Student Guide

Master's Programme in Business Law

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Thesis

Maisteriseminaari

The seminar typically lasts for an entire academic year. You can register for the seminar in Sisu at the beginning of either the autumn or spring semester. Check the course descriptions in Sisu for more detailed information about the thesis (YRI.thes) and the seminar (32E99905), as well as the registration process. The seminar homepage can be found on MyCourses under the code 32E99905.

The assessment of the thesis at the School of Business is based on a common set of criteria. The thesis assessment rubric is available in the MyCourses spaces of the thesis seminars and should be reviewed before starting your thesis.

Formatting guidelines, templates for the cover page and abstract, as well as instructions for submission related to thesis writing, can be found below.

Can I choose my seminar group myself, and how do I choose if I don't yet know my topic?

There are two different seminars in Business Law: Private Law and Tax Law. Students should consider which specialization area might align with their interests or planned topic/area. The thesis topic does not need to be finalized when the seminar begins. You can also discuss the topic with your supervisor before registering or before the seminar starts.

How often are seminar meetings held?

Usually, meetings are held on average 1-2 times per month, with more frequent meetings at the beginning. There may sometimes be longer breaks between meetings, for example, during the writing phase.

Is attendance mandatory in the seminar?

Reasonable attendance at meetings is expected. Participation is particularly important in the early stages of the seminar because meetings cover topic selection, legal research methods, and practical aspects of writing. The seminar's mandatory components include presenting the research plan and the main conclusions of the thesis.

How long does the seminar last?

Seminars start at the beginning of both the spring and autumn semesters. Participation in the seminar depends on the student's thesis writing schedule. Typically, a student participates in the seminar for one year. Sometimes, a student may progress more quickly with the thesis, allowing participation in the seminar to last for about six months.

Can I work on my thesis during the summer, and does a seminar start then?

There is no thesis seminar starting in the summer. If you know that you can dedicate full-time effort to your thesis during the summer, it is recommended to join the spring thesis seminar.

Can I participate in the seminar remotely if I am abroad for half a year while writing my thesis?

The possibility of remote participation should be discussed separately with the seminar leader.

Is it common to write a thesis as a commission, and what are the pros and cons?

In Business Law, it is rare to write a thesis as a commission. The challenge with commissions can be that the company's goals and expectations for the work may differ from the university's objectives for the thesis. The thesis is a public document, which can often discourage companies from commissioning a thesis on a topic related to Business Law.

Will the thesis take up all my time, or can I do other things simultaneously?

It's advisable to allocate ample time in your calendar for the thesis and to approach it with the mindset that you will fully commit to it for a period. You can take one course alongside the thesis, preferably related to your thesis topic. It is not advisable to take many courses at the same time, as they may have deadlines that take time away from the thesis. Combining the thesis with full-time work is not recommended, or at least, it's good to consider taking a few weeks off from work to focus solely on the thesis, for example, in the middle or towards the end of the project.

Does the topic need to be chosen before the seminar begins? How do I come up with a thesis topic?

The topic does not need to be finalized before the seminar begins, but it is good to start thinking about it in advance. When registering for the seminar, you will choose either the Private Law or Tax Law group. At that point, it is good to have an idea of the subject area your work might cover. The topic can develop during the early stages of the seminar, or the supervisor can suggest a topic or help you brainstorm one together.

You can search for a topic using the following methods:

Think about the Business Law courses you have taken and which topics interested you the most. Has there been any course outside Business Law that you found interesting and could develop a topic around? You might also want to learn more about a particular research method and then consider what kind of research it would be well-suited for.
Have you noticed any "research gaps" in the literature or in practice, meaning that no one has previously studied a particular topic or perspective? You can also look at recent published case law (e.g., finlex.fi) and see if there are interesting cases around which you could build a thesis topic. Is there a current business phenomenon that needs more insight from a Business Law perspective?
Have you worked in a (summer) job or internship? Perhaps you encountered a practical issue that you would like to explore further from a theoretical perspective. The work might also benefit your employer. Remember to discuss with your supervisor early on to ensure the topic is suitable for a thesis.
Do you have an idea of where you want to aim in your career? Perhaps the topic could relate to an area where you want to excel and develop your skills. You can delve deeply into a subject, potentially opening up new career opportunities. However, don't worry too much about the thesis defining your career path. At best, it can give you expertise that may benefit you later.
You can also review previous theses in Business Law. Look at the topics students have chosen and how they have been delimited; perhaps your topic could be somewhat similar but approached from a different perspective. Theses may also include ideas at the end on how the topic could be further researched.

The most important thing is to find a topic that is at least somewhat interesting to you. When the topic motivates you, the work will proceed much more smoothly.

Writing your master's thesis

You need to write a master’s thesis in accordance with the instructions given by your programme. The associated master’s thesis seminar will help you in the writing process, as will your designated thesis advisor. Please note that you must be enrolled as an attending student for the right to study which relates to the master’s thesis you are writing.

Instructions for the master's thesis

The master's thesis is graded according to common criteria at the School of Business. Read the grading rubric when you are planning and writing your thesis.

The rubrics are renewed as of August 1, 2024. All bachelor's and master's theses whose preparation begins on August 1, 2024, or later are evaluated using the renewed rubrics. The renewed rubrics are in the pages of the School of Business.

Theses started before August 1, 2024 and submitted for evaluation before January 1, 2025, will be assessed according to the previously applicable assessment rubrics.The rubric can be found here (PDF).

Read more about the thesis seminar of your programme on Sisu.
- You will find the seminar in your personal study plan or through the curriculum page of your programme.
Register for the seminar on Sisu.
Take part in the seminar work and write your thesis.
The abstract of your thesis acts as your maturity essay. Read more about the maturity essay further down on this page.
Format the thesis file for submission.
- Submit your thesis as a single PDF/A file containing the cover page and thesis abstract. See below for details on preparing the file.
- Practice saving the thesis in the correct format before the deadline date, because if you encounter any problems, you will not have time to fix them on the day your thesis is due.
Submit your master’s thesis for evaluation to MyCourses and to eAge for archiving.
- Submit the same file to both systems. If you have written your thesis together with an another student, both of you need to submit the same file to MyCourses and eAge.
- You have to be enrolled as an attending student for the right to study to which the master's thesis relates.
- The abstracts of bachelor's and master's theses to be saved from January 1, 2024 will always be openly published in the Aaltodoc publication archive together with other metadata of the theses. Read more about theses as public documents here.
- Further information about publishing theses here.

Use the thesis template for all Aalto University Schools that can be found here. The first page of the submitted file should be the cover page, while the next should be the thesis abstract page.
The cover page and the abstract are written in the same language as your thesis and depending on your language of education the abstract may need to be written in other language(s) as well.
The abstract of your thesis acts as your maturity essay. Read more about the maturity essay and what languages it needs to be written in further down on this page under The maturity essay at the master's level.
Save your file as an archival PDF/A file. Suitable formats: PDF/A-1a, -1b, -2a and -2b. Do not use any other file format.

General guidelines for master's thesis structure and design can be found here.

Instructions for converting a file to PDF/A compliant version here

For the schedule for thesis evaluation, see the page Graduation. You can submit your thesis for evaluation even before you have completed all your studies.

Register for the thesis submission workspace of your department on MyCourses.
Submit your master’s thesis as instructed in the MyCourses workspace.
Submit your master’s thesis to eAge for archiving. Click here to go to eAge.
Follow your Aalto email as we will use it to contact you if we need additional information.
- Remember to check your spam folder, because sometimes eAge messages end up there.

* Global Management students who have started their studies before 1.8.2022 should submit their thesis according to their specialization area. Student who have started their studies 1.8.2022, submit the thesis to the workspace of Management studies.

If the thesis and maturity essay are the last study attainments you need to complete to graduate, you can then request for graduation as a Master of Science (Economics and Business Administration). Read more on the page Graduation.

If you notice an error in your thesis after its submission but before the deadline:
- Ask for your eAge form to be returned to you by emailing to [email protected].
- Correct the error in your thesis.
- Submit the corrected version to the MyCourses workspace no later than on the deadline date.
- Once you get your eAge form back, replace the thesis file with the corrected one and resend the form.
- If you had submitted the earlier version of the thesis separately to your thesis advisor, send the corrected version also to the thesis advisor.
If you notice an error after the deadline but before the thesis has been evaluated, please do either of the following:
- Suspend the thesis evaluation process by sending an email to the planning officer of your programme or to [email protected].
- Let the thesis advisor evaluate your thesis and then follow the instructions given in item 3 below.
If you wish to correct an error in your thesis after its evaluation, you can append an errata document to your thesis as instructed below.

Student Guide illustration, applications, instructions and guidelines

Turnitin - an aid for skilful writing and prevention of plagiarism

Errors in approved theses are corrected on an errata page

Maturity essay

You must write what is called a ‘maturity essay’ as part of your thesis process. The maturity essay is obligatory for a bachelor’s degree and for a master’s degree. The purpose of maturity essay is:

to demonstrate conversance with the subject area of your thesis, and
to demonstrate, if necessary, your proficiency in the language of your primary and secondary education.

You only need to demonstrate your language proficiency once: in connection with the first maturity essay you complete.

The maturity essay at the master’s level

The abstract of your thesis will serve as your maturity essay.

You need not write any other maturity essay. No separate submission of the abstract is needed, for it is submitted, evaluated and approved as part of the thesis. Use the template for writing your abstract. Instructions on submitting the thesis and maturity essay are available on this page under Instructions for the master's thesis.

Write your thesis abstract in the same language as the thesis and in translation as necessary (see below):

If the language of your thesis is Finnish,
- write its abstract in Finnish and English.
- If your language of primary and secondary education is Swedish, write it also in Swedish.
If the language of your thesis is English,
- write its abstract in English and
- in your language of primary and secondary education (if that language was Finnish or Swedish).

Note that the translations must be written regardless of whether you show language proficiency in your master’s degree.

Demonstrating language proficiency

If you are unsure about whether you need to demonstrate language proficiency in your master’s thesis, contact a planner for your programme before submitting your thesis.

Students who completed a bachelor’s degree in Finland

In principle, if you completed a bachelor’s degree at Aalto University or at another Finnish university or a Finnish university of applied sciences, you have already demonstrated your language proficiency in that degree or you received an exemption. Therefore, you do not need a demonstration of language proficiency in your master’s degree; instead, your master’s level maturity essay demonstrates your conversance with the subject area of your thesis. Approval of your thesis means approval of your maturity essay as well.

Students who completed a bachelor’s degree abroad

If you completed a bachelor’s degree abroad and your language of primary and secondary education is Finnish or Swedish, you must demonstrate your proficiency in your language of primary and secondary education by a master’s level maturity essay or by a translation of it. If you belong to this group, contact your programme planner once you have submitted your thesis. You will then receive instructions regarding how your essay or translation will be examined.

If you completed a bachelor’s degree abroad and your language of primary and secondary education is not Finnish or Swedish, your maturity essay demonstrates your conversance with the subject area of your thesis. Approval of your thesis means approval of your maturity essay as well.

Published: 14.6.2022
Updated: 24.10.2024

Student Guide

Master's Programme in Business Law

Table of contents

Thesis

Maisteriseminaari

Thesis and seminar in Business Law

Frequently asked questions about the master's thesis and thesis seminar in Business Law

Can I choose my seminar group myself, and how do I choose if I don't yet know my topic?

How often are seminar meetings held?

Is attendance mandatory in the seminar?

How long does the seminar last?

Can I work on my thesis during the summer, and does a seminar start then?

Can I participate in the seminar remotely if I am abroad for half a year while writing my thesis?

Is it common to write a thesis as a commission, and what are the pros and cons?

Will the thesis take up all my time, or can I do other things simultaneously?

Does the topic need to be chosen before the seminar begins? How do I come up with a thesis topic?

Writing your master's thesis

Instructions for the master's thesis

Master's thesis grading

How to write and submit my master’s thesis?

How to format your thesis for submission

How do I submit my master’s thesis for evaluation?

What if I notice an error in my thesis after I have submitted it?

Turnitin - an aid for skilful writing and prevention of plagiarism

Errors in approved theses are corrected on an errata page

Maturity essay

The maturity essay at the master’s level

Language of the maturity essay (abstract) and demonstrating language proficiency

Demonstrating language proficiency

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