University of the Arts Helsinki Global Music Master's Thesis Guide: S-GMOMA_24 25 ECTS + 5 ECTS Performance

Quick answer: what is the current Global Music master project route?

The current Uniarts Helsinki Global Music curriculum is 15197 / PMG_2024, a 150 ECTS Master of Music programme with a normative duration of 2.5 years. Its final S-GMP10_24 Demonstration of Proficiency and Maturity essay package is 30 ECTS, but that package must not be described as a 30 ECTS written thesis. The exact structure is S-GMOMA_24 Global Music Master’s Project & Thesis, 25 ECTS, plus one 5 ECTS performance pathway, plus a separate 0 ECTS maturity requirement.

1. Use the current PMG_2024 programme object

The programme page currently links Study Guide object 15197, code PMG_2024. The Study Guide root is 150 ECTS and the programme description says the degree language is English. The public programme page gives the target degree as Master of Music and the length of study as 2.5 years. These are the current programme-level controls for this guide.

2. The formal Master of Music degree is 150 ECTS

Uniarts’ degree information gives the formal Master of Music (MMus) a scope of 150 ECTS. This matches the current PMG_2024 Study Guide root. Use 150 ECTS when describing the degree rather than adding together only the modules discussed in a thesis guide.

3. The final proficiency package is 30 ECTS, not the written thesis

The current S-GMP10_24 module is 30 ECTS. It contains the 25 ECTS master project and thesis, one 5 ECTS performance pathway, and the zero-credit maturity requirement. The 30 ECTS figure belongs to the proficiency package as a whole. The exact master project and thesis course is 25 ECTS.

4. S-GMOMA_24 is 25 ECTS

The exact course S-GMOMA_24 Global Music Master’s Project & Thesis is 25 ECTS. The course describes an independent, artistically oriented research project that is central to the major studies. It is evaluated Pass-Fail, not 0–5.

5. The project interweaves written and performative components

S-GMOMA_24 explicitly says students design artistically oriented research projects with interwoven written and performative components. Do not reduce this project to a conventional written dissertation. The written thesis is one part of an integrated artistic-research project.

6. There are three project pathways

The exact project course permits three pathways: an own artistic project, a community engagement project, or a multidisciplinary project. Each route connects performance with a written thesis component. The pathway should be chosen to fit the student’s artistic question and intended context.

7. Every route still connects to the written thesis

The current course description states that each performance pathway connects with the written thesis component. A student therefore should not treat the 25 ECTS project as a performance-only submission. The written part needs to articulate the project’s research orientation, decisions and findings.

8. The written part develops knowledge with artistic processes

The learning outcomes require students to develop knowledge through interconnected artistic processes and written text. This means the written component should do analytical and research work, not simply document what happened chronologically. It should help explain how artistic practice generated, tested or communicated knowledge.

9. Articulate the artistic vision clearly

Students are expected to formulate and communicate a clear artistic vision for the project. A good thesis plan should therefore show what the artistic problem is, why the chosen form is appropriate, which communities or collaborators are involved, and how the written inquiry supports the artistic work.

10. Explain choices, rationale and findings

S-GMOMA_24 requires students to articulate artistic choices, rationale and findings both orally and in writing. That creates a practical writing task: make key decisions traceable. Explain why particular repertoire, collaborators, locations, community methods, performance formats or research materials were chosen.

11. Final presentation can be multimodal

The course learning outcomes allow the final project to be presented through research-based text, audiovisual and performative elements. This flexibility is important. The official course does not impose one identical submission format on every project, although the written thesis component still remains required.

12. Choose exactly one 5 ECTS performance pathway

The current degree structure has a one-of-three category worth 5 ECTS. The student chooses one current performance pathway: S-GMOMB1_24, S-GMOMB2_24 or S-GMOMB3_24. The 5 ECTS performance is part of the 30 ECTS proficiency package and is not an optional extra outside it.

13. S-GMOMB1_24: Solo or Ensemble based Concert

S-GMOMB1_24 is the 5 ECTS Solo or Ensemble based Concert pathway. It is Pass-Fail. The course expects a clear artistic concept connected to the master project, command of instrumental or vocal skills, communication, intercultural collaboration, leadership and reflective articulation.

14. S-GMOMB2_24: Community Engagement Project

S-GMOMB2_24 is the 5 ECTS Leadership of a Community Engagement Project with a Performance Element pathway. It is also Pass-Fail. This route can make participant communication, consent, community relationships and data protection especially important if the thesis collects identifiable information.

15. S-GMOMB3_24: Multidisciplinary Project

S-GMOMB3_24 is the 5 ECTS Leadership of a Multi-Disciplinary Project with a Performance Element pathway. It is Pass-Fail. Interdisciplinary collaboration should be documented carefully so the student’s own artistic and research contribution remains visible.

16. The artistic outcome can take several forms

Across the three performance course descriptions, the final artistic outcome may be a concert, installation, community engagement project or another multidisciplinary artistic collaboration. The student creates and leads a performance or other performative event based on a clear artistic vision.

17. The final concert is connected to project research

The performance descriptions connect the final global master’s concert with instrumental studies, master-project research and/or field-trip work. The public programme page also highlights the master project and its Global Fest context. Event context is important, but it does not alter the formal 25+5 ECTS structure.

18. Performance assessment is broader than instrumental technique

The performance pathways look at more than technical playing or singing. Their learning outcomes include concept, communication, intercultural collaboration, composing or arranging where relevant, pedagogical/contextual skills, leadership and verbal/written self-reflection. Plan evidence for these outcomes rather than preparing only the final event.

19. S-GM31_24 introduces artistic research

S-GM31_24 Introduction to Artistic Research, 2 ECTS is a Pass-Fail research course. It introduces practice-based, practice-led, research-creation and related terminology, and asks students to identify research angles and apply artistic-research methods in their own artistic work.

20. S-GM45_24 supports methods and academic writing

S-GM45_24 Research Methods and Academic Writing, 2 ECTS is also Pass-Fail. It covers approaches to qualitative research, information retrieval, academic writing, citation and referencing, literature review and a range of research perspectives.

21. Qualitative research is a resource, not a universal command

The methods course introduces approaches to qualitative research, but the current sources do not say that every Global Music student must conduct interviews, surveys or thematic analysis. Select methods because they answer the project question, not because they are common in generic thesis templates.

22. Build methods around the artistic question

A project may use artistic experimentation, reflective documentation, field material, collaborative inquiry, interviews, observation, archival material or other methods when justified. The official course structure supports methodological plurality. Explain how each method contributes to the specific artistic-research question.

23. Do not import Theatre Academy thesis rules

Global Music belongs to the Sibelius Academy. Theatre Academy page-count rules, examiner patterns and grading scales must not be copied into this programme. In particular, the Global Music project/thesis and the three 5 ECTS performance pathways are explicitly Pass-Fail.

24. Do not invent a 0–5 thesis grade

Some Sibelius programmes use numerical scales for written theses, but the exact S-GMOMA_24 course used here says Pass-Fail. A public guide should follow the exact course rather than assuming one grading scale across the academy.

25. No fixed page count was found for S-GMOMA_24

The exact Global Music project course describes the written component and research outputs but does not publish one fixed page count in the sources used for this guide. Do not borrow 30–60 pages from Theatre Academy or a page count from another Sibelius programme. Confirm the current written-component expectation with Global Music teaching staff.

26. No fixed supervision-hour number was found

The exact Global Music course evidence used here does not publish a universal supervision-hour entitlement. Do not import a number from another programme. Confirm supervisors, mentoring arrangements and available hours in the current course implementation.

27. Sibelius Academy says programme rules control the thesis

The current Sibelius Academy thesis guideline states that the content, scope and completion method of a thesis or proficiency demonstration vary by degree programme and major. That is why this guide prioritises PMG_2024 and the exact Global Music course units over generic assumptions.

28. Be careful with the generic Sibelius deadline table

The current Sibelius Academy deadline table explicitly names Arts Management, Society and Creative Entrepreneurship, Music Business, Church Music and Music Education. It does not name Global Music. Do not copy those dates into a Global Music plan unless a current Global Music instruction confirms they apply.

29. Recheck operational dates each academic cycle

Submission, performance, assessment and degree-certificate schedules can change. Use the current course implementation, programme communication and Student Uniarts pages immediately before final submission. A durable guide should explain the process without freezing another programme’s annual calendar into Global Music.

30. The maturity requirement is separate and 0 ECTS

The degree structure contains a separate maturity offering S-KS_24, with current language branches. The English branch S-KS9123_26 is 0 ECTS and Pass-Fail. This maturity requirement does not add thesis credits to S-GMOMA_24.

31. Do not assume every student uses the English maturity branch

Maturity language depends on school-education language and whether Finnish or Swedish proficiency has already been demonstrated in an earlier degree. Even in an English-language programme, a student’s maturity route can depend on that background. Check the branch assigned to your case.

32. Global Music maturity format must be confirmed live

The English branch says to see the degree programme or major course-unit page for the completion method. The generic maturity guide discusses master-level maturity formats, but this guide does not claim one universal Global Music form unless the programme-specific current instruction confirms it.

33. AI applications are not permitted in the maturity test

Current Uniarts ethical guidance states that AI applications are not permitted in the maturity test. Keep that task independent. Thesis use of AI is a separate issue governed by current disclosure, academic-integrity and data-protection rules.

34. Turnitin is part of the written-thesis workflow

Current Uniarts ethical guidance requires written theses to undergo originality checking with Turnitin before approval. The final version checked for originality should be the same version sent for assessment and deposited in Taju.

35. Similarity results require academic interpretation

A similarity percentage is not itself a plagiarism verdict. Use Turnitin early enough to correct inaccurate quotation, citation or source-use problems, then submit the locked final version according to the current programme workflow.

36. Disclose permitted AI use

If AI tools are used for allowed editing or other permitted support, current Uniarts guidance requires transparent disclosure. Never upload personal data, copyrighted content, trade secrets or other material you lack rights to use into third-party AI applications.

37. Human-participant work creates data-protection duties

If the community engagement or multidisciplinary project uses interviews, surveys, observation, photographs, audio, video or other identifiable material, it may involve personal-data processing. Plan purpose, controller, lawful basis, participant information, storage and the data lifecycle before collection begins.

38. Pseudonymisation is not anonymity

Uniarts’ data-protection guidance makes clear that pseudonymised data remains personal data when re-identification is possible. Small musical communities can make indirect identification easy. Remove unnecessary identifiers and do not promise anonymity you cannot technically provide.

39. Consider where cloud services store data

Current Uniarts guidance asks students to consider transfers outside the EU/EEA when choosing services for personal data. This matters for online forms, transcription, audio/video platforms, file storage and AI tools. Use approved or appropriately protected systems for thesis data.

40. Sensitive data requires extra caution

Special-category personal data should generally be avoided unless genuinely necessary and safely governed. Community projects can easily touch ethnicity, religion, health, political views or other sensitive context. Discuss such plans with the supervisor before collection.

41. Ethical review is not automatic

Uniarts asks supervisors to design bachelor’s and master’s projects so formal ethical review is normally unnecessary. Certain research settings may still trigger ethical-review considerations. An ethical-review statement is not the same thing as a research permit.

42. Performance documentation needs rights planning

Audio, video, photographs, repertoire, arrangements and collaborative artistic material may involve copyright, performer permissions and publication rights. Resolve these early, especially if documentation will appear in the thesis, audiovisual research output or public dissemination.

43. Taju stores the written thesis component

The Sibelius Academy thesis guideline and library guide require written thesis components to be stored in Taju. Deposit the same version used for assessment. Do not make silent content changes between assessment and repository submission.

44. The Taju file must be accessible PDF/A

The library requires the written thesis or written proficiency component to be submitted as an accessible PDF/A. Build accessibility into the source document rather than trying to repair the PDF only at the final step.

45. The thesis is a public document

The library states that the thesis is a public document. Private or classified information must not be included in the public thesis. A restricted Taju collection controls online access but does not turn the thesis into a confidential document.

46. Open access is a repository choice, not secrecy

Taju allows open-access or restricted-collection deposit under current rules. Even when the file is restricted to library workstations, metadata remains visible and the thesis remains a public document. Plan confidential background material outside the thesis itself.

47. Graduation requires all components to be complete

The current Sibelius Academy graduation guide says degree-certificate application follows after the thesis is approved, the maturity test is completed and all required studies are complete. Check current application and certificate dates rather than relying on an old timetable.

48. A practical Global Music workflow

Confirm PMG_2024 and your current cohort structure. Shape an artistic-research question, use S-GM31_24 and S-GM45_24 to build research competence, choose the project pathway, plan the 25 ECTS S-GMOMA_24 written/performative work and one 5 ECTS performance pathway together, settle ethics and rights before data or documentation collection, complete supervision and the current maturity branch, run the final written work through Turnitin, submit the same assessed accessible PDF/A to Taju, and leave enough time for the current graduation cycle.

49. What to confirm with Global Music staff

Before final registration or submission, confirm the current written-component length expectation, supervisors, assessment arrangements, performance scheduling, documentation requirements, maturity completion method and language branch, Turnitin/Moodle or other submission route, Taju timing and graduation dates. These operational details can change without changing the durable 25+5 ECTS architecture.

50. Keep the 25+5 distinction visible

The single most important structural point is that 30 ECTS is the proficiency package, while S-GMOMA_24 itself is 25 ECTS and the student adds exactly one 5 ECTS performance pathway. Keeping those numbers separate prevents the most likely public-guide error.

51. Keep artistic, pedagogical and research threads connected

The programme page describes the master project as interweaving artistic, pedagogical and research threads. A strong project should therefore show how artistic practice, collaboration or community work and research thinking inform one another, rather than writing three unrelated narratives.

52. Use the course learning outcomes as an assessment checklist

Before submission, check whether the work shows a clear artistic vision, collaboration and leadership where relevant, knowledge development through artistic process and writing, critical reflection, justified choices, and communicable findings. These are stronger planning anchors than a generic chapter template.

53. Distinguish project evidence from broad claims

Artistic and practice-based inquiry can produce rich situated knowledge, but it does not automatically justify population-wide claims. If the thesis makes broader empirical claims, match them with an appropriate design, sampling logic, evidence and analysis rather than assuming artistic experience alone proves generality.

54. Community-engagement projects need role clarity

In a community pathway, distinguish participation in an artistic process from participation in research or data collection. Consent to perform, consent to be recorded, consent to participate in research and permission for publication can be separate decisions. Document them accordingly.

55. Multidisciplinary projects need contribution clarity

Where collaborators contribute substantially, record roles, authorship, permissions and the student’s individual contribution from the beginning. The thesis should make clear what the student designed, led, analysed and learned within the shared project.

56. Sources used for this guide

This guide was verified against the current Global Music programme page, PMG_2024 Study Guide, exact S-GMOMA_24 and all three 5 ECTS performance courses, artistic-research and research-methods courses, current maturity branch and general maturity guidance, Sibelius Academy thesis and graduation guidance, Uniarts data-protection and ethics rules, Taju instructions, degree information and the Code of Conduct.

57. Build one integrated project map before production begins

A useful planning document for Global Music is a one-page map connecting the artistic question, the written inquiry, the selected 5 ECTS performance pathway, collaborators, methods, documentation and intended outputs. Because S-GMOMA_24 explicitly interweaves written and performative components, these parts should not be developed as separate projects that are connected only at the end. Map which evidence or reflection will come from rehearsals, field work, community encounters, performance development, literature and other research activity. This makes the written thesis easier to structure and helps the final performance remain connected to the research question.

58. Keep a research log without confusing it with the final thesis

A process log can record artistic decisions, changes in repertoire, collaborative negotiations, methodological experiments, unexpected findings and ethical issues. This is valuable source material for reflective analysis, but the final written component should not simply reproduce a diary. Select entries that help answer the research question, compare them with literature or other evidence, and explain what changed in the student’s understanding or artistic practice.

59. Separate documentation, data and publication permissions

Global Music projects can generate recordings, photographs, interviews, workshop notes and collaborative artistic material. These materials do not all have the same legal or ethical status. Permission to participate in a concert is not automatically permission to use a person’s interview in research, and permission to record is not automatically permission to publish the recording online. Create a rights and consent table before data collection or public documentation begins.

60. Align the written component with the selected performance pathway

The written thesis should make the chosen 5 ECTS pathway intelligible as part of the same proficiency demonstration. For a concert route, explain the artistic concept and how research shaped performance decisions. For a community route, explain the relationship between artistic goals, participants, facilitation and evidence. For a multidisciplinary route, explain how disciplines interact and what the student individually contributes. The goal is not to force identical chapter structures but to show a coherent research logic.

61. Recheck the current course pages before the final semester

PMG_2024 is the current curriculum used for this guide, but Uniarts course implementations, responsible teachers, submission channels and operational schedules can change. Before the final semester, open the current Study Guide again and compare the live S-GMOMA_24, selected S-GMOMB pathway and maturity branch against the plan. If a new curriculum applies to the cohort, follow the new official structure rather than carrying an older guide forward mechanically.