The language of the master's degree maturity test and the languages of the master's thesis abstracts

The maturity test is a mandatory study unit (0 credits) included in the master’s degree, where you demonstrate your familiarity with the field of your thesis. It is always assessed for content. In some cases, the maturity test must be completed a) in the language of secondary education, in which case it is also assessed for proficiency in that language. Conversely, the maturity test is assessed only for content in cases where it must be completed b) in English or c) when you have the option to complete it in Finnish, Swedish, English, or the language of the thesis (a language other than Finnish, Swedish, or English).

1. The maturity test must be completed in the language of secondary education: If your language of secondary education is Finnish or Swedish and you have not previously completed a first- or second-cycle degree at the University of Helsinki or elsewhere in Finland (for example, because you completed your bachelor's degree abroad), you must demonstrate proficiency in (1) your language of secondary education, (2) the second national language, and (3) a foreign language through language studies included in the master’s degree. In such cases, you must demonstrate your proficiency in the language of your secondary education through the maturity test in the master’s degree, which you must write in that language (Finnish or Swedish), regardless of whether you are in a Finnish- or Swedish-language (FI, SV), English-language (EN), or multilingual (FI, SV, EN) master’s programme. Note that if in such cases you write your thesis in a language other than your language of secondary education, you must include two abstracts in your thesis: one in your language of secondary education and one in the language of the thesis.
2. The maturity test must be completed in English: You must complete the maturity test in English if you are in an English-language master’s programme or a multilingual master’s programme with English as your degree language and
   • your language of secondary education is other than Finnish or Swedish or
   • your language of secondary education is Finnish or Swedish and you have already demonstrated your proficiency in the language of secondary education in a first- or second-cycle degree at the University of Helsinki or elsewhere in Finland.
   In this case, you must write your master’s thesis in English, complete the maturity test in English, and include an English-language abstract in your master’s thesis.
3. You can choose whether to complete the maturity test in Finnish, Swedish, English, or the language of the thesis (some other language than Finnish, Swedish, or English), if you are in a Finnish- or Swedish-language master’s programme or a multilingual master’s programme with Finnish or Swedish as your degree language and
   • your language of secondary education is other than Finnish or Swedish or
   • your language of secondary education is Finnish or Swedish and you have already demonstrated your proficiency in the language of secondary education in a first- or second-cycle degree at the University of Helsinki or elsewhere in Finland.
   If you complete the maturity test in a language other than the language of the thesis, you must include two abstracts in your thesis: one in the language of the maturity test and one in the language of the thesis. However, it is simplest to complete the maturity test in the language of the thesis and include only one abstract in your thesis, which is written in the language of the thesis.
4. Note! If you are studying in a master’s programme administered by the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences or the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry and your language of secondary education is Finnish or Swedish, you must always include an abstract written in your language of secondary education in your thesis. Additionally, it is recommended for all students in these degree programmes to always include an English-language abstract in their thesis.

Note! If your master’s programme uses different course codes for maturity tests in different languages, make sure you have selected the correct course code in your study plan. For example, in the master’s programmes administered by the Faculty of Arts, the following options are available: HUM-801 Maturity Test (in Finnish), HUM-802 Maturity Test (in Swedish), and HUM-803 Maturity Test (Other Language than Finnish/Swedish).