University of Helsinki Food Sciences Master’s Thesis Guide 2026-2027

The Master’s Programme in Food Sciences (FOOD) at the University of Helsinki is a 120 ECTS, two-year Master’s programme in the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. The programme covers the whole food production chain and combines food chemistry, processing, safety, sensory science, technology and other applied food-science fields.

This guide is based on current University of Helsinki material verified on 26 August 2026. It focuses on the thesis process for the 2026-2027 academic year. Admissions dates, tuition fees, scholarships, eligibility criteria and language-test requirements are deliberately outside this article.

The current FOOD structure changed on 1 August 2026

The FOOD programme moved to a revised 2026-2030 curriculum on 1 August 2026. For students following the new structure, the current public programme pages describe the 120 ECTS degree as:

• 80 ECTS advanced Food Sciences studies, including the 30 ECTS Master’s thesis;
• 20 ECTS studies in special areas of Food Sciences; and
• 20 ECTS complementary studies and free-choice studies.

Students who began before 1 August 2026 may continue under the previous 2023-2026 structure during the transition period through 31 July 2028. If you are a continuing student, do not rebuild your degree from a new-student page without checking the curriculum version of your Sisu plan.

The current programme also uses a new Master’s Programme in Food Sciences (FOOD) info Moodle area. The old information area is no longer the current reference point.

Eight current specialisation areas

For students beginning in autumn 2026, Helsinki lists eight current specialisation areas:

1. Dairy Science and Technology;
2. Food Chemistry;
3. Food Packaging;
4. Food Safety;
5. Food Technology;
6. Grain Science and Technology;
7. Meat Science and Technology; and
8. Sensory Food Science.

These are specialisation areas within one flexible Food Sciences degree, not eight separate Master’s programmes. The thesis should be planned in a way that fits your scientific specialisation, supervisor expertise and current Sisu structure.

The Master’s thesis is 30 ECTS

Every FOOD student completes a 30 ECTS Master’s thesis. The programme describes the thesis as a research project that should normally combine:

• a review of the existing scientific literature; and
• an experimental section.

The programme also says that theses are often completed within a University research group or in collaboration with the food industry.

Typical methodological foundations can include:

• chemistry;
• physics;
• food technology;
• biochemistry;
• microbiology; or
• sensory science.

A thesis question can aim to create new scientific understanding, solve a practical food-science problem, or contribute to the development of a new technology or product.

Experimental work is the programme norm, but not the only Faculty-permitted form

The FOOD programme’s public description places strong emphasis on experimental work. That is consistent with the programme’s laboratory and pilot-scale research environment.

However, the current Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry rules also permit a Master’s thesis based solely on literature or other scientific source material.

These two rules should be read together:

• for FOOD, a literature review plus experimental section is the normal programme model;
• a literature-only thesis is possible under Faculty rules, but should be agreed with the programme’s responsible person and supervisor before the thesis plan is approved.

Do not assume that a literature-only design is automatically suitable simply because the Faculty allows it in principle. The final design must fit the Food Sciences programme, the research question and the approved supervision plan.

Research-group and food-industry theses

Food Sciences is strongly research-based. Current programme material says students can often complete the thesis:

• in a University research group;
• in collaboration with the food industry; or
• in another appropriately approved research or commissioned context.

If the thesis is commissioned by a company or other organisation, involve the programme’s responsible person at the planning stage. The commissioner, student, responsible person and supervisor need a common understanding of:

• the research question;
• what data or materials the student may use;
• intellectual-property or confidentiality constraints;
• what can appear in the public thesis;
• the timetable; and
• the student’s independent scientific contribution.

A commissioned project is still a University Master’s thesis. Commercial objectives cannot replace the academic requirement for a clear research question, justified methods, critical analysis and independent scientific writing.

Faculty planning guidance: about 4-5 months and 30-60 pages

The current Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry guidance describes a 30 ECTS Master’s thesis as approximately:

• one full-time semester;
• 4-5 months of work;
• 30-60 pages excluding appendices; and
• around 40-50 scientific sources.

These are planning figures, not rigid minimums or maximums.

An experimental thesis with extensive laboratory work, pilot-plant experiments, sensory testing, instrument data, modelling, supplementary tables or appendices may distribute its workload differently. A literature-based thesis may need substantially more sources.

Use the page range to check whether your project is roughly proportionate to 30 ECTS, not as a quota. The thesis should be long enough to explain the research background, materials, methods, results, interpretation and limitations properly, but no longer than the scientific argument requires.

Scientific structure and writing style

The Faculty framework describes the thesis as an analytical and focused scientific work that normally follows the logic of a scientific article. Depending on the project, a FOOD thesis commonly contains:

• title page;
• abstract;
• table of contents;
• abbreviations where needed;
• introduction and research background;
• aims or research questions;
• materials and methods;
• results;
• discussion;
• conclusions where appropriate; and
• references.

The Food Sciences programme itself expects students to develop scientific thinking, formulate hypotheses, plan experiments, work in laboratory and/or pilot-plant settings, analyse evidence and critically discuss the results.

Do not invent a citation style

Current public Faculty guidance requires a consistent referencing technique, while more detailed programme-specific writing instructions control the exact convention.

The verified current evidence does not establish one universal named Food Sciences citation style such as APA, Harvard or Vancouver for every thesis.

Use the current FOOD Moodle/programme instructions and your supervisor-approved convention. Apply the chosen system consistently to in-text references, reference-list entries, figures, tables and data sources.

A written supervision plan is required before thesis work

The Faculty requires a written supervision/thesis plan before the thesis work begins. The plan should make the project sufficiently concrete for the programme to approve its scope and supervision.

The current Faculty framework expects the plan to cover matters such as:

• objectives and research question;
• how the thesis will be conducted;
• supervisors and their roles;
• a detailed timetable;
• thesis language and project duration; and
• handling of confidential material.

The plan has a defined validity period. Under the current Faculty framework, it can be valid for a maximum of nine months. If the plan expires before submission, or if the project changes materially, it must be updated and approved again.

At least one supervisor must hold a doctoral degree or equivalent qualification. The student remains primarily responsible for carrying out the research and writing the thesis; the supervisor supports research design, methods, interpretation, scientific writing and progress.

Food Sciences has programme-specific examiner rules

FOOD has examiner rules that differ from some other Helsinki programmes.

Under the current Food Sciences-specific instructions:

• the person responsible for the thesis may act as an expert examiner;
• a thesis supervisor who holds a doctoral degree and has teacher status in the Department of Food and Nutrition may act as an expert examiner if formally appointed, provided the responsible person does not also act as an examiner in that case;
• another University of Helsinki expert with a doctoral degree in Food Sciences or another relevant field may act as an examiner, but that person should not have been involved in supervising the thesis; and
• only one of the expert examiners may be from outside the University of Helsinki.

The programme recommends using a high-quality external doctoral expert when an appropriate specialist is available.

These rules mean you should not assume that “the supervisor can never examine” or that “the supervisor always examines.” Food Sciences uses a conditional programme-specific arrangement.

Assessment: areas 1-6, area 7 and the Dean decision

The thesis is assessed by two examiners under the Faculty’s current assessment framework.

The assessment matrix covers seven areas. The examiners assess areas 1-6, including the scientific objectives, scholarly framework, data and methods, results, discussion and thesis as an academic text. The supervisor assesses area 7, which concerns the student’s work during the thesis process.

The thesis receives a grade on the 0-5 scale. After the assessment is completed, the Dean makes the formal approval and grading decision.

The maturity test is the thesis abstract

In the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, the Master’s maturity test is the abstract of the Master’s thesis. FOOD students therefore do not use the separate Examinarium maturity-test workflow used by some other Helsinki faculties/programmes.

However, the maturity test is still a separate study attainment in the student information system. FOOD students must register for the maturity-test implementation in Sisu using VIIKM-001 when submitting the thesis for assessment.

The maturity test:

• carries 0 ECTS;
• is assessed pass/fail;
• demonstrates familiarity with the thesis topic; and
• has language obligations determined by previous education and degree-language rules.

AI is never allowed in the maturity test. Because the thesis abstract functions as the maturity test, the abstract must meet the maturity-test requirements independently.

AI declaration for theses written after 1 August 2026

For theses written after 1 August 2026, current Faculty guidance requires an AI-use declaration in the thesis.

AI use and reporting should be discussed with the supervisor from the beginning of the thesis process. Where AI-supported work is permitted, the student remains responsible for:

• scientific accuracy;
• source verification;
• appropriate attribution;
• data protection;
• research integrity; and
• being able to explain and defend the work independently.

The University’s general AI policy does not override more restrictive programme, Faculty or teacher instructions. And it never permits AI use in the maturity test.

Thesis language

Food Sciences is multilingual. Teaching is in English, and the programme may be completed in English, Finnish or Swedish subject to the current University degree-language rules.

Agree the thesis language in the supervision plan. Do not assume that because most teaching is in English, every student must automatically write the thesis in English; equally, students completing a degree with English as the formal degree language must follow the University’s English-degree requirements.

Register in Sisu and submit through E-thesis

Before final submission, current Faculty instructions require registration for the Master’s thesis and maturity test in Sisu.

The assessed thesis is then submitted through the redesigned E-thesis system. Once the final thesis has been submitted for assessment, the file is no longer editable.

Before pressing final submit, check:

• correct degree programme;
• thesis title and metadata;
• thesis language;
• abstract and keywords;
• supervisor and examiner information;
• references;
• figures and tables;
• appendices;
• accessibility;
• confidentiality boundaries;
• AI-use declaration where required; and
• that the PDF is the exact final assessed version.

Public thesis and confidential material

A Master’s thesis is a public academic document. If your work uses confidential company information, proprietary product-development data, restricted laboratory information or another protected dataset, do not place material that must remain confidential inside the assessed public thesis.

Define the public/confidential boundary during the supervision-plan stage, especially for commissioned or industry-linked projects.

The current E-thesis/Helda workflow controls publication and archiving after approval.

Food Sciences submission schedule for 2026-2027

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry uses the following current timetable. Thesis submission is due by 23:59 Finnish time.

There is no thesis assessment in July, and normal thesis supervision or feedback is not provided in July unless specifically required.

If graduation timing matters, plan backward from the Dean decision date, not merely from the E-thesis upload deadline.

Practical FOOD thesis workflow

1. Check your curriculum version. Confirm whether your Sisu plan follows 2026-2030 or an approved transition structure.
2. Choose a specialisation context. Align the topic with your current Food Sciences area and supervisor expertise.
3. Define a 30 ECTS research question. Do not turn an entire laboratory or company project into one thesis.
4. Confirm the thesis form. Experimental work is the programme norm; a literature-only design should be explicitly approved.
5. Settle supervision, ethics, confidentiality and data access before research begins.
6. Approve the written supervision plan. Include scope, methods, roles, language and timetable.
7. Carry out research and writing in parallel. Do not postpone the literature review and methods writing until all experiments are finished.
8. Use 30-60 pages as a scale check, not a quota.
9. Follow current FOOD referencing and formatting instructions consistently.
10. Register the thesis and VIIKM-001 maturity test in Sisu.
11. Insert the required AI-use declaration if the thesis falls under the post-1-Aug-2026 rule.
12. Submit the exact final PDF through E-thesis.
13. Allow time for examiner assessment and the Dean decision.

Final checklist

Before submission, confirm that:

• your Sisu plan uses the correct curriculum version;
• your specialisation context is current;
• the thesis scope genuinely fits 30 ECTS;
• an experimental or literature-only design has been explicitly agreed;
• the supervision plan is approved and still valid;
• at least one supervisor has doctoral/equivalent qualifications;
• research-group or company responsibilities are clear;
• confidential material is excluded from the public thesis;
• references are consistent with current FOOD instructions;
• the 30-60-page guidance has not become a mechanical quota;
• examiner arrangements comply with the Food Sciences-specific rules;
• Sisu registration is complete;
• VIIKM-001 maturity-test registration is correct;
• the abstract satisfies maturity-test requirements and contains no AI use;
• the AI-use declaration is included where required; and
• the E-thesis PDF is the exact final version.

More specific or newer University, Faculty, FOOD programme, Moodle, Sisu or supervisor instructions always take priority over this guide.