University of Helsinki Master’s Programme in Economics Thesis Guide 2026-2027

What this guide covers

This guide is for students in the University of Helsinki Master’s Programme in Economics who are planning, writing or submitting a master’s thesis during the 2026-2027 academic year. It is deliberately programme-specific and thesis-specific. It brings together the Economics programme structure, the Research Skills and thesis seminar sequence, the Faculty of Social Sciences assessment model, the maturity-test framework and the University’s E-thesis process.

It is not an admissions guide. Application eligibility, selection criteria, attachment deadlines, tuition, scholarships and language-test thresholds are intentionally outside this article. Those rules change by admissions cycle and should not be mixed into a guide for students who are already working on the degree.

The most useful way to read this guide is as a planning map. University-level rules create the formal framework, the Faculty of Social Sciences controls assessment and submission timing, and your Economics thesis seminar and supervisor control the topic-specific research decisions.

Economics thesis at a glance

The Master’s Programme in Economics is a 120 ECTS, two-year Master of Social Sciences programme in the Faculty of Social Sciences. It has two study tracks: General and Research. Under the current 2026-2030 curriculum, the approved programme-specific equivalence table records General-track advanced studies as 95-120 ECTS and Research-track advanced studies as 105-120 ECTS.

Both tracks include a 30 ECTS master’s thesis and 10 ECTS of Research Skills. The programme describes the thesis as work completed primarily in the second year. Preparation begins in the autumn semester through the Research Skills module, including a thesis research proposal, while primary supervision takes place through the master’s thesis seminar during the spring semester.

The programme allows the thesis and supervision in English, Finnish or Swedish. Teaching in the programme is primarily in English.

General track and Research track: what changes for the thesis

The two tracks share the same 30 ECTS thesis requirement, but they differ in the amount and depth of economic theory and econometric methods surrounding the thesis.

For the General track, the programme specifies 30 ECTS of economic theory and econometric methods and at least 20 ECTS of field courses in economics. For the Research track, the corresponding theory and econometrics component is 45 ECTS and the minimum field-course component is 15 ECTS. The Research track is designed to provide deeper preparation in economic theory and econometric methods and is explicitly positioned as preparation for doctoral studies and particularly demanding economist roles.

This matters when you design the thesis. A General-track student may choose a highly quantitative topic, and a Research-track student may choose a focused applied question, but the surrounding coursework can affect the level of theory, methods and modelling that you are prepared to use. Your supervisor should help you set a thesis design that is ambitious enough for the programme but still feasible within a 30 ECTS project.

Start the thesis before the spring seminar

The Economics programme does not treat the thesis as something that begins when you open a blank document in the spring semester. The autumn Research Skills module in the second year is part of the preparation process and includes drawing up a research proposal.

A useful proposal should make at least five things explicit:

1. the economic problem or question;
2. the relationship to relevant economic literature;
3. whether the project is theoretical, empirical or methodological;
4. the data, models or literature that will actually be used; and
5. a realistic route from the research question to a defensible result.

For an empirical thesis, add an early data-feasibility test. Verify that the variables, sample period, units of observation and access conditions support the proposed identification or estimation strategy. For a theoretical thesis, define the model, assumptions and intended contribution early enough that the project does not become an open-ended literature exercise. For a methods-focused thesis, be clear about what is being developed or compared and how performance will be evaluated.

The goal of the autumn stage is therefore not to write the final thesis. It is to remove avoidable uncertainty before the spring seminar becomes the main supervision environment.

The three thesis routes described by the programme

The programme explicitly describes several legitimate forms of Economics thesis work.

Theoretical thesis

A theoretical thesis examines an economic problem through existing literature and may extend existing economic models. The challenge is not simply to collect theories. You need a clearly bounded economic problem, a coherent model or theoretical framework, transparent assumptions and a reasoned explanation of what follows from them.

Empirical thesis

An empirical thesis applies econometric methods to relevant economic data. The research question, data-generating process and econometric method must fit one another. A sophisticated method does not compensate for a weak question or unsuitable data. Likewise, a large dataset does not automatically create a strong empirical contribution.

Econometric-method thesis

The programme also allows work focused on developing a new econometric method or comparing properties of existing methods. Such a thesis needs a precise evaluation logic. Define what counts as better performance, under which assumptions, and with what theoretical, simulation or empirical evidence.

These routes are not rigid templates. They are useful ways of understanding the kind of scholarly work the programme recognizes.

Build the thesis around alignment

For Economics, the strongest practical planning principle is alignment between the research question, economic framework, evidence and method.

For an empirical project, ask:

• Does the dataset actually measure the concepts in the research question?
• Is the unit of observation appropriate?
• Is the available variation sufficient for the intended analysis?
• Are the assumptions of the econometric strategy defensible?
• Can alternative explanations be addressed honestly?
• Can the result be interpreted economically, not only statistically?

For a theoretical project, ask:

• What exact economic mechanism is being analysed?
• Which assumptions are essential?
• What changes relative to the baseline literature?
• Can the implications be stated clearly?
• Is the contribution feasible within a master’s thesis rather than a doctoral project?

For a methods project, ask:

• Which methods are being compared or developed?
• What data-generating settings matter?
• What metrics will evaluate performance?
• What limitations remain after the comparison?

If these questions are unresolved, more writing usually does not solve the underlying research-design problem.

Use the Helsinki GSE environment strategically

Economics teaching at the University of Helsinki is coordinated with Aalto University and Hanken School of Economics through Helsinki GSE. The programme emphasizes that students can take economics courses across the three Helsinki GSE universities.

This wider environment can be useful for thesis preparation. A field course may help refine the topic, an advanced methods course may strengthen the empirical design, and seminars can help you understand how economists present questions and evidence. However, cross-institutional course access does not replace the formal supervision process for your University of Helsinki thesis. Your thesis seminar and supervisor remain the controlling academic route for the project itself.

Do not invent a page limit or citation style

The current official Economics sources used for this guide establish the 30 ECTS thesis, the preparation and seminar model, thesis types, curriculum structure and faculty assessment rules. They do not establish a universal Economics thesis page limit or one mandatory programme-wide citation style for every thesis.

That absence matters. Do not copy the 50-70 page recommendation from another University of Helsinki programme and assume it applies to Economics. Do not assume that APA, Harvard, Chicago or another style is compulsory merely because another programme uses it.

Before extensive writing, verify with your thesis seminar or supervisor:

• expected length or scope guidance for your project;
• the required referencing convention;
• local formatting or template expectations;
• how equations, tables, figures and appendices should be presented;
• expectations for data and code documentation; and
• any field-specific reproducibility requirements.

This is a better approach than creating false certainty from a rule the Economics programme does not currently publish in the sources used for this guide.

Faculty of Social Sciences assessment from 1 August 2026

For master’s theses submitted from 1 August 2026, the Faculty of Social Sciences uses seven assessment areas while the final grade remains on the 0-5 scale.

The areas are:

1. Thesis objective and research questions
2. Scholarly framework and use of sources
3. Research data and method
4. Presentation of thesis results
5. Discussion and conclusions
6. Thesis as an academic text
7. Work during the thesis process

The seventh area covers independent work, use of feedback, time management and systematic working. It is assessed by the supervising reviewer. The Faculty also states that the final thesis grade does not have to be a simple arithmetic average of the separate areas. The thesis is assessed as a whole.

For Economics students, this means the final PDF is not the only thing that matters. The research question should be economically meaningful and clearly framed; literature should support the problem rather than appear as disconnected summaries; data and econometric methods should be justified; results should answer the research question; conclusions should distinguish what the evidence supports from what it does not; and the writing, equations, tables, graphs and references should form a coherent academic text.

The process component also gives a practical reason to use supervision well. Keep track of feedback, make decisions explicitly, manage the project systematically and avoid leaving the most important design questions until the final weeks.

Theoretical and empirical theses are not assessed identically in practice

The Faculty assessment guidance recognizes that the research-data-and-method area is applied differently to theoretical and empirical theses and may carry a different practical emphasis depending on the nature of the thesis.

An empirical Economics thesis will normally need to make the dataset, variable construction, estimation strategy and limitations transparent. A theoretical thesis may need to define the research question, model and literature more explicitly because there may be no empirical dataset to evaluate. A methods thesis may need to demonstrate the properties and limitations of the method rather than simply report coefficients.

The important point is not to force every Economics thesis into the same chapter structure. The assessment areas are common, but the evidence used to satisfy them depends on the research design.

Maturity test: treat it as a formal requirement

At master’s level, the maturity test is a separate 0-credit study attainment graded pass/fail. It demonstrates familiarity with the thesis field. Depending on the programme and the student’s prior education, the maturity test may be the thesis abstract or another defined academic text, and the required language depends on previous maturity-test and secondary-education history.

Do not assume that every student has the same maturity-test language requirement. Verify the current instruction for your own study history.

The University rule on AI is unambiguous here: AI may not be used in the maturity test.

AI use in the thesis: permitted uses still require responsibility

University guidance allows AI tools in many learning and writing contexts unless a faculty, programme, course or teacher applies a more specific restriction. The student remains responsible for the accuracy and integrity of submitted work, and AI use must be reported according to the applicable instructions.

For an Economics thesis, this means you should discuss potentially material uses with the supervisor, especially if AI is involved in code assistance, translation, literature organization, data processing, language revision or drafting support. Never treat AI output as evidence, never submit generated citations without checking them, and never allow a tool to obscure how an empirical result was produced.

Again, AI is not allowed in the maturity test.

E-thesis submission and finality

University of Helsinki master’s theses are submitted and assessed through E-thesis. Submit the final version for assessment. After formal submission, you cannot make corrections to the thesis itself.

The thesis is assessed by two examiners, and the Dean decides approval and grading on the basis of the examiners’ proposal. The master’s thesis is graded from 0 to 5.

This finality should affect your last-week workflow. Do not submit a file that still contains tracked changes, unresolved comments, temporary tables, missing references, unverified equation numbering or an old appendix. Check the actual PDF you will submit, not only the editable source file.

If the thesis is your last incomplete study component, the University instructions also allow you to submit the graduation request in Sisu on the same date as the completed thesis submission. Verify your own graduation status before relying on that route.

Faculty of Social Sciences submission dates for 2026-2027

For Economics students in the Faculty of Social Sciences, the published schedule is:

The University notes that no supervision and feedback are provided in July unless required by a faculty or master’s programme. Treat the formal submission date as the end of the process, not the day on which the writing should be finished.

A practical final-month plan for an Economics thesis

Four weeks before submission

Freeze the core research question and model or empirical strategy. Run a complete logic check: question, literature, theory, data, method, results and conclusion should point in the same direction. Resolve major data or specification problems now.

Three weeks before submission

Complete the main analytical revisions. For empirical work, reproduce every final table and figure from a clean workflow where possible. Check sample definitions, variable labels, units, standard errors and robustness claims. For theoretical work, check assumptions, notation and the logical sequence of propositions or arguments.

Two weeks before submission

Shift toward communication quality. Improve the explanation of methods and results. Make tables and figures readable. Check that each conclusion is supported by the analysis. Complete the reference audit and verify every citation against the reference list.

One week before submission

Use the Faculty assessment areas as a checklist. Review the maturity-test requirement, AI disclosure if relevant, E-thesis fields and the final file. Remove comments and track changes. Check equations, numbering, appendices, links, figures and page rendering in the final PDF.

Submission day

Submit only the final checked version to E-thesis. Reconfirm the file, metadata and publication choices before completing the submission because the thesis itself cannot be corrected after formal submission for assessment.

Final checklist

Before submitting an Economics master’s thesis, confirm that:

• the project fits the 30 ECTS thesis scope;
• your research question is clear and economically meaningful;
• the theoretical framework or empirical strategy actually addresses that question;
• data, variables and econometric choices are transparent where relevant;
• results are presented clearly and interpreted economically;
• limitations and alternative explanations are handled honestly;
• conclusions do not claim more than the evidence supports;
• the referencing and formatting rules have been confirmed with the seminar or supervisor rather than copied from another programme;
• the thesis process has used supervision and feedback systematically;
• the maturity-test requirement and language have been verified for your study history;
• AI use has been reported where required and no AI has been used in the maturity test;
• the final E-thesis file has been checked carefully; and
• your chosen 2026-2027 Faculty submission deadline leaves enough time for final review.

The central principle is alignment. A strong Economics thesis is not defined by using the most complicated model or the largest dataset. It is a bounded research project in which the economic question, literature, theory, evidence, method, results and conclusions support one another, and the research process is managed well enough to reach a defensible final submission.