Aalto University International Management Master’s Thesis Guide: 20 ECTS Thesis, Seminar and First-Year Process

Aalto University’s Master’s Programme in International Management is the School of Business programme that was known as Global Management before the August 2026 name change. It combines the Aalto Master of Science (Economics and Business Administration) degree with the CEMS Master’s in International Management pathway.

That combination creates an unusual thesis timetable. In the current 2026–2028 curriculum, International Management students complete the main Aalto programme block, including the thesis, largely in the first study year, while the second year is organised around the CEMS MIM year and a mandatory exchange semester.

For students following the current curriculum, the core thesis structure is:

• Master’s thesis: 20 ECTS;
• MNGT-E1016 Master's Thesis Seminar in Management Studies: 2 ECTS, separate from the thesis;
• BIZ.matr Maturity Test: 0 ECTS;
• current recommended timing: seminar and thesis in first-year spring;
• thesis supervisor: allocated through the Management Studies thesis seminar based on the proposed topic;
• presentation: mandatory before submission for students who participated in the seminar in January 2026 or later; and
• final submission, evaluation and archiving: through MyStudies under the School of Business process.

The thesis is therefore not a 22 ECTS thesis. The seminar remains a separate course, and the maturity component carries no credits. The current International Management thesis itself is 20 ECTS.

This guide is based on Aalto’s current programme curriculum, recommended timetable, International Management thesis page, School of Business thesis rules, graduation schedule and university-wide public-document, AI and Turnitin guidance verified on 30 August 2026.

Where the thesis sits in the International Management degree

The programme leads to the Master of Science (Economics and Business Administration) degree and totals 120 ECTS. In the current curriculum the programme code is BIZ224, with programme studies of at least 79 ECTS, an international minor of at least 24 ECTS and electives used to complete the degree structure.

The thesis component is deliberately different from many other current School of Business programmes. International Management uses a 20 ECTS Master’s thesis, together with the separate 2 ECTS MNGT-E1016 Master's Thesis Seminar in Management Studies and 0 ECTS BIZ.matr maturity test.

The curriculum also includes a 3 ECTS research-methods choice between MNGT-E1003 Quantitative Methods and MNGT-E1011 Qualitative Methods. That choice supports research preparation, but it does not force every thesis into one universal methodology. The actual design still has to fit the research question, evidence and field conventions.

Most importantly, current programme-specific sources place the thesis in the first study year. The curriculum lists the thesis in periods III–V / first year, and the recommended timetable for autumn-2026 starters places research methods, the thesis seminar and the thesis in first-year spring.

That programme-specific timetable should control your planning. A generic Aalto FAQ elsewhere may say that students often begin thesis work at the start of the second study year, but International Management is structured differently because its second year is the CEMS MIM year.

Why International Management puts the thesis in the first year

The programme’s second year is not an ordinary continuation of first-year coursework. It is the CEMS MIM year, during which students spend one academic term at Aalto and the other at another CEMS school. The exchange studies form the international minor, and students also complete the applicable CEMS academic requirements.

That is why the first-year thesis schedule matters operationally. Delaying a 20 ECTS thesis into the CEMS year can create competition with exchange mobility, CEMS courses and other programme obligations. The recommended timetable therefore treats first-year thesis completion as part of the intended degree sequence rather than an optional acceleration.

CEMS also has requirements such as elective skill seminars, an international internship of at least eight weeks and language requirements. Those are important for the overall programme, but they are not thesis credits and are not thesis grading criteria. Keep the Aalto thesis process and the wider CEMS completion requirements connected in your calendar without merging them academically.

For practical planning, the safest approach is to enter first-year spring with a thesis topic area already under consideration, use the seminar to narrow it and secure supervision, and aim to complete the focused 20 ECTS project before second-year mobility becomes the dominant constraint.

Start with the Master’s Thesis Seminar

For International Management students, the thesis process begins by taking the Master’s Thesis Seminar. The current curriculum lists MNGT-E1016 in teaching periods I and III, and the programme thesis instructions describe the seminar as being offered twice each year.

Students register for the seminar through Sisu during the normal registration period. At the beginning of the seminar, Aalto expects the student to have an idea for a thesis topic, but the student does not need to arrive with a supervisor already secured.

That distinction matters because International Management uses a structured supervisor-allocation process. The thesis supervisor is allocated during the seminar based on the proposed topic. The current programme thesis instructions explicitly state that students should not obtain an International Management thesis supervisor outside that seminar allocation process.

Once a preliminary topic and supervisor have been established, the student applies in MyStudies for approval of the thesis topic and supervisor. The seminar lasts one study period. After the seminar, thesis writing continues more independently with supervisor support.

A practical way to use the seminar is to arrive with a topic that is interesting but still negotiable. The aim is not to defend a fully fixed project before supervision begins. The aim is to make the problem clear enough that the programme can match it to appropriate supervision and the student can turn it into a feasible 20 ECTS project.

Build a focused 20 ECTS research project

Aalto defines the School of Business 20 ECTS thesis as a focused research project of around 500–600 hours, approximately 63–75 full-time workdays, or about 3–4 months of full-time study.

The 20 ECTS format is not a reduced-quality thesis. Aalto applies similar quality expectations across the 20 and 30 ECTS formats, but the 20 ECTS thesis is deliberately more focused. The student is expected to produce strong research within a tighter scope and a shorter workload envelope.

Aalto gives practical examples of scope control: empirical data collection can be deliberately focused, secondary data can be used where appropriate, and the literature review can be more tightly bounded. The key principle is not to manufacture extra workload simply to make the thesis look larger. Aalto explicitly warns that doing more work than required, such as collecting excessive data or expanding the topic unnecessarily, does not itself improve the grade.

A workable International Management topic should therefore have four features:

1. a clearly bounded management or international-business problem;
2. a research question that can genuinely be answered within 20 ECTS;
3. an evidence and method plan proportionate to roughly 500–600 hours; and
4. a contribution that can be explained in relation to prior research and, where relevant, managerial practice.

This is especially important in a programme where students may be attracted to very broad global themes. “International” does not mean the thesis has to compare many countries, gather a large multinational dataset or solve a global management problem in full. A narrow, well-analysed question is usually stronger than an oversized project that cannot be completed before the CEMS year.

The current School of Business guidance does not prescribe one universal chapter structure, research method or citation style. Structure should follow the research design, field conventions and supervisor/seminar instructions.

Individual, pair, commissioned and article-type theses

International Management uses the School of Business framework, which permits more than one legitimate thesis format.

A thesis may be written individually or in a pair. A pair thesis is still one cohesive research project, and Aalto expects equal contributions from both students. Pair work should therefore not be treated as two loosely connected mini-theses placed inside one file. The research question, theoretical framing, methods, analysis and final argument need to work as one project.

A commissioned thesis with an external organisation is also possible. A commissioned topic still has to meet academic standards, and the thesis supervisor must approve the topic. The organisation’s practical interests can shape the research problem, but they do not replace the university’s academic requirements.

BIZ also permits an article-type thesis as an alternative to the traditional monograph format. For this specific format, Aalto describes a ready-to-submit article manuscript and gives a typical range of approximately 10,000–15,000 words, subject to disciplinary conventions.

That word range is not a universal International Management thesis length. It applies to the article-type format only. A traditional monograph thesis may be organised differently, and the current School of Business guidance does not impose one general word or page count for all International Management theses.

Publication in an academic journal is also not required for an article-type thesis to be accepted. The thesis must satisfy the university’s academic and examination requirements; journal acceptance is a separate process.

Keep the research design aligned from the beginning

A useful thesis plan can be built by checking alignment across five elements:

• Problem: What exactly is not yet understood, resolved or adequately explained?
• Question: What question can the thesis actually answer within 20 ECTS?
• Theory or literature: What prior knowledge is needed to frame the problem and interpret the results?
• Evidence and method: What data, material or analytical approach can answer the question?
• Contribution: What does the completed study add to understanding, practice or decision-making?

If one element changes, the others may need to change as well. For example, a narrower research question may require a different sample, a different analytical technique or a smaller theoretical frame. This is why early supervisor discussion is more useful than trying to perfect every chapter before obtaining feedback.

The current BIZ sources do not authorise a single compulsory International Management method. Do not choose a method simply because another International Management thesis used it. The research design should be defensible for the actual question being asked.

Use Turnitin as part of the writing process

Aalto makes Turnitin part of the thesis process. Students can use it proactively while drafting, rather than waiting until the final submission.

Turnitin similarity information should be interpreted as a diagnostic signal, not a verdict. A similarity percentage can result from correctly cited material, common terminology, references or problematic copying. The report needs human interpretation in context.

The same caution applies to AI-detection output. A detection score by itself does not prove misconduct. Students remain responsible for the originality, accuracy and academic integrity of what they submit.

The final thesis submitted in MyStudies generates the relevant final Turnitin similarity report. Good practice is therefore to resolve citation, paraphrasing and source-attribution problems before the final archival version is submitted.

The thesis presentation is part of the current School of Business process

Aalto introduced a presentation requirement with a clear transition rule. For students who participated in the Master’s Thesis Seminar in January 2026 or later, the thesis presentation is obligatory. Students who participated in the seminar in autumn 2025 or earlier fall under the published transition exemption.

For students covered by the current rule, the presentation must be completed before thesis submission.

The programme thesis instructions currently describe presentations as normally taking place face-to-face on campus. An exceptional hybrid arrangement may be possible, but the presentation itself must be live. A pre-recorded video or audio presentation does not satisfy the requirement.

The current format gives 10 minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes for questions and answers. Aalto’s published structure expects the student to cover the motivation or introduction, research question, theories, methods and findings. PowerPoint may be used, but the instructions do not make PowerPoint itself compulsory.

Students working with confidential or commercially sensitive material need to design the presentation carefully. Only material that can legitimately be disclosed should be shown. Sensitive information should be handled according to Aalto’s confidentiality practices rather than exposed simply because the thesis must be presented.

The current public programme thesis instructions list a 2026 presentation schedule, but they do not yet state a 2027 presentation schedule. This guide therefore does not invent one. The live BIZ page must be rechecked when a student is planning a real 2027 presentation date.

Submit the final thesis through MyStudies

The final thesis is submitted for evaluation, grading and archiving in MyStudies, under the Thesis tab.

Before submission, the supervisor must already be approved in MyStudies. The student must also be enrolled as attending for the study right to which the master’s thesis belongs.

The final thesis must be uploaded as one PDF/A file containing the cover page and thesis abstract. The current programme thesis instructions list PDF/A-1a, PDF/A-1b, PDF/A-2a, PDF/A-2b, PDF/A-3a and PDF/A-3b as accepted archival standards. The file must not exceed 100 MB.

A final-submission check should therefore confirm:

• the supervisor is approved in MyStudies;
• the required presentation has been completed if the student falls under the current presentation rule;
• the thesis is the final examined version rather than a working draft;
• the cover page and abstract are included;
• the file is valid PDF/A;
• the file size is within the 100 MB limit; and
• references, appendices and any permitted supporting material are complete.

The final submission is not simply a file upload. It is the version that enters the evaluation and archiving process, so administrative completeness matters alongside academic quality.

How the International Management thesis is evaluated

The current School of Business process uses two examiners: the thesis supervisor and a second examiner who is knowledgeable in the field. They provide an evaluation using the School of Business grading rubric.

Aalto’s School of Business guidance highlights more than just the final results. The rubric considers dimensions such as project management, critical thinking and how well the thesis is positioned within its field, alongside the substance and findings of the research.

The Head of Department confirms grades for theses submitted during the same month. After the grade is approved, the result is recorded in MyStudies, the thesis completion is registered in Sisu, and the evaluation statement can be downloaded from MyStudies.

This means the thesis should be managed as both a research product and a research process. A strong final result can still be weakened by poor scope control, weak reasoning, unclear positioning or an analysis that does not support the conclusions.

The thesis abstract also serves as the maturity essay

For International Management master’s students, the thesis abstract serves as the maturity essay. The curriculum records BIZ.matr as 0 ECTS, and no separate maturity-essay file is required when the abstract is submitted and assessed as part of the thesis.

If the thesis is written in English, the abstract is in English. Depending on the student’s language of primary and secondary education and prior degree circumstances, a Finnish or Swedish translation may also be required, and the maturity test may carry a language-proficiency function.

Because those requirements depend on the student’s educational-language background, students should not assume that another student’s maturity-language requirement automatically applies to them.

Aalto’s current AI guidance states that language models are not permitted in the maturity test. Since the thesis abstract functions as the maturity essay in this process, students need to follow the applicable maturity-test restrictions when producing the assessed abstract. More generally, any course- or thesis-specific AI restriction overrides broad assumptions about what AI use might be allowed elsewhere.

Your thesis is a public document

Aalto master’s theses are public documents. The thesis submitted for evaluation must therefore not contain secret or confidential information.

This is particularly important for commissioned theses. Commercial secrets, restricted company information or other confidential material must remain outside the thesis that is submitted for examination. An external organisation cannot make the evaluated thesis confidential simply by requesting it.

Aalto publishes thesis metadata and, for theses covered by the current policy, the abstract in Aaltodoc. Publication of the full thesis text online requires the author’s consent.

Do not confuse those two rules. Declining consent for full-text online publication does not make the thesis confidential. The thesis remains a public document, and Aalto can provide access under its public-document process even when the full text is not openly downloadable from Aaltodoc.

This boundary should be discussed early with any commissioner. Confidential project background may need to be separated from the public academic thesis before data collection and writing are too far advanced.

Current 2027 International Management thesis-submission dates

The current School of Business graduation timetable used by International Management publishes the following thesis-submission deadlines for 2027:

• 27 January 2027
• 17 February 2027
• 24 March 2027
• 21 April 2027
• 26 May 2027
• 30 July 2027
• 25 August 2027
• 22 September 2027
• 20 October 2027
• 17 November 2027
• 31 December 2027

There is an important June exception. Aalto lists 23 June 2027 as a graduation date, but the same School of Business timetable states that no thesis or maturity essay can be submitted for examination in June. Students aiming for June graduation must therefore follow the May thesis and maturity timetable.

These dates are cycle-sensitive administrative information. They must be checked again against the live programme thesis instructions before a student relies on them for a final submission plan.

A practical first-year International Management thesis workflow

Because the programme thesis is scheduled early, a useful sequence is:

1. Plan during first-year autumn. Identify one or two management themes that could become a focused research problem.
2. Register for MNGT-E1016. Follow the normal Sisu registration window. You do not need a pre-arranged supervisor.
3. Enter the seminar with a workable topic idea. The topic can still change as feasibility and supervision become clearer.
4. Use seminar-based allocation. Your programme supervisor is assigned through the seminar based on topic; do not attempt to bypass that process.
5. Apply in MyStudies for supervisor and topic approval. Record the required thesis information once allocation is established.
6. Protect the 20 ECTS scope. Build the question, literature, evidence and method around roughly 500–600 hours rather than a 30 ECTS project.
7. Choose authorship format deliberately. Individual and pair theses are both allowed; pair work requires one cohesive project and meaningful contribution from both students.
8. Separate academic and commissioner needs. For a commissioned thesis, keep confidential background outside the public evaluated thesis.
9. Use Turnitin during drafting. Resolve citation and paraphrasing issues before the final archival submission.
10. Complete the live presentation if the current rule applies. For seminar participation from January 2026 onward, presentation must precede final submission.
11. Prepare the abstract as the maturity essay and create a valid PDF/A. Check language requirements and file validity early.
12. Submit through MyStudies by the live deadline. Do not use June as a thesis-submission month, and recheck both presentation and graduation pages.
13. Keep the CEMS year in view. The programme is designed so the thesis is substantially completed before second-year exchange and CEMS obligations dominate the calendar.

Final checklist

Before final submission, confirm that:

• you are following the current International Management / BIZ224 curriculum rather than an older Global Management thesis structure;
• the thesis is 20 ECTS, while MNGT-E1016 is a separate 2 ECTS seminar;
• your current programme plan places the thesis appropriately in the first study year;
• your supervisor was allocated through the Management Studies thesis seminar and approved in MyStudies;
• the project is scoped for approximately 500–600 hours / 3–4 months full-time, not a 30 ECTS workload;
• the research question, literature, evidence and method remain aligned;
• any pair thesis is one cohesive study with defensible contribution from both students;
• any commissioner understands that the evaluated thesis is public;
• article-type 10,000–15,000-word guidance is used only if you are actually following the article-type format;
• Turnitin and source attribution have been checked;
• the required live presentation has been completed if your seminar participation is January 2026 or later;
• the abstract satisfies the maturity-test requirements that apply to your language background;
• prohibited AI assistance has not been used for the maturity test;
• the final thesis contains no secret information;
• the file is one valid PDF/A under 100 MB;
• your thesis-submission and presentation dates have been rechecked on the live programme pages; and
• the thesis plan does not collide unnecessarily with the second-year CEMS exchange structure.

The central planning principle is simple: International Management is a focused first-year 20 ECTS School of Business thesis route. Use the seminar to obtain supervision, control scope aggressively, complete the required live presentation, submit through MyStudies, and keep the second-year CEMS calendar separate from the thesis requirements.