University of Helsinki Computer Science Master’s Thesis Guide 2026-2027

A Master’s thesis in the University of Helsinki Master’s Programme in Computer Science is a 30 ECTS research project inside a 120 ECTS, two-year Master of Science degree. The programme’s current guidance is unusually concrete about how a thesis moves from topic selection to programme approval, writing, presentation, E-thesis submission and final grading. This guide brings those rules together for students working in the Algorithms, Networking and services, or Software systems study tracks.

This is a thesis guide, not an admissions guide. Admission requirements, tuition, scholarships and application rules are intentionally outside its scope.

Where the thesis sits in the Computer Science degree

The current Computer Science degree structure contains 80 ECTS of advanced studies and 40 ECTS of other courses. The 30 ECTS Master’s thesis is part of the advanced studies. The programme also includes shared studies and courses that support the thesis topic.

Computer Science has three study tracks:

• Algorithms
• Networking and services
• Software systems

Students normally choose a track near the beginning of the programme, but current University guidance allows the track to be changed until the Master’s thesis topic is selected. That matters because your track helps shape the advanced courses you take before the thesis and the research environment in which you search for a topic and supervisor.

The programme is taught in English. Exams can generally be taken in English, Finnish or Swedish, and the Master’s thesis itself may be written in English, Finnish or Swedish.

What the 30 ECTS thesis is expected to demonstrate

The thesis is designed to demonstrate scientific thinking, command of research methods, in-depth knowledge of the topic and the ability to communicate scientifically in writing. The programme describes several legitimate forms of thesis work. A thesis can be based entirely on existing research literature, or it can include original theoretical, empirical or constructive work.

A particularly important point is that a Computer Science Master’s thesis does not have to produce a new scientific result. The quality of the work depends on the research problem, use of literature, method, reasoning, execution and scientific communication, not on forcing an artificial claim of novelty.

This makes the thesis structure flexible enough for very different projects. A literature-driven thesis may compare and analyse an established body of research. An empirical thesis may gather or analyse data. A constructive thesis may build and evaluate a system, method or software artefact. A theoretical thesis may develop or analyse formal arguments. Your supervisor and topic determine which structure is appropriate.

When should you start?

University guidance says that most required advanced studies and the essential courses connected to the thesis topic should be completed before the student begins the thesis project full time. Separate Computer Science study-planning guidance says that after roughly 40 ECTS of advanced studies, it is time to begin looking for a thesis topic and instructor.

This should not be treated as a mechanical rule that every student starts at exactly 40 ECTS. It is a planning signal. Your actual readiness depends on whether you have enough background in the area to formulate and carry out a defensible project.

The Computer Science Colloquium should also be completed or nearly completed before full-time thesis work. The thesis presentation within the Colloquium is a compulsory part of the thesis project.

Topic, supervisor and the 1-2 page thesis plan

The programme requires you to find a topic and supervisor before the project is formally approved. Topics can come from University research groups, programme topic listings, your own academic interests, or an organisation such as an employer or company, provided the proposed work is suitable for a Master’s thesis.

After a topic and supervisor have been identified, you prepare a short thesis plan of approximately 1-2 pages. The plan is agreed by the student and supervisor. The supervisor then submits it to the University’s PreThesis system, and the programme approves the thesis project.

The plan should also include a tentative date for your Computer Science Colloquium presentation. This means the presentation should be treated as part of the project architecture from the beginning, not something added after the thesis has already been completed.

A useful thesis plan should make the following elements clear:

1. the problem or topic area;
2. the research objective or questions;
3. the intended research approach;
4. the main literature or technical background;
5. the expected scope of the work;
6. the working timetable;
7. the planned Colloquium presentation point.

Do not turn a 1-2 page plan into a miniature thesis. Its purpose is to establish a shared, manageable project before full-scale work begins.

Supervision and project management

Once the project starts, the thesis is carried out under the personal guidance of the supervisor. The content and working process are negotiated with the supervisor, and the programme notes that the available supervision time is limited. Practical details should therefore be agreed explicitly, for example through a supervision agreement.

Students should clarify early:

• how often meetings will happen;
• what material should be sent before meetings;
• how quickly feedback can normally be expected;
• which technical or methodological decisions need supervisor approval;
• when the Colloquium presentation should occur;
• when the thesis is considered ready for formal submission.

This is especially important in software, data-intensive and research-group projects where the technical work can easily grow beyond a reasonable 30 ECTS scope.

How long should the Computer Science thesis be?

The current Computer Science-specific guidance says that a typical thesis is 40-50 pages, but immediately adds that the length varies depending on the topic.

So 40-50 pages is a planning benchmark, not an absolute page limit.

A tightly argued theoretical thesis may differ from an empirical systems thesis containing experiments, implementation detail and evaluation. A literature-based thesis may need a different balance of background, synthesis and analysis. The correct target is a complete and defensible treatment of the approved research problem, not padding a manuscript until it reaches a number.

Do not import the 40-60 page guidance used by some Helsinki humanities programmes into Computer Science. The Computer Science programme has its own more specific 40-50 page typical range.

Writing format and referencing

The programme provides both LaTeX and Microsoft Word support for thesis writing. Those resources help students produce a structurally consistent manuscript.

However, the current Computer Science thesis instructions do not establish one universal citation style such as APA, IEEE or ACM as mandatory for every thesis. Do not assume that a Computer Science thesis automatically means IEEE referencing. Follow the template, scientific-writing guidance, supervisor instructions and any topic or research-group conventions that actually apply to your project.

Consistency and traceability matter more than guessing a style from the discipline name.

The Computer Science Colloquium presentation

Presentation of the thesis at the Computer Science Colloquium is mandatory. It is part of the thesis project and is intended to provide feedback before the manuscript is finalised.

The suitable presentation time is agreed with the supervisor. Because the thesis plan should include a tentative presentation date, students should schedule the presentation early enough that useful feedback can still be incorporated before the final E-thesis submission.

A sensible presentation should explain the research problem, why it matters, the approach used, the strongest results or findings, the limitations and the remaining work before submission. The goal is not to compress every thesis chapter onto slides.

E-thesis submission

The final Master’s thesis is submitted through the University of Helsinki E-thesis system. Once the thesis has been formally saved for assessment, it is no longer editable. Treat that action as the submission of the final assessed version.

Before submission, check at minimum:

• the title and abstract;
• final thesis file and attachments;
• accessibility and file format requirements;
• references and internal cross-references;
• figures, tables and code-related links where relevant;
• supervisor confirmation that the work is ready for examination;
• the applicable submission deadline.

E-thesis then routes the work into the assessment process, and the student can follow the status there.

Examiners and grading

Faculty of Science rules require two examiners. The examiner pair consists of an eligible University of Helsinki academic, such as a professor, assistant or associate professor, research director, senior university lecturer or university lecturer, together with a person who has at least a doctoral degree. The supervisor may act as one of the examiners.

Computer Science theses are graded in E-thesis on the University scale from 0 to 5 using the programme’s evaluation matrix. All Computer Science Master’s theses have used the current assessment matrix from 1 January 2025 onward.

When the examiners complete the assessment, Student Services moves the thesis forward for the Dean’s decision. The student is informed of the grade proposal before the final approval decision.

The practical implication is simple: write for the assessment criteria, not just for page count. Your research objective, literature, method, results, reasoning and scientific writing all need to form one coherent piece of work.

Maturity test

For most Computer Science Master’s theses, the thesis abstract serves as the maturity test. Only exceptional cases require a separate maturity test.

The maturity test is a separate 0 ECTS attainment graded pass/fail. Its language depends on the student’s previous education and degree-language situation. Students completing an English-language degree may have specific English-language requirements depending on their educational background.

The University explicitly prohibits the use of artificial intelligence in maturity tests. This remains true even where AI tools may otherwise be permitted as support for learning or writing under applicable course, programme or faculty rules.

AI use in thesis work

University guidance allows AI tools in many learning and writing contexts, subject to teacher, programme and faculty restrictions. The student remains responsible for accuracy, source verification, research integrity and any required disclosure of AI use.

For a Computer Science thesis, that means AI can never replace the student’s own scientific judgement. Generated code, explanations, summaries or text must be checked critically, and confidential or restricted research material must not be handled in ways that violate University or project rules.

AI is never permitted in the maturity test.

Faculty of Science thesis deadlines for 2026-2027

The University has published the following Faculty of Science submission dates for the 2026-2027 academic year. Completed theses must be submitted by 23:59 Finnish time on the deadline.

The University also states that no supervision and feedback are provided in July unless a faculty or programme specifically requires otherwise.

Students should work backwards from the desired Dean decision date, not just from the submission deadline. Leave time for the Colloquium presentation, supervisor feedback, technical checking, final formatting and E-thesis submission.

A practical Computer Science thesis sequence

A robust workflow is:

1. complete enough advanced and topic-relevant studies to be thesis-ready;
2. choose or confirm your study track;
3. identify a topic and supervisor;
4. write and agree the 1-2 page thesis plan;
5. have the supervisor submit the plan to PreThesis for programme approval;
6. agree the supervision process and working timetable;
7. conduct the literature, theoretical, empirical or constructive work;
8. write continuously instead of leaving the manuscript until the end;
9. schedule and deliver the mandatory Computer Science Colloquium presentation;
10. use the feedback to finish the manuscript;
11. complete the abstract and maturity-test requirements;
12. submit the final version through E-thesis before the Faculty of Science deadline;
13. monitor the assessment and Dean decision process.

Final verification checklist

Before submitting, verify the rules controlling your own project:

• thesis topic and supervisor confirmed;
• 1-2 page thesis plan approved through the programme process;
• PreThesis record in place;
• mandatory Colloquium presentation completed or scheduled correctly;
• thesis scope remains appropriate for 30 ECTS;
• the 40-50 page figure is treated as typical guidance, not an artificial target;
• chosen thesis form is appropriate to the research question;
• current programme template and formatting instructions followed;
• referencing is consistent and follows the instructions actually applicable to your project;
• final E-thesis file checked before submission;
• maturity-test language requirement verified;
• no AI used in the maturity test;
• correct 2026-2027 Faculty of Science deadline selected.

The main advantage Computer Science students have is that the University already documents the workflow in considerable detail. Use that structure early. The thesis becomes much easier to manage when the topic, supervisor, plan, Colloquium presentation, writing process and submission deadline are treated as one project rather than separate tasks.