University of Helsinki Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology Master’s Thesis Guide 2026-2027

The Master’s Programme in Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology (MMB) at the University of Helsinki is a 120 ECTS, two-year Master’s programme in the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. It is built around microbiology, biotechnology and the research methods used to study bacteria, viruses, fungi, microbial communities and their applications in health, food, industry and the environment.

This guide is based on current University of Helsinki material verified on 26 August 2026 and focuses on the 2026-2027 thesis process under the 2026-2030 curriculum. Admissions dates, fees, scholarships, eligibility rules and language-test thresholds are deliberately outside this article.

MMB is flexible rather than divided into a short fixed track list

The current public programme is not presented as a small set of rigid study tracks. Instead, students shape the 120 ECTS degree by combining studies across areas such as:

• environmental microbiology;
• food microbiology;
• medical microbiology;
• microbial bioinformatics;
• microbial biotechnology;
• mycology; and
• virology.

At least 60 of the 120 ECTS are microbiology and microbial-biotechnology studies. Electives and other approved studies allow the remaining degree to be tailored to the student’s research and professional direction.

That flexibility matters for thesis planning. Your topic should emerge from the modules, methods and research environment you have actually developed, not from an assumed track label that the current public programme does not use as a universal organising rule.

The 2026-2030 curriculum changed the thesis-support structure

The current curriculum became valid on 1 August 2026. For thesis planning, several changes are especially important:

• MMB-101 Master’s Thesis Seminar increased from 3 ECTS to 5 ECTS;
• MMB-130 Microbiologist’s Toolkit, 5 ECTS, became mandatory in advanced studies;
• the former MMB-114 Exploratory microbial research, lab course, 15 ECTS ended; and
• its role is now split between MMB-126 Exploratory microbial research, lab course, 10 ECTS and MMB-127 Exploratory microbial genomics, 5 ECTS.

Students who began under the 2023-2026 curriculum may have valid transition rights, but a new 2026-2027 thesis guide should not treat the expired curriculum as the default. Check your current Sisu structure if you are completing the degree under transition rules.

The thesis is 30 ECTS

Every MMB student completes a 30 ECTS Master’s thesis.

The programme describes the usual thesis as an experimental research project performed under the supervision of an experienced researcher. The written thesis is prepared in the format and logic of a scientific publication and should place the results critically within the current scientific literature.

The thesis process is designed to develop skills in:

• scientific thinking;
• identifying a research problem;
• constructing hypotheses;
• collecting material;
• laboratory or other research work;
• analysing results;
• presenting results logically; and
• interpreting findings against current scientific understanding.

Experimental research is the programme norm, but not the only Faculty-approved form

MMB is strongly laboratory- and research-oriented, so the public programme page naturally emphasises experimental projects. That should not be turned into a false universal rule.

Current Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry guidance also permits a thesis based solely on literature or other scientific source material. Therefore:

• an experimental research-group thesis is the normal MMB model described by the programme;
• a literature-based thesis can also be valid under Faculty rules; but
• the chosen form still needs to fit the approved MMB thesis plan and supervision arrangement.

If you are proposing a non-experimental design, confirm early that the topic, method and expected output are appropriate for MMB rather than assuming that general Faculty permission alone settles the programme-level fit.

Research-group preparation can begin before the thesis

Current MMB guidance lists several advanced research-group project courses, commonly 10-12 ECTS, including projects in:

• bacteriology;
• biotechnology;
• environmental microbiology;
• food microbiology;
• mycology;
• virology; and
• microbial bioinformatics.

Examples include MMB-107, MMB-109, MMB-110, MMB-111, MMB-112, MMB-113 and MMB-125.

These courses can be useful preparation because they expose students to real research workflows before the 30 ECTS thesis: experimental design, laboratory or computational practice, data interpretation, documentation and research-group communication.

The programme’s research environment also supports collaboration with active research groups. When thesis work sits inside a larger project, the student’s own contribution must remain identifiable and independently assessable.

Use MMB-101 as thesis infrastructure

The current MMB-101 Master’s Thesis Seminar is 5 ECTS. Do not treat it as an isolated presentation course.

The seminar should support topic refinement, research-question development, scientific communication and the transition from research activity to a coherent thesis manuscript. Current PSP guidance places most thesis support in the second-year autumn and early spring, which is a sensible planning window for many MMB projects.

Your personal study plan should already be active in Sisu, and students are also directed to the programme’s MMB Moodle information page for current programme-specific study information.

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

Current Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry guidance describes the 30 ECTS Master’s thesis as approximately:

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

These are planning figures, not rigid minimums or maximums.

An experimental microbiology thesis may contain substantial methods, figures, datasets and appendices. A literature-based thesis may use far more sources. A bioinformatics thesis may place more emphasis on computational workflow and reproducibility. The correct scope is the amount of work that can be completed and reported rigorously within 30 ECTS.

Do not add pages merely to reach a number, and do not remove necessary methods, controls or interpretation merely to stay short.

Write an analytical scientific thesis

Faculty guidance expects the Master’s thesis to be analytical and focused and, as a rule, to follow the style of a scientific article.

For an experimental MMB thesis, a practical structure often includes:

• scientific background;
• research objective or hypotheses;
• materials and methods;
• results;
• discussion;
• conclusions; and
• references.

The exact internal structure can vary with the research design. A literature-based or computational thesis may need a different arrangement, but it should still present a clear research problem, transparent method and critical analysis rather than a descriptive catalogue of sources.

No universal named citation style is verified

Current Faculty guidance requires a consistent referencing technique, with detailed conventions further specified by degree programmes and supervisors.

The current public evidence used for this guide does not establish one universal named MMB citation style such as APA, Harvard or Vancouver for every thesis.

Use the current MMB, Faculty, seminar and supervisor instructions consistently. Do not import a citation style from another Helsinki programme simply because it is familiar.

A written thesis and supervision plan is mandatory before work begins

MMB uses the Faculty’s formal supervision-plan architecture and also has programme-specific thesis-plan instructions.

Before thesis work begins, a written plan must be approved by the programme and signed by:

• the responsible person for theses;
• the student; and
• the supervisor or supervisors.

The plan should cover:

• research objectives and planned conduct;
• supervisors and their roles;
• detailed timetable;
• thesis language;
• duration of the supervision relationship;
• research materials and facilities; and
• handling of confidential data or results.

The plan also has a defined validity period. If it expires before submission, or if the topic, supervisor or circumstances materially change, the plan must be updated or reapproved.

This is not paperwork to complete after the experiment has already started. It is the formal mechanism that makes the scope, responsibilities and resources explicit before the student commits substantial time.

Supervisor responsibilities and qualifications

At least one supervisor must hold a doctoral degree or equivalent qualification.

The student remains primarily responsible for progress. The supervisor is expected to support the design phase, experimental or data-collection process, use of methods, manuscript development, factual accuracy and scientific writing. The supervisor does not perform the student’s analyses or determinations on their behalf.

For an external supervisor, the programme may need additional internal involvement so that the work remains aligned with University and Faculty thesis requirements.

Research ethics, biosafety and data handling belong in the plan

MMB projects can involve microbial cultures, pathogens, genetic material, environmental samples, food systems, clinical or health-related material, sequencing data, industrial information or other regulated contexts.

Before research begins, clarify with the supervisor what applies to your project:

• biosafety and laboratory practice;
• research ethics;
• permits or approvals;
• handling of patient or personal data;
• data-management requirements;
• intellectual-property or partner restrictions; and
• what information can appear in the public thesis.

A thesis can use previously collected data when appropriate, but the student’s analytical contribution and the public/confidential boundary must be clear.

MMB has a specific examiner-independence rule

The general Faculty process uses two examiners, but MMB adds a programme-specific rule.

Current MMB instructions state that:

• an assessor must hold at least a doctoral degree or equivalent;
• the person responsible for the thesis or the thesis supervisor cannot act as an expert examiner; and
• one assessor is always the professor in charge of the programme.

This does not conflict with the supervisor’s role in the Faculty assessment matrix. The expert examiners assess areas 1-6, while the supervisor assesses area 7, which concerns work during the thesis process.

The thesis is graded on the 0-5 scale, and the Dean makes the formal approval and grading decision.

The thesis abstract is the maturity test

In the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, the Master’s maturity test is the abstract of the thesis.

That means MMB does not use the separate Examinarium maturity-test workflow used by some other Helsinki programmes.

The maturity test:

• is recorded as 0 ECTS;
• is graded pass/fail;
• demonstrates familiarity with the thesis field; and
• follows University rules on the required language based on previous education and degree language.

AI is never allowed in a maturity test. Because the thesis abstract functions as the maturity test in this Faculty, treat the maturity-test version of the abstract as work that must satisfy that prohibition.

New AI declaration for theses written after 1 August 2026

The Faculty now requires students to discuss AI use and reporting with the supervisor from the beginning of the thesis process.

For theses written after 1 August 2026, current Faculty guidance requires a declaration concerning the use of artificial intelligence in the thesis.

This does not mean unrestricted AI use is permitted. University, Faculty, programme and supervisor rules still control what can be used and how it must be disclosed. The student remains responsible for source accuracy, data handling, analysis, interpretation, attribution and research integrity.

Thesis language

The programme is multilingual. Teaching is mainly in English, and current programme information states that examinations and the Master’s thesis can be completed in Finnish, Swedish or English subject to the student’s formal degree-language situation.

Confirm the intended thesis language in the supervision plan and follow the current University language rules. Do not assume that English-language teaching automatically makes English the only possible thesis language for every student.

Sisu and E-thesis submission

Current University instructions require students to register the thesis and maturity test in Sisu before final submission.

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

Before uploading, check:

• title and metadata;
• thesis language;
• abstract/maturity-test requirements;
• supervisor and examiner information;
• references;
• figures and tables;
• appendices;
• accessibility;
• AI declaration;
• confidentiality/publication boundaries; and
• that the PDF is the exact final assessed version.

Commissioned theses need early programme involvement

The Faculty permits commissioned Master’s theses. For MMB, the programme’s responsible person should be involved early when the thesis is done with a company, institute, authority or other external commissioner.

The commissioner and programme need a shared understanding of:

• the research question;
• what can be published;
• what material is confidential;
• who supervises the work;
• ownership or use of data; and
• whether the project is feasible as a 30 ECTS academic thesis.

Commercial confidentiality cannot override the University’s rule that the assessed Master’s thesis is a public academic document.

2026-2027 MMB submission schedule

MMB follows the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry timetable. Completed theses must be submitted by 23:59 Finnish time.

Theses are not assessed in July, and normal supervision or feedback is not provided in July unless specifically required. If graduation timing matters, plan backward from the Dean decision date rather than only from the upload date.

A practical MMB thesis workflow

1. Update your Sisu PSP and current MMB Moodle guidance. Make sure you are following the 2026-2030 structure or a valid transition plan.
2. Use your modules and research-project experience to narrow a topic. Decide whether the thesis will be experimental, computational or literature-based.
3. Find a suitable supervisor and research environment. For experimental work, confirm laboratory access, data, equipment and safety requirements.
4. Define a 30 ECTS research question. Do not make the thesis equal to the entire research group’s project.
5. Complete and approve the written thesis/supervision plan before starting. Record scope, roles, timetable, language and confidential-data rules.
6. Use MMB-101 as active thesis support. Present the developing research question, methods and results rather than waiting until the manuscript is finished.
7. Run research and writing in parallel. Keep methods, decisions and analyses documented as the project evolves.
8. Use the 30-60 page guidance as a scale check, not a quota. The research question and 30 ECTS workload control the real scope.
9. Follow one consistent reference system. Use current MMB/Faculty/supervisor guidance.
10. Prepare the abstract carefully because it is also the maturity test. Do not use AI in the maturity test.
11. Include the required AI-use declaration for post-1-August-2026 theses.
12. Register in Sisu and submit the exact final PDF to E-thesis by 23:59 Finnish time.
13. Leave time for examiner assessment and the Dean’s decision.

Final checklist

Before submission, confirm that:

• your Sisu structure reflects the correct curriculum or approved transition arrangement;
• the thesis is 30 ECTS and scoped realistically;
• the programme’s experimental-research norm or an approved alternative design is clear;
• the written thesis/supervision plan was approved before the work;
• at least one supervisor has doctoral/equivalent qualification;
• research ethics, biosafety, permits and data handling are resolved;
• the 30-60 page and 40-50 source guidance has not been treated as a rigid quota;
• references are consistent and follow current programme/supervisor instructions;
• confidential material is excluded from the public assessed thesis;
• MMB-specific examiner rules are satisfied;
• the abstract meets maturity-test requirements and contains no AI use;
• the required AI-use declaration is included;
• Sisu registration is correct;
• the E-thesis PDF is the exact final version; and
• the chosen deadline matches the current 2026-2027 Faculty timetable.

More specific or newer University, Faculty, MMB, Moodle, Sisu or supervisor instructions always take priority over a general planning guide.