Instructions for planning your studies
An essential and required part of your studying at Aalto is your study planning. Planning your studies will give you the broad outlines of them in their entirety, helping you to build up your own competencies and expertise in the direction that interests you.
The Universities Act (558/2009) (in Finnish), Aalto’s degree regulations and your programme’s curriculum determine a portion of your degree’s content, while a portion can be chosen by you yourself according to your interests, goals and life situation. Your minor, thesis topic and elective studies are all examples of studies that you may quite freely plan. You may also decide to go on a student exchange programme or complete studies at other Finnish universities.
- For details, see the curriculum for your programme on your programme pages. The curriculum can be found under the heading Curriculum. The curriculum tells you what kinds of courses and study modules make up your degree and what your different options are for completing them.
- Acquaint yourself with the Student Guide’s listing of minors and courses you can place into the elective studies. You can also read about exchange studies or studying at other Finnish higher education institutions.
- Start writing your personal study plan (‘HOPS’) in Sisu, the student information system. Sisu has a prepared template for making your study plan, and Sisu will prompt you to fill in the fields that are required.
- See the School of Business’ guidelines for preparing your HOPS (attachment below this list) if you study in the Finnish-medium Bachelor's Programme in Business or any of the Master's programmes. The guidelines offer advice on common selections and decision-making situations when making a study plan.
- Make your selections with care, reading Sisu’s instructions (see the bar in the right margin).
- You can edit your study plan later, supplementing it with elective studies, for example.
- First-year business (‘mursu’) students in the bachelor’s programme can choose only first-year studies. The remainder of the studies are planned after students have decided on their majors.
- If you have already completed some studies in another higher education institution, you can apply to have their credits transferred to Aalto. See the instructions on credit transfer before you apply. The studies for which credit was transferred must be included in your degree.
- Make a schedule plan in Sisu, i.e. add your courses to the timeline for the academic year and the periods. Some programmes have made ‘timing templates’ in Sisu. The templates help you place your compulsory courses in the right order. As for elective studies, you must schedule them yourself.
- You can find course teaching periods from the Sisu course information sheet by clicking on the course code in the study plan.
- You should complete about 12 credits per period. That will give you about 60 credits for the academic year. When there are less than 12 credits per period in the timing template, you can put minor studies, language studies or elective studies there.
- You can plan your schedule freely according to your own situation, but remember to keep in mind the Kela provisions and limits to providing student financial aid as well as the limits to the time remaining in your right to study. Scholarships can also have requirements about the progression of your studies.
- When you are planning to start a minor, check if their is a specific order in which to take the minor studies or if there are compulsory prerequisites. To find out about such an order, see the page of the minor. Regarding the prerequisites, see the course information sheet on Sisu.
- Plan exchange studies well ahead of time. If you are going on an exchange, check what studies are scheduled to occur during your exchange term and move them earlier or later as necessary.
- Update your study plan on a regular basis as necessary. Your plan may change or you may find an interesting course or minor only later on. Throughout your university studies, you should update your plan to meet your current needs.
- Remember to update the course versions to match those of the academic year you’re in.
- The Sisu study plan is of practical assistance in many situations related to your studying, as when you are selecting or applying for studies. If you take exchange studies abroad or studies at a different Finnish higher education institution, they must be marked in the study plan as well.
- You need the study plan also to register for courses and to apply for graduation.
The planning officer for your programme can help you with study planning. The planning officer can:
- talk with you about the compulsory selections in your studies,
- advise you on how to find the information you need for exchange studies or for studying at a different Aalto school,
- review your study plan to ensure that it complies with the rules and instructions, and
- help you in all other matters related to studying and study planning.
To reach your planning officer, see the page Contact.
In some situations, you may have to make a study plan first outside of Sisu. This may be the case if you have lost your right to study or if it has expired, leaving you without an Aalto account (username and password).
In such cases, you need to include the form for extended time or for reinstatement of your right to study as an attachment. You can write up your study plan freely or use the Excel template:
MSc (Econ & Bus Admin) study plan (HOPS), Excel template (BIZ Master’s Programmes)
Instructions for making your study plan in Sisu
If you have any technical questions about your personal study plan or course registration in Sisu, contact your programme's planning officer or send an email to programmes-biz@aalto.fi.
Sisu instructions: front page
The front page of Sisu instructions for students
Registering for courses at School of Business
Register for courses in Sisu. The course registration covers both the teaching and the course exam, i.e. the first exam of the course (instructions for registration). The registration period usually starts four weeks before the beginning of the study period and ends either a week before the beginning of the period or a week after that. Check the registration dates for each course in Sisu.
Register for the courses in time since late registrations might not be accepted. The time of registration is otherwise not taken into account when confirming the participants.
If the course does not have a limited number of participants, the registration is usually confirmed by Sisu right away. If the course size is limited, the registrations are confirmed after the registration period has ended. Usually, Sisu confirms the registration automatically but for some course, this is done manually so it might take a bit longer.
During the registration period, Sisu estimates whether you would be accepted to the course based on the current situation. However, the situation might change so check your registrations right after the registration period has ended.
If the course has a limited size, it has usually also been defined who are prioritised in course registrations (e.g. students of a certain major or Master's programme). If all the members of the same prioritisation group cannot be accepted, Sisu draws lots between them.
You can cancel your course registration during the registration period and drop a course after the teaching has begun. For some courses, there is an extended cancellation period in use which allows you to cancel your registration even before the teaching begins.
Registering for and taking exams at the School of Business
If the course includes an exam, you can find the exam schedule in Sisu by searching the course. The course exam (KT) is part of the course, and retake exams (T01, T02) are listed as separate implementations. If a course includes an exam, at least one retake exam will be scheduled. Occasionally, there may be two retake exams.
Exam dates and times are published in Sisu during the summer for the upcoming academic year. The exam cannot be taken at any time other than the designated time.
Since there are many courses, sometimes the exams for the courses chosen by a student may overlap. In such cases, it is primarily recommended to take the exam for one of the courses during the retake exam day. It's also possible for a student to take two exams in the same session, but no extra time will be given in this case. The student will first receive one exam, and after submitting it, they will receive the questions for the second exam. The student must inform the exam office well in advance (about 2 weeks before the exam day) that they wish to take two exams at the same time so that both exams can be provided to the student in the exam hall.
Course exams
Course registration automatically acts as registration for the course exam held at the end of the course. Therefore, you don't need to register separately for the first exam of the course (course exam, KT) once you've registered for the course itself.
Other exams
For all other exams (e.g., re-exams, book exams), you must register separately in Sisu. Registration starts two months before the exam date and ends 7 days before the exam date. Sisu confirms the registration automatically when the registration has closed.
If the course can be completed 100% by an exam and you want to complete the course by taking only the exam, make sure you have either registered for the course (for course exam) or for the re-exam. If you register directly to the re-exam note that access to the MyCourses page is not formed automatically. In this case you can ask the planning officer to give you access to the MyCourses page.
Always make sure that your registration has been successfully completed. You can check this in Sisu under My Information > Registrations.
If you forgot to register for an exam, you can inquire about the possibility of late registration at studentservices@aalto.fi.
Individual exam arrangements
If you are entitled to individual study arrangements for the exam and have a certificate from Learning Services regarding this, you should contact about the arrangements well in advance (at least 2 weeks before the exam). If the request comes late we cannot guarantee that the arrangement is possible.
If the exam takes place on campus, the student must deliver the certificate to exam services by sending an email to exams-biz@aalto.fi. If the exam is online, the student delivers the certificate directly to the teacher. If the exam is done on a computer under supervision in a classroom, the certificate should be delivered to both the teacher and exam services.
Usually, exams for the School of Business held on campus are located at Otakaari 1, in the U-wing (Entrance M), in halls U1-U6. The exam hall for each exam will be announced on the notice board in the lobby of Otakaari 1 (Undergraduate Center) on the morning of the exam day. Sometimes an exam may be in a different location or it is moved to a new location, so please check the location information on the notice board early enough.
Online exams are primarily on the MyCourses page for the respective course. Ensure that you have access to the course's MyCourses page well in advance. If you register directly for a re-exam (if the course can be completed solely by exam), the access to MyCourses is not automatically formed, so if you need access to the page, you can request the planning officer to add you the access.
For some courses, the teacher may use the EXAM room for the exam. The teacher will provide instructions on how to take the exam and how to reserve a time. You can read more about EXAM here.
- Register for the exam in time (at least a week before the exam). There is no separate registration for course exams.
- Exams start on the hour (for example at 9:00, 13:00 and so on) — check the exact time and arrive on time.
- The exam room will be announced on the notice board located in the lobby of the U-wing in Otaniemi (Entrance M, Otakaari 1, Undergraduate Center) on the morning of the exam day.
- Turn off your mobile phone.
- Leave your bag and coat on the side of the exam hall.
- Bring only writing utensils, identification, and a water bottle if necessary.
- If you have any questions (e.g., need more paper), call the exam invigilator to you by raising your hand.
- Keep your gaze fixed on your own paper to avoid misunderstandings. The invigilator has the right to remove a person from the exam if they suspect cheating. Any consequences will be decided separately.
- You can arrive for the exam no later than 30 minutes after the official start time. You can leave no sooner than 35 minutes after the official start time.
- Return all exam papers unless the question paper states otherwise.
- If you do not wish to submit your exam for grading, clearly mark “do not grade” on the paper. A passed study performance is entered into the records and cannot be removed for any reason. You can later improve your grade by taking a new exam or retaking the course.
- Prove your identity when returning your papers.
Course grades are published no later than four weeks after the exam (or after the submission deadline for another academic performance). Grades are registered in the Sisu study register, and students can view their grades in Sisu under their own completed credits and in their PSP (Personal Study Plan). Typically, the teacher also publishes the results on the course's homepage (MyCourses).
Students have the right to review their responses and receive feedback after the exam. The teacher provides instructions for obtaining feedback on the course's MyCourses page, or student can agree with the teacher separately how to get feedback. Responses are kept for at least 6 months from the publication of results.
Grades in Sisu
You can see your grades in Sisu under My Profile > Completed credits.
On the day when the grade is registered, the grade appears under partially completed courses. It goes to completed credits list overnight and after that the grade is also visible on the PSP (if it was added to the PSP with the correct code).
If the grade is failed, the grade appears under the tab for Failed and expired credits. A failed grade does not appear on the transcript of records.
If the grade is missing from Sisu or the course results are delayed:
- First, check again in Sisu under My Profile > Completed credits.
- If the grade is indeed missing, inquire about it from the course teacher.
- If the matter is not resolved through the teacher, contact the planning officer/coordinator of the department organizing the course.
If you retake the exam or the whole course, only the better grade remains in your completed credits, and the weaker grade moves to Failed and expired credits.
Appeal on grading of academic performance
A student dissatisfied with the grading of a study attainment may appeal against it either orally or in writing to the teacher in charge of the evaluation. The appeal against a grade of a study attainment shall be filed within 14 days of the date on which the student has been offered the opportunity to see the results and the evaluation criteria applied to their study attainment.
Students dissatisfied with the decision of the teacher concerning the appeal may appeal against the decision in writing to the Aalto University Academic Appeals Board within 14 days of receiving notification of the decision. The appeal shall arrive at the university before the closing time of the Registry (at 15.00) on the deadline date.
Do you need maths tutoring for your mathematical courses?
Mathematical courses usually have dedicated sessions for the problem sets in the course. Primarily, you should attend those.
If you wish, you can also visit the School of Science’s maths tutoring lab. Additional information here.
An online course that reprises high school mathematics also exists in Finnish and Swedish. If you would like to get the access key, please be in touch with studentservices@aalto.fi.
Support for studying and career planning
Study Skills
Study skills consist of a number of areas, such as the management of study methods, self-management, acting in a community and regulation of personal emotions. Study skills are something you can learn, and these pages include ideas for developing your skills as well as links for sources of additional information.
Starting Point of Wellbeing
The Starting Point of Wellbeing offers students easy access to counselling and advice on matters of well-being and study ability. The services available to you include drop-in (no reservation) advising/counselling sessions, peer support groups, and online materials. You can also make an appointment to receive individual counselling.
How to choose elective studies
Elective studies must be on higher education level, primarily part of the degree studies of the organising institution and meet the intended learning goals of the degree completed at the Aalto University School of Business. Higher education institutions also offer studies outside degree education aimed at a wide audience, and the suitability of such studies is assessed by evaluating the correspondence to the learning outcomes of the degree.
Starting from 1 August 2025, the credit transfer process to the electives studies of the degree has changed. Read more about this change in the news article.
Are you planning to take studies outside of Aalto University and include them in the elective studies?
If the course you are taking is worth 1–3 credits and can be completed flexibly online, apply for a permission to include the course in your degree in advance. For other courses, follow the normal credit transfer process.
How to apply for the approval
- In Sisu, add a study draft of the course you wish to take in your study plan
- Write an informal application in which you justify why you want to include said course in your degree. In your justifications, consider the entity of the degree and the skills and knowledge you would acquire.
- Send the application to the Planning Officer of your major or programme. You can find the contact information of the Planning Officers in the Student Guide on your programme’s pages in the section Contact.
- The decision is made by the School of Business’s Vice Dean for Education. The applications are processed approximately once a month.
- If the course is approved, complete it and afterwards, apply for a credit transfer (inclusion) in Sisu via the study draft as per usual.
This procedure is applied only to 1-3 credit courses that can be completed flexibly online outside of Aalto University.
Elective studies cannot overlap with other courses included in the degree.
In the Curriculum page, you can find instructions and suggestions on choosing the elective studies.
