Study Guide

Objective

The purpose of the thesis for a Master's degree is to develop and demonstrate not only ability to apply research information and use selected methods to analyse and solve problems related to professional life, but also to demonstrate readiness for independent expert work in demanding positions. In the thesis for a Metropolia Master's degree, the student aims to generate new competence and develop professional life and the field of study in an innovative way. (see Degree Regulations of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences Ltd, 2021)

• The student is able to plan, implement and evaluate a research and development project in co-operation with working life.
• The student is able to critically and effectively apply the research and expert knowledge of the field and RDI methods for developing practices and problem solving in working life.
• In his/her work, the student shows initiative and good change management and development skills.
• The student is able to work independently in expert positions of the field and as a developer and reformer of working life.
• The student is able to make justified decisions during the different phases of the thesis process.
• The student produces a written report of the research and development project and has good oral and written professional communication skills.
• In the maturity test, the student demonstrates good knowledge of the thesis’ subject area and is able to communicate the results in a professional manner.

Content

All parts of the thesis process (selection of the subject, research and development process, thesis report) according to the degree programme guidelines: workshops, seminars, individual and group supervision, maturity test.

The maturity test can be a press release, a publishable article, an executive summary or other informative text. The student agrees the form and target audience of the maturity test together with the thesis supervisor.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

• The research and development need has been described and its significance has been expressed from the partner organisation's viewpoint.
• The goals have been specified, but the argumentation is poor.The goals have been clearly specified and the argumentation is
• The knowledge base is only partly connected to developing the field and conclusions. Key sources are missing. The student is familiar with basic source criticism.
• Research and development methods are described insufficiently and utilized superficially.
• Some relevant results have been obtained from the material. Conclusions have been drawn from the results and they have been presented in overall terms. Applicability of the results is discussed, but at a general level.
• Work does not proceed according to the targets and the chosen research approach. The choices made are justified superficially. The amount of self-managed development work is inadequate.
• Reliability and ethicality issues are dealt with to some extent.
• The thesis structure and linguistic expression need some improvement. The linguistic expression is rather clumsy.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

• The research and development need has been described with clear and good argumentation. Its significance has been expressed from the viewpoint of the customer, partner organisation's operation, professional field and/or regional development.
• The goals have been clearly specified and the argumentation is appropriate.
• The knowledge base is relevant, versatile and international. The knowledge base guides developing the field naturally. The student has a good command of source criticism.
• The research and development methods are well chosen and applied carefully, appropriately and in a problem-oriented way.
• Relevant results have been obtained, leading to justified conclusions that have been clearly expressed. Applicability of the results is discussed, also in a wider context.
• The work process is implemented in a planned fashion and appropriately in terms of the research approach. The choices made are justified. Development work takes place under self-management.
• Reliability and ethicality issues are dealt with appropriately.
• The language is almost flawless, expert-level text that is well-structured. The appearance is very good and the text is fluent.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

• The research and development need has been described and presented with very clear arguments, from many angles, from a social viewpoint and/or making use of research data available in the field. The research and development need's significance has been expressed with great expertise from the viewpoint of the customer, partner organisation, professional field and/or regional development.
• The goals have been specified and argued very clearly.
• The knowledge base is comprehensive and versatile also in terms of international literature. The knowledge base guides development of the field excellently. The student applies source criticism systematically.
• The reasoning for the selection of research and development methods is sound. The selected research and development methods are applied like an expert.
• A variety of and comprehensive results have been obtained from the material considering the targets and/or the research question. Discerning conclusions have been drawn from the results. Applicability of the results is discussed in a wider professional and working life context.
• Management of the work process and development work is constructive and responsible both in terms of planning and implementation.
• Reliability and ethicality issues are reflected on expertly and purposefully.
• The thesis creates a clear communicative package. The language is neat and fluent. The appearance is of high quality through.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

Fail
• The research and development need has not been described nor its significance indicated.
• The goals have not been specified.
• The work lacks a knowledge base, relying merely on personal experience, conventions or textbooks, or otherwise the information presented does not have a connection to developing operations. The student is not familiar with basic source criticism.
• Research or development framework is missing.It is not clear which research and development method was applied, or their description is random and illogical.
• No relevant and justifiable results have been obtained from the material. Areas of application cannot be found.
• The work process is fragmentary and no grounds are presented for the choices made. Work does not proceed according to plan, logically or in a responsible manner.
• There are problems in the reliability and ethicality of the work.
• The thesis does not fulfill the discipline's minimum requirements set for expert communication in terms of the communicative aspects and the language and/or appearance.

Further information

Assessment:
• Description of need for research and development
• Goals (also includes the purpose of the work and any research question)
• Knowledge base (previous research literature and its use)
• Selection and implementation of methods (approach,data collection and analysis, putting findings into practice)
• Results, interpretation and conclusions
• Work process
• Reliability and ethics
• Communicative aspects, language and appearance of the thesis

Weighting may vary depending on the nature of the work.