Aalto University Geoengineering Master’s Thesis Guide for the 2026–2028 Curriculum

Aalto University’s Master’s Programme in Geoengineering is a 120 ECTS Master of Science (Technology) programme organised by the School of Engineering. Under the current 2026–2028 curriculum, the degree consists of 60 ECTS major studies, a 30 ECTS Master’s thesis and 30 ECTS elective studies. The thesis code is CE.thes, while the maturity test is ENG.matr, 0 ECTS.

Geoengineering covers geotechnics, rock engineering and mining, road and highway engineering, and the behaviour of soils, rocks and transport structures. Field investigations, laboratory experiments and numerical modelling are central tools in the discipline, but Aalto does not prescribe one universal thesis method for every student. The correct research design depends on the problem, evidence, technical context and supervisor guidance.

This guide uses current public Aalto sources verified on 29 August 2026. The detailed School of Engineering Master’s Thesis Guide remains inside an authenticated MyCourses workspace. For that reason, this guide does not reconstruct hidden ENG forms, evaluation rubrics, formatting mandates or administrative steps from another Aalto school.

Current degree and thesis structure

The 2026–2028 structure is straightforward:

• Major studies: 60 ECTS
• Master’s thesis: 30 ECTS, CE.thes
• Elective studies: 30 ECTS
• Maturity test: 0 ECTS, ENG.matr

The current curriculum recommends completing the thesis during the spring semester of the second study year and advises students to begin searching for a suitable topic well before that period.

The public Geoengineering thesis page describes the thesis as a 30-credit applied-research entity that includes the thesis, its presentation and the maturity test. The core purpose is to solve a problem relevant to the field using existing scientific knowledge and the principles of responsible conduct of research.

That wording is important. A Geoengineering thesis is not simply a long engineering report. Even if the topic comes from a company, public authority, infrastructure project or research group, the thesis needs a clear problem, an appropriate evidence base, a defensible method, analysis and conclusions that follow from the work.

Topic selection in Geoengineering

Aalto states that the thesis topic should be related to the student’s advanced studies and agreed with a supervisor who is specialised in the topic. Programme professors may advertise topics connected to their current research activities, and students may also propose their own topic to a suitable supervisor.

Possible thesis contexts include:

• soil behaviour and geotechnical design;
• foundation engineering and ground improvement;
• rock mechanics and underground construction;
• mining and economic geology;
• road materials, pavement structures and rehabilitation;
• environmental geotechnics;
• numerical modelling and engineering computation;
• field investigation and monitoring;
• laboratory testing;
• infrastructure performance, maintenance and life-cycle questions.

These are examples of disciplinary settings rather than required thesis categories. A numerical geomechanics study may require modelling and sensitivity analysis, while a road-material study may use experiments, and a field-focused geotechnical thesis may rely on measurements, site investigation and interpretation. The method should be chosen because it answers the research problem, not because one technique is supposedly mandatory for all Geoengineering students.

Supervisor and advisor eligibility

The current 2026–2028 curriculum publishes the School of Engineering eligibility rules clearly. A Master’s thesis supervisor may be a:

• Professor of any rank;
• Adjunct Professor;
• Professor of Practice;
• Senior University Lecturer; or
• Principal University Lecturer.

The thesis advisor must hold at least a Master’s degree.

The supervisor is responsible for the academic direction and fit of the thesis. An advisor can contribute technical, industrial or project-specific expertise. If the thesis is connected to an employer or external project, clarify early who provides academic supervision and who provides day-to-day technical advice.

The Geoengineering-specific recommended timeline

Geoengineering publishes a useful model schedule for the second study year. It is a recommended process rather than a universal calendar for every topic, but it gives a strong planning baseline.

August

Read the current thesis instructions and check advertised thesis topics in the programme.

September–October

Contact a potential supervisor to apply for an advertised topic or propose your own topic.

November

The programme’s model schedule places supervisor topic selections and announcements here. If several students seek the same advertised topic, Aalto states that study success, including grades in relevant courses, can be used in the selection.

December

Hold a kick-off meeting with the supervisor and thesis advisor.

December–January

Apply for the thesis topic officially according to the current ENG/MyStudies process and applicable deadlines.

January–May

Carry out the main thesis research and writing.

May–June

Finalise the thesis, give the required presentation and apply for thesis approval.

If you cannot follow the recommended common schedule, the programme instructs you to prepare an individual thesis-process timetable, explain the deviation and present the plan to the Programme Director by the end of the year during your second year of Master’s studies.

This makes scheduling a substantive part of Geoengineering thesis management. If your project depends on fieldwork seasons, laboratory availability, company data, construction-site access or complex simulations, build those constraints into the plan early.

GeoCorner presentation requirement

Geoengineering has a programme-specific thesis presentation rule. Master’s thesis presentations are arranged in GeoCorner, and the presentation must be completed before the thesis can be left for approval.

The current format is:

• 15 minutes for the presentation;
• 5 additional minutes for discussion.

Before registering a presentation slot, obtain permission from your supervisor and agree on the presentation date. The programme recommends doing this about two weeks before the event. After agreeing the date, follow the current GeoCorner registration instructions on the programme page.

Because the presentation occurs before thesis approval, it should not be treated as an optional celebration after submission. Include it in the final thesis schedule together with supervisor review, corrections and the approval deadline.

Maturity essay

The current Geoengineering-specific page states that the abstract of the Master’s thesis serves as the maturity essay.

The maturity test carries 0 ECTS, but it remains a formal degree requirement. Language-related obligations can depend on the student’s language-of-education background, so students should follow the current ENG and Aalto language instructions for the exact requirement that applies to them.

Aalto’s current AI guidance is unambiguous on one point: AI is prohibited in maturity examinations. Because Geoengineering uses the thesis abstract as the maturity essay, students should treat the assessed maturity component as AI-prohibited and complete it independently under the current instructions.

AI use in the rest of the thesis

Aalto permits AI to support learning unless the teacher or assessment context restricts it. Students remain responsible for the accuracy, originality and academic integrity of submitted work, and AI-generated text may not simply be presented in unmodified form as the student’s own work.

For a Geoengineering thesis, AI should not replace engineering judgment, source verification, calculations, modelling decisions, interpretation of field or laboratory data, or responsibility for conclusions. If AI is used for permitted brainstorming, language support, coding assistance or organisation, follow the live Aalto rules and any supervisor-specific restrictions.

Never enter confidential project, company, personal or restricted research information into an AI service that is not approved for that information.

MyStudies and the authenticated ENG guide

Aalto uses MyStudies as part of the formal Master’s thesis-management system. University-wide guidance supports using the thesis record for basic information and for the supervisor, topic and advisor approval process, with the final thesis moving through the evaluation and archiving workflow there.

The Geoengineering graduation page also confirms that a completed thesis is submitted for approval and evaluation in MyStudies. Graduation itself is requested in Sisu, and Aalto states that thesis approval/evaluation in MyStudies and the graduation request in Sisu can be made at the same time when the applicable conditions are met.

However, Aalto’s public Geoengineering thesis page explicitly directs students to the ENG Master’s Thesis Guide in MyCourses, which requires Aalto login. That is the controlling source for detailed School of Engineering procedures that are not published openly.

Accordingly, this guide does not invent:

• a universal ENG thesis word count or page count;
• one mandatory citation style;
• a fixed chapter template;
• a fixed number of supervisor meetings;
• a CHEM-style 800-hour or five-month workload rule;
• a hidden ENG grading rubric;
• a separate thesis-seminar credit that is not in the current Geoengineering curriculum;
• a complete 2027 Geoengineering committee calendar that Aalto has not yet published on the programme thesis page.

Use the current MyCourses ENG guide and your supervisor for those details.

Planning the research problem

Aalto defines the thesis as applied research based on existing scientific knowledge. A strong Geoengineering thesis therefore needs more than a technical task. It should formulate a problem that can be investigated and answered using appropriate evidence.

A practical planning sequence is:

1. define the physical, design, operational or scientific problem;
2. identify what is already known from research, standards and reliable technical sources;
3. decide what evidence is needed to answer the problem;
4. select an appropriate method such as field investigation, laboratory testing, modelling, simulation, data analysis or a defensible combination;
5. define assumptions, boundary conditions and limitations;
6. plan validation or comparison where relevant;
7. keep the scope realistic for a 30 ECTS Master’s thesis.

In computational work, document model assumptions, input data, calibration and sensitivity where relevant. In experimental work, document materials, procedures and uncertainty. In field studies, make data provenance and site conditions clear. In all cases, conclusions should be traceable to the actual evidence produced.

Literature and responsible conduct of research

The thesis should use existing scientific knowledge as a foundation rather than merely collecting background information. The literature review should establish what is known, define the technical or scientific gap, and explain why the selected research design is suitable.

Geoengineering projects may use several kinds of sources, including peer-reviewed research, technical standards, official specifications, geological or geospatial datasets, laboratory records, field measurements and project documentation. The role and authority of each source type should be clear.

If the project contains confidential company information, restricted site data, personal data or sensitive infrastructure information, resolve data handling and publication issues at the beginning. Do not assume that sensitive material can simply be hidden later inside a Master’s thesis.

Thesis-writing support

The programme specifically recommends LC-1322 Thesis Writing for Engineers (MSc), 3 ECTS. Aalto describes participation as useful when starting to write the Master’s thesis.

This is a recommendation, not an additional thesis credit hidden inside CE.thes. Students who need support with academic engineering writing can consider it alongside supervisor guidance and current language-centre availability.

Current public thesis-evaluation deadlines

As of 29 August 2026, the Geoengineering thesis page publishes the current 2026 thesis-evaluation schedule. The remaining publicly listed thesis-evaluation deadlines after this verification date are:

Aalto warns students using the 31 December deadline to account for the Christmas holiday season and contact the supervisor well before Christmas.

The programme graduation page also contains graduation-only dates on which the thesis and maturity test must already have been approved and registered. Do not confuse such dates with thesis-evaluation deadlines.

A complete programme-specific 2027 committee schedule is not yet published on the current Geoengineering thesis page. Recheck the live thesis and graduation pages before choosing a final submission date rather than extrapolating the 2026 cycle.

Graduation checks

For graduation, Aalto requires an up-to-date, reviewed and approved Sisu study plan. Students must be enrolled as attending for the current semester.

The practical end-stage sequence is therefore:

• complete the thesis research and writing;
• complete the GeoCorner presentation;
• complete the maturity requirement;
• follow the current ENG/MyCourses steps for final thesis approval and evaluation in MyStudies;
• ensure the Sisu study plan is correct and required studies are registered;
• submit the graduation request in Sisu by the applicable deadline.

Aalto allows the thesis approval/evaluation request and graduation application to be made at the same time, but that does not remove the need to satisfy the thesis presentation, maturity and programme requirements first.

A practical Geoengineering thesis plan

Before the second-year spring

• identify the Geoengineering subfield and research problem;
• check advertised programme or research-group topics;
• discuss a self-proposed topic if appropriate;
• identify a supervisor whose expertise fits the topic;
• check data, site, laboratory, software or company-access constraints;
• read the current authenticated ENG Master’s Thesis Guide.

Starting the thesis

• agree the academic scope with the supervisor;
• identify the advisor and clarify roles;
• create or update the thesis information in MyStudies as instructed;
• agree a realistic timeline and major milestones;
• plan field, laboratory or computational work early;
• consider LC-1322 if academic writing support would help.

Main research phase

• maintain a clear link between question, literature, method and evidence;
• document assumptions and research decisions;
• keep data and model versions organised;
• use supervisor and advisor feedback;
• address safety, ethics, confidentiality and research-integrity issues promptly;
• reduce scope if the evidence or time available cannot support the original plan.

Final phase

• complete analysis and write conclusions that match the evidence;
• schedule GeoCorner with supervisor permission;
• give the 15-minute presentation and complete the discussion;
• complete the maturity abstract independently without AI;
• follow the current ENG/MyCourses final-submission process;
• submit for evaluation in MyStudies by the correct programme deadline;
• verify Sisu and graduation timing separately.

What not to assume

For the current Aalto Geoengineering programme, do not assume that:

• the thesis has a universal word count or page count;
• one statistical, laboratory or numerical method is compulsory for all topics;
• a CHEM workload figure automatically applies to ENG;
• the GeoCorner presentation can be postponed until after thesis approval;
• the maturity test can use AI;
• another Aalto school’s thesis process can fill gaps in the authenticated ENG guide;
• a graduation-only date is automatically a thesis-evaluation date;
• a 2027 committee schedule can be inferred from 2026 dates.

Final checklist

Before submitting an Aalto Geoengineering Master’s thesis, confirm that:

• your study plan follows the correct 2026–2028 curriculum;
• CE.thes 30 ECTS and ENG.matr 0 ECTS are correctly included;
• the thesis topic fits your advanced studies;
• your supervisor and advisor satisfy the current eligibility rules;
• you have followed the authenticated ENG/MyCourses process;
• the research question, method and evidence align;
• you have scheduled and completed the GeoCorner presentation before approval;
• the thesis abstract/maturity essay is completed under the current AI prohibition;
• your MyStudies thesis record and approval steps are complete;
• you are using a currently published thesis-evaluation deadline;
• your Sisu plan is approved and your attendance status permits graduation.

Official sources

This guide is based only on current official Aalto University material verified on 29 August 2026. Always recheck the live programme, curriculum, thesis, Geoengineering thesis and graduation pages, the authenticated ENG Master’s Thesis Guide in MyCourses, MyStudies and Aalto’s AI guidance before making a final submission decision.