Thesis project guidelines: Bachelor’s Degree Programme in History and Theory of Contemporary Art
How to complete the 10 ECTS credits for a BA thesis project.
Form and content of a thesis
A Bachelor of Arts thesis is a theoretical or applied/data-based research paper, which complies with good scientific practices. In their thesis, a student demonstrates their learning in the field of contemporary art history and theory by applying the contents and research methods of contemporary art independently. In their thesis, students demonstrate that they have mastered the field’s research premises, methods, materials and the use of source materials. Students also demonstrate good communication skills in the thesis related to content concerning the research or dissemination of contemporary art.
If a thesis includes an applied data-based portion, the data will be collected simultaneously with the thesis seminar work. The topic will be approved during the Bachelor of Arts thesis seminar during the autumn semester.
The recommended length of a thesis is 15-25 pages of text (approximately 30,000-50,000 characters). The appropriate length will depend on whether a thesis includes an applied data section and how broad this is.
An abstract in the language of the thesis is attached to the thesis.
As a rule, the thesis is written alone. In justified cases, the seminar coordinator may approve the implementation of a thesis as a pair or group project. In this case, each individual’s contribution must be clearly demonstrated in the thesis so that each author’s section can be assessed as a separate performance. An established academic reference system is used in theses.
A thesis is written in either Finnish or Swedish. The possibility of writing a thesis in English must be separately agreed on in advance with the seminar coordinator.
Students with dyslexia or other special needs affecting learning and expression may ask their doctor for a certificate or discuss this with their teacher. This way, the matter can be taken into consideration when a thesis plan is approved and the thesis is examined, and the student can also be provided with the guidance they need if necessary.
Use of images in a thesis
All images used in a thesis must include image data and the source of the image. It is important to mark down the details of all images even if you have created the works in the images or taken the photos yourself. Make sure that you use images in accordance with copyright. Images can be used more freely in a thesis than in commercial publications, but check the ImagOA guide for detailed instructions. Do not use an image if you are not sure you have the right to publish it.
For more detailed instructions, see the ImagOA guide:
Thesis process
Writing a thesis and its supervision will take place at the thesis seminar, during which the thesis will also be presented. Students take part in the thesis seminar from the autumn of the third year of their studies. The seminar begins in the autumn semester and ends in March. Student work on their these in a process-like manner during the seminar, so it must be completed as a whole during the seminar.
At the thesis seminar, you will receive guidance and support in the progress of your thesis process, the definition of research questions, methodological questions and other contents of the thesis. In addition, during the seminar students practise the use of scientific communication and discussion practices.
During the thesis seminar, the topic of the student’s Bachelor’s thesis is approved and the student prepares a thesis plan. The seminar coordinator also acts as the thesis supervisor. In addition, during the thesis seminar students gain practise in critiquing other’s theses. Active participation in the seminar, preparation of seminar assignments and acting as a peer opponent for other theses are a prerequisite for successful completion of the thesis seminar.
You can apply for a grant from the Academy of Fine Arts to cover thesis costs that are necessary for completing the thesis, such as image usage fees and copyright fees. More detailed instructions are given in connection with the thesis seminar.
Submission and examination of the thesis
Students will be given the thesis submission schedule at the thesis seminar.
A thesis will be submitted in PDF/A format as a single file (maximum file size: 10MB/Mb) on the Moodle platform of the Bachelor’s thesis seminar. The file must contain the entire thesis, i.e.: Cover, abstract, text, possible image and other attachments, and source and reference data.
When the written part of the thesis is submitted for examination, the student must also save their work in the Taju publication archive in accordance with the instructions provided by the library. Each student must do this even if they do not give permission for publishing the thesis online. The version saved in Taju must be the same as the one returned for review.
Theses are presented and critiqued at the thesis seminar. During a thesis presentation, one or two students in the same seminar will act as opponents for the thesis.
The thesis will be examined by the thesis seminar coordinator together with another examiner. The thesis is graded on a scale of pass – fail. In connection with the examination, the thesis seminar coordinator will approve plagiarism detection performed using the Turnitin similarity detection system.
Layout of a thesis
The cover page should include
- the student’s name,
- title of the these
- educational institution (University of the Arts, the Academy of Fine Arts.) and its logo,
- that the work in question is a Bachelor of Arts (Art and Design) thesis project,
- date on which the thesis was submitted.
If you have problems with downloading Academy of Fine Arts logo, please contact viestinta@uniarts.fi.
The following must also been included at the beginning of a thesis:
- thesis supervisor and examiners
- if the thesis has been produced jointly by various parties, the written part must also indicate how the work process has been divided between the authors.
Approval, publicity, archiving and registration of a thesis
Once the examiners have submitted their grade proposals to study services, the thesis will be submitted to the vice dean responsible for teaching for their approval. The study services will notify the student of their thesis grade after it has been approved in its entirety.
If one or both of the examiners propose a failed grade, the student can either 1) request that the evaluation of their thesis be discontinued and ask the teacher supervising the thesis for further instructions on how to supplement the thesis or 2) continue the process and submit a response to the examiners. If the grades proposed by the examiners deviate from one another, the decision-maker requests a third assessment from an external examiner.
If the thesis evaluation is discontinued, you can make corrections to your thesis following the instructions of the teacher-in-charge and submit the corrected thesis for evaluation. The new evaluation will not be launched until your teacher-in-charge has given their permission to do so.
If you are dissatisfied with the evaluation of your thesis, you can request a written rectification from the decision-maker within 14 days of receiving the decision. If you are dissatisfied with the decision regarding the request for rectification, you may submit an appeal on the matter to the Academic Appeals Board of the University of the Arts Helsinki within 14 days of receiving notification of the decision.
An electronic thesis is stored in the Academy of Fine Arts study services in accordance with the current retention period, after which theses are transferred to the Uniarts Helsinki archive. Theses are public, so they cannot contain material that cannot be published for copyright reasons. Depending on the student’s choice, a thesis can be read in the Taju publication archive either openly online or be in the closed section that can only be accessed from the library’s computers.
You can find further information on copyright in Students’ Uniarts and in the student agreement each student signs at the beginning of their studies.
The ECTS for the thesis will be registered after the thesis has been fully accepted. According to the Uniarts Helsinki Degree Regulations, completed courses are valid for a maximum of ten years, during which time they can be included in the degree.