Anna Liisa Karjalainen
To receive their degrees, students must write maturity tests on the topics of their theses. The maturity test demonstrates the students’ knowledge of the subject area and their command of Finnish or Swedish (Decree 1129/2014, Section 8). Students in the degree programmes offered in English are required to write the maturity test in English.
The test takes place after the thesis is submitted after the preliminary thesis has been submitted for assesment. Even if the thesis was completed as pair work or group work, all authors write their own individual maturity tests
The maturity test is completed under supervision, and the time allotted for it is 120 minutes. Writers are given topics on which they write their essay. If the topic is not presented in the form of a title for the essay, the writers are expected to formulate the title themselves.
The maturity test shows the writer's mastery of the subject matter of the thesis regarding its contents, the related methodology and the language. The essay must form a logical, coherent whole which contains the structures typical to essays: the title, the introductory section, the treatment of the subject, and the conclusion. Paragraph divisions must be clearly indicated by an empty line which separates the paragraphs. Subheadings are not used.
The maturity test must be written in a factual style and with complete sentences. Abbreviations and lists should be avoided. References are not indicated.
The maturity test for a master's degree is written in the form of a press release for the media or a newsletter to a work community. The title must be informative and the contents must be focused on those outcomes of the thesis work that are interesting for the media or the work community.
The maturity test is graded as pass or fail. The supervisor of the thesis checks the contents of the maturity test, and the English teacher checks its language and structure.
The Board of Examiners makes the decision on the maturity test if the language proficiency stipulated in Decree 1129/2014, Section 8, is not required of the student. The exemption criteria are specified more closely in the respective instruction on Diak's exemption practices concerning language studies and language proficiency requirements (Kieliopintojen/kielitaitovaatimusten vapautuskäytännöt Diakissa).
Sources
A 1129/2014. Valtioneuvoston asetus ammattikorkeakouluista. Saatavilla http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/alkup/2014/20141129 [Government Decree on Universities of Applied Sciences]