Structure of studies (2021-)

To get more information about the content of your degree, which modules and study units you need to complete and which competences you must learn to get your degree, familiarize yourself with your study plan at Start.

Many study units require specific prior knowledge, prerequisites, which means that the study units must be completed in a specific order. The prerequisites are written in the study unit descriptions.

If needed you can get an individual study plan to facilitate the course of studies.

General education studies

You will study the general education studies during your first study year. The general education studies include one module Education in a Digital and Sustainable Nordic Society that consist of three study units (courses).

Professional studies

Professional studies are divided into foundation studies (30 ects) and advanced studies (135 ects). The advanced professional studies include also practical training (30 ects) and a module in professional communication (15 ects).

The practical training (30 credits) should give knowledge and experience in relevance to working life and the programme studied. You can read more about the practical training in the programme Mechanical and Sustainable Engineering here.

Development studies

You degree includes also 30 ECTS optional development studies. We offer different development study modules (15 ects) of which you can choose 2.

You can choose for example these development study modules:

• Circular Economy
• Plastic Technology
• Advance Materials Technology
• Finnish for beginners
• Project

You can even choose other modules or study units than these, but those should be first discussed and approved by the degree programme director. It is also possible to take development studies at an other university of applied sciences or university or through the online course portal Campus Online. To study abroad on a student exchange is also a great way to study development studies. You can read more about studying abroad here.

Research studies

Research studies include thesis work (15 ects) and studies in methodology (15 ects).

Thesis

The Degree thesis is an independent research project that you undertake under the supervision of a lecturer. The courses in the thesis module will guide and instruct you how to successfully complete a thesis.

In the thesis, you need to demonstrate the following: theoretical knowledge of your subject, an ability to carry out practical research or project work, an ability to critically analyse the results and relate back to the theoretical knowledge, as well as an ability to present the results as a written academic report. The quality of your thesis has to meet the requirements of an education at a bachelor’s level, in accordance to EQF level 6 (European Qualification Framework). The Criteria for Bachelor thesis assessment can be found below. The thesis topic should ideally be found in cooperation with the working life or current projects at Arcada.

The last date to hand in the thesis is often mid-April for graduating before the summer. Many supervisors and lectures are not working in June or July.

Thesis application

Your thesis process begins with you applying for a thesis title and submitting a thesis plan. Thesis topics can be selected from our laboratory webpage External link.

, or proposed, in case of working with companies.

For thesis works which are done for companies, a contract must be signed jointly by the company, student and supervisor. The degree thesis will be commissioned if there is a written agreement

Thesis project is usually done at the end of your study. The process of writing thesis takes from 6 months up to one year. After a successful completion of your thesis you will present your work and write a maturity exam.

Read more about the thesis and theses process here on Start.