Follow the curriculum of your major and your designated group (entry/exit).
- Your degree consists of studies at Aalto, studies at partner university, and master’s thesis.
- The scope of the Master's degree is normatively 120 ECTS. Only those courses that you have in the approved personal study plan (HOPS) are included in your degree. The credits in your personal study plan must add up to 120 ECTS (including partner courses) or as close to it as possible.
- At least 50% of the scope of the degree must be completed at Aalto, meaning at least 60 ECTS. If you take extra courses and receive more than 60 ECTS from the partner university, you cannot use them to take less credits at Aalto.
- The courses you must (compulsory courses) and may (optional courses) complete are defined in the curriculum of your major.
- You can update your study plan (HOPS) until you graduate (exit students) or until we send your transcript to your exit university (entry students).
All degree students create their personal study plan (HOPS) in Aalto University student information system Sisu. Detailed instructions for creating the study plan can be found in Sisu instructions.
Familiarize yourself with the curriculum of your major and your year (entry/exit) and create a study plan in Sisu following the curriculum and the info texts in Sisu's selection assistant.
If you have a compelling reason for an individual exception, add the course to your study plan in the free edit mode and justify the exception. You will also need to apply for module content approval in free edit mode.
You can create multiple versions of your personal study plan, but only one can be primary.
Partner university courses in the study plan
Entry students: Add the partner university courses as two study drafts of 24 ECTS (in major) and 6 ECTS (in minor). Once you have completed the courses in your exit university, the administrative staff will transfer the courses and place them in your study plan.
Exit students: The administrative staff will register and place the entry year courses to your study plan, once the entry university has uploaded your transcript to EIT portal (done in the beginning of October). If you have not completed all the courses in your entry university, add them as study drafts to the study plan.
Choosing a master's thesis code
The code for the master's thesis depends on the department of your master's thesis supervisor. By default, you should select one the following codes (this can be changed later if for some reason the supervisor is from another department):
- AUS, AUSIR, CNI: ELEC.thes
- DSC, HCID: CS.thes
Some study modules may require approval. You only need to apply for approval of the parts that say approval required. In other words, you don't need to apply for approval for the entire study plan (HOPS). Click the entry/exit year at Aalto and scroll up the selection bar → Apply for module content approval.
Once your study plan has been checked, you receive a message in Sisu. You will not be notified by email. Check the message in Sisu and make the requested changes.
Selections against rules?
If you still cannot see the button "Apply for content approval", it is usually because the structure or the choices in your plan deviate from the default.
- Click the module that requires approval.
- In the blue bar at the top you will see a small icon with three dots. Click the icon and enter the free editing mode.
- Now the button "Apply for content approval" should appear, and you can click on it. As "grounds for request" you should write what deviates from the default and if and when it has been approved by the professor of the major.
- If your plan is approved, errors will disappear. If it is rejected, you will be instructed to make some changes and reapply for approval.
You can change the personal study plan whenever necessary. If you want to make changes to an already approved study module (for example replace a course with another), you need to first give up the approval you have obtained. Please edit the study module and its contents only after giving up the approval. After editing, reapply for approval for the study module.
- Click on the study module or grouping module that has been approved (its status is selections approved or selections conditionally approved).
- Click "Show" to go to the approved application.
- Select "Give up the approval" in the lower part of the form.
- Sisu will ask you to confirm. Select "Yes, give up the approval."
- Make the changes and reapply for approval.
You can find more detailed instructions in Sisu instructions.