Thesis commissions

The University of Helsinki has various practices for master’s thesis commissions.

Always check your degree programme to see if it is possible for you to do your thesis in collaboration with an external commissioner.

Your thesis can be a marketing asset when looking for the first job after graduation. By writing your thesis in cooperation with an employer, you ensure the practical applicability of your work. This way, your thesis will not be left gathering dust on the library shelf.

By completing your thesis in this manner

• You will establish useful ties with professional life and improve your employment opportunities
• You will apply your learning to practice
• You may receive monetary compensation for your work, or at least support from the work community
• You will get a boost for graduation from a predetermined schedule and defined topic!

Theses completed as commissions provide many students with direct paths to employment.

First determine your goals.

Consider your own fields of interest in more detail before contacting potential thesis clients. Also familiarise yourself with the provisions set by your degree programme.

• What topics interest you?
• What kind of research cooperation would benefit you in the future?
• What kind of a job interests you?
• What topics are current and potentially interesting to thesis clients?

Question formulations set by Career Services can help you in considering your personal interests. Your own motivation to complete the thesis is very important.

Seeking clients

Seeking employers is most efficiently done on your own. You may already have good contacts: your former summer employer, for example, might be interested in research cooperation. Ask your friends and family for tips.

Look for potential businesses, agencies and institutions with an open mind. Many businesses have Master’s thesis banks of their own, to which you can put forward your thesis topic for utilisation.

Make use of various job-seeking portals. Career Services has compiled some of these under the Available jobs and traineeships section. Many project-based or fixed-term jobs can lead to a commissioned thesis through negotiation. Suggest this alternative if you find a suitable opening.

At the University, topics for Master’s theses can be searched for in sites such as these:

• JobTeaser

Prepare your idea

Finding a suitable client may take some time and add extra stages to your thesis process. One of these is the preparation of your thesis topic and a practical research plan. Employers may not necessarily be that interested in the theoretical part of your Master’s thesis.

It is easier for employers to accept an idea that is more fully prepared. It frees them from guessing at the student’s special field and wondering about possible thesis topics. It is your job to tell the employer about all of this. Describe your field(s) of competence in writing.

Draw up a research plan. Contact the organisation, present yourself and describe your proposal. You can also suggest a few alternative ideas.

Prepare for the event in the same way as you would for job seeking and job interviews. Make sure you know how to discuss your interests and market the topic of your research. It is worthwhile preparing something concrete, such as a PowerPoint presentation, on the research plan and questions.

The negotiations include three contracting parties: you, your thesis supervisor and the commissioner. The thesis is primarily an academic piece of work. Your supervisor must approve the topic and the research question.

The commissioning party’s expectations may differ from the traditional academic approach. To some extent, you may have to strike a balance between academic requirements and the practical expectations of the client. Be ready for several rounds of negotiations and for compromises. As the student, you are responsible for the project’s progress.

Make agreements in writing

It is best to agree on procedures in writing in advance. Matters to be agreed upon include:

• The thesis topic and research task
• The student’s commitment to completing the work (schedule, interim reports and potential other practical accounts for the commissioner)
• Commitment by the employer (supervision, access to and transfer of material, contact person)
• Copyright
• Confidentiality matters
• Remuneration for the work and compensation for related expenses (e.g., travel and printing expenses, postage) and the funding model to be used

Determine in advance the employer’s objectives and expectations regarding the thesis. It is good to realise that clients may expect results very soon, which makes it advisable to agree in advance on the form and schedule of reporting to the client.

Publicity of theses

If material used for the thesis includes data that is considered confidential according to legislation, such as trade secrets, the thesis submitted for assessment must not include any confidential information. Any such information must be included in the background material, which is not attached to the thesis submitted for assessment. The thesis is public once it has been assessed and accepted, the abstract is also made available to the public. This should be conveyed to the client.

Thesis supervisor’s confidentiality agreement (word)