University of the Arts Helsinki Directing Master's Thesis Guide: T-OMA24203, Two Thesis Forms and Taju

Quick answer: what is the current Uniarts Helsinki Directing thesis route?

The current Directing, master study option at the University of the Arts Helsinki is a 120 ECTS, two-year Master of Arts (Theatre and Drama) programme at the Theatre Academy. The current Study Guide programme object is 16929 / 112700_M_2024, labelled 2024-. The exact thesis course is T-OMA24203 Thesis, 30 ECTS. Directing also has T-TX24204 Artistic thesis seminar, 2 ECTS, T-ODMA2402 Written thesis seminar, 2 ECTS, and T-OMA24204 Maturity test, 0 ECTS as separate study units. A particularly important programme-specific feature is that the thesis can be completed in two forms: an artistic work with a written section, or a written thesis. The programme also includes T-TX24203 Research experiments, 4 ECTS, which gives an important artistic-research methods context.

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

The Theatre Academy has shared thesis rules, but the Directing curriculum has its own course codes, seminar structure, guidance details and artistic-production environment. Do not copy Dance Performance or Choreography codes just because the academy guidance is similar. For the current Directing route, the central exact objects are T-OMA24203, T-OMA24204, T-TX24204 and T-ODMA2402. When there is a difference between programme-specific Study Guide evidence and broader academy guidance, the safest approach is to keep both visible and explain the boundary rather than silently blending them.

2. The thesis itself is 30 ECTS, not 34 ECTS

The two thesis seminars are separate from the thesis. T-TX24204 Artistic thesis seminar is 2 ECTS and T-ODMA2402 Written thesis seminar is 2 ECTS, but they do not increase T-OMA24203 from 30 ECTS to 34 ECTS. The maturity test is also a separate zero-credit requirement. This distinction matters when describing your study plan, workload and graduation requirements. It also prevents a common mistake where all thesis-related courses are added together and presented as if they were the thesis course itself.

3. Directing allows two thesis completion forms

T-OMA24203 explicitly allows two main completion forms. The first is an artistic work and a written section, where the artistic work demonstrates the student’s ability to direct an extensive performing-arts work and lead an artistic process. The second is a written thesis, where the student demonstrates research-oriented thinking through a clearly defined topic, relevant research methods, literature, theory, analysis and justified conclusions. The correct structure therefore depends on the route agreed in the student’s PSP and thesis plan.

4. The artistic thesis is more than a final performance

For the artistic route, the exact thesis course describes a substantial directing project such as a theatre performance, audio drama, opera or another extensive performing-arts work. The student must show artistic vision, professional competence and leadership of the artistic process. The assessed work is therefore not only the final production. Planning, collaboration, decision-making, process leadership and the relationship between artistic goals and the completed work are all part of the evidence that makes the project understandable as a master-level directing thesis.

5. The written section still needs conceptual and theoretical depth

When the student completes an artistic thesis with a written section, the writing is not only a production diary. T-OMA24203 expects the student to demonstrate command of professional concepts, knowledge of the artistic field and familiarity with the thesis theme. The student should be able to discuss artistic questions in writing and relate them to conceptual and theoretical contexts. This means the written section should explain and analyse the artistic problem rather than simply describe what happened during rehearsals.

6. A written-only thesis is also an official Directing option

The exact thesis card also permits a written thesis without a separate artistic work. This route requires a clearly defined topic and goals, structured writing, relevant research methods, traditions and literature, critical use of theory, and justified analysis and conclusions. A student choosing this route should not make the project look like a reduced artistic thesis. It should be designed as a complete research-oriented written study from the beginning, with a clear question, method and evidence strategy.

7. Put the thesis route into the PSP and thesis plan early

T-OMA24203 states that the method of completion, supervision and examiners are agreed in PSP discussions with the professor and recorded in the thesis plan. This is an important control point. The plan should clearly show whether the project is an artistic work plus written section or a written thesis, what the central research or artistic question is, how evidence will be generated, who supervises the work, and how the planned output can be examined fairly.

8. The thesis plan should connect artistic and research decisions

Current Theatre Academy guidance expects the plan to address the topic, objectives, research questions, structure, supervisors, examiners and publicity of the thesis project. For Directing, this is especially useful because artistic production decisions can affect research design, documentation, personal-data processing, copyright and examiner access. The plan should therefore connect the artistic process with the written or analytical process instead of treating them as unrelated tasks.

9. Thesis plans currently have a two-year validity period

The current academy guidance gives the thesis project plan a two-year validity period. If the project is not approved within that period, a new or updated plan may be needed. This matters for directing projects because production schedules can move, venues can change and collaborations can take longer than expected. A realistic plan should therefore include enough time for artistic work, documentation, writing, supervision, pre-examination and final assessment.

10. Production-space planning can start 6 to 12 months in advance

The exact Directing thesis course advises students to apply for production space well in advance, normally 6 to 12 months before rehearsals begin. This is a programme-specific operational detail and should be taken seriously if the thesis includes an artistic production. The course card also refers to annual application windows for school and partner-theatre productions. Because those windows are cycle-sensitive, recheck the current schedule rather than treating one year’s May or February-March references as permanent dates.

11. The current thesis card gives 25 hours of directing guidance

A very specific Directing rule appears in T-OMA24203: students are provided with 25 hours of instructional guidance for their work as directors. This is stronger evidence than the generic academy statement that programmes determine supervision-hour entitlements. However, do not overgeneralise the 25 hours. The card frames it around the student’s work as director, and if the student also writes or adapts the piece, guidance for that artistic piece is negotiated separately with the programme professor.

12. Do not confuse 25 thesis hours with the separate 15 ECTS artistic-work course

The curriculum also contains T-OMA24301 Artistic work by master-level students in directing, 15 ECTS. That course is separate from the thesis and currently states 15 hours of instructional guidance for the student’s own work as director. These are different course objects with different credit values and different guidance statements. Do not merge T-OMA24301 into the 30 ECTS thesis and do not transfer its 15-hour figure into the thesis course.

13. Use the 2 ECTS Artistic thesis seminar for artistic-question development

T-TX24204 Artistic thesis seminar is a separate 2 ECTS course. Its learning outcomes focus on setting meaningful master-level artistic goals, understanding artistic plans in relation to Theatre Academy production structures and discourses, and articulating artistic questions to peers and teachers. For a Directing student, this seminar can be used to test whether the proposed artistic question is specific enough to guide production decisions and later analysis.

14. The 2 ECTS Written thesis seminar supports research-question development

T-ODMA2402 Written thesis seminar is also 2 ECTS and prepares students for the thesis process as a whole. It focuses on formulating relevant research questions, locating them in broader artistic or theoretical contexts, planning and scheduling the thesis, learning from previous theses, and understanding data acquisition and factual writing. Even an artistic thesis benefits from these skills because the written component still needs a defensible question, evidence and analytical structure.

15. Research experiments gives Directing an artistic-research methods environment

T-TX24203 Research experiments is 4 ECTS and introduces artistic research principles. Students formulate research questions, test them through their own practice, develop practical experiments and discuss what those experiments reveal. This does not mean every thesis must use the same artistic-research method. It means the programme gives students a recognised environment for understanding how artistic practice can be organised as inquiry rather than only as production.

16. Artistic practice can generate evidence, but the logic must be explicit

A directing process can generate rich material: rehearsal notes, production decisions, recordings, conversations, design changes, audience situations, reflective writing and artistic experiments. But material does not become evidence automatically. The thesis should explain what was documented, why it was relevant, how it was interpreted and what claims it can reasonably support. This is particularly important when the final work is complex and collaborative.

17. A written thesis needs an explicit research method

The written-only route is not method-free. T-OMA24203 specifically expects relevant research methods, traditions and literature. The method could be textual analysis, archival work, interviews, qualitative analysis, practice-informed reflection or another approach that fits the question, but the programme does not publicly require one universal empirical method. The student should justify the method based on the research problem rather than selecting a method because it is familiar.

18. Interviews, surveys and thematic analysis are optional, not automatic requirements

Public Directing evidence does not establish interviews, surveys or thematic analysis as compulsory. They may be useful for some projects, especially when the thesis asks about experience, collaboration, reception or professional practice. But a directing thesis can also be based on artistic research, textual material, production documents, archival sources, theoretical analysis or other evidence. Method follows the question.

19. Collaboration needs clear personal contribution

Directing is inherently collaborative. Actors, designers, dramaturgs, producers and other artists may contribute substantially to the work. The thesis should therefore make the student’s own role, decisions and contribution visible. If the project is part of a joint production, the written section should distinguish between collective processes and the student’s own artistic and analytical responsibility. This protects both academic clarity and fair assessment.

20. Personal-data duties can arise inside ordinary theatre work

Personal data is not limited to formal interviews. Identifiable photographs, video, sound, email addresses, contact lists, observation notes and recordings can all create data-protection duties. If the artistic process involves identifiable people, decide the purpose of processing, controller, legal basis, storage, access and deletion or archiving plan before data collection becomes difficult to change.

21. Pseudonymisation is not the same as anonymisation

Current Uniarts guidance distinguishes pseudonymised data from anonymised data. Pseudonymised material is still personal data if a person can be re-identified using additional information. This distinction matters for rehearsal records and interview material, where removing a name may not be enough if the role, production or context still makes the participant obvious.

22. Participation consent and publication permission may be different questions

A person may agree to participate in a rehearsal process, interview or recorded experiment without automatically agreeing that identifiable material will be published in a public thesis or archived recording. Where relevant, separate participation, recording and publication permissions clearly. This is especially important because approved thesis projects are public documents and artistic documentation can also become public.

23. The approved thesis project 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. This rule should influence research design early. If the project involves sensitive information about collaborators, health, private life, employment conflict or other confidential matters, the student should design the evidence strategy so that the final public thesis can still be ethically and legally published.

24. Artistic recordings also need planning

The academy guidance treats recordings or documentation of artistic thesis components as part of the public thesis environment where feasible. For directing projects, recordings can also be necessary when an examiner cannot attend the performance. Plan recording permissions, copyright, performer consent, file access and documentation quality before the final performance. Trying to reconstruct these permissions after the production can be difficult.

25. Ethics applies to both artistic and written routes

An artistic thesis can involve power relations, vulnerable participants, representation, consent, cultural sensitivity and professional responsibilities. A written thesis can involve personal data, interviews, unpublished documents and interpretive risks. Neither route is automatically exempt from ethical consideration. At the same time, not every Directing thesis automatically requires formal ethical review or a research permit. The requirement depends on the actual project.

26. AI use does not remove the student’s responsibility

Uniarts ethical guidance places responsibility on the student for the integrity and quality of submitted work. AI tools may support planning, language work or idea development where permitted, but the student remains responsible for source accuracy, authorship, confidential information, originality and compliance with current programme instructions. Never upload sensitive rehearsal, participant or unpublished production data into a tool without checking the applicable rules.

27. Use the Uniarts thesis template and PDF/A requirement

Current academy guidance requires the thesis or written/reflection component to use the Uniarts standard template and to be saved in PDF/A format. The template helps standardise the cover page, abstract and structural elements. Formatting should be planned before the final week because late conversion problems can become submission problems, especially when the document contains images, diagrams or unusual fonts.

28. The abstract currently has a 250-word minimum

The current Theatre Academy thesis guidance says the abstract should summarise the objectives, content and findings of the project and sets a minimum length of 250 words. The abstract also functions as the master’s maturity test. For an artistic thesis, the abstract should still help an outside reader understand the artistic problem, process and main insight without requiring access to the performance itself.

29. The maturity test is T-OMA24204, 0 ECTS

The exact maturity-test course is T-OMA24204, 0 ECTS, assessed Pass - Fail. The course card specifically notes that students in an English-language master’s programme whose school-education language was not Finnish or Swedish write the maturity-test abstract in English. However, the wider maturity-test guidance shows that language rules depend on the student’s educational background and earlier language demonstration, so do not assume one language route applies to everyone.

30. Citation style is not safely fixed to one system from public evidence

Current Theatre Academy guidance recommends APA 7 or Chicago Author-Date and tells students to ask their programme which style it prefers. This means it is unsafe to declare that Directing universally requires only one named citation style based on current public evidence. What is required is consistent and transparent source use. Confirm the current programme preference before final formatting.

31. Pre-examination is a real gate before final submission

Current academy guidance describes a supervisor pre-examination before final submission and recommends allowing at least one week for it. Use this stage to test whether the artistic and written parts are complete, whether required revisions have been made, and whether the final version is ready for originality checking and examination. Once the work is sent to examiners, late changes may no longer be possible.

32. Turnitin is an originality control, not a quality score

Written components of thesis projects are checked with Turnitin. Students can also use the unfinished-work checking function during drafting. The useful interpretation is not “low percentage equals good thesis”. The real task is to review quotations, paraphrases, source attribution and any unexpected overlap. A strong thesis still needs valid argument, evidence and artistic or analytical quality even when similarity is low.

33. Two examiners assess the thesis project

Current Theatre Academy guidance states that thesis projects are assessed by two examiners named in the approved thesis plan. Usually one examiner is from outside the Theatre Academy and one is a member of Theatre Academy academic staff. The supervisor may also act as an examiner where permitted and where disqualification rules are satisfied. Examiner access should be considered early if the artistic work is temporary, site-specific or difficult to record.

34. The current public grading sources are not fully harmonised

The exact T-OMA24203 Study Guide course card currently displays Pass - Fail. However, the current Theatre Academy master’s thesis guidance states Pass with Distinction - Pass - Fail, while supplementary provisions also contain language that is not completely aligned. This is a genuine official-source discrepancy. Do not hide it and do not claim one scale with certainty without checking the current controlling rule when your thesis enters examination.

35. Moodle and Taju are both part of final submission

Current academy guidance requires final submission through Moodle and saving the thesis in the Taju repository. The versions should match. Taju access settings do not change the rule that the approved thesis is public and cannot contain secret information. Prepare the final PDF/A, metadata, abstract, permissions and any recording information before submission so the repository step does not become a last-minute technical problem.

36. Plan backwards from examiner time and current graduation dates

Current guidance says examiners should normally have at least four weeks for assessment. Graduation and submission dates are published for each academic year, so do not copy an old deadline from a previous guide or screenshot. Work backwards from the current examination and graduation schedule, then reserve time for supervisor pre-examination, Turnitin review, corrections, final PDF/A preparation, Moodle submission and Taju deposit.

37. Final Directing thesis checklist

Confirm that your current programme object remains 16929 / 112700_M_2024 and that T-OMA24203 remains 30 ECTS. Confirm whether your approved route is artistic work plus written section or written thesis. Keep T-TX24204 and T-ODMA2402 as separate 2 ECTS seminars, and T-OMA24204 as the separate 0 ECTS maturity test. Do not merge the separate 15 ECTS T-OMA24301 artistic-work course into the thesis. If you are completing an artistic thesis, confirm current production-space application timing and the exact scope of the 25-hour directing guidance. Make the research or artistic question explicit, document the process, define your own contribution, resolve personal-data and recording permissions, keep the public-thesis rule in mind, confirm citation preference, complete pre-examination and Turnitin, recheck the grading rule, prepare the maturity-test abstract, submit the same final PDF/A through Moodle and Taju, and leave enough time for two examiners. A strong Directing thesis is one where artistic vision, research logic, evidence, collaboration and final claims remain clearly connected.