Thesis finishing
In the final phase of the thesis process, the student focuses on writing the report and finalising the research results. The student writes their conclusions, the reflection section and an abstract in Finnish and in English while taking the feedback from the supervisor, the interim seminar opponent and the commissioning party into account. At this stage, the English teacher comments on the abstract. The abstract of Master’s theses is not subject to a linguistic review.
After the entire thesis is completed, the student uploads the file to Wihi and submits it for the check. After plagiarism check the thesis is assessment in Wihi. The student requests permission from the supervisor to present the thesis at the final seminar and to publish the thesis. The theses are being uploaded in either Theseus (recommended) or HAMK’s internal thesis archive. At the end of the finishing phase, the supervisor approves the phase on Wihi, and the student receives 5 credits (Bachelor’s degree) or 10 credits (Master’s degree) on the credit record database. When the link of the published thesis has been accepted in Wihi, the evaluation statement of the thesis will appear in Wihi and the grades from each accepted phase and the final assessments in Pakki.
When the thesis is finished, the student receives an email with a link to the thesis feedback survey.
The thesis is subjected to a plagiarism review process in the Wihi system. The student uploads the file to Wihi and submits it for the check. More detailed instructions in the Wihi instructions for students The supervisor reviews the analysis and, if necessary, asks the student to make the necessary corrections to the thesis.
Read more about responsible conduct of research and its violations, e.g. plagiarism, on the Before starting thesis page, Ethical principles.
At the final seminar, the student presents their thesis. The final seminar is a public event, to which the commissioning party, for example, can be invited. The seminar can also be organised in a location requested by the commissioning party. The seminars can be recorded on video and presented to anyone who is interested. The focus of the presentation is on the results and conclusions of the thesis. The final seminar presentation is assessed. The presentation should highlight the practical aspects and workplace links of the thesis. The student also provides a short assessment of their learning process at the final seminar.
The Bachelor’s thesis process also includes a compulsory maturity test. Under section 8 of the Universities of Applied Sciences Decree (Valtioneuvoston asetus ammattikorkeakouluista 2014/1129., 2020), to complete their Bachelor’s degree, the student shall write a maturity test on the field of their thesis to demonstrate their knowledge of the field and proficiency in Finnish or Swedish. In agreement with the Decree (Valtioneuvoston asetus ammattikorkeakouluista 2014/1129., 2020), the University of Applied Sciences decides about the maturity test when the language skills cited in section (7)1 are not required of the student. If the student has received their primary and secondary education in Finnish or Swedish, the maturity test will be taken in their language of education. If the student has received their primary and secondary education in a language other than Finnish or Swedish, they shall take the maturity test in English. For more information on the language of the thesis and the maturity test, see HAMK’S current Degree Regulations.
Bachelor’s students take the maturity test under supervision or in the Exam aquarium. The student may register for the maturity test when their thesis is in its final stages and the thesis supervisor has given them a permission. In the maturity test, the student writes an essay on a title given by the supervisor. The essay is marked by the thesis supervisor and, for linguistic points, by a communications teacher. A Swedish language teacher checks maturity tests written in Swedish. The maturity test is graded on a pass/fail basis. After approving the maturity test, the supervisor records the maturity test on Wihi as completed by selecting the maturity test language when approving the final assessment.
In case of Master’s students, the maturity test is replaced by a press release. Bachelor’s degree students prepare a press release if requested by the supervisor. The thesis press release template contains instructions for writing a press release. When the press release is done, the student saves it on Wihi. The communications teacher then checks the press release.
The communication teacher or the supervisor may, at his/her discretion, forward the press release to HAMK Strategic communication (vie@hamk.fi). These press releases may be used for external and internal communication within HAMK. The most potential (interesting topic, high quality in research) press releases might also be sent to media – ask for consultation from strategic communications via ticket: vie@hamk.fi
After receiving the permission to publish their thesis, the student must save their work in PDF/A format which is meant for the long-term preservation of electronic documents. When saving the file to PDF/A format, use the Windows operating system. With Mac computers it is not possible to save file to PDF/A format. The theses are being uploaded in either Theseus (recommended) or HAMK’s internal thesis archive. See the instructions for saving in PDF/A format and uploading to Theseus or internal thesis archive.
Theses are always public documents. In Theseus, theses are openly available online for anyone to read. In HAMK’s internal thesis archive, theses can be read on HAMK campuses. In addition, a thesis in the HAMK’s thesis archive is sent via email if a request is made concerning it.
The library notifies the student and the supervisor specified in the thesis after the work has been archived. Student adds a link for published/archived thesis to Wihi-system. For theses published in Theseus, shoud use the permanent address (URN identifier). For theses archived in the HAMK internal thesis archive, should use a Finna-link that student receive from the library after thesis has been archived. The supervisor checks the link and the saved thesis on Theseus or HAMK internal thesis archive and approves it.
The student submits the thesis to the client by uploading the file to Wihi and sending it to an external party for comments. The client receives a link in their email through which they can download the file and provide their feedback on the work.
The communication instructor evaluates the bachelor’s thesis report from the perspective of language and communication. Another examiner provides their own assessments, and the person designated as the responsible evaluator, usually the primary supervisor, records the final numerical assessment and a verbal statement on Wihi. The average of the grades given by the responsible evaluator constitutes the final grade for the thesis.
When the supervisor approves the published thesis link in Wihi, the grade is transferred to the study register, and the assessments from previous stages that have been approved change to numerical assessments according to the thesis grade. The maturity test is marked with a HYV notation with zero credits. The student can view the assessment in Pakki and download the assessment statement from Wihi.
Read more about thesis’ assessment at Thesis main page
If the student wishes, they can bind their thesis, instructions for ordering the binding can be found on FAMKO’s website.