your supervisor will write the evaluation statement on the basis of this electronic version. Also, this version is the one that will be evaluated by the degree programme committee. In addition, this will be the archive version which is used for example as the official copy of the thesis in thesis grade appeal cases.

The degree programme committee evaluates and grades the thesis based on the written statement and grade proposal provided by the thesis supervisor. The evaluation statement will be provided to the student after the Committee meeting and at the same time when the student receives information on the Committee's decision. The evaluation decision is subject to appeal, i.e., students dissatisfied with the evaluation may submit an appeal.