University of the Arts Helsinki Choreography Master's Thesis Guide: T-TK24112, Two Routes and Taju

Quick answer: what is the Uniarts Helsinki Choreography thesis route?

The current Choreography, master study option at the University of the Arts Helsinki is a 120-credit, two-year Master of Arts (Dance) programme at the Theatre Academy. The current Study Guide programme object is 18298 / 118500_M_2024, labelled 2024-. Its exact thesis course is T-TK24112 MA thesis, 30 ECTS. The T-TK24111 MA thesis seminar, 3 ECTS is separate from the thesis, and T-TK24113 Maturity test, 0 ECTS is also a separate course object. The programme also contains T-TK24107 Artistic Research, 4 ECTS. The most important current rule is that Choreography now has two orientation options with different thesis forms. Students in Artistic practice and research normally work with an assessed artistic component and written work, while students in Theoretical research have no assessed artistic component and complete the thesis as a written theoretical study or a media-based artistic research project. Always identify your orientation before using route-specific thesis advice.

1. Start from the exact Choreography curriculum, not another Theatre Academy programme

Uniarts Helsinki has several Theatre Academy programmes, but their thesis packages are not interchangeable. Choreography has its own current programme object, course codes, seminar credits and route structure. The exact Study Guide independently identifies T-TK24112 as 30 ECTS, T-TK24111 as a separate 3 ECTS seminar and T-TK24113 as a zero-credit maturity test. Do not copy Dance Performance, Directing, Theatre Pedagogy or another programme’s seminar or thesis code simply because the broader academy guidance is shared.

2. The thesis is 30 ECTS, not 33 ECTS

The 3 ECTS thesis seminar supports the thesis process but does not increase the thesis itself to 33 ECTS. Current Study Guide structure lists T-TK24112 MA thesis, 30 ECTS and T-TK24111 MA thesis seminar, 3 ECTS as separate course units. This distinction matters when you describe your workload, study plan and final thesis requirement. The zero-credit T-TK24113 maturity test is also connected to thesis approval without adding thesis credits.

3. Choreography has two current orientation options

The current programme page states that the 2025 intake has two orientation options: Artistic practice and research and Theoretical research. They share the same degree programme and much of the same intellectual environment, but the thesis route is not identical. The first route is artist-practitioner focused. The second route deepens analytical and theoretical work in choreography while students still participate in parts of the artistic environment. Your personal study plan should make clear which orientation applies to you.

4. Artistic practice and research has an assessed artistic thesis component

For the artistic-practice orientation, the programme page describes an artistic thesis component in which the student demonstrates independent work through the stages of a choreographic process. T-TK24112 adds that the artistic work should show professional expertise, a distinctive artistic voice, rigorous connection between conceptual framework and material composition, and the ability to cooperate and organise a professional process. This is not only a final performance. The assessed project includes the artistic thinking, process and professional competence that make the work understandable as advanced choreographic practice.

5. The theoretical-research orientation has a different thesis form

The current programme page and current Theatre Academy thesis guidance explicitly state that students in the Theoretical research specialisation do not have an assessed artistic component in the master’s thesis. Instead, they complete an assessed written theoretical research study or a media-based artistic research project. This is a material exception to the generic T-TK24112 course-card wording, which still says that the thesis consists of artistic and written parts. For theoretical-research students, use the newer route-specific programme and academy guidance rather than forcing the generic artistic requirement onto the project.

6. Why the Study Guide and programme page appear different

The current Study Guide object is labelled 2024-, while the programme page explains a two-orientation structure for the 2025 intake. The generic T-TK24112 card therefore describes the established artistic-plus-written thesis but does not fully express the newer theoretical-research exception. Current Theatre Academy guidance independently confirms that students in the theoretical-research specialisation of Choreography may complete an artistic research project and that a thesis may be written without a separate artistic work where the programme permits it. Treat this as a route-specific update, not as evidence that one of the official sources can simply be ignored.

7. The written component has its own advanced learning outcomes

T-TK24112 requires the written thesis to demonstrate investigative and reflective ability concerning the student’s artistic research, subject and field. The student should be able to develop meaningful topics in dialogue with practice, relevant references and the larger framework of the project. The text should discuss methods, key concerns and concepts in analytical, descriptive, reflective and communicative ways that lead to new insight. In a collaborative project, the student must also explain their own contribution and the objectives and methods of the wider project.

8. Build the thesis project plan early

Current Theatre Academy guidance expects a thesis project plan before, or at the early stage of, the thesis. Where an artistic component is involved, the plan must be completed before carrying out the artistic work. The plan should address the topic, objectives or research questions, structure or approach, supervisors, examiners, publicity, completion method and schedule. Discuss it with the responsible professor or designated teacher and submit it through the programme’s planning route for approval.

9. Keep the plan aligned with your orientation

The thesis plan should make the route visible. Artistic-practice students should explain both artistic and written components, including how they relate, how the artistic process will be produced and documented, and how the written inquiry will develop. Theoretical-research students should state whether the project is a written theoretical thesis or a media-based artistic research project and explain the research material, method and analytical logic. If the route or project changes materially, ask the programme whether the approved plan needs to be updated rather than continuing under an outdated description.

10. Thesis plans have a two-year validity period

Current Theatre Academy guidance states that the thesis project plan is valid for two years. If the thesis has not been approved within that period, a new or updated plan is required according to programme guidance. This matters for projects with long artistic production schedules, interrupted study periods or major changes of topic. Treat the approval date as a practical planning control and not only as an administrative record.

11. Use the 3 ECTS MA thesis seminar before you are stuck

T-TK24111 MA thesis seminar is a separate 3 ECTS advanced study unit. It prepares students for the thesis process, previous-thesis reading, academic writing, data collection and creation of the MA thesis plan. The course description says the plan is kept updated during the second year and thesis process. Use the seminar to test your question, route, material, structure and evidence choices while they can still be changed, rather than using it only for final presentation.

12. Artistic Research is a real methods environment

T-TK24107 Artistic Research, 4 ECTS introduces artistic-research epistemologies, aims and methods through existing projects and connects those frameworks with the student’s own work and MA thesis. It also familiarises students with the Theatre Academy’s Performing Arts Research Centre. This makes artistic research a substantive methodological environment, but it does not mean every student must use the same artistic-research technique. Explain what your method actually does and how it helps answer your question.

13. Choreographic practice can be research material without becoming universal evidence

The programme’s Approaches to Choreography courses emphasise experimentation, composition, documentation, reflection and articulation of artistic processes. A rehearsal, performance process, score or embodied practice can therefore be meaningful thesis material. However, a student’s own experience primarily supports claims about that process. It does not automatically establish what all choreographers, performers or audiences experience. When you move from personal artistic insight to a wider claim, show what literature, participant evidence or other material supports that extension.

14. Document the artistic process while it is happening

For practice-based work, preserve a usable record of major decisions and changes. Depending on the project and permissions, this may include rehearsal notes, process journals, choreographic scores, diagrams, feedback records, photographs, audio or video, and versions of the conceptual framework. The aim is not to turn choreography into laboratory data. The aim is to make the path from artistic question to decision, observation and reflection traceable enough that the written component can analyse the process rather than reconstruct it from memory.

15. Theoretical research needs an explicit method, not only a theoretical topic

Current Theatre Academy guidance says that an independently authored thesis without artistic work must have clear objectives and a clearly defined topic, use research methods and literature, follow academic-writing conventions and demonstrate independent research-oriented thinking. A theoretical-research student should therefore explain how sources or materials were selected, how concepts are used, and how interpretation is conducted. A literature-based thesis still needs a transparent search and analytical logic; calling the project theoretical is not itself a method.

16. Media-based artistic research needs a transparent evidence chain

The theoretical-research route can also use a media-based artistic research project. In that case, explain what the media material is, how it was created or selected, what role artistic practice plays, and how the material is analysed or interpreted. If the project combines text, moving image, sound, digital media or performative documentation, distinguish the research material from the final presentation format. The thesis should make clear how the media work contributes to knowledge or understanding, not only that it is creatively compelling.

17. Interviews, observation and surveys are optional methods

Nothing in the current Choreography curriculum makes interviews, surveys or thematic analysis compulsory for every thesis. They may be appropriate when a question concerns collaborators, institutions, audiences, discourses or professional practice. If you use interviews, define participant selection, recruitment, consent, recording or transcription and analysis. If you use observation, explain the setting, your role and recording procedure. Choose methods because they fit the question, not because an empirical method appears more academic.

18. Personal-data duties can begin with ordinary artistic documentation

Uniarts personal-data guidance treats identifiable images, video, sound, contact details and indirect identifiers as personal data. A recorded rehearsal, interview or collaborative process can therefore create data-protection obligations before the student thinks of the material as research data. Define the processing purpose, controller, legal basis, storage, access and life cycle before collection. Pseudonymisation does not make data anonymous if a person can still be identified with additional information.

19. Participation consent and publication permission may differ

A collaborator agreeing to participate in a choreographic process does not automatically give permission for every photograph, recording, quotation or identifiable contribution to appear in a public thesis or repository. Discuss intended uses early and obtain the permissions required for recording and publication. The same principle applies to third-party music, text, choreography, images, stage design and archival material. Copyright and privacy problems are easier to solve at planning stage than after examination has started.

20. The approved thesis is public

Current Theatre Academy guidance states that an approved thesis project is a public document and may not contain information that must be kept secret. Recordings of artistic or art-pedagogical components are also public where they can be deposited under the applicable recording and copyright arrangements. Do not design a thesis that depends on confidential information and assume that choosing limited Taju visibility will solve the problem. Build confidentiality and minimisation into the project from the beginning.

21. Ethics applies to artistic, theoretical and collaborative work

Uniarts research and study guidance connects thesis work with responsible research conduct, good artistic practice, privacy, autonomy, safety, attribution and copyright. Theoretical research can create ethical issues through representation and interpretation. Artistic projects can create them through bodies, spaces, power relationships and documentation. Collaborative projects should make roles and authorship visible. If the project triggers formal research-permission or ethical-review requirements, resolve those questions before the relevant activity rather than after material has already been collected.

22. AI use does not transfer responsibility away from the student

AI may support planning, language work, brainstorming or other tasks allowed by current Uniarts guidance, but factual claims and references still require verification. Do not upload protected participant data, confidential rehearsal material, unpublished recordings or other personal data to an external AI service unless the applicable governance permits that processing. If AI materially contributes to analysis, writing or media production, follow current university guidance for transparent and ethically defensible use.

23. The written route and artistic route have different normal length expectations

Current Theatre Academy guidance gives a typical 30 to 60 pages for the written or reflective component of an artistic or art-pedagogical thesis project, excluding contents, sources and appendices. It separately describes an independently authored thesis with no artistic work as about 60 pages, excluding appendices. These are academy-level planning ranges, not reasons to pad the manuscript. The correct structure and depth still depend on the Choreography route, research question and approved plan.

24. Use the Uniarts template, abstract and PDF/A requirements

The current Theatre Academy guidance requires the Uniarts thesis template and a final PDF/A file. The abstract should be at least 250 words and is also part of the maturity-test process. Formatting should begin before the final day because image permissions, captions, references, accessibility and conversion can reveal problems. A media-rich project should also check whether essential information remains understandable in the required submitted file and accompanying repository materials.

25. Citation style is not safely fixed to one named system from public Choreography evidence

The Theatre Academy recommends APA 7 or Chicago Author-Date and tells students to ask their degree programme which style it prefers. The current public Choreography evidence reviewed for this guide does not establish one exclusive mandatory style. Confirm the programme preference and use it consistently. More important than the brand of style is traceability: readers should be able to identify quotations, paraphrases, theoretical concepts, media sources and other people’s artistic or scholarly contributions.

26. Supervision should test the project, not only polish the text

Current academy guidance provides one or two thesis supervisors with relevant competence. The programme tells students and supervisors the number of supervision hours available; the public Choreography sources do not establish one fixed hour entitlement that can safely be published as universal. Use supervision to test the route, research question, artistic-research logic, theoretical framing, data or rights issues and evidence-to-claim chain. Bring concrete decisions, material and written sections so each meeting can move the project forward.

27. Pre-examination is a formal gate before final submission

The supervisor pre-examines the written work and gives permission for final examination. Current guidance asks students to allow at least one week for this stage. The originality check is also part of the pre-examination process. Build this into the schedule instead of treating the official submission date as your writing deadline. Once the work has been sent to examiners, the current guidance says it can no longer be changed.

28. Two examiners assess the thesis project

Two examiners are named in the approved thesis plan. Normally one examiner is from outside the Theatre Academy and the other is a member of Theatre Academy academic staff. A supervisor can also act as an examiner when permitted, subject to disqualification rules. Examiners assess the thesis components in written statements and make an overall grade proposal. Write and document the project for a knowledgeable reader who was not present at every rehearsal, seminar or supervision meeting.

29. The current public grading sources are not fully harmonised

The exact T-TK24112 Study Guide card currently displays Pass - Fail. However, the current Theatre Academy master’s thesis guideline, published and updated in August 2026, states Pass with Distinction - Pass - Fail, and the supplementary guidance also contains a three-grade statement while another approval provision uses pass/fail wording. This is a genuine official-source inconsistency. Do not hide it and do not assume the course card alone settles the issue. Recheck the live controlling rule with the programme when your thesis enters examination.

30. The maturity test is the thesis abstract, but the language route is individual

The exact T-TK24113 Maturity test is 0 ECTS, Pass-Fail and describes the maturity test as the abstract of the written section. Current Theatre Academy guidance also requires the maturity test to pass before thesis approval. The language route depends on school-education language and earlier language demonstration. For students whose school education was neither Finnish nor Swedish and who study in an English-speaking master’s programme, current guidance uses English for the maturity-test abstract. Other students may have Finnish or Swedish obligations depending on prior demonstration.

31. Turnitin is an originality control, not a thesis-quality score

The written components of Theatre Academy thesis projects are checked with Turnitin. Review the similarity report for missing attribution, problematic quotation, weak paraphrasing or source-use errors. A low similarity number does not prove that the research argument is strong, and a higher number may include legitimate references or quotations. Research integrity depends on what the matches mean, not on chasing a particular percentage.

32. Moodle and Taju are both part of final submission

After supervisor permission and originality checking, the thesis is submitted through the Theatre Academy Moodle route and the same final version is saved in Taju. Current guidance tells students to allow at least four weeks for examiners to complete assessment. Taju may offer open online availability or access through designated library computers, but this visibility choice does not make an approved thesis confidential. Make sure the Moodle, Taju and personal final versions match.

33. Plan backwards from examination and the current graduation schedule

A realistic route is: confirm orientation, formulate topic and question, use the thesis seminar, prepare and approve the thesis plan, resolve ethics/data/copyright, conduct artistic or theoretical/media research, document decisions, write and analyse, use supervision, complete a full draft, allow supervisor pre-examination, finalise the maturity abstract, run Turnitin, create the final PDF/A, submit the matching version to Moodle and Taju, allow examiner time, and complete approval and graduation steps. Annual submission dates are cycle-sensitive, so use the current Theatre Academy graduation page.

34. Recheck route and grading facts immediately before examination

This guide was researched on 11 September 2026 against the current 2024- Study Guide objects and current 2026 Theatre Academy guidance. Before final submission, recheck T-TK24112, T-TK24111, T-TK24113, the Choreography programme page, the current thesis guideline and the current graduation schedule. The two facts most worth rechecking are the orientation-specific thesis form and the grading rule because current official pages reflect different layers of the programme’s development.

35. Final Choreography thesis checklist

Confirm first whether you are in Artistic practice and research or Theoretical research. Then confirm that T-TK24112 remains 30 ECTS, T-TK24111 remains the separate 3 ECTS seminar, and T-TK24113 remains the zero-credit maturity test. Make sure the approved plan matches your actual route; artistic, written, theoretical or media materials are documented appropriately; research methods and literature fit the question; collaboration and personal contribution are clear; consent, personal data, recording and copyright issues are resolved; public-thesis constraints are respected; programme-confirmed citation practice is consistent; supervision and pre-examination are complete; grading has been rechecked against the current controlling instruction; the maturity-test language route is correct for your background; Turnitin has been reviewed; the final file follows the template and PDF/A requirement; Moodle and Taju receive the same final version; and enough time remains for the two examiners. The strongest Choreography thesis is not the one that imitates another programme, but the one that makes its own orientation, artistic or theoretical method, evidence and claims transparent.