Each graduate from the Department of Industrial Management completes a Master’s thesis as the final project of the studies. The purpose of the thesis is to demonstrate the student’s knowledge of a topic of scientific or societal importance in his or her professional field. The theses are usually commissioned by companies and related to a practical problem introduced by the company. This allows students to apply their new knowledge to practice.
Completing a Master’s thesis requires 6-8 months of full-time work. During the thesis process, the company staff and the student become acquainted, and many students continue to work for the company after their thesis is finished. Commissioning a Master’s thesis is an excellent recruiting channel for businesses. If the thesis includes sensitive material on the operation of the business, the thesis may, on the request of the company, be kept confidential for a maximum of two years.
Normally, the thesis student is either employed by the company or working under a grant. In the former case, the company and the student together agree on the terms of the employment relationship. The recommendations of the Association of Finnish Graduate Engineers are applied to the salary. Salary is considered taxable income for the student. The Master’s thesis can also be funded by a grant from the LUT grant foundation. More information on grants can be found on the foundation web site. A grant for full-time research work is tax-exempt income for the student. Sometimes the thesis work can also be part of a larger research project. In such cases, the funding is determined according to a research contract between the company and the university, and the student is employed by the university.
If your company is interested in commissioning a Master’s thesis, please contact the professor of the subject area in question. The contact information can be found on the personnel web page. Further information is also provided by Study Coordinator Katri Tyster.
Your company may also place an advertisement for a Master’s thesis position through the university’s Career Services. However, before starting the work, practical arrangements must be agreed on with the professor of the subject area in question.
Examples of Master’s theses from the Department of Industrial Management (pdf)