Aalto University IDBM Master’s Thesis Guide for ELEC Students: 30 ECTS, 810 Hours and Six-Month Process

Aalto University’s Master’s Programme in International Design Business Management (IDBM) is jointly organised across all six Aalto schools. That shared programme identity does not create one universal thesis process. Aalto explicitly tells IDBM students to follow the thesis instructions of their home school.

This guide is therefore only for IDBM students whose home school is the School of Electrical Engineering (ELEC) and who complete the Master of Science (Technology) route. The current 2026–2028 IDBM structure gives the thesis 30 ECTS, uses the ELEC route code ELEC28, and registers the maturity requirement as ELEC.matr, 0 ECTS.

The most important ELEC-specific planning numbers are approximately 810 hours and a target of six months full-time. Aalto’s ELEC page also describes ELEC-E0210 Master's Thesis Process, but this requires care: the course is compulsory in many ELEC programmes, while the current IDBM curriculum does not establish it as universally compulsory for every IDBM ELEC student. Check your own approved study plan instead of assuming it applies automatically.

The current IDBM ELEC thesis structure

The current IDBM curriculum is a 120 ECTS master’s degree. For ELEC students, the programme uses the School of Electrical Engineering route ELEC28. At the end of the degree, the student completes a 30 ECTS Master’s thesis and the 0 ECTS ELEC.matr maturity requirement.

The IDBM curriculum explicitly says that CHEM, ELEC and ENG students complete a 30 ECTS thesis, that advisor requirements follow the student’s school, that advisor(s) must have at least a Master’s degree, that thesis work includes a seminar or equivalent presentation, and that the thesis is a public document.

What the current IDBM curriculum does not do is list ELEC-E0210 as a universally compulsory IDBM ELEC course. The ELEC thesis page says the course is compulsory in many ELEC programmes and available to others. So treat ELEC-E0210 as conditional for IDBM ELEC: use it when it belongs to your approved study plan or when you deliberately include it as permitted, but do not describe the thesis as automatically 32 ECTS.

What kind of thesis is expected?

Aalto describes the Master’s thesis as an individual research project related to the student’s advanced studies and documented as a written report. It must use existing scientific knowledge and follow scientific research practices, good engineering and scientific practice, ethical principles and responsible research conduct.

For IDBM ELEC, the topic should connect the student’s advanced technical studies with a defensible research problem. Because IDBM is multidisciplinary, a thesis may also connect engineering with design, product development, innovation or business context. That does not reduce the academic engineering requirement. The work must still use scientific knowledge, justify its methods, produce analysable evidence and remain suitable for a Master’s thesis in the School of Electrical Engineering.

Aalto does not prescribe one universal ELEC method for every IDBM thesis. Depending on the student’s technical area, the project may involve modelling, simulation, signal processing, software, hardware, measurements, experiments, user-related engineering evidence, system design or another justified approach. The research question and evidence should control the method, not the programme label alone.

Six months and approximately 810 hours

The current IDBM ELEC thesis page gives a clear workload model:

• target duration: six months full-time;
• average workload: approximately 810 hours for the 30 ECTS thesis.

A different schedule can be agreed with the supervisor for justified reasons. The current instructions also state that exceeding the target duration, or another duration agreed with the supervisor, may affect thesis grading.

The relevant start date is the actual project start agreed between student and supervisor. It is not simply the later date on which topic and supervision are formally approved in MyStudies.

This makes early scope control important. If a prototype, dataset, algorithm, simulation, experimental setup, product-development task or company project is expanding beyond the original plan, discuss scope and timing with the supervisor while changes are still manageable.

When should you do the thesis?

Aalto’s two-year model places the thesis mainly in the spring semester of the second study year, but the programme explicitly says that this is not a restriction. You can work on another schedule if that is more appropriate for the project and your study plan.

The model timeline encourages planning well before the writing period. Topic searching may take months, particularly where the thesis depends on:

• a company thesis position;
• a research-group project;
• access to health or sensor data;
• laboratory equipment;
• human-machine or device testing;
• a hardware prototype;
• specialised simulation or signal-processing tools;
• regulatory or data-handling constraints.

The best time to identify those dependencies is before Month 1 of the formal six-month project.

Before starting

The current ELEC instructions require that, before beginning the Master’s thesis, you have at least:

• completed your Bachelor’s degree; and
• received approval for your study plan in Sisu.

The programme also encourages students to create a preliminary thesis plan in MyStudies before the final topic is known.

The preliminary record can include your degree programme, a provisional topic and language, supervisor or advisor details if known, planned start and end dates, and information about whether the project may be done for a company, university or another commissioner.

Keep this record updated as the plan becomes concrete.

Finding a topic

Students are mainly responsible for finding a thesis topic. Current ELEC instructions identify several routes:

• companies and public-sector organisations;
• Aalto research groups;
• topics discussed directly with professors;
• independently agreed topics of comparable Master’s-thesis scope;
• thesis projects abroad.

If you are ready to begin but cannot secure a suitable topic through normal channels, the School of Electrical Engineering states that it is obliged to arrange an independent Master’s thesis topic.

Supervisor and advisor rules

The current ELEC thesis page states that the thesis supervisor must be one of the following:

• an Aalto University professor;
• an Aalto University university lecturer; or
• an Aalto staff or senior scientist, where the staff/senior scientist works in ELEC.

The supervisor is responsible for the scientific validity and format of the thesis and the work as a whole.

You must also have one or two advisors. An advisor must have at least a Master’s degree. In company or research-project theses, the advisor is often the person providing day-to-day technical guidance.

The supervisor can also act as an advisor.

A supervisor or topic may come from another Aalto school when appropriate, provided the topic remains connected to your advanced studies and the current ELEC approval rules are satisfied.

Company, external and international theses

IDBM ELEC is naturally compatible with industry and research collaboration. A thesis can be completed for a company, research institute, public-sector organisation or another university, including abroad.

An external setting does not reduce the academic requirements. You still need an Aalto supervisor, a defensible research problem and the same core approval and final-submission process.

Company and interdisciplinary IDBM projects may involve sensitive information. Separate the public academic thesis from confidential company or project materials from the beginning. Aalto states that an approved Master’s thesis is a public document and cannot contain confidential sections. Only material included in the public final thesis is evaluated, and the document must remain a coherent whole without concealed parts.

If your project involves personal data, unpublished technical information, product roadmaps, customer information or commercially sensitive material, agree data handling and publication boundaries early with the supervisor and relevant project personnel. Do not assume that confidential content can simply be hidden at the final submission stage.

Formal topic and supervision approval in MyStudies

Once you have agreed on the topic and supervision, apply in MyStudies for approval of:

• the thesis topic;
• the supervisor;
• the advisor or advisors.

The current programme instructions say applications are processed continuously rather than through fixed topic-approval dates. Processing can take up to one month.

Topic, supervisor and advisor approval must be complete before the final thesis is submitted for evaluation. Aalto therefore recommends submitting the approval application at least one month before your intended final thesis submission.

Your final thesis title can evolve during the project, but it should remain within the field of the approved topic.

Initial meeting and the ELEC-E0210 boundary

At the beginning of the thesis, the student and supervisor, and where relevant the advisor or advisors, should hold an initial Master’s thesis meeting.

Use this meeting to agree on:

• the research problem and boundaries;
• the six-month target;
• supervision and feedback arrangements;
• expected data, experiments, simulations, software or hardware work;
• ethics, privacy and confidentiality issues where applicable;
• major milestones;
• the seminar presentation;
• the intended final submission deadline.

The ELEC thesis page says ELEC-E0210 Master's Thesis Process helps students get started and includes research-plan preparation. It is compulsory in many ELEC programmes, but the current 2026–2028 IDBM curriculum does not make it universally compulsory for IDBM ELEC.

If the course is compulsory in your own approved study-plan context, register once the topic and supervisor are agreed and follow the live MyCourses instructions. If it is not compulsory for you, do not invent a requirement. The public ELEC page still provides a research-plan outline that can be used when you are not attending the course.

The research plan

Students taking ELEC-E0210 should follow the live course requirements. The public ELEC thesis page also gives a useful fallback research-plan model for students not attending the course.

That model is 2–3 pages and includes:

1. the research problem and research questions;
2. the state of the art;
3. methodology;
4. milestones and a preliminary monthly schedule;
5. a preliminary reference list.

For IDBM ELEC, the research plan should expose practical dependencies early. If the study requires access to a company dataset, prototype, laboratory, simulation environment, test platform, user group, partner organisation or specialised software/hardware, the schedule should reflect that dependency rather than assume uninterrupted access.

Choosing methods without inventing a programme-wide rule

The current IDBM ELEC and ELEC thesis instructions do not make one method compulsory for every thesis.

A strong method is one that answers the research question and can be justified scientifically. The thesis should explain:

• why the selected data, measurements, models or experiments are suitable;
• what assumptions and limitations apply;
• how performance or validity is assessed;
• how conclusions follow from the evidence.

Do not add a machine-learning model, statistical test, user study, business framework or hardware prototype merely because IDBM is interdisciplinary. The research question controls the method.

Writing and thesis templates

Aalto provides Master’s thesis templates in LaTeX and Microsoft Word. The current ELEC thesis page recommends the LaTeX template while also supporting Word.

There is no current IDBM ELEC rule giving one universal thesis word count, page count, citation style or chapter sequence. Different ELEC technical areas can require different report structures.

Use the thesis template, disciplinary conventions and supervisor guidance to determine the appropriate structure and level of technical detail.

Turnitin and final-draft control

Turnitin is integrated into the current thesis process. Aalto recommends using it on drafts so similarity, citation and paraphrasing issues can be corrected before final submission.

Before final submission, obtain and review a Turnitin similarity report for the thesis and abstract.

When the final thesis is submitted through MyStudies, the system automatically creates:

• a similarity report visible to the student and supervisor; and
• an AI report visible to the supervisor.

The final submission is effectively locked after the submission deadline. You cannot treat it as a draft that can be casually replaced later.

AI use

Current ELEC thesis instructions emphasise original scientific sources, student responsibility and transparency. If AI has been used in research or writing, disclose it according to current Aalto instructions and make sure the supervisor knows how it was used.

Aalto’s current university-wide AI guidance allows AI to support learning unless restricted, but students remain responsible for submitted work. Unmodified AI-generated text cannot simply be presented as the student’s own work.

There is a stricter boundary for the maturity assessment: Aalto prohibits AI in maturity exams.

For company and interdisciplinary projects, also be cautious about data security. Do not enter confidential health data, personal information, unpublished research data or company material into an AI service that is not authorised for that information.

Public thesis and confidentiality

Once approved, the Master’s thesis is a public document. It cannot have confidential sections.

This matters especially for company-sponsored or product-development work, where the project can involve commercially sensitive data, prototypes or unpublished technical information. Plan the public thesis from the start so that the research question, method, evidence and conclusions remain academically coherent without relying on hidden sections.

The presence of confidential background material does not create a general exemption from the public-thesis rule.

Compulsory seminar presentation

A seminar presentation on the thesis topic is a compulsory part of the ELEC thesis process.

Agree its timing and arrangements with your thesis supervisor. When applying for final thesis approval in MyStudies, you must state whether the presentation has already taken place or provide the planned date.

The presentation must be completed no later than the relevant deadline for thesis submission and graduation application. The supervisor records completion in MyStudies during the thesis evaluation process.

The public ELEC page does not impose one universal presentation length or slide count, so follow the supervisor’s current arrangements rather than borrowing another programme’s presentation format.

Maturity essay

The current ELEC thesis page states that the thesis abstract serves as the maturity essay. If the abstract is prepared according to the Master’s thesis template instructions, a separate maturity essay does not need to be arranged with the supervisor.

The maturity test is registered as ELEC.matr, 0 ECTS.

Because the abstract serves as the maturity assessment, complete that component under Aalto’s current rule that AI is prohibited in maturity examinations.

Evaluation and final submission

The academic evaluation follows the School of Electrical Engineering common Master’s thesis evaluation guideline. The supervisor writes the evaluation statement and grade proposal.

For IDBM ELEC, however, the final thesis evaluation and approval is handled in the IDBM Programme Committee for IDBM students who started in 2018 or later. This is an important routing distinction. The generic ELEC page also shows School-level Degree Programme Committee schedules, including 2027 dates, but those are not a substitute for the IDBM Programme Committee calendar.

Before final submission, topic, supervisor and advisor(s) must already be approved in MyStudies. Current final-submission requirements include:

• convert the thesis to PDF/A;
• keep the file below 100 MB;
• complete the required thesis information in MyStudies;
• upload the genuinely final PDF/A;
• accept the Turnitin conditions;
• ensure the compulsory seminar presentation has been completed by the relevant deadline.

After submission, the similarity report is generated, the supervisor prepares the evaluation statement and grade proposal, and the IDBM approval process proceeds through the Programme Committee. The evaluation statement and decision are made available through MyStudies. The evaluation decision can be appealed under Aalto’s process.

Current IDBM thesis-approval deadlines

As verified on 30 August 2026, the current IDBM Applications page still lists these remaining 2026 thesis-approval deadlines for TECH/SCI routes:

The same IDBM page marks 31 August 2026 and 26 October 2026 as graduation-only dates, not thesis-approval dates.

At verification, Aalto had not yet published a complete 2027 IDBM Programme Committee thesis-approval calendar. The ELEC page does show a 2027 School-level committee schedule, but this guide does not substitute those dates for IDBM. Recheck the live IDBM Applications page before fixing a final thesis submission date.

Graduation connection

Graduation is requested through Sisu. Your personal study plan must be valid and approved, and you must be enrolled as attending to submit the graduation request and graduate.

When all other required degree studies are completed and registered, Aalto allows the Master’s thesis and maturity requirement to be submitted for evaluation at the same time as the graduation request.

The ELEC graduation guidance also warns students to check that the thesis code corresponds to the supervisor’s school or department. ELEC.thes is the common code for ELEC supervisors, but a different code may be needed when the supervisor belongs to another school or department. If unclear, confirm with the supervisor or ELEC study services.

A practical six-month IDBM ELEC workflow

Before Month 1

• confirm your current 2026–2028 study plan;
• identify likely thesis topic areas;
• add or update the preliminary MyStudies thesis record;
• contact potential supervisors;
• investigate company/research-group opportunities;
• identify data, laboratory, hardware, software, privacy or regulatory constraints.

Month 1

• agree on the topic and supervision;
• hold the initial thesis meeting;
• register for ELEC-E0210;
• prepare the research plan;
• apply for topic/supervisor/advisor approval in MyStudies;
• fix a realistic six-month milestone plan.

Months 2–4

• carry out the main research, design, experiment, modelling, signal processing or implementation work;
• write continuously rather than postponing the thesis text;
• keep assumptions and data-handling decisions documented;
• use advisor and supervisor feedback;
• revise scope when evidence or time requires it.

Month 5

• consolidate results;
• complete interpretation and conclusions;
• review limitations and validity;
• run Turnitin on the thesis and abstract;
• begin final supervisor review.

Month 6

• complete corrections;
• give the compulsory seminar presentation;
• prepare the maturity abstract independently under the AI prohibition;
• convert the thesis to PDF/A below 100 MB;
• confirm that MyStudies approvals are complete;
• submit the final thesis before the intended committee deadline;
• submit the Sisu graduation request when appropriate.

Final checklist

Before submitting an IDBM ELEC Master’s thesis, confirm that:

• you are using the current 2026–2028 programme structure;
• the thesis is 30 ECTS and ELEC.matr is 0 ECTS;
• you have checked whether ELEC-E0210 actually applies to your own study plan rather than assuming it is compulsory;
• your Bachelor’s degree and approved Sisu study plan prerequisites are satisfied;
• topic, supervisor and advisor(s) are formally approved in MyStudies;
• the project scope fits the agreed six-month / approximately 810-hour target;
• the method is justified by the research question rather than assumed from the programme name;
• confidential material is kept out of the public final thesis;
• Turnitin has been reviewed before final submission;
• AI use follows current disclosure, integrity and privacy rules;
• the maturity abstract is completed without AI;
• the compulsory seminar presentation is complete by the required deadline;
• the final thesis is PDF/A, below 100 MB and genuinely final;
• you are using a current thesis-evaluation deadline;
• you are using the current IDBM Programme Committee deadline rather than a generic ELEC committee date;
• your Sisu plan and attendance status support graduation.

Official-source boundary

This guide is based only on current official Aalto University material verified on 30 August 2026. Before making a final thesis or graduation decision, recheck the live IDBM ELEC instructions, IDBM Applications page, current ELEC-E0210 MyCourses instructions when relevant, MyStudies, Sisu and Aalto’s current AI guidance.