Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR): Guide 2.0

THESIS OF A STUDENT IN THEIR SECOND HIGHER EDUCATION DEGREE PROGRAMME 

The thesis required for a bachelor’s level degree from universities of applied sciences cannot be credited (Recognition of Prior Learning, RPL) with a thesis prepared for another degree programme. The following includes instructions on how to apply for a partial RPL on the basis of a previously completed higher education degree. In addition, the situations in which previously prepared theses can be used for a new thesis according to what is separately agreed on with the student’s thesis supervisor are described.
 

• How to apply for a partial RPL on the basis of a previous higher education degree
• Situations in which previously prepared theses can be used for a new thesis according to what is separately agreed on with the student’s thesis supervisor
• Topic and format of the thesis:
• Schedule
• New thesis
• Participation in teaching and supervision
• Thesis evaluation
• Publication of thesis

How to apply for a partial RPL on the basis of a previous higher education degree
 

RES01  -  Participatory and Research-oriented Development (and corresponding thesis courses of other bachelor’s level degrees )

The student’s previous studies and thesis can be used to partially credit:

• the RES01 written assignment (research articles) and
• method workshop participation and
• attending the thesis seminars (participation is recommended).

In this case, the remaining required RES01 assignments are:

• successfully presenting the thesis idea paper at the thesis seminar

RES02 (and corresponding thesis courses of other bachelor’s level degrees)

The student’s previous studies and thesis can be used to partially credit:

• RES02 written assignments
• RES02 teaching sessions
• attending the thesis seminar (participation is recommended).

In this case, the remaining required RES02 assignments are:

• the preparation, presentation and approval of the thesis research plan and
• serving as an opponent to another student’s thesis plan

RES03 (and corresponding thesis courses of other bachelor’s level degrees)

The student can apply for a RPL on the basis of their previous studies and thesis for:

• RES 03 teaching sessions
• attending the thesis seminar (participation is recommended).

⇒ Curricula

Those responsible for making decisions on RPL applications are listed on Diak’s website

⇒ Lectures in charge of RPL

Situations in which previously prepared theses can be used for a new thesis according to what is separately agreed on with the student’s thesis supervisor
 

A previously prepared thesis can be utilized if:

• the previous thesis is at most 10 years old
• the previous thesis discusses the same or a related field
• the part of the previous thesis to be reused meets the competence requirements of the current degree programme

Sections you can use from your previous thesis: Theory section / research method section / the thesis as a whole.

Topic and format of the thesis:

The decision to use a previously prepared thesis as part of the thesis process for a new degree is based on the student’s own initiative:

• the student writes a summary (4–5 pages) on the previous thesis: e.g. topic, theory, method, material, key results
• the student describes what skills they acquired from the process of preparing the previous thesis
• the student makes a proposal for the new thesis and explains what new skills they will gain from the new thesis process
• the proposal must specify which parts (concepts, methods, etc.) of the previous thesis the student intends to use
• the content of the new parts must be outlined in the proposal
• the student submits the above-mentioned document to the teacher or study guidance counselor responsible for the thesis with a copy of the previous thesis

Schedule

• the student submits the proposal for a new thesis within 1 month from the beginning of their studies, if the aim is to start doing the thesis immediately at the beginning of the studies; otherwise, the proposal must be submitted by the end of the semester preceding the start of the thesis work

New thesis

• the new thesis must form an independent whole, but parts of the previous thesis can be used in it
• options for the new thesis: product, development project, article
• the scope of the student’s workload is 7–8 study credits, but the scope of the thesis is 15 study credits when recorded in MyDiak

Participation in teaching and supervision

• the student participates in thesis supervision meetings where they present their work
• the student has the opportunity to participate on courses for English language and research methods workshops
• in addition, the student participates in a thesis publication seminar, where their thesis is published after being reviewed

Thesis evaluation

• Diak’s evaluation criteria for theses prepared for a degree from a university of applies sciences are used in the evaluation, where applicable
• only the new content is evaluated

Publication of the thesis

• the thesis is not saved in the national Theseus database
• articles can be suggested for publication in professional journals and Diak’s publication series

Original article: Paula Koistinen ja Mika Alavaikko (2016)

Updated by Olli Vesterinen ja Titta Riihimäki (2020)