A thesis is a student’s business card for his or her career advancement. It enables the student to demonstrate professional knowledge and skills. At universities of applied sciences, the thesis is often a commissioned project based on an agreement between the parties. Usually thesis assignments are received from the industry or from the projects that serve the development of a specific field. The thesis assignment can also be a project where the author establishes or develops his or her own company.
The aim of the thesis is to advance and demonstrate the student’s ability to apply knowledge and skills in tasks that require field-specific expertise. These instructions describe the stages, from the choice of the topic until the publication of the thesis. Different programmes at Karelia UAS may provide more detailed, complementary thesis instructions.
All UAS degree studies include a thesis that is based on the Universities of Applied Sciences Act (932/2014) and The Government Decree on Polytechnics (later: Universities of Applied Sciences) (1129/2014). The decree establishes the thesis as part of the UAS studies and also requires the student to take a Maturity Test on the topic of his or her thesis. The maturity test shows the student’s familiarity with the field and his or her skills in one of the national languages, Finnish or Swedish. At Karelia UAS, the valid Degree Regulations determine the thesis.