Master thesis project guidelines: Praxis (Exhibition Studies)
These are the guidelines for completing the artistic and the written component included in a thesis project for the Praxis Master’s Programme.
Contents, objectives and schedule of the thesis project
The thesis project for the Praxis Master’s Programme consists of the planning and practical execution (curating) of an exhibition or an equivalent event as well as a written component. Alternatively, the thesis project may consist exclusively of a written thesis. The thesis project also includes a public examination event.
After completing your thesis project, you have the necessary skills to carry out an extensive artistic project and to discuss its contents orally and in writing. You are also able to reflect on your work in the context of contemporary art.
The student is awarded 40 credits for the successful completion of the thesis project.
Structure of the thesis project
The thesis project for the Praxis Master’s Programme may consist of:
A: One or several project management plans and their implementation, such as an exhibition or an equivalent event (practical component), with appropriate documentation and a related written component.
or
B: a written thesis
Alternative A: Planning and executing one or several projects, such as an exhibition or an equivalent event (practical component), and a written component which includes the documentation relating to the practical component.
The written component should be approximately 30 pages long (about 1,800 characters per page). The documentation should include a visual recording that gives a comprehensive and accurate portrayal of the event.
In the written component, you provide a reflective analysis of the process, its execution and questions related to its contents, assess the correspondence between the project plan and the actual implementation of the project and contextualise your own work in relation to contemporary art. When examining the relationship between the thesis project and contemporary art, you can discuss the work process, the contents of the project or the goals and implementation of the project in relation to art and artistic research. You can reflect on the relationship between the curated event and the audience, topical discussions in society, or space and the environment and also bring up any role models and factors that may have influenced the project and present various kinds of conclusions related to the work process and the execution of the project.
You are responsible for inviting the examiners of the thesis project to all exhibitions/events where the practical component of the thesis project is exhibited or performed. The invitation must clearly state that it concerns a component of a thesis project. If the practical component is carried out in another way, you must inform the examiners about how and where this will take place.
Alternative B: a written thesis
You must produce a written thesis of about 60–80 pages (1,800 characters/page) that shows profound knowledge of a theme that is relevant to the Praxis Master’s Programme. In addition to discussing your topic from the perspective of a field with a long tradition in fine arts, such as art theory, philosophy and history, you can also approach the topic from the perspective of another field, such as visual anthropology or social science. Just like in Alternative A, the thesis in Alternative B must include a discussion of how the work is contextualised within the field of contemporary art.
Schedule for the thesis project
Recommended schedule for the thesis project
First year of master’s studies, autumn term:
- Start of the Praxis MFA thesis seminar (K-MP331)
- Thesis project plan: Planning the composition of the thesis project and selecting the supervisor
- Arranging the first supervision meeting
Second year of master’s studies, spring term:
- Selection of the examiners
- Continued attendance at the Praxis MFA thesis seminar
- Start of the Instruction in written expression course (K-MP332)
- Practical component (e.g. as part of the Kuvan Kevät Degree Show)
- Seminar organised in connection with Kuvan Kevät
Second year of master’s studies, autumn term:
- Continued attendance at the Praxis MFA thesis seminar
- Continued attendance at the Instruction in written expression course
- Finalising the written component
- Submission of the thesis project and the maturity test for preliminary examination at least three weeks before the submission deadline
- Submission of the written component of the thesis project in the beginning of October
- Public examination
Remarks on the schedule:
- The Praxis thesis seminar focuses on theoretical and practical questions relating to the thesis project. The student will also take part in the course Instruction in Written Expression, which will support their work on the written component of the thesis project.
- The examiners are selected either at the beginning of the spring term of the second year of master’s studies or when the date for the execution of the practical component of the thesis project and the schedule for the completion of the project have been established.
- At least three weeks should be reserved for preliminary examination, but you can also submit the thesis project for pre-examination already before that.
Written component of the thesis project
Students must complete the thesis in the language of their degrees (section 35 of the Degree Regulations of Uniarts Helsinki). This also applies to the language of the written component. The right to complete a written thesis in a language other than that used for the degree can be applied for in the plan for artistic work and written thesis (see section Thesis project plan).
In the written component, references must be used when ideas expressed by another person are discussed. A list of references and literature will be enclosed at the end of the written component.
Use of images in the thesis project
All images used in the thesis project must be accompanied by detailed information about the image and its source. It is important to include this information even if you have personally made the works depicted in the images or taken the photographs yourself. Make sure that all images are used in accordance with the prevailing copyright laws. In general, images can be used more freely in student theses than in commercial publications, but you should nevertheless check the precise instructions pertaining to the publishing of images in the ImagOA resource guide. You should not use an image in your thesis project unless you are certain that you have a right to publish it.
For more information, please check the ImagOA resource guide:
The title page of the written component must indicate:
- Your name
- Title of the thesis project
- Academy (Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Helsinki) and the academy logo
- A text indicating that the written component is part of an MFA thesis project
- Date of submission of the thesis project
The first pages of the written component must clearly indicate:
- What the practical and written components include and how emphasis is placed between them.
- All the information relating to the works related to the practical component and their presentation
- The supervisor(s) and examiners of the thesis project.
- If the thesis project, or any part of it, has been produced in collaboration with other students, the first pages of the written component must include a description of the division of labour between all the contributing students.
An alternative way of documentation for special cases
The written component can under special circumstances be produced in another way. If this is deemed necessary, reasons must be provided in the thesis project plan, and the Professor of the student’s subject area must approve the special arrangements. If the student suffers from dyslexia, or has other special needs affecting their learning and self-expression, they can acquire a certificate of their condition from an expert and discuss the situation with their teacher. By doing this, the special needs can be taken into consideration in the approval of the thesis project plan and the evaluation of the thesis project. The student can also be provided with supplementary supervision, if necessary.
MFA maturity test
The student will write a one-page (c. 1,800 characters) summary, which constitutes the maturity test of the MFA degree. The summary briefly describes the essential contents of the thesis project, and it must include a short account of both the artistic and the written components. The summary is intended to provide a concise description of the most important parts of the thesis project to someone unfamiliar with the project. The summary should be entitled “Summary”. If the student so wishes, they can write a separate introduction to the thesis project, and the title of this introduction can be chosen more freely. The summary is attached to the beginning of the written component of the thesis, and it is submitted for preliminary examination together with the written component.
Thesis project grant
The Academy of Fine Arts supports the completion of the thesis project with a thesis grant. The exact sum awarded is established at the beginning of the autumn term. The thesis grant is intended to cover the costs related to the implementation of the thesis project. The student is allowed to start using the grant funds once their thesis project plan has been approved. The Production Services are responsible for all matters pertaining to the grants.
Thesis project plan and selection of supervisors and examiners
Thesis project plan
The thesis project plan is made by using an electronic form. The thesis project plan is written in the same language as the written component of the thesis project.
The plan should include the following information:
- A description of the themes of the thesis project and the execution of the project
- The schedule of the thesis project (incl. the date of the practical component and the target date of the submission of the written component and the public examination of the thesis project)
- Language of the thesis project
- The supervisor(s) of the thesis project and their contact information
- Information about alternative ways of documentation if the written component is not in text form
If the student wishes to complete a written thesis in a language that differs from the language of their degree, they must apply for the right to do so in the plan. In this case, the student must justify in their plan why they wish to complete a written thesis in a language other than their own degree language. The justification must be written in the language in which the student wishes to write their thesis. Example: If the student’s degree language is Finnish and they wish to write a written thesis in English, they must write their justification in English. The right to use a language other than that used for the degree is determined by the dean.
The thesis project plan is approved by the supervising teacher of the student’s subject area. The student will be notified by e-mail once the thesis project plan has been accepted. The student is allowed to receive supervision and to use the money included in the thesis grant only after the thesis project plan has been approved.
The student must discuss any changes to the thesis project plan with their supervising teacher and notify the Study Services and the Production Services of the changes. If necessary, the student must also inform the examiners of the thesis project of the changes (e.g. if there are changes to the project schedule or the language used in the thesis).
NOTE! The MFA thesis project plan will expire in three years after its approval if the thesis project has not been submitted for examination. If the plan expires, the student must write a new plan with an updated schedule and supervision information, and have it approved by the supervising teacher.
Thesis supervision and selection of the supervisor
Supervision of the thesis project
The supervisor of the thesis project is responsible for mentoring the student’s work, supervising the contents of the work, and following the progress of the project. The supervisor must inform the student and their supervising teacher in a timely fashion if they think that the work does not conform with the requirements set for an MFA thesis project and if it cannot be submitted for evaluation within the schedule set by the student.
The Academy of Fine Arts will compensate the supervisor for a maximum of ten hours of instruction. In order for the fee to be paid, the supervisor must provide the Study Services with current information pertaining to the bank transfer. The fee payer receives the up-to-date tax data directly from the tax authority’s database for the taxation of the fee recipient, unless the tax card is for a different type of income, i.e. a tax-at-source card.
The supervising teacher’s task is to support the thesis project and to serve as the preliminary examiner of the written component of the thesis project. All students who are working on their master’s thesis projects receive instruction in how to write the written component of the thesis project at the Praxis MFA thesis seminar and through the course Instruction in written expression.
Selection of the supervisor
The student is entitled to receive a maximum of ten hours of supervision for their thesis project. The hours can be allotted to a single supervisor or shared between two supervisors.
The student will discuss the suitable supervisor(s) for the thesis project in advance with their supervising teacher. If the supervision duties are divided amongst two supervisors, the division of the working hours will also be decided at this time. The supervising teacher must ensure that the student’s supervisor(s) are chosen appropriately.
All supervisors are expected to have the necessary expertise in fine arts and contemporary art to be able to supervise a master’s thesis project. The supervisor must be significantly more advanced in the field of supervision than the supervised student. The supervisor cannot be studying for the same (or a lower) degree as the supervised student during the supervision process. The language used in the thesis project should also be taken into account in the selection of supervisors. Thesis projects are not translated, which is why the supervisor must understand the language of the thesis project.
After having a discussion with their supervising teacher, the student will contact the potential supervisor(s) and ask if they are willing to take on the job. The supervising teacher confirms the choice of supervisor when approving the thesis project plan, after which the Academy of Fine Arts Study Services submit the supervision-related guidelines to the supervisor(s). After the supervising teacher has approved the supervisor choice, the student submits a copy of their thesis project plan to their supervisor(s) and agrees on the first supervision meeting.
Selection of the examiners
Two examiners are assigned to each thesis project. The examiners are required to have the necessary expertise in fine arts and contemporary art to perform examiner’s duties. The examiner cannot be studying for the same (or a lower) degree as the student.
The student and the supervising teacher discuss the selection of the examiners. The supervising teacher makes a decision on the examiners of the thesis project after hearing the student. Any potential grounds for disqualification must be carefully considered prior to the selection of the examiners. For example, the supervisor of the thesis project cannot serve as an examiner, nor can the examiner comment on any part of the thesis project prior to the completion of the entire project.
If the supervising teacher is also the supervisor or the examiner of the thesis project, they cannot make a decision on the examiners. In such case, the decision is made by another professor of the subject area or the Vice Dean responsible for teaching.
The language of the thesis project must be considered in the selection of the examiners. The examiners must be able to understand the language used in the written component of the thesis project. Thesis projects are not translated. The examiner’s reports are also not translated, which is why the language used in them should also be agreed upon in advance. In cases that are unclear, please consult the Academy of Fine Arts Study Services in advance for further info.
After the student and the supervising teacher have reached an agreement concerning the examiners of the thesis project, the student will contact the examiners and ask for their tentative consent. The student will then fill in an electronic form with the relevant information on the chosen examiners, which will be forwarded to the supervising teacher for approval.
The Study Services of the Academy of Fine Arts will be in touch with the examiners and send them instructions for the examination of a thesis project and the information about the target date for graduation (e.g. the date of the public examination).
If the examiners of the thesis project change, the student must fill in a new electronic form detailing the changes.
If there are changes to the schedule of the thesis project, the student must be in touch with the original examiners and inquire whether they are still willing to serve as examiners. If necessary, the student must choose a new examiner, or examiners, discuss the selection with the supervising teacher, and submit the updated details via the electronic form for the selection of thesis project examiners.
If the examiners change after the public presentation of the artistic component of the thesis project has taken place, the student must send the new examiners all the necessary material pertaining to the public presentation.
Submission of the written component / thesis
Schedule for the submission of the written component
Preliminary examination
The written component of the thesis project is sent to the supervising teacher of the subject area for preliminary examination prior to the final submission of the thesis project. In the preliminary examination, the supervising teacher will read the written component of the thesis project to ensure that its contents meet the criteria set for the thesis project. The student will receive support to finalise the written component, if necessary. The student should be in touch with the supervising teacher concerning the schedule of the preliminary examination well in advance. A minimum of three weeks should be reserved for the preliminary examination.
In connection with the preliminary examination, the student may still make corrections and amendments to the text. The student is responsible for corrections and the extent to which they make use of the feedback given in the finalisation of their work before it is submitted for evaluation.
As part of the preliminary examination, the supervising teacher will review the summary of the thesis project, which serves as the maturity test of the thesis project.
Submission of the written component
Once the written component has been pre-examined and the supervising teacher has approved it for examination, it is submitted electronically to three locations:
After submission, no further changes can be made to the thesis project. Read the more detailed submission instructions below.
1. Submission to the study services
The thesis is submitted in PDF/A format as a single file by e-mail to: kuva.opinnaytteet@uniarts.fi (max. file size 10Mb).
The file should include the written component in its entirety, i.e., the title page, abstract, text, images, and a list of references and works cited. If the thesis is submitted in a verbally recorded presentation other than written text, its file format and submission must be agreed upon with the Study Services.
The Study Services send the written component of the thesis project to the examiners.
2. Saving to the Taju repository of the library
When submitting the written component of the thesis project for examination, the student must save their work also in the Taju publication repository in accordance with the library’s instructions.
Every student must do t even if they do not give their permission to have their thesis project published online. The version that is saved in Taju must be the same version as the one submitted to the examiners and in PDF/A format.
3. Saving in Turnitin plagiarism detection system
In connection with the final submission of the completed thesis, its originality is checked (i.e. identifying plagiarism). Checking the originality of a thesis involves detecting similarities with previous student work, material available on the internet and material that has been previously published. The supervising teacher is responsible for checking the originality and interpreting the results.
Students receive a link from the supervising teacher to a Moodle area intended for checking the originality of the written thesis. In Moodle, the students must save a PDF/A version of the thesis in a Turnitin folder, from which the work is indexed in the plagiarism detection system. After reviewing the work in this folder, the supervising teacher approves the plagiarism detection process, informs the student of the approval, and fills in an examination form that is delivered to the Study Services coordinator. The version to be recorded for the last plagiarism detection shall be the same as sent to the examiners.
Approval of the thesis project and registration of credits
Once the public examination session has been held and the examiners have submitted their final examination opinions to the Academy of Fine Arts, the supervising teacher who carried out the preliminary examination will support/not support the approval of the thesis. If the supervising teacher does not support the approval of the thesis, they must notify the study services within five days of the examination. The thesis is finally submitted to the Vice Dean responsible for teaching for approval.
Once the MFA thesis project has been approved, the student will receive a notification of the decision together with the examiner’s statements. If the Vice Dean does not approve the thesis project, the student is provided instructions for supplementing the work.
The credits for the thesis project will be registered in the record of credits after the thesis project has been approved.
The student cannot receive partial credit for the thesis project prior to its acceptance. According to the Education Regulations of the Academy of Fine Arts, completed studies are valid for a maximum of ten years. Expired studies will not be accepted as part of a degree.
Fail as the proposed grade
If either one or both of the examiners propose that the thesis project should receive a grade of Fail, the student will be notified of the proposal prior to the public examination of their thesis project.
In such case, the student can either:
A: Announce the suspension of the process and ask the supervising teacher of their subject area for instructions on how to amend the thesis project. In this case, the student will make corrections to the thesis project and then resubmit it. The examination of the resubmitted thesis project can only start after the supervising teacher of the subject area has granted their permission.
or
B: Continue the process and provide the Vice Dean with a written response to the examiner’s statements, which the Vice Dean will take into consideration in their discussion of the thesis project. If one of the examination statements is unfavourable, the Vice Dean asks a third examiner to assess the thesis project based on the written component and the documentation included in it before decision-making.
Appeal
If the student is not satisfied with the grading of the thesis project, they can submit a written appeal to the decision-maker within 14 days of the date of notification. If the student does not accept the Council’s decision regarding the appeal, they can bring the matter to the Academic Appeals Board of the University of the Arts Helsinki within 14 days of being informed of the decision-maker’s decision.
Archiving and publicity of the thesis project
Thesis projects are stored by the Academy of Fine Arts Study Services for the duration of the valid rules on storage periods, after which they will be archived by Uniarts Helsinki. Thesis projects are public, which is why they cannot include material that cannot be published due to copyright reasons. Depending on the student’s preference, the written component is available in the Taju publication repository online as open access material or only on site on the library computers.
You can find more information on copyrights in the student agreement that each student signs at the beginning of studies.
Instructions for the examiners of the thesis project
The examination of the MFA thesis project for the Praxis Master’s Programme consists of the assessment of the written thesis or the practical and written component of the thesis project. The examiners should be given a minimum of four weeks to write their examiner’s statements after they have received the written component of the thesis project or the thesis.
After this, a public examination of the thesis project will be organised, and in the event, the examiners present their statements. After the event, the examiners have three days to make amendments to their statements. The Academy of Fine Arts will notify the examiners of the requested schedule when the written component is submitted to them for examination. If the examiner is unable to comply with the schedule, they must inform the academic affairs team and the student of the delay well in advance.
After the public examination, the finalised, written examiner’s statement is addressed to the Academic Council of the Academy of Fine Arts and submitted to the Academic Affairs Office. The Academic Council will take the statement into consideration in the grading of the thesis project and the decision on its approval.
Examiner’s statement
The assessment of all the components that are part of the thesis project are included in the examiners’ written statements. The statements also include the examiners’ proposals for the grade of the thesis project (Pass/Fail). The grade proposal should be explicitly expressed in the statement. The weighting of the thesis components must be taken into consideration in the assessment.
The examiners will write their statement once they have assessed the thesis project in its entirety. The Academy of Fine Arts does not accept statements on individual parts of the thesis project. The examiners are not allowed to comment on any part of the thesis project until the entire project is completed. The assessment must be based on these guidelines for the Master of Fine Arts thesis project.
If the examiner recommends the grade Fail for the thesis project, they must inform the Academy of Fine Arts academic affairs of the grade proposal at least one week prior to the public examination of the thesis project.
The examiner’s statement consists of the following:
- Title: Examiner’s statement concerning an MFA thesis project
- Name of student
- A brief account of all the reviewed components of the thesis project
- The actual examiner’s statement
- Proposed grade: Pass/Fail
- Date of the statement
- Examiner’s name and signature
The requested length of the statement is 2–5 pages.
The examiner can write the examiner’s statement in Finnish, Swedish or English. The student’s language proficiency must be taken into consideration in the language used in the statement, as the student has the right to receive the statement in a language that they can understand. The language of the statement is discussed when the examiner agrees to undertake the examiner’s duties. The Academy of Fine Arts will not order translations for thesis projects or the examiner’s statements.
If the examiners have been notified of a medical certificate concerning the student’s dyslexia or some other kind of learning disorder, they must take this piece of information into account in their assessment.
Assessment criteria and grades
The thesis project is assessed as a whole. The thesis project is assessed with the grades of Pass or Fail. The examiners can discuss the grade proposal with each other if they so wish.
Pass
The curating project(s) as well as their concept and execution are of an excellent, good, or at least fair standard in their expressive quality, and they indicate knowledge of the methods and theory of curating and exhibition studies. The project(s) demonstrate(s) professional skills and an ability to plan and implement exhibitions. The work shows that the student is able to put learned skills into practice and reflect on what they have learned in relation to their own thinking and contemporary art.
The written component or the written thesis (Alternative B) is thematically motivated, and its contents are of a good or at least fair standard. The goals of the written component or the thesis are, overall, clearly explicated, and the adopted approach is motivated. The sources used are appropriate to the topic. The text demonstrates an ability to reflect on previously learned skills in relation to one’s own thinking, contemporary art and artistic research. The written expression is, on the whole, communicative, dynamic and interesting, and the related visual material is relevant to the written component.
Fail
The curating project/projects or the concept and implementation of the proposed project fail to reach the artistic standards set for the Master of Fine Arts degree and indicate a poor command of the relevant theories, methods and professional skills. There are severe deficiencies in the student’s ability to plan and implement exhibitions on a larger scale. The work demonstrates insufficient ability to put learned skills into practice and to reflect on them in relation to one’s own thinking, work and contemporary art.
The topic of the written component or thesis (Alternative B) is not relevant, and its contents are of poor standard. The goals and the approach of the written component or thesis are obscure. The contents of the written component or thesis are poorly structured, and the references are not well selected for the topic. The text indicates insufficient ability to reflect on what the student has previously learned in relation to their own thinking, contemporary art or artistic research. The thesis is poorly structured and vague in expression, and the visual material is not naturally related to the written component.
The student has engaged in unethical activities in the course of preparing the thesis project.
Public examination of the thesis project
The student will present the thesis project in a public examination event after the examiners have reviewed all the components of the work. Public examination events are open to the public. In the event, the student presents their thesis project, and the examiners give their statements orally. There will be time for discussion after the statements. The supervising teacher of the subject area, or a person appointed by the supervising teacher, will serve as the custos of the public examination. If the examiner is unable to attend the event, the examiner’s statement must be submitted to the academic affairs team in advance to be read at the public examination.
The public examination can last for one hour at most. The student has 20 minutes to present their thesis project, while each examiner is allotted c. 15 minutes.
The examiners write their statements prior to the public examination. If they wish to elaborate on their statements after the public examination, they must do so within three days of the event.
Examiner’s fee
The Academy of Fine Arts pays a fee to the examiner for acting as an examiner, writing the examiner’s statement and participating in the public examination. The examiner’s fee is €350 if the examiner takes part in the public examination and €300 if they do not. The examiner’s fee is taxable income. No fee is paid to a salaried member of the teaching staff of the Academy of Fine Arts.
In order for the fee to be paid, the examiner must provide the Study Services of the Academy of Fine Arts with current information pertaining to the bank transfer. The fee payer receives the up-to-date tax data directly from the tax authority’s database for the taxation of the fee recipient, unless the tax card is for a different type of income, i.e. a tax-at-source card.