Thesis and maturity test in master's and licentiate programmes

Thesis and thesis plan

As part of the advanced studies in the Master's Programme, you will prepare a written thesis of 30 credits in scope. If you study in the fields of medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine, your written thesis is 20 credits in scope.

In the thesis, you must demonstrate your familiarity with the thesis topic, mastery of the necessary research methods, the ability to think scientifically and proficiency in academic writing. The thesis workload, including the collection and processing of the research material as well as the writing process, corresponds approximately to one term of full-time study.

Before embarking on the thesis project, or at its initial stages at the latest, you must draft a thesis plan, which will be discussed and approved in the manner specified in the degree programme curriculum. The plan must also indicate the supervisor(s) of the thesis.

You can complete the thesis independently or in a group or a wider research project, provided that your independent input can be clearly demonstrated and easily assessed. You can also complete the thesis as a commission. However, write your thesis independently. You can write the thesis as pair work with a fellow student only if your degree programme has separately decided to allow this. In such cases, the independent contribution of both students must be clearly demonstrable. 

You should write your thesis in academic language.

Please select your degree programme to see the schedules for submitting and assessing your thesis. Please note that if you submit your thesis for assessment and your graduation request latest on 31st of July, you will graduate retroactively during the spring term. If you are liable to pay for tuition you will not need to be attending or pay for tuition for the following autumn term.

Thesis template and abstract

To ensure the accessibility of the thesis file, you can use the text styles contained in the University of Helsinki template and follow the instructions provided in the template. However, make sure your faculty and degree program's thesis guidelines before using the template. When the Word file is in order for accessibility, you can also easily create an accessible PDF file. Ensure that the name of the thesis file is in the format Lastname_Firstname_Mastersthesis_Year (with no Scandinavian letters or special characters).

If using the LaTeX typesetting system for your thesis file, the PDF file created will not be accessible. This is because of a current lack of code entries. Consequently, we recommend that you save in the publication repository not only a PDF file, but also the thesis source code.

The thesis includes an abstract written in the language of the thesis. In addition, students who have completed their secondary education in Finnish or Swedish must write an abstract in the language of their secondary education if the abstract also serves as a maturity test with which the student demonstrates their proficiency in Finnish or Swedish. You can use the University's abstract document (a word document). Fill in the needed information on each line and write your abstract at the end. The length of the abstract is usually 1 page. The degree programmes and/or faculties can give more detailed instructions in the matter, please see also the degree programme-specific instructions. Attached is also a model document as a pdf. If needed, you can write the abstract also in other word processing programmes with the help of the model document. Include your abstract in the thesis file.

If you give permission to publish your thesis in the University's open publication repository, please make sure the document is in an accessible format. See instructions on how to create accessible documents.

Assessment

Your thesis will be assessed on a scale of 0–5. The assessment is conducted in Finnish, Swedish or English. Your thesis will be assessed by two examiners. The dean approves your thesis and assess it based on the opinion given by the examiners. The date of completion of your thesis is the date on which you submitted your thesis for assessment.

If you are dissatisfied with your grading, you can lodge an appeal with the University’s Academic Appeals Board. Read more on the page Legal protection of students.

Schedules for submitting, assessing and approving master’s theses during the 2025–2026 academic year are as follows: Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Theology

The completed thesis must be submitted 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. 

If the thesis is the only uncompleted component of your studies, you can submit a graduation request on the same date. The submission date for the graduation request appears as the date of the degree certificate. If you submit your graduation request during the weekend or holiday, the graduation date will be the next working day.

• If you submit your thesis after the last submission deadline in December 2025 and before 1 January 2026, the date of thesis completion will be recorded as 1 January 2026. Your thesis will be assessed and approved in accordance with the first schedule for 2026. You cannot graduate in 2025, even if you have submitted a graduation request in 2025. You must register for attendance in connection with your right to study for the spring term 2026 as well as pay the Student Union fee and the FSHS healthcare fee for the spring term 2026.
• If you submit both your completed thesis for assessment and a graduation request by 31 July 2026 you can graduate during the 2025–2026 academic year. However, if you submit your thesis after the final submission deadline in June 2026 but before the end of the academic year (31 July 2026), your thesis will be assessed and approved according to the first schedule for the autumn term 2026.

For instructions on how to submit a graduation request, see the graduation instructions.

Schedules for submitting, assessing and approving master’s theses during the 2026–2027 academic year are as follows: Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Theology

The completed thesis must be submitted 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. 

If the thesis is the only uncompleted component of your studies, you can submit a graduation request on the same date. The submission date for the graduation request appears as the date of the degree certificate. If you submit your graduation request during the weekend or holiday, the graduation date will be the next working day.

• If you submit your thesis after the last submission deadline in December 2026 and before 1 January 2027, the date of thesis completion will be recorded as 1 January 2027. Your thesis will be assessed and approved in accordance with the first schedule for 2027. You cannot graduate in 2026, even if you have submitted a graduation request in 2026. You must register for attendance in connection with your right to study for the spring term 2027 as well as pay the Student Union fee and the FSHS healthcare fee for the spring term 2027.
• If you submit both your completed thesis for assessment and a graduation request by 31 July 2027 you can graduate during the 2026–2027 academic year. However, if you submit your thesis after the final submission deadline in June 2027 but before the end of the academic year (31 July 2027), your thesis will be assessed and approved according to the first schedule for the autumn term 2027.

For instructions on how to submit a graduation request, see the graduation instructions.

As of 1 August 2025, before submitting your master’s thesis, you must register for the submission of the thesis and the maturity test in Sisu. If you have registered for more than one, select those for the current academic year. This ensures accurate recording of completed credits in Sisu.

You can then submit the final version of your master’s thesis into the new E-thesis. Check the submission deadline from the schedules for supervising, submitting, assessing and approving master’s theses.

When you have saved your thesis in E-thesis, it will be passed on for assessment. Your thesis will no longer be editable. You will receive confirmation of a successful submission by email and you can track the progress of the assessment in the system.

Read the user instructions for the redesigned E-thesis.  

Curriculum 2026-2030:
The degree of Master of Science in Pharmacy includes a master’s thesis (30 cr, PROV-003) and Master’s portfolio and thesis seminar (5 cr, PROV-005). Detailed instructions for the completion of these studies are available on Moodle.

As an alternative advanced course, you can also complete a separate literature review (5 cr, PROV-006). 

Curriculum 2023-2026: 
If the degree of Master of Science in Pharmacy was started before 2026, it includes a master’s thesis (30 cr, PROV-003) and thesis seminars (1 cr, PROV-002B). In addition, advanced studies include a separate literature review worth nine credits (PROV-002A). You can complete your degree according to the structure you started until July 31, 2030. After this date, all M.Sc. Pharm. students must switch to complete their degrees according to the new curriculum.

Master’s Thesis in Pharmacy (PROV-003)

Master’s theses can be traditional academic theses consisting of a literature section and an empirical section, or written in the form of a scholarly article manuscript. Alternatively, theses may consist of a systematic literature review.

In pharmacy, master’s theses are written during the fourth and fifth years of studies. The stages of the thesis process must be planned so that the thesis can be completed during the two years of master’s studies in pharmacy.

The thesis topic will be agreed with the person responsible for master's thesis. The responsible person will also appoint one or more supervisors for the thesis.

Before starting their master's thesis, students must draw up a written supervision and working agreement in collaboration with their supervisor. The supervision plan specifies the topic of the thesis, the schedule, responsibilities, and issues related to the management and ownership of data. The supervision plan is signed by the student, the supervisor(s), and the person responsible for the thesis.

Students writing theses must follow the instructions for thesis work available on Moodle. Master’s theses can be written in Finnish, Swedish or English. 

Portfolio and seminar work

The students attend the portfolio and thesis seminar work right from the beginning of the autumn term of the fourth year of study. This includes, among other things, drawing up a personal study plan (HOPS), joining advanced study guidance groups, responding to self-assessment and feedback surveys, attending seminars and giving your own seminar presentation, training in literature search and material management, and a final analysis of the research process. 

The seminar presentation of the student's thesis results must be held before the thesis approval.

Abstract as the maturity test

Master’s theses must be accompanied by a separate abstract written in the language of the thesis. In addition, the thesis must be accompanied by an English-language abstract. Students whose native language is Finnish or Swedish and who write their thesis in English or another language must also write an abstract in their native language.

The thesis abstract serves as the maturity test, thus incorporating this test into the thesis writing process. You can use the University abstract template (see instructions).

Thesis assessment process

Here is a brief summary (see detailed instructions below):

1. Agree with your supervisor and the person responsible for master's thesis on the submission of your thesis for assessment. Find out whether your thesis requires an embargo period.
2. Submit your thesis for assessment via E-thesis (if necessary, indicating the required embargo).
3. Once your thesis has been assessed, you will receive a grade proposal by email.
4. The dean will decide on the approval and grading of master's theses according to the University of Helsinki’s general timetables.

Submitting the thesis for examination

Submit your completed master’s thesis for examination by saving it in its final form as a PDF file in the University’s electronic E-thesis system. Agree with the person responsible for master's thesis on submitting the thesis for examination before entering it into the electronic system, since no changes can be made to the thesis after it has been stored in the system.

Once in the system, the thesis will proceed to be examined, graded and, with the consent of the author, published online. All master’s theses will be automatically stored in the E-thesis database of the University Library.

If necessary, the student can also prohibit online publication or request an embargo. This means that the online publication of the thesis will be delayed until the specified embargo date. Also reasons for the delay must be added. The embargo period is one year. An embargo period may be needed, for example, if a peer-reviewed article or a patent application is being prepared based on the research results, and the thesis must not be published during these processes. The need for an embargo period should be discussed with the supervisor or responsible person before storing the thesis. For more information on publishing a thesis and the embargo, see this section in this guide Public access to and publication of master's theses.

Examination of the master’s thesis

The person responsible for master's thesis appoints two examiners for the thesis, who in general must be holders of a doctoral degree or equivalent qualifications. In an exceptional case, the responsible person may, for justified reasons, also appoint as the second examiner a person with at least a master’s degree and who has the expertise and experience required for the task.  One of the examiners can be the thesis supervisor. The examiners must assess the thesis in the electronic system. The assessment can be written in Finnish, Swedish or English. 

Thesis assessment is based on the areas of the assessment matrix (1–7), each assessed on a scale of 0 to 5. Area 7 (Working during the thesis process) is assessed by only one examiner. However, theses must be assessed as a whole, and the overall grade need not be the average of the grades given for individual areas. The written component of the assessment statement must be based on the matrix criteria. If any of the grades for areas 1 to 7 is 0, the thesis will receive a failing grade.

The dean will decide on the approval and grading of master's theses according to the University of Helsinki’s general timetables. The student will be informed of the grade proposal one week before the Dean's decision date. 

Resolving disagreements  

If the examiners are unable to agree on the thesis grade, the director of the degree programme will appoint a third examiner. In the event of a disagreement, the grade will be 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 examiners’ grades to the nearest whole figure. 

Students dissatisfied with the grade proposed by the examiners can ask in writing for the suspension of the grading process before the date when the dean decides to confirm the grade. They must send a notice on suspending the grading process to Viikki Education Services (viikki-student@helsinki.fi) by 12.00 on the day before the date when the dean decides to confirm the grade. The grading process will be terminated, and the thesis will not be submitted to the dean for decision or confirmation. The student can then add to or revise their thesis and resubmit it for examination as a new thesis.     

A student dissatisfied with the Dean's decision on the assessment may appeal to the Academic Appeals Board in accordance with Section 56 of the Regulations on Degrees and the Protection of Students’ Rights (Appealing the grading of theses and dissertations).

In Master's Programme in Pharmacy the thesis abstract together with the seminar presentation serve as the maturity test.

A maturity test is a scholarly text related to the field of your thesis, such as a part of the thesis or its abstract, or another piece of written work defined in the curriculum of your degree programme.

The maturity test demonstrates your familiarity with the field of your 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., your thesis supervisor). The person approving a maturity test must be proficient in the language of the test.

A maturity test is an independent study attainment, but it is recorded in the student information system as having a scope of 0 credits.

Please note that the use of artificial intelligence in maturity tests is never allowed. Read more on the page Using AI to support learning.

The language of your maturity test depends on whether you completed one for your bachelor’s degree and on the language of your secondary education.

The language of your secondary education was Finnish or Swedish:

• If the language of your secondary education was Finnish or Swedish and your bachelor’s degree included a maturity test completed in that language, you can complete your maturity test at the master’s level in Finnish, Swedish, English or the language of your thesis. If you are studying in an English-language master’s programme or in a multilingual master’s programme so that your degree language is English, you must complete a maturity test in English. You no longer need to demonstrate your language skills through the maturity test, but must demonstrate your familiarity with the field of your thesis.
• If the language of your secondary education was Finnish or Swedish, but your bachelor’s degree included no maturity test in that language (e.g., you completed your bachelor’s degree outside Finland), you must complete a maturity test in the language of your secondary education. In doing so, you demonstrate both your language skills and your familiarity with the field of your thesis. This also applies to those studying in an English-language master’s programme or pursuing an English-language degree in a multilingual master’s programme. In the above cases, see the other language studies required for your degree.

The language of your secondary education was not Finnish or Swedish:

• If the language of your secondary education was not Finnish or Swedish or you completed your secondary education in a country other than Finland and are studying in a Finnish- or Swedish-language master’s programme or in a multilingual master’s programme in Finnish or Swedish, you can complete a maturity test in Finnish, Swedish, English or the language of your thesis. In doing so, you demonstrate your familiarity with the field of your thesis.
• If the language of your secondary education was not Finnish or Swedish or you completed your secondary education outside Finland and are studying in an English-language master’s programme or in a multilingual master’s programme in English, you must complete a maturity test in English. In doing so, you demonstrate your familiarity with the field of your thesis.

If the master’s thesis abstract is used in your master’s programme as a maturity test, you can find out with the help of this web application the language in which you must or may complete the maturity test and the language or languages of the abstract(s) that you are required to include in your master's thesis.

Public access to theses

Master’s theses included in second-cycle (master’s) degrees are public documents. Their public access is based on the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999). This means that the University must grant access to theses to anyone upon request.

Public access to theses includes their abstracts.

Secret material and theses

Theses must not include any confidential information, as they are made available to the public immediately following assessment and approval. You can include secret information in the background material, which is not part of the thesis to be assessed.

The Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999) contains provisions on secret official documents. Secret information includes information on private business or commercial activities or a private individual’s health, assets, political convictions or family life.

You cannot include secret material in thesis appendices or abstracts. The thesis supervisor can gain access to secret background material, but must ensure that such material is excluded from the thesis itself. The thesis examiner conducts their assessment based on the student’s written thesis, which must not include secret information. The examiner is not entitled to access secret background material.

Publication of theses

The University of Helsinki recommends the open publication of theses. The abstracts of master’s theses are always public and published in the University’s open Helda repository.

If you permit the publication of your thesis, it will be published in Helda, where it will be available to the general public. Search engines will display resources contained in the publication repository prominently in search results.

If you do not permit the publication of your thesis, it will be available for viewing only on the library terminals of Helsinki University Library.

You must use the E-thesis system, currently available in two versions, to accept or reject the publication of your thesis. 

• If your degree programme uses the old version, you will receive a message about publication permission from the E-thesis system after the approval of your thesis.
• If your degree programme uses the new version, you must accept or reject the publication of your thesis when submitting it for assessment.

If your thesis includes an article published in a journal, or an article based on your thesis is in preparation, it is possible that your thesis cannot be published openly as such. If your article is published in a scholarly journal or other scholarly publication, often its publisher can provide information on the terms and conditions of open publishing. If you require further information on publishing your thesis in the open repository, please send a message to the following email address: e-thesis(at)helsinki.fi.

Delayed publication (embargo)

As a student, you may request a delay in the publication of your thesis in the Helda repository. A need for delayed publication (embargo) may arise, for example, if a thesis has been written in a research group and is closely related to research to be published later. 

Please note, however, that a thesis whose publication has been delayed is still a public document, and access to it must be given to anyone requesting it. Description data (including the abstract) are always public and openly available in Helda. 

An embargoed thesis cannot be viewed in full on the library terminals. If you give permission to publish a thesis which has been embargoed, it will become available in the open repository on the date the embargo ends. Otherwise, your thesis will be available only on library terminals after the end of the embargo.

If the publication of your thesis requires delay, please report this need on the E-thesis form under the item ‘Other notes/Embargo’ when submitting your thesis for assessment. The dean may grant a delay of one year. If studying at the Faculty of Science, please contact the education coordinator for information on embargo needs.