The generic aims of the education are listed below:

• Provide the students with a comprehensive understanding on the interaction between human beings and digital technologies on individual, group, organizational and societal levels.
• The students learn about the joint development of digital technologies and business in a novel human-centered, collaborative and creative manner.

More specifically, the studies provide

• understanding on the role of technology and information systems  within an enterprise and networked business context
• competences  to work in development of human-centered, user-friendly  ICT-systems for organizations and on society level
• understanding on knowledge and business networks and networking in different contexts, such as creation and developing business and services,  creating new knowledge or developing organizational processes in collaboration
• skills to gather, analyze, interpret and present information about users and user experience
• understanding on and creation of media products, e.g. communication platforms or information visualization tools
• learning on conceptual solutions for social phenomena employing crowdsourcing, co-creation and sharing  to create novel services.

The mandatory elements of the student’s curriculum are a major (either long or compact), a Master’s thesis, and elective studies. A compact major is always supplemented with a minor.

The specific content of the major depends on the student's own interest areas, so called tracks. The Information Networks major offers four study tracks:

1. ICT in Business
2. Knowledge and Business Networks
3. Media and
4. User-Centered Design.

Each track equals 20 ECTS at minimum and 30 ECTS at maximum. Moreover, the major includes Information Networks specific studies of 15 ECTS.

Besides the major, the programme requires elective studies (25–35 ECTS) and the Master’s Thesis (30 ECTS). If the student chooses to take a compact major, a minor (20–25 ECTS) is mandatory. When starting her/his Master’s studies, the student selects his/her main interest area. During the first semester the student is obliged to make his/her study plan (HOPS), which after its approval acts as a contract between the student and the programme. The student’s curriculum must include technological studies 20 ECTS at minimum. The Information Networks specific studies (15 ECTS) are not considered technological. Before approving the study plan, the programme confirms that the proposed study plan fulfills all the criteria of the programme.

A master’s student has two possibilities to structure his/her studies.

Long major

• Long major (55–65 ECTS)
• Master’s thesis (30 ECTS)
• Elective studies (25–35 ECTS)

A long major (55–65 ECTS) consists of

1. Information Networks specific studies (philosophy, aesthetics, social media, research assignment), 15 ECTS
2. Selected core substance area i.e. a core track from the Information Networks offering, 20–30 ECTS
3. Selected complementary studies from other Information Networks tracks than the core track so that the extent of the long major is fulfilled.

The student is encouraged to select the core content of the long major to support his/her Master’s Thesis interests.

Compact major

• Compact major (40–45 ECTS)
• Master’s thesis (30 ECTS)
• Minor (20–25 ECTS)
• Elective studies (25–30 ECTS)

A compact major (40–45 ECTS) consists of

1. Information Networks specific studies (philosophy, aesthetics, social media, research assignment), 15 ECTS
2. Selected core track from the Information Networks offering, 20–30 ECTS
3. Selected complementary studies 0–10 ECTS

A compact major is supplemented with a minor that broadens the student’s competence. The student is encouraged to select the core content of the compact major to support his/her Master’s Thesis interests. A minor is selected from study entities that are offered as a minor. The professor of the student’s core track approves the suggested minor by signing the student’s personal study plan (HOPS).

The extent of a major may not exceed 65 ECTS. Similarly, the extent of a compact major together with a minor may not exceed 65 ECTS. Thus, the students will always have a choice of a minimum 25 ECTS completely elective studies. The students are obliged to complete the chosen majors or minors in that extent they are offered.

Information networks specific courses (15 credits), compulsory for all students of the programme.

The Research Assignment course will be modular starting with introducing research methods to all Information Networks students. The content of the actual research assignment will be aligned with the core substance area of the student’s major. 

If any of the Information Networks specific courses has been taken as a part of the student’s Bachelor studies, it can be substituted with any of the optional courses of the major or courses in other programs of Aalto, or courses completed in student exchange.

Professor in charge: Risto Sarvas
Professors: Marjo Kauppinen, Casper Lassenius, Martti Mäntylä, Matti Rossi, Virpi Tuunainen
Extent: 20–30 ECTS

The ICT in Business track focuses on efficient utilization of software, information and communication systems within and across organizations and networks. Well-functioning and meaningful systems with seamless and accurate services and information exchange between customers, clients, suppliers and other stakeholders are key resources of knowledge intensive business and services. The track provides understanding about improving the role and impact of software, information and communication systems in service and business value creation.

Objectives

After completing the compulsory and elective studies of the track the students 

• understand the role and need of software and information systems in modern business and enterprises
• understand the relationships between software, information systems and human aspects of technology in a networked business context
• have skills to analyze, improve and develop the relation between the core business processes and the information systems in use.

The ICT in Business track contains selected courses from Software and Service Engineering,Computer Science and Information Systems Science. The track size is 20–30 credits.

If some of the compulsory courses are already included in your Bachelor’s degree, select courses from the optional courses so that the minimum size of the track is fulfilled. 

Professor in charge: Riitta Smeds
Professors: Eila Järvenpää, Kari Tanskanen
Extent: 20–30 ECTS

The Knowledge and Business Networks track provides the students a broad understanding of business networks and networking. The students develop competences for the creation, management and leadership of knowledge-intensive organizations and their networked business. One focus area in the studies is the co-creation of digitalizing networked business processes and ecosystems.

Objectives

After completing the compulsory and elective studies of the track the students are able to

• analyze and develop networked knowledge and organizational processes
• enhance teamwork and collaboration
• understand the relationship between people and ICT in networked business ecosystems
• create and renew networked business.

The Knowledge and Business Networks track includes selected courses of Industrial Engineering and Management. The student conducts compulsory courses and selects optional courses to complete the track so that the required amount of the credits is fulfilled.

The students taking the Knowledge and business networks track need to conduct technical studies (minimum of 20 credits) which can be completed either as a part of the major, as a minor or be placed in elective studies. Technical studies as minor studies can be from Aalto University technical schools (or equivalent technical studies from other universities).

Professor in charge: Tapio Takala
Professors: Perttu Hämäläinen, Petri Vuorimaa, Markku Reunanen (lecturer in ARTS)
Extent: 20–30 ECTS 

Objectives

The media track supports students to understand and create digital media products ranging from communication platforms to information visualization tools.  Students learn basics of handling images, audio and video interactively on the web. This weaved together with strong understanding about software and content production processes gives students of the media track a unique set of skills.

Learning of conceptual solutions for social phenomena employing crowdsourcing, co-creation and sharing prepares students to create novel services. Technical capabilities enable implementation of media products for the networked world. World-class teaching on information visualization, computer graphics, gamification and sound design is combined in the media track with learning about storytelling and experimental user interfaces.  This facilitates to face the challenges of Big Data for achieving true information usability both online and for individual organizations.

Students learn via collaborative work to act as in different roles of producers and clients of media production platforms. As a core part of the track is to learn creation and design of media and service concepts. Via experimental projects and prototyping the goal is to learn essential applications of emerging new media like augmented reality, large-scale screens, smart spaces, wearable devices and interactive animations.

Learning Outcomes

After completing the compulsory and elective studies of the Media track the students  

• Understand and are able to apply novel and emerging media technologies
• Have skills to produce and develop media platforms and online services for content management and delivery
• Can manage concept design and software development processes for creation of media products.

The Media track includes selected courses from Media Technology, Software and Service Engineering and Computer Science.

^{*If some of the compulsory courses are already included in your Bachelor’s degree, select courses from the optional courses so that the minimum size of the track is fulfilled.} 

Professor in charge: Marko Nieminen
Professors: Tapio Takala, Lauri Savioja, Perttu Hämäläinen
Extent: 20–30 ECTS

Objectives

Digital services, software, and applications form an integral part of modern everyday life both in working surroundings and in leisure time contexts. Software in large government organisations is being used by employees who perform a multitude of tasks. Tiny mobile games are developed for entertaining people. In both cases, users are in a central position for the creation of successful results. In the "user-centred design" track students learn concepts, models, methods, procedures, and processes that can be applied in the design and development of systems and services so that the outcomes not only fit users' needs, expectations, and contexts but also deliver excellent user experience.

Core contents of the user-centred design track include the conceptual and methodological basis for working with users in different stages of software and service development. A typical characteristic of contemporary software and service design is its multi-disciplinarity. Users and developers with varying backgrounds create novel, innovative, and efficient concepts and realisations in a collaborative manner. The user-centred methods and tools support these joint design and evaluation activities.

In the real-life-connected study assignments students of user-centred design learn how to analyse user contexts, form user requirements, do interaction design, develop user interfaces, evaluate the usability of a system, and connect these to business goals. They learn how to use qualitative and quantitative data and results in decision making. After completing their studies, students often work in technology companies as user interface and interaction designers, UX managers, software developers, and project managers.

The user-centred design track gives students the opportunity to become interaction design and user experience experts in industry. The long major lays a proper foundation for doctoral studies in the field. Students of the long major have the possibility to tailor the major personally in collaboration with their supervising professor.

^{* If any of these courses have been taken as part of the B.Sc. studies, they can be substituted with any optional courses of the major or the track the student is studying. If the student has taken similar courses at another institution, the professor should be contacted for discussing possible substitutions.} 

The minor is optional and allows the student to broaden her/his competence within the Information Networks Master’s Programme, as well as to fields of technology other than information and communication technology.

If the major is completed as compact (40–45 credits), a minor must be selected. The minor is confirmed in the Personal Study Plan.

More information on Aalto University’s minor subjects:

Minors 2018-2020

Students choose 25–35 ECTS of elective studies. As elective studies, students can complete a minor and/or take individual courses at Aalto University or other Finnish universities. Students can also participate in an international student exchange programme or include 1–5 ECTS of work experience completed in Finland or abroad in elective studies.

For more information on internationalisation or Aalto University’s minor subjects:

• Minors 2018-2020
• Internationalisation and studies abroad

In Aalto School of Science, students have compulsory language studies as a part of the bachelor’s degree. If these language studies have not been completed before entering the master’s programme, they must be included in the master’s degree as explained in the following:

A student whose language of school education is Finnish or Swedish must take 2 credits in the other national language. In addition, all students must demonstrate both oral (o) and written (w) proficiency in one foreign language (3 credits).

Students with excellent command of English (e.g. English as a first language) may apply for the exemption from the compulsory foreign language requirement and take 3 ECTS of Finnish courses instead. In this case, according to the Degree Regulations, the student has not demonstrated the requisite written and oral language requirement in a foreign language, which is reflected in the appendix of the degree certificate. Students may apply for an exemption in the beginning of each term (deadlines 15 September and 15 January) with an application form available in Into at https://into.aalto.fi/display/eninf/Exemptions+from+language+requirements

The language studies are included in the elective studies.

More information about language courses can be found on the Language Centre’s website.

Students are required to complete a master's thesis, which is a research assignment with a workload corresponding to 30 credits. The thesis is written on a topic usually related to the student's major and agreed upon between the student and a professor who specializes in the topic of the thesis. The supervisor of the thesis must be a professor in the University, whereas the instructor(s) must have at least a master’s degree.

Master’s thesis work includes a seminar presentation or equivalent presentation. The student is also required to write a maturity essay related to the master’s thesis. Students are encouraged to take the course TU-E6080 Master’s Thesis Seminar (1–2 cr) (as a part of elective studies) to get support in the thesis writing throughout the whole Master’s Thesis process. 

The master’s thesis is a public document and cannot be concealed.